Fuchka | Phuchka recipe | Puchka recipe

Fuchka aka phuchka recipe is the most scrumptious and beloved street food of Kolkata which is known for its extraordinary texture, taste and flavour. The perfect outer crisp of puffed puri along with spicy potato stuffing and tangy spicy water at the centre is enough to tickle any Bongs taste buds. Puchka recipe is sold in almost every corner of Kolkata, by the street food vendors and chaat centres. There is no fixed timing to have this tempting delight, but it is mostly served as an evening snack.

About the recipe
How to make Puchka (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Phuchka is a crazily popular Kolkata street food where a hole is made in crispy puffed puri and stuffed with spicy potato mixture and then dunked in spicy tangy water and served immediately. According to many people, the name phuchka comes from the sound phuch which comes during the time of eating this delight.

There is an interesting story behind the invention of fuchka. According to many, phuchka is a miraculous invention of Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers and daughter of king Drupad. During the exile days of Pandava, Kunti the mother of Pandava decided to test her daughter-in-law’s culinary skills. She gave some leftover potato sabzi and some dough to Draupadi and asked her to prepare something which satisfy the taste buds of her sons.

Draupadi accepted the challenge and invented antecedent phuchka which had given inimitable satisfaction not only to the Pandavas but also to Kunti. Kunti blessed the dish to the power of immortality.

According to some other people, during the time of the Magadha kingdom, phulki aka phuchka was one of the favourites among royals. Magadha kingdom was one of the superior kingdoms of those days and Pataliputra was the capital of the kingdom at that time. Phulki was smaller in size as compared to today’s phuchka and filled with potato stuffing.

Phuchka is much more than a street food for any Bengali. It is a lifestyle which has become an inseparable part of Kolkata people’s life. Fuchka recipe is one of the most desired bengali street food which a bong can eat any time and any way. In fact, standing in front of the vendor with shaal patar bati (use-and-throw bowl prepared with leaves) in hand and waiting for the turn of fuchka is total nostalgia and one of the exciting things to do for any age group, starting from kids, youngsters to grownups. In fact, most of the Kolkata people’s outing is incomplete without having fuchka. Honestly, I never met any Bengali who does not like puchka.

Fuchka aka phuchka recipe is like the north Indian Pani puri and golgappa but not the same. The basic difference between both the recipes is in the potato filling and the flavoured water in which the puris are dunked before serving.

For fuchka recipe, the mashed potato is mixed with salt, spices, herbs, boiled yellow peas, soaked black peas etc. and added to the puri. And the water is prepared with tamarind and a lot of spices which tastes super tangy and spicy. On the other hand, for pani puri, potato stuffing and water both taste different from phuchka. In pani puri, the water is less tangy and less spicy as compared to phucka water.

Whenever I talk about fuchka aka puchka recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. It always reminds me of my school and college days. During those days, it was almost compulsory to have fuchka with friends every single day, on the way back from college or tutorial class. After coming closer to the phuckawalas cart, we used to check our pockets whether we have enough money to buy phuchka or not. After that, we surrounded our favourite phuchkawala and he used to adjust the spices and tanginess of the potato mixture according to our demand and we used to devour those spherical divines with immense pleasure and a lot of chit-chat. In fact, at that time phucka party was the most desired and popular party among friends. Those were so fantastic days!!!

But after leaving Bengal for job, I used to crave for Kolkata street food. Though there are very few Bengali food stalls in Pune and Bangalore, but it is not always possible to go so far for the snack. Even now, whenever I go to the city, I always visit street food stalls and have puchka to satisfy my craving and to give a throwback to the memories of school & college days.

Though puri for phucka is readily available in the market but I always prefer homemade puri over market packaged food. It tastes exactly like market-bought ones and even it is much healthier than readymade ones. The palm oil which is used in readymade puri is not very good for health. Though a small effort would be required to prepare the puri at home, but it will be thousand times healthier and tastier. All the elements required to prepare the dish are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry.

But you can also use readymade puri for the recipe. Whether you have the readymade fried puris or the ones which just need to be fried, both varieties of puris work great for the recipe.

Fuchka step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then I hope that it can remind you of the taste of the street food of Kolkata.

There are four different parts to preparing puchka.

1. Preparing the puri for phucka
2. Preparing the spicy tamarind water aka tok jol
3. Preparing the potato filling
4. Assemble all the elements together

For the puris, first, prepare the dough. I have used semolina, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda and the required amount of water. After adding the water, knead the dough properly for 8-10 minutes so that elasticity forms in the dough. Then cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow it to rest for half an hour.

For a perfect puri recipe, it is very important to prepare a perfect dough for it. The dough for puri should neither be too dry nor too soft. Semolina soaks water a lot. So make the dough soft initially. Later, after resting time, it will soak water and turn tight after resting.

Make medium size balls of the dough with the help of your hands and flattened them. Then roll out the dough ball to a thin large chapati on a chapati board with a rolling pin. Don’t roll the dough thick or else puri will not puff up and may turn soft.

