How Cocktails Get Hyperlocal Snacking Companions With These Puneri Bar Bites
A hardcore Puneri gastronome is a bonafide snack-er. Munching on bakarwadis, chaklis, shankarpalis, chivda and multiple local crisps and spicy bites is characteristic of chai time in Puneri households. Here, snack stores selling a variety of these goodies abound, and in many homes there remain OG culinary aficionados and home cooks who continue to prepare these crispy snacks in their own kitchens.
Stainless steel tins filled to the brim with chivdas and chaklis are a staple find across many homes and whenever guests come calling, these tins are dipped into and what comes out by the platefuls are lightly spiced snacks with interesting crunchy textures that are placed as small bites to be munched on with tea and coffee.
These snacks tell stories of a culture rooted in culinary expertise, of turning soft dough into crispy chaklis which retain their crunch long after and of making chivda out of bland puffed rice to then pack it with flavour. What’s more, these snacks tend to pair well with cocktails too – drinks like margaritas, mojitos and whisky sours get interesting flavour accomplices when they are paired with many of these popular Puneri bites. Stepping into my Punekar avatar, I tend to similarly dip into the tins in my own home when guests come calling unexpectedly. As I blend cocktails so too, the Puneri snacker in me comes up with munchies ranging from bakarwadi chaat to vada pav which can accompany these impromptu drinks:
Chakli And Mint Chutney
I discovered this combination at one of those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that I often visit on month ends – because it is easy on the pocket, of course! Here, bar bites include chaklis and crisps served with mint chutney. When I actually find myself making simple cocktails like a gin and tonic or a vodka and cranberry juice, these are generally accompanied by the always on-hand, crispy chakli. And mint chutney is easy enough to make so long as fresh mint leaves are available in the fridge.
Bakarwadi Chaat
One of the most staple snacks in Puneri cultures, the code to making the perfect bakarwadi remains uncracked by homecooks. We source this bakarwadi from select stores across the city and when it comes to preparing a bar bite at the last minute, a bakarwadi chaat made from this crisp is an inventive go-to. It can be prepared easily by crushing bakarwadis and adding chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander to them along with a bit of chilli powder, cumin powder, chaat masala and curd.
Poha Chivda Bhel
Poha chivda is an always available Puneri snack – it is made for those occasions when dinner is served late and one needs a munchie to keep going till it is time to eat. Poha chivda, I discovered, is also an excellent impromptu snack to serve at last-minute gatherings. It tastes great when garnished with fresh coconut, tamarind chutney, some chopped green chillies, a bit of finely chopped cucumber and onions. Poha chivda bhel remains an OG Puneri snack that pairs well with a frothy beer or with a whisky highball.
Also Read: Colourful And Flavourful Dips: Ultimate Snacking Experience For Your Festive Party
Classic Vada Pav
On those days when I am quite in the mood to cook, I might end up making potato fritters and fried green chillies to be served with pav as a staple vada pav snack. This happens only when my friends tell me at least a couple of hours in advance that they will be showing up! Then, making fresh, spicy fritters on monsoon evenings is a doable culinary adventure – and stuffed into pav, these can be paired with mojitos and gin and tonics prepared spontaneously.
Masala Khakra
I wonder if it is popular now, but masala khakra remains my invention, crafted when I ran out of actual papads to make masala papad. So, I made masala khakra instead. First I made a masala salad using onions, tomatoes and chilli powder and then spread it all over a methi khakra. Topping this off with lasoon shev lent the crispy dish a finishing touch. The spicy and crunchy munchie became an excellent companion with whisky on the rocks and I serve it to my unexpected callers to this day.
Lasoon Shev And Spicy Curd
Impromptu snacks are all about scanning the fridge and snack shelves and coming up with munchies that can be served with sweet and spicy cocktails. I prepared spicy curd on one such cocktail evening. All I had in the fridge was curd and a lone cucumber. I whisked the curd, chopped the cucumber, mixed the two and infused them with chilli powder and chaat masala. A lone packet of lasoon or garlic shev stood stoically on the snack shelf and I put the two together to create a crispy, chewy chaat-like number. This pairing now remains a classic Puneri snack in my home, that often accompanies a vodka mule or a vodka soda.
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