Recipe- Easy Way To Make Pani Puri At Home

This step by step pani puri recipe for making the quintessential Indian snack at home is really popular among my friends and I’m so excited to share it with you today! I’ve included detailed steps on how to make the puris, the filling, and jaljeera to get that street style Pani Puri flavour.Making golgappa or puchka at home from scratch sounds daunting, I know. But I have to tell you, it is so MUCH easier than you think. This recipe has become a hit with my folks and friends. The puris are SO CRUNCHY.

Ingredients

For The Puri

½ cup fine Sooji (Semolina)
2 tablespoons Atta (Whole Wheat flour)
¼ cup hot but not boiling Water (+/- 1 teaspoon)

For The Aloo Filling

2 boiled and peeled Potatoes
¼ cup boiled Kala Chana or Kabuli Chana (Black Gram or Chickpeas)
¼ teaspoon Black Salt
½ teaspoon roasted Jeera Powder (roasted ground Cumin)
½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (adjust to taste)

For The Jaljeera Pani

½ cup chopped raw Mango/ 1 lime sized seedless Tamarind (use either)
2 Green Chillies or Serrano Peppers (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 cup fresh Pudina leaves (Mint leaves)
¼ cup fresh Coriander leaves
3 Peppercorns
½ teaspoon Jeera (Cumin)
¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Black Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
Adjust lime juice and black salt to taste

For Garnishing and Servings

Soaked Boondi
Pudina leaves
Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Method

For The Puris

* Mix together sooji and atta in a bowl. Add ¼ cup hot water to this and mix to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough with your hand for 5-6 minutes till the dough is firm and smooth to touch.

* You might have to adjust the amount of water by a teaspoon or two. Cover the dough with a wet cloth (squeeze it well so that the cloth is wet but does not have extra water dripping from it) and rest it for 20-25 minutes.

* Knead the dough again for a minute or two once rested. Divide it into 4 equal parts and roll out one part into a thin rope. Keep the other three parts of dough covered with a wet cloth.

* With a knife, cut equal portions (the size of a blueberry) from the rope. Take a piece and roll it between your palm till smooth and press it gently to flatten it out slightly.

* With the help of a rolling pin, roll it into a circle about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Place the rolled puri on a thick plastic sheet covered with a dry cloth.

* Repeat the above procedure to make puris from all the dough. Alternatively, you can also roll the dough out into a big circle and use a cookie cutter to cut it.

* Heat oil in a karahi till it is very hot but not smoking. We'll follow the first in-first out rule; drop one puri in the hot oil so that the side which was touching the plastic sheet is what goes into the oil first.

* This is very important. Immediately press the puri lightly with a slotted spoon; and once it puffs up, turn it over. Press them lightly so that they are evenly golden brown from all sides, and then take them out. Fry all the puris in this way.

* Wait for them to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container.

For the Aloo Filing

* Lightly mash the boiled chana and potato with your hand and mix it with all the other ingredients for the filling. Set aside.

For The Jaljeera Pani

* Blend together chopped mango or tamarind, green chillies, mint, coriander, peppercorns and the spices with 2 cups water till smooth.

* Place a strainer over a big bowl and line the strainer with a mulmul cloth if you have one. Strain it into the bowl, pressing down on the leftover residue to get all the juice out.

* Once done discard the leftover residue and add another glass of water to the jaljeera. Taste and adjust the seasoning and if needed add some lemon juice.

* If and how much lemon juice needs to be added will depend on the sourness of the mangoes and tamarind.

* Chill the jaljeera and add some soaked and lightly squeezed boondi to it if you like.