🧳 VOLPE, WHERE ARE YOU: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcPVzEbEIv1GUl_c4owKuhg 🎥 WATCH: Indian BBQ Buffet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEQ79LQKGuY 👕 DAVID’S BEEN HERE SHIRTS & MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/davids-been-here After a hectic, last-minute effort to make it from Bhutan to India before the Indian borders closed to foreigners due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I made it to Kolkata. There, I linked up with my boy Carlos from Volpe, Where Are You to film an unlimited puchka challenge to try to eat as many pani puri / golgappa in an epic Indian street food challenge in Kolkata, India!
After arriving walking through the streets of Kolkata, we arrived at the pani puri vendor and used some hand sanitizer before we started. We also gave some to the vendor, and then it was time to eat!
Pani puri, puchka, and golgappa are regional names for the same dish. It consists of a flatbread called puri, which puffs up into a crispy, hollow ball when it’s fried. The puri is then filled with a potato (aloo) mixture, a spiced water called pani, and different chutneys. They’re the ultimate Indian street food because they’re super cheap and you can eat a lot of them without getting full!
Carlos went first. He really liked the aloo mixture. He downed the first six easily and then it was my turn. It had been a while since I’d had one, but they’re the best thing on the planet.
It was so yummy and crunchy. I loved that it was spices and that the pani went down smoothly. Then, I continued on. I felt like I could do at least 30! They were filled with pani, so I couldn’t help but drink the pani from the little bowl. I downed the next five easily!
Then, Carlos went again for the next round. Our young vendor was a beast at making the puchkas. He was so fast! Six more puchkas later and Carlos was at a dozen. Then, it was my turn again. They were so tasty! For the last one of the second round, he gave me a bigger puri. I poured the pani into the puri and downed it!
Round 3 began with Carlos. He met another fan out on the street. After a bit of confusion over how many we had both eaten, Carlos got a special puckha and an everyday one. One is wet, the other is dry. He prefers the wet ones!
Then, it was my turn again. He filled it with pani. It was the sweetest one ever! I reached 20. The vendor said the most he’d seen someone do was 31, so we were determined to do 32 at least! I had 10 more to go. He filled the next one with sweet water, which was the best one! They were so good!
I was at 28 and downed another one. It was crunchy, spicy, mushy, and a little sweet. He gave us everything. Our vendor was going all out for the last few. We both loved the sweet water one. I needed four more. I reached 30! After so many, they get really filling. The final one was super filling! In all, we both beat the record of 31 and ate 75 in total, which came to about $7 USD for 75 puchkas. I paid our vendor 1,000 rupees/$13.53 USD, which included a tip.
What an awesome unlimited puchka challenge where we downed pani puri / golgappa in an epic Indian street food challenge in Kolkata, India! We tried four different varieties and they were amazing, but we were both stuffed!
I hope you enjoyed coming along on our puchka / pani puri / golgappa Indian street food challenge in Kolkata, India! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last 12 years, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,500 destinations in 100 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.
P.S. Thank you for watching my videos and subscribing!
He ate it, he got the next one.
You can't catch up to him, his speed is just way too strong.
Me? All right, all right, what am I on now?
Yo, we're gonna get some puchka, puchka challenge right now.
David Hoffman, David's been here versus Volpe.
We're gonna go search for these puchkas and well, we're gonna make a challenge out of it.
So puchka, basically pani puri, you guys know how much we love pani puri.
We're gonna go all out, we're just gonna tell them to start.
We're gonna eat, we're gonna eat, we're gonna eat.
And at the end, we're gonna see when we pop, we're gonna stop and see how much it costs.
And I think it's gonna be really affordable.
It's gonna probably be like two bucks for us to like eat all of it.
Like straight up, it's gonna be nuts.
Let's do it.
This is where Barbecue Nation is and we can go over here.
Or we can go right here, which is like literally right over there.
10 minutes versus 2 minutes.
You know what's crazy?
No one's worried about the COVID-19.
Not at all, nobody has a mask over here.
Nobody, just us.
We're the only people.
Except this dude right here, he has like something.
Just like two more minutes walking and we're gonna make it.
We gotta cross the street first.
You can't just cross, you get killed.
Like, oh god.
Follow the local, like just kind of like let him lead now.
But now we got a traffic light here, so it's all good.
But just stand behind the local and kind of just follow him.
It's the safest way to go.
That way if somebody gets hit, it's not you.
This is Park Street.
It's probably like the busiest street in all of Kolkata.
And it's one of the nicest too.
It has a little bit of everything, especially during Christmas.
It's very decorated and very nice.
You can't miss this part when you come here to Kolkata.
This is an ambassador taxi.
The classic taxi of Kolkata, made by Hindustan Motors.
Crazy thing is they stopped making them.
So the last ones remaining here in Kolkata, that's gonna be it.
After that, no more.
And if you really want to see them, go to the airport.
The airport is where you see like a million of them, non-stop.
