Panipuri: A Street Food Delicacy from Nepal
In the ever-bustling city of Kathmandu. It’s nearly impossible to pass by the sound of little steel bowls clanging together. And not stop for a crowd shooting around a little cart that has caught everyone’s attention. Generally, it is here at these little carts, where everyone is excited, waiting for the cart to serve some Panipuri. It is one of Nepal’s most famous street food styles. The air is thick with the aroma of spicy water and some fresh chutney. You cannot help but take a step closer, even if you haven’t realized your feet have stopped!
The first time I sat down (more like lost control of my will) to experience Panipuri in Nepal was much more of an experience than I had anticipated. I thought I would be waiting for my turn like any other vendor. But I was walking with students, other workers on their lunch breaks. And of course, the random bystander watching like a science experiment. The vendor was moving quickly, popping the top off of each round puri. Stuffing in mashed spiced potatoes with chickpeas and onions, dipping it with mint-flavored water, and handing it off to the next person in line. By the time this guy pressed a puri into my hand, I had barely a second to prepare!
Taking that first bite was like magic and simultaneously crunchy, spicy, sour, and cool. The puri would melt in my mouth, absorbing all the other flavors that just doesn’t happen in food. I was making a mess, but no one cared. People were biting into their own puris. Even pausing only a second to wipe the tears from their eyes before grabbing the next. This is what makes Panipuri the best because it is a meal, but it is also an experience.
And the richness of the experience was also coming from the environment that was developing around the stall. Everyone was strangers to each other, but smiles were being exchanged and possibly a few laughs, definitely because of the spice. One group of friends was counting the number of puris they could eat, while a mother was giving her little one a non-spicy version as if it were the most tender gesture; all of this was happening, and at that point, we felt like a small festival was taking place on the road with Panipuri as the star of the show.
In Nepal, panipuri has moved beyond just food to become a whole collective identity. Panipuri will serve you well whether it’s a fast snack after work, or a stop at the stand while you are shopping for hours. There is boundless connection and warmth spreading from a puri of flavored water (liquid) that everyone who eats panipuri recalls.
When I reflect on the experience of street food in Nepal, panipuri is the first image that comes to my mind; it’s not just the flavor, it’s the laughter, the tears from the spiciness of the food, the brief moments of conversation as time stands still, and the simple joy of being at the corner of a busy street with a plate of paper in hand; that makes the panipuri experience special… which is why panipuri is classic street food you cannot miss in Nepal.