PANI PURI

Pani puri, also called Golgappa, is a popular street food that doesn’t need any introduction! These potato, onion, chickpeas, coriander chutney stuffed crispy puris drenched in sour and spicy flavoured pani easily fills your mouth and takes taste buds on a journey to heaven.

Preparing the pani and masala for pani puri at home is a healthier way of enjoying it and also allows you to customize it the way you like it. You can prepare the pani and chutney in advance and store it in the refrigerator. The puris can be made at home or brought ready from the shop. If you want to make puris, you can follow the recipe for making puris. For the stuffing, you can use your choice of fillings. At home we prefer, moong sprouts, boiled and mashed potatoes, onions, boiled chickpeas and sev. Addition of black salt gives a really good taste and flavour to this recipe.

Now, let’s look at the ingredients and the recipe…..

Ingredients

For the Puris

• ½ cup Semolina/ Rava
• ½ tbsp. Plain flour/ Maida
• Salt, to taste
• ¼ cup Chilled soda
• Oil, for deep-frying

For the Pani

• 3 cups Mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. Ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp. Green chillies, roughly chopped
• 2-3 tsps. Lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Roasted cumin seeds powder (optional)
• 2 tsp. Black Salt
• 3-4 tbsps. Water, for grinding

For the stuffing

• 2-3 Potatoes, steamed
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 tsps. Coriander leaves, chopped
• ½ cup Sev
• 1 tsp. Cumin powder, roasted
• 1 tsp. Chaat masala powder
• ¼ tsp. Red Chilli powder
• Salt, as required

For the tamarind chutney

• ½ cup Tamarind, seedless
• ½ cup Dates, seedless
• 2 cups Water
• ½ cup Jaggery, grated
• ½ tsp. Cumin powder, roasted
• ¼ tsp. Red Chilli powder
• ½ tsp. Coriander powder
• ½ tsp. Dry Ginger powder
• Black salt, as required

Optional fillings

• 1 cup parboiled mixed sprouts
• 1 cup boondi, soaked for 10 minutes and drained
• Boiled chickpeas

 

Method

For the puris

• Combine the semolina, plain flour and salt and knead very well using chilled soda to make semi-stiff dough. Cover it with a damp muslin cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.
• Knead and divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
• Roll a portion of the dough into a circle.
• Using a cookie cutter cut equal circles on the rolled dough.
• Repeat the above steps to make more circles. Keep doing till the dough is over.
• Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan, deep-fry few circles at a time, and press it slightly using a perforated spoon till it puffs up and turns golden brown in colour from both the sides.
• Remove and drain on an absorbent paper and store in an air-tight container. Use it when required.

For the pani

• Combine all the ingredients under ‘For the pani’ and grind to a fine paste using little water.
• Transfer the paste into a large bowl. Store the chutney in the refrigerator and use it when required.

For the stuffing

• Boil the potatoes till they are cooked completely.
• Peel the potatoes and chop them.
• Finely chop the onions.
• In a small bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, coriander leaves, cumin powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala and salt and keep aside.

For Tamarind Chutney

• In a pan, take the tamarind, dates and water.
• Cook the tamarind and dates for about 8 to 9 minutes on a low flame till they soften.
• Add the powdered jaggery and continue to cook.
• Allow the jaggery to dissolve and the mixture to thicken.
• Add all the spice powders – red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and dry ginger powder.
• Stir and simmer for further 1-2 minutes more.
• Season with salt and let the chutney mixture cool down.
• In a mixer grinder, grind the whole mixture till it turns smooth.
• Add some water for grinding, if required.
• Strain the tamarind chutney through a strainer.
• Tamarind chutney is ready to serve.

How to serve

• Crack the top of the puri with a spoon.
• Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of the potato-onion filling in the puri.
• Add the sev on the top.
• Stir in the pani and add it to the puri, you can also add the tamarind chutney in the puri.
• Serve pani puri immediately. Have the puris immediately or else the puris will become soggy.
• Enjoy yummy pani puri!!!