Vada pav ki vaat. Pani Puri is king By: Your Life Team May 5, 2006
Neha Marda ponders over the difference between Puchkas and Pani Puri, at Juhu Chowpatty
Saath Rahega Always' leading lady Neha Marda is undeterred by a possible lynching by our egoistical, self-centred, foodie junta.
Why else would she audaciously declare: "Pav Bhaji in Mumbai is no match for the one you get at Kolkata's Bada Bazaar."
But don't persecute the 18 year-old Bong just yet. Seven months after moving to Mumbai, she's fallen in love with Pani Puri.
Puchka VS Pani Puri
"Puchkas (what you get in Kolkata) are the same as Pani Puris, except that the filling is dry," Neha explains. Boiled potatoes spiked with masala are used in Puchkas, while Pani Puri is usually stuffed with sprouts.
At her favourite chaat place, Juhu Chowpatty, the Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Salsa enthusiast asks for a "teekha" version and gobbles the plump puris before you can ask her to strike a pose. "I just can't resist them but my profession demands that I must."
Dahi ki diwani
"My mouth waters at the sight of Dahi Puri too," she says between puris. Second runner up on Star Plus freestyle dance show Kaboom, Neha scored a hat trick on Kaboom's predecessor, Boogie Woogie too.