Pani Puri recipe with step by step Video instructions. The KING of Indian Street food - Pani Puri or Golgappa or Puchka. Crispy fried dough balls stuffed with a potato pea mash, sweet tamarind chutney and a chilled spicy coriander-mint water.
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What kind of a place would the world be if there was no street food? Boring???
I think Street Food talks a lot more than Restaurant food. Street food is like the soul of the place. You learn so much more about the culture and people just by looking at the street food being sold. While restaurant food is usually mellowed down and modified to suit the palate of the customers it serves, street food is bold and original. If you haven't eaten street food, you probably haven't tasted the city yet.
India wouldn't be India if it were not for its "Chaat". Chaat refers to a variety of savory sweet tangy food sold on the roadsides from either small stalls or little food carts. And according to me, the most popular Chaat has always been - Pani Puri, also known as Golgappa in the North and Puchka towards the East. Names may vary, but the love for this dish does not. You can find Pani Puri being sold in every nook and corner of any city in India. But each one has their own favorite stall that they are extremely loyal to. Our favorite, is the Bihari guy outside a supermarket in Jayanagar 4th Block. He makes the crispest puri there is. I have never made my own Puris, that is an experiment for some other day. Buying is a lot easier.
Puris are crispy hollow balls made of deep fried dough. These balls are gently tapped with fingers to make a hole on one side. Then comes the stuffing, the stuffing varies according to the region you are in. It can be a potato mash, potato-green pea mash, sprouts, black chana, chickpeas etc. A little bit of this stuffed is stuffed into the puri. Then comes the celebration - the Pani or water. The Pani awakens every teeny weeny taste bud in your mouth. It is sour, it is spicy, it is salty. Made of mint, coriander, tamarind, chillies and spices, it is a flavor bomb. One of the essential ingredients for making the perfect pani is Black Salt or Kala Namak. A funky smelling salt that has its origin in the Himalayas. The pani is stirred before dipping the puri in it to fill up the puri with this wonderful Pani. Now if you want, you can add jaggery or sugar to the Pani to make it slightly sweet, or you can make the Date Tamarind Chutney like it is traditionally done and spoon in a little of it along with the Pani to get a slightly sweet Pani Puri. Keeping the sweet chutney separate from the Pani allows you to adjust the sweetness according to each individual's taste.
Once the puri is filled with the pani, it has to be eaten immediately. Eating a Pani Puri can be tricky if you have never had it. You have to eat the puri in one go. It is like a filled water balloon, you try to cut it in half and all the water will be out and you will be left with a soggy puri.
My love for Pani Puri comes from my Dad. He never missed a chance to eat a plate of pani puri, neither does Raj. When I am shopping for weekly groceries at the super market, he's outside sneaking a plate of pani puri. In this one matter, we are definitely made for each other. We are 2 bottomless holes when it comes to pani puris. We can just keep on going!!
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Video Recipe
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Pani Puri | Golgappa | Puchka Recipe
Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 8 hours (includes soaking time for peas)
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 100
Author: Anupama
Ingredients:
To make the Pani:
0.75 -1 cup chopped Coriander leaves
0.75 -1 cup chopped Mint leaves
1 litre cold Water
Lemon sized piece of Tamarind
2-3 green Chillies
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Chaat Masala
Black Salt to taste
To make the Potato-Pea Stuffing:
5-6 Potatoes
3/4 cup dried Green Peas
1 tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
Water as required
To Assemble the Pani Puri:
100 Puris
1 bowl Date Tamarind Chutney
Method:
To make the Potato-Pea Stuffing:
1. Soak the dried green peas overnight or for 6-8 hours.
2. Drain and boil them until done. I usually pressure cook them for 2-3 whistles.
3. Boil and peel the potatoes.
4. Mash together the potatoes and the green peas.
5. Add in salt and chaat masala and mix well. Keep it slightly under seasoned as the pani is already salty.
To make the Pani:
6. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 15 minutes and squeeze out the liquid. Remove the pulp and keep the tamarind juice aside.
7. Blend together the coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilli with a little water into a smooth puree.
8. Add the puree to 1 litre of water , preferably cold.
9. Add the cumin powder, tamarind juice, black salt and chaat masala to taste.
Chill the green pani in the fridge until serving. Alternately, you can add ice to the pani to serve immediately.
10. Strain the water before serving.
To Assemble the Pani Puri:
11. Gently tap a hole in the puri using your finger.
12. Spoon in the potato stuffing into the puri.
13. Now pour in the date tamarind chutney if you like the pani puri to be slightly sweet.
14. Spoon in the green pani and eat immediately.
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