Fuchka

Ingredients

Shells

• 150 gfine semolina (suji)
• 50 gplain flour
• ¼ tspbaking soda
• ½ tspsalt
• 110 mlwarm water
• 1 litrevegetable oil, for deep frying

Filling

• 300 gboiled potatoes, coarsely mashed
• 200 gcooked chickpeas (kabuli chana), lightly crushed
• 1small onion, very finely chopped
• 2green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tbspcoriander leaf, chopped
• 1 tsproasted cumin powder
• 1 tspchaat masala
• ½ tspblack salt (bit lobon)
• 1 tbspraw mustard oil
• juice of ½ lime
• salt to taste

Tetul pani (tamarind water)

• 80 gseedless tamarind pulp, soaked in 700 ml warm water
• 1 tspblack salt
• 1 tsproasted cumin powder
• 1 tspred chilli powder
• 1 tbspsugar or date molasses
• 2 tbspcoriander leaf, chopped
• 1green chilli, slit

To top

• 3hard-boiled eggs, grated
• 1 tbspfried lentil vermicelli or crushed shells (optional)

Directions

1. Knead the semolina, flour, soda and salt with the warm water for a full 8 minutes into a very stiff, smooth dough, then cover with a damp cloth and rest 30 minutes.
2. Roll the dough out as thin as you can manage, about 1 mm, and cut 5 cm discs. Keep them under a damp cloth — a dried edge will not puff.
3. Heat the oil to 190°C (375°F). Slide in four discs at a time and press each gently under the oil with a slotted spoon; they should balloon within 10 seconds.
4. Once puffed, lower the heat slightly and fry 2–3 minutes more until hard and pale biscuit-brown. Drain on a rack; they must be crisp enough to knock like a shell.
5. Squeeze the soaked tamarind through your fingers and sieve out the fibres, then whisk in the black salt, cumin, chilli, sugar, coriander and slit chilli. Chill it — the water is drunk cold.
6. Mix the filling: potato, chickpeas, onion, green chilli, coriander, cumin, chaat masala, black salt, raw mustard oil and lime. Mash lightly with your fingers so it stays coarse, and taste for sourness and heat.
7. To serve, crack a hole in the top of each shell with your thumb, spoon in the filling, and cap it with grated egg.
8. Fill each shell with cold tamarind water at the last possible second and eat whole, in one mouthful, before the shell softens. Serve the remaining tetul pani in a cup on the side to drink.

Technique

• Dhaka fuchka is not Indian pani puri: the shell is larger and sturdier, the potato-and-chickpea filling is heavier and sourer, and grated boiled egg on top is standard.
• Raw mustard oil in the filling is a Bangladeshi signature — its pungency is the point, so add it uncooked at the end.
• Shells fail to puff for two reasons: dough not kneaded stiff enough, or oil below about 185°C (375°F). Test one before you commit the batch.
• The shells keep a week in an airtight tin, which is how street vendors work; only assemble to order.

Substitutions

• Ready-made golgappa/puri shells from a South Asian grocery are entirely acceptable and are what most home cooks in Dhaka now buy.
• No tamarind pulp: use 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate in 700 ml water, but cut the sugar, as concentrate is sharper.

Variations

• Chotpoti, the sister dish, serves the same chickpea mixture as a bowl of stew with egg, tamarind and crushed fuchka on top.
• Doi fuchka, filled and then flooded with sweetened whisked yoghurt instead of tamarind water.

History

Bengal’s version of pani puri, filled with spiced potato and chickpea and topped with tamarind water rather than served with a separate jug.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fuchka?

Fuchka is a street food from Bangladesh: crisp shells stuffed with spiced chickpeas, egg and tamarind water. Bengal’s version of pani puri, filled with spiced potato and chickpea and topped with tamarind water rather than served with a separate jug.

How long does Fuchka take to make?

Fuchka takes 45 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (about 24 fuchka). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Fuchka?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made golgappa/puri shells from a South Asian grocery are entirely acceptable and are what most home cooks in Dhaka now buy. No tamarind pulp: use 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate in 700 ml water, but cut the sugar, as concentrate is sharper.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fuchka?

Once puffed, lower the heat slightly and fry 2–3 minutes more until hard and pale biscuit-brown. Drain on a rack; they must be crisp enough to knock like a shell.