Homemade Pani Puri (Golgappas)

Chaats are a wonderful way to fulfill your cravings for some tasty and spicy street food. Its funny how famous it has become as a form of cuisine. What started as food stalls by roadside vendors, had now found a memorable place on Indian restaurant Menus. Indian Chaat continues to please people around the world. Here’s one of the most favorite Chaat item – Golgappas, also known as Pani Puri.

Pani is translated literally as Water, and Puri is the fried puffed pocket that holds the water. A look at the picture below will convey more than I