Then cut them into small discs with the help of a cookie cutter. You can also use a small bowl or a narrow-necked glass instead of a cookie cutter. You can roll small chapatis too instead of it. But this process would be too lengthy and time-consuming. I always prefer to roll large chapatis and then cut them into smaller discs. With this process, the puris remain even in shape.

The temperature of the oil is an important factor during the time of frying puri. To get the perfect texture, it is very important to fry them at medium-high temperature. Don’t fry them over low flame then it will soak too much oil and may not puff up. After frying the puri, stain them nicely and transfer them to a tissue-lined plate.

Next, to prepare the tok jol aka water for phuchka, first soak tamarind in hot water for half an hour. Then mash the pulp with the help of your hand and strain it with a strainer. Transfer the pulp to a large mixing bowl. Then add water, lime juice or gondhoraj lebu juice, salt, black salt, red chilli powder, bhaja masala and chaat masala, one by one into it. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and taste. Adjust the amount of salt or spice accordingly. You can leave the lime peels for some extra flavour.

Next, it’s time to prepare the potato filling. Soak black chickpea, and yellow peas separately in water overnight or for at least 8 hours. Then rinse them thoroughly the next morning. Keep the black chickpeas aside and on the other hand, boil the yellow peas till al dente and keep them aside.

Chop onion, green chillies and coriander leaves and keep them aside.

Wash the potatoes and pressure cook them in enough water till two whistles in medium flame and allow the pressure to settle down. Then peel the skin off the potatoes.

Take the peeled potatoes into a mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes by your hand. Add salt, black salt, bhaja masala, coriander powder, chaat masala powder, phuchka water and mix it well. Then add chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, and chopped onions and mix them. Add soaked black peas, boiled yellow peas and mix them well.

Now it’s time to assemble all the elements to prepare fuchka.

Make the hole at the centre of each fuchka with the help of your thumb and arrange them on a plate. Add ½ tablespoon potato filling into the fuchkas. Then dip the whole fuchka in tok jol and fill it in half and serve immediately.

Many Kolkata street food has already been shared in my previous post. You can check a few of them like

Doi fuchka
Bengali veg chop
Bengali singara
Kolkata egg roll
Ghugni
Kolkata fish fry

..And Many more…

1 Cup = 250 ml

• ½ cup Semolina aka suji
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose Flour aka Maida
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon or 1 small pinch of Baking soda
• 3 tablespoons Water
• Oil to deep fry the puris

• 2 large or 3 medium Potatoes, boiled
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 2-3 green Chillies, finely chopped
• ¼ cup Coriander leaves, finely chopped
• ¼ cup boiled yellow Peas (Matar)
• ¼ cup-soaked Kala chana (Black chickpeas)
• ¼ cup Tamarind water
• 1 teaspoon black Salt
• ½ tablespoon Bhaja masala
• ½ tablespoon Chaat masala
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• Salt to taste

• 30 grams Tamarind
• ½ Lime or Gondhoraj lebu
• ½ cup of warm Water to soak the tamarind
• 2 cups Water, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Black salt
• 1 teaspoon Bhaja masala
• 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
• ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
• Salt to taste

1. Take a mixing bowl and add ½ cup semolina into it.
2. Add 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, a small pinch of baking soda into the bowl and mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Add the required amount of water in small portions slowly into the mixture and mix it nicely to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes so that the elasticity forms into the dough. Note: Make soft dough for the puri. Semolina soaks water and after resting time, it will dry up to perfect consistency.
4. Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel and let it rest for half an hour.
5. After half an hour, knead the dough again for 2 minutes and divide them into equal portions to make large chapati balls.
6. Put the chapati balls on a roller board. Roll out a thin large chapati with the help of a rolling pin. Cover the other dough ball with a wet cloth during that time.
7. Cut the chapati into small discs with the help of a cookie cutter or small bowl or lid of any proper-sized container. Cover them with a wet cloth.
8. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add oil into a pan for deep frying the puri.
9. Once the oil is hot, turn the flame to medium-high and slide the puris carefully into the pan and fry them. Once you put the hot oil on the puri, they will puff up. Then flip them with a slotted spoon after puffing up. Tip: Don’t overcrowd the pan. Puris will not get cooked properly if you overcrowd them. Make sure space is there.
10. Once the puris turn golden, strain the puris from the oil and transfer them to a kitchen tissue-lined plate. The kitchen tissue will absorb the excess oil.

1. First, soak 30 grams of tamarind in warm water for half an hour. Then mash the pulp with the help of hand.
2. Strain the pulp with a strainer.
3. Add ½ lime juice or gondhoraj lebu juice, 2 cups water, salt, 1 teaspoon black salt, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon bhaja masala, and 1 teaspoon chaat masala, one by one into it.
4. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and taste. Adjust the amount of salt or spice accordingly. You can leave the lime peels for some extra flavour.

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly and put them in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to pressure cook the potatoes. Close the lid and cook them on medium flame till 2 whistles. Allow the pressure cooker to settle the pressure down. The potatoes must be cooked till firm and not soggy.
2. Allow the potatoes to cool down completely and then peel off their skin. Take the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them with your hand. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Add salt and mix it well.
4. Add 1 teaspoon black salt, ½ tablespoon bhaja masala, ½ tablespoon chaat masala, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and ¼ cup tamarind water, one by one into the bowl and mix it well.
5. Add chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, green chillies into it and mix them properly.
6. Add ¼ cup soaked black chickpeas, ¼ cup boiled yellow peas into the bowl and mix them. Make sure the peas don’t get mashed.

1. Make a hole at the centre of each fuchka with the help of your thumb and arrange them on a plate.
2. Add ½ tablespoon potato filling into the fuchkas.
3. Dip the whole fuchka in tok jol and fill it in half and serve immediately.

Transfer the fuchkas to a serving plate. Serve immediately to enjoy its best taste. Serve it as snacks and enjoy it with your family and friends.

Fuchka | Phuchka recipe | Puchka recipe

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cooking Time: 60 Minutes 60 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 2.6/5

( 7 voted )

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Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 ml

For the puri

• ½ cup Semolina aka suji
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose Flour aka Maida
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon or 1 small pinch of Baking soda
• 3 tablespoons Water
• Oil to deep fry the puris

For the potato filling

• 2 large or 3 medium Potatoes, boiled
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 2-3 green Chillies, finely chopped
• ¼ cup Coriander leaves, finely chopped
• ¼ cup boiled yellow Peas (Matar)
• ¼ cup-soaked Kala chana (Black chickpeas)
• ¼ cup Tamarind water
• 1 teaspoon black Salt
• ½ tablespoon Bhaja masala
• ½ tablespoon Chaat masala
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• Salt to taste

For the phuchka water aka tok jol

• 30 grams Tamarind
• ½ Lime or Gondhoraj lebu
• ½ cup of warm Water to soak the tamarind
• 2 cups Water, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Black salt
• 1 teaspoon Bhaja masala
• 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
• ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions

To prepare the puri

1. Take a mixing bowl and add ½ cup semolina into it.
2. Add 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, a small pinch of baking soda into the bowl and mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Add the required amount of water in small portions slowly into the mixture and mix it nicely to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes so that the elasticity forms into the dough. Note:  Make soft dough for the puri. Semolina soaks water and after resting time, it will dry up to perfect consistency.
4. Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel and let it rest for half an hour.
5. After half an hour, knead the dough again for 2 minutes and divide them into equal portions to make large chapati balls.
6. Put the chapati balls on a roller board. Roll out a thin large chapati with the help of a rolling pin. Cover the other dough ball with a wet cloth during that time.
7. Cut the chapati into small discs with the help of a cookie cutter or small bowl or lid of any proper-sized container. Cover them with a wet cloth.
8. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add oil into a pan for deep frying the puri.
9. Once the oil is hot, turn the flame to medium-high and slide the puris carefully into the pan and fry them. Once you put the hot oil on the puri, they will puff up. Then flip them with a slotted spoon after puffing up. Tip: Don’t overcrowd the pan. Puris will not get cooked properly if you overcrowd them. Make sure space is there.
10. Once the puris turn golden, strain the puris from the oil and transfer them to a kitchen tissue-lined plate. The kitchen tissue will absorb the excess oil.

To prepare the tok jol aka phuchka water

1. First, soak 30 grams of tamarind in warm water for half an hour. Then mash the pulp with the help of hand.
2. Strain the pulp with a strainer.
3. Add ½ lime juice or gondhoraj lebu juice, 2 cups water, salt, 1 teaspoon black salt, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon bhaja masala, and 1 teaspoon chaat masala, one by one into it.
4. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and taste. Adjust the amount of salt or spice accordingly. You can leave the lime peels for some extra flavour.

To prepare the potato filling

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly and put them in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to pressure cook the potatoes. Close the lid and cook them on medium flame till 2 whistles. Allow the pressure cooker to settle the pressure down. The potatoes must be cooked till firm and not soggy.
2. Allow the potatoes to cool down completely and then peel off their skin. Take the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them with your hand. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Add salt and mix it well.
4. Add 1 teaspoon black salt, ½ tablespoon bhaja masala, ½ tablespoon chaat masala, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and ¼ cup tamarind water, one by one into the bowl and mix it well.
5. Add chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, green chillies into it and mix them properly.
6. Add ¼ cup soaked black chickpeas, ¼ cup boiled yellow peas into the bowl and mix them. Make sure the peas don’t get mashed.

To serve phucka

1. Make a hole at the centre of each fuchka with the help of your thumb and arrange them on a plate.
2. Add ½ tablespoon potato filling into the fuchkas.
3. Dip the whole fuchka in tok jol and fill it in half and serve immediately.