Who makes your favorite pani puri? tell us at chicago.tribune.com/go/worldeats
A friend of ours who grew up in Pakistan used to tell us marvelous stories about a delectable treat called pani puri. Everyone from kids to grownups, he said, would stand in line for a wafer-like ball that’s pierced and filled with shredded potato, chick peas and spicy tamarind sauce. Before the juice could soak through the crisp globe, snackers would pop the package into their mouths and get right back in line, rollercoaster ride-style. So as soon as we heard that Jai Hind Plaza’s snack shop served these crispy and soft, wet and dry, sweet and salty dumplings (also called gol gappas), we headed over pronto in the dumplingmobile. There we ordered a plateful of the puffy balls with fillings on the side and assembled them ourselves; though a little strange at first, they became more addictive with each potatoey, juicy, crunchy bite-especially when they’re washed down with a hot cup of tea. We’ve heard that Annapurna Fast Food (2606 W. Devon Ave.) also serves puffed-up puris with fillings for $1.99 for 10.
———-
More Top Picks Best Microdermabrasion Machines
Pani Puri
$2.50 for 7
Jai Hind Plaza
2658 W. Devon Ave.
773-973-3400.
Thanks in Urdu and Hindi: shukriyah