But then you see them all around, like right here in front of us.
Make sure you bargain with them.
You have to bargain.
They will charge you a lot more than an Uber, unfortunately.
So do bargain.
What are you guys doing?
This is a first.
All right, guys.
Thank you.
This is not it.
So we found one pani puri vendor, but this is not the one we're going to.
Negative, we're going.
We gotta make a right.
I said that water should be filled up totally and then it should be given.
Okay.
This guy doesn't put spice.
Spicy or not?
It is spicy.
A little spicy?
Yeah.
You can have it.
I heard there's a really popular one around the corner.
Yeah, that is also popular.
This is also a popular one.
This is also nice.
This is from Golpe.
Where are you?
Yeah, man.
Yeah.
I have seen your post.
I follow your post.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
Nice to meet you, man.
Nice to meet you.
Love the Bengalis.
Yeah, man.
They're the best.
Right here, we have more stuff.
Look at this.
This is Kolkata, man.
There is street food everywhere, around every corner.
And it's some of the cheapest in India.
You can get a biryani for 60 rupees.
That's not even a dollar for rice, potatoes, and chicken.
Yeah, by the way, I went from freezing in Bhutan to like melting in Kolkata.
We're going to go and hunt down some puchka.
We're going to see how many we can eat.
We're just rolling through.
We're kind of like looking at for this place.
It's like a little treasure map on my phone.
So I think we found the spot.
It's right here.
That's it, huh?
How are you doing?
We got to take off our mask, right?
We have to eat.
So what we want to do is we want to have pani puri, puchka, and non-stop.
We're just going to keep going, him and me.
We got to stop the spread.
No, but we put some on him too.
Yeah, yeah.
No, we don't want to film it.
But yeah, all of us have the...
All right, we're ready, brother.
Yeah, so it's like the mix.
What is that?
Potatoes?
Yes.
Potato mix.
Yeah, so aloo.
That's the pani.
And bam.
This is the non-stop.
All right, let's go for it.
Very tasty.
Really good potato mix.
That's what it has going.
The potato mix is delicious.
The aloo.
All right.
Keep it going, brother.
Don't stop.
They get all...
Oh man, this one is heavier.
Let's keep it going, brother.
What is this?
Three?
We're number three right now.
Let's go.
Let's see what this guy's doing.
What number is that?
Four?
Four, yeah.
Four.
So this is five.
First one and then you're up.
You have to eat six then.
Hm?
Yeah, you eat six first.
Six please.
No, I'm doing five.
And then he's jumping in.
Or do six.
Because that's what he's asking for.
All right.
You want me to do six?
All right.
I'll do six for you, my man.
All right.
So yeah, this is going to be six, man.
Wow.
Time flies.
All right.
I'm ready, man.
It's been a while.
Number one coming up.
Number one.
Pani puri.
This is the best.
This is the best thing on the planet.
It's crunchy.
A little spicy.
Finally, the water's coming down smoothly.
Dude, it's amazing.
Good.
He does a good one over here.
Dude, I'm going to do like 30 today.
30?
Wow.
You think he can eat 30?
Yes?
All right.
My man has faith in you.
That's two.
Got it?
Let's go.
Wow.
This one's like too much, guys.
That one's just soaking wet.
Dude, it's wet.
It's not funny.
Oh.
Where are we at now?
Five?
I think you're up.
So good, bro.
Delicious, man.
Oh, the one we had today?
I'm going to open a pani puri shop in Miami.
Quick street food.
I have like six of these guys, and that's it.
All right.
That's six?
Your turn.
Let's go for it, man.
Let's go for it.
Six more.
Oh, my God.
All right, guys.
I'm going in for the next round,
but he has to make the mixture right here with the potatoes.
All the ingredients are right here.
How did you learn to make this, my friend?
Uncle taught you?
Yes.
Nice, man.
We're going for number seven now.
Let's do it, baby.
He's too fast.
Yeah, yeah.
My dude is a beast, man.
You got to wait a second.
Oh, he's like ready for you, dude.
It's a lot.
We're going to do 30.
30 each.
Number three?
Yeah, it's the third one.
Okay.
He's already going to be ready in the next five seconds.
That's one.
It's good, right?
Yep.
Round two.
So this will be seven.
And it's the first of six.
So we're ending at 12 to tie you.
Oh, so tasty, man.
But he moved a lot faster with me.
By this point, he would have been ready for me.
Look at that.
Bam.
Next.
He's taking his time.
This one's a little different, actually.
So watch this.
You ready?
Bam.
It's bigger.
Now, we're going on 13.
I can't wait to see the bill because it's going to be like less than 100.
Less than 100 rupees for us?
No way.
Watch this.
Watch where he charges and then we'll give him a tip.
Hello.
How are you?
I'm your subscriber.
Nice to meet you, my man.
Proud of you.
Nice to meet you, man.
I've seen all of your videos and you have to be coming over here to Calcutta every time.
Yeah, I played Holi a couple of days ago and I'm not that good at speed.
It was fun, though.
It was still fun.
There's the second one.
He's probably mixing it up.
Yeah.
He ate it.
He got the next one.
You can't catch up to him.
His speed is just way too strong.
Me?
All right, all right.
What am I on now?
I'm giving her pushkas.
Come on.
We tried to give her fanny puris but I don't know what she wanted.
Special pushka.
What number is this?
This is number eight?
No.
18.
18?
Wow, did I jump?
No.
No, you got to...
I mean, so you're done.
When you tap out, you tap out.
That's 19 and for me, how much?
You have 18.
I started with 12, 13, 14.
I have 14.
This is 15.
Yeah, I have two.
He just gave me two.
Okay, all right.
All right, yeah, that makes sense.
I got 12 and I have two more now.
And I'm at 19.
This is 19.
Yeah.
All right, so this is two different ones.
This is special pushka and this is the everyday pushka.
One is wet, one is dry.
I prefer the wet one.
Just personal taste.
Okay, perfect.
Delicious.
Oh, man.
You are 17, please.
How many are you trying to go to?
17.
I'm at 17 now.
I don't see 36 out of you today.
I think I have to take like 30.
If you do 25, you're good.
That's a lot.
25?
That's a lot.
My turn?
Oh, you put extra beans there, bro.
This should be worth two.
Okay, make it worth two then.
Let's make that worth two.
This is which one?
25 is the rudest to go right now.
20.
What is the most that you have seen somebody eat?
The most pushkas?
What is the biggest number?
31.
It seems like something beatable.
So like that competitive side is kicking in right now.
We're at 21, dude.
You 10 more?
You can do it.
Yo, let's do it.
32, hit 32.
32, 32 at least.
20, 24?
All right, 24.
All right, a nice and light one.
I like you, bro.
He's helping me out, man.
Check it out.
Sweet water?
Yeah.
26.
Sweet water.
That's a city in Miami.
Dude, you're the best one.
The sweet water?
27.
All right.
Mmm.
Oh, man.
This one is sweet.
This is good.
Sweet water.
The name makes sense.
It lived up to the expectation.
Mmm.
Items that we tried.
How many different pushkas?
Sweet water.
It's too good.
Hey, what number is this?
28.
Yo, you're a beast, bro.
I need three more.
Three more?
Yeah, 30, 31, and 32.
Oh, man, all right.
He's going hard at the end.
It's delicious.
Not hot.
It's sweet too, but a bit salty.
Yeah, dude, it's hot.
Is that any more?
Not a lot.
After.
Give it a minute.
You'll feel a little bit of a kick, like a baby kick.
I mean, it's spicy.
But it's mushy.
It's a little sweet.
Yeah.
Crunchy.
It has, like, every combination here.
Oh, wow.
He does, like, everything here.
Like, who could have thought?
You know, like, some water, different kind of powders,
and this little kind of cookie, cracker, things, whatever,
can make something so delicious with so many different variations.
One more.
All right.
There's a spicy one.
Sweet water.
Yeah, that's my favorite.
It's sweet.
One more.
So he beats it.
I need, like, four or five.
Wouldn't it be four?
32.
We have new champions in town.
All right, my turn.
Bam.
This number?
Which number is this?
29.
Even more.
One more time.
30.
Just filling.
After so many, you're, like, dying.
That one's filling.
Cool.
Beat it.
500.
500?
Yes.
Yeah, $7 US.
Oh, so we ate a lot.
Yeah, we ate a lot.
Whatever.
No, 32 times 2, 64.
So we have 64 puchkas, plus his undivided attention.
My man, here's $1,000.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
We did 32, and then we ate another one, and I ate another one.
You ate the 33 or 34?
I ate 32.
32, then you had another one.
No, the 33, yeah, the one with the photo.
And then I had double there.
All right.
But it's good, dude.
And it's totally worth it.
And we did 1,000, and 1,000 right now is something like...
It's $13.53.
$13.53, $13.53.
So really, it was...
Half of that.
It was $7 for 70 puchkas.
That's insane.
All right, guys, we did it.
We ate puchka here in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The best, spicy.
We tried four different ones.
Yeah, each one was different.
Delicious, bro.
Delicious.
Especially the sweet one.
Yeah, sweet water and the spicy one, for me, were the best.
Smaller ones, though.
The bigger ones are too big.
You can't even get it in your mouth.
And then there was one that he put extra ingredients on it.
He stacked it up to the top, man.
That was too much.
So where are we right now?
Is it there again?
Badan Market, I think it's called.
Okay, Badan Market.
Yeah, I believe that.
Right off Barkley.
All right, guys, if you love this video, please give me a thumbs up.
Give me a comment below.
Subscribe to my channel.
Volpe, where have you been?
I'm in Kolkata.
And we'll see you in the next travel food adventure somewhere around the world.
Peace.