Golgappa is a popular North Indian street food made with crispy hollow puris filled with spiced potatoes, chickpeas, spicy tangy pani and sweet tamarind chutney. Each puri is filled just before serving for the best taste and texture. It is a classic chaat snack known for its spicy and tangy flavors. This recipe shares the Delhi-style golgappa.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Snacks, Starters
  • Cuisine: Indian Street Food, North Indian

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup hot water
  • 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
  • ⅓ cup mint leaves (- loosely packed)
  • 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds ((saunf))
  • 1 black cardamom (- seeds remove and kept)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon amchur ((dry mango powder) – can also use lemon juice or kachri powder or bel powder)
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 1.5 cups water (added later)
  • black salt as required (– can also use rock salt or regular salt)
  • ⅓ cup white chickpeas
  • ⅓ cup black chickpeas
  • 2.5 cups water, (for cooking chickpeas)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (for cooking chickpeas)
  • 2 to 3 potatoes
  • water (as required for cooking potatoes)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (for cooking potatoes)
  • ½ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder (or add as required)
  • ½ teaspoon chaat masala (or add as required)
  • ¼ teaspoon black salt (or add as required)
  • 1 medium bowl tamarind chutney
  • 25 to 30 golgappe

Method

Making golgappa pani or jaljeera

  1. Soak 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for about 20 minutes.
  2. Take ⅓ cup loosely packed mint leaves in a small grinder jar. Only use the mint leaves. Do not add the stems.
  3. Add the soaked tamarind along with its water. Make sure there are no seeds in the tamarind.
  4. Add the following spices – 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper and seeds removed from 1 black cardamom.
  5. Now add 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder), 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) and black salt as required.
  6. If you do not have dry mango powder, then you can add some lemon juice. Instead of dry mango powder, kachri powder or bel powder can also be used. Instead of black salt, you can use rock salt or sea salt.
  7. Grind to a smooth chutney.
  8. Take the jaljeera chutney in a bowl. Also add 1.5 cups water.
  9. Mix very well. Check the taste of golgappa pani and add more salt and dry mango powder if required. You can also add some lemon juice if you want.
  10. If you want then you can keep this golgappa pani in the refrigerator.

Making golgappa stuffing

  1. Rinse and then soak ⅓ cup white chickpeas and ⅓ cup black chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Later drain all the water and rinse the chickpeas very well in running water.
  2. Add the chickpeas in a cooker. Also add 2.5 cups water. You can also add just one type of chickpea.
  3. Add ½ teaspoon salt.
  4. Pressure cook on medium flame for 18 to 19 minutes. When pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked well or not. If not then pressure cook for some more time till the chickpeas are cooked well.
  5. Drain all the water and take the chickpeas in a bowl.
  6. In another pressure cooker, take 2 to 3 medium sized rinsed potatoes. Add enough water just about covering the potatoes.
  7. Also add ½ teaspoon salt. Pressure cook them for 5 to 6 whistles or 9 to 11 minutes on medium flame.
  8. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, remove the potatoes. Let them cool a bit. Then peel and chop them. Add the chopped potatoes to the cooked chickpeas.
  9. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala and ¼ teaspoon black salt or add as required.
  10. Mix everything well. Keep aside.

Assembling & making golgappa

  1. Keep all the elements of golgappa before assembling them – jaljeera pani, tamarind chutney, chana and potatoes stuffing. Take the golgappa puri in a small plate. Crack open the top with a spoon or with clean fingers.
  2. Place the chickpeas and potato stuffing inside the golgappa puri.
  3. Spoon some sweet tamarind chutney less or more as per your preferences.
  4. Now spoon the jaljeera pani or golgappa pani.
  5. Have them immediately.
  6. You can also arrange all the golgappa elements on the dining table and let people make the golgappa for themselves.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.