PANI PURI1

Pani Puri

Pani Puri/Golgappa/Punchka

I love different types of Indian street food and it’s my favorite, however Pani puri is on top in my list favorite list. Pani Puri is a popular street food all over India, It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of spicy and tangy water (“pani”).

The Pani Puri originated from the Magadha region of India, present day South Bihar where it is also known as phulki. The English meaning of Golgappa is “watery bread” or “crisp sphere eaten.” The literal meaning suggests that it may have originated from Varanasi.
In Bengal and specifically Kolkata, Phuchka is considered to be the king of this variety of snacks, compared to its cousins like Golgappa or Pani Puri. The filling is made by lightly mashing boiled potatoes with black salt, salt, some spices.

Ingredients:

• 15-20 Pani Puri Puri (recipe click here…)

Stuffing

• 1 cup White Peas (3-4hours Soaked)
• Salt
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2-3 Potatoes

Tikha Pani (Pani Puri’s Pani)

• 1 cup Mint Leaves
• ½ cup Coriander Leaves
• 3-4 Green chili
• Small Piece of Ginger
• 1 tsp Black Salt
• ½ tsp Chaat Masala
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
• 1 Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Khari Boondi

Other ingredients

• ½ cup Meethi Chutney or Khajur Imli Ki Chutney (Sweet Tamarind chutney) (recipe click here…)
• 1 tbsp Chat Masala
• ¼ cup Chopped Onion (optional)
• Sev (optional)

Method:

Tikha Pani (Pani Puri’s Pani)

1. Combine all Tikha Pani Ingredients (expect khari boondi) in blender, add little water, blend it and make a smooth paste.
2. Remove the paste in a large bowl. Add 2-3 cups water, mix well and check the seasoning. Add more black salt/cumin powder/chaat masala if required. If you want a thin pani, you could add some water and keep checking the seasoning, as per your taste.
3. Add the boondi into the pani and keep inside the refrigerator or you can add ice cube for chilled water.

Stuffing/Filling

1. Wash and drain the soaked white peas, add salt, turmeric powder, 1 cup water and cook them in a presser cooker for 3-4 whistle. Allow to cool cooker, then remove boiled white peas from cooker and keep aside.

2. Boil potatoes till cooked completely, then peel it and mash them coarsely, keep aside.

Process

1. Crack the top of the Puri with thumb or spoon.
2. Add some mashed potatoes, onion, boiled white peas, stuffing in the Puri, add sweet tamarind chutney, sprinkle pinch of chat masala, and sev.
3. Now dip the stuffed puri in tikha pani and serve immediately.

Tips:

• You can use other stuffing like moong, white chickpeas, or black chickpeas instead of white peas.
• Serve immediately after stuffing otherwise Puri will become soggy.
• Alter spices and chilies as per your preference. If you like spicy water then add more green chilies.