Pani Puri in Mauritius and its Origins


crispy pani puri


All round, crisp and hollow with delicious fillings… the pani puri is a famous snack from India and is becoming popular in Mauritius too. Unfortunately, this delicious Indian street food is not available everywhere in Mauritius.

The Origins of Pani Puri

Pani puri is a round, hollow snack that originated from the Indian subcontinent. It is a deep fried crisp crepe, filled with a mixture of flavoured “water”.

round pani puri

Pani puris are known by various names depending on the region in India, one that we might have also heard of in Mauritius is golgappa which is how it is known by in Uttar Pradesh. In some other regions, pani puris are referred to as paani patashi, fulki, pakodi and gup chup to name a few. So if you hear any of these names, you know people are talking about pani puris.

The “puris” are the small, hollow and crisp balls made with flour. The top of the “ball” is broken to be filled with “pani” (pani literally translates to water). The watery filling is made with tamarind, mint and spices such as cumin and turmeric. Potato curries, chickpeas and onions are also added to fill the puri and add to the taste.

Pani puris are usually served by five or six in a plate. Each puri is eaten in one bite so that you can feel the flavours explode in your mouth. If you try to eat a pani puri in multiple bites, you would probably create a little mess since the filling is very watery as we mentioned. Most people usually have 5 or 6 in one go as one pani puri is not enough.

Pani Puri in Mauritius

pani puri mauritius

Though it is a street food in India, pani puris are not sold on the streets in Mauritius. You will not find this snack as easily as you would for gato piments. Here, they are mostly available in some specific Indian restaurants but you can find ready made ones in supermarkets.

And good news for cooks and amateur chefs, pani puri can also be made at home if you are ready to put in a little work (we will be adding the recipe on restaurants.mu soon, check our mauritian recipes to stay updated).

yummy pani puri presentation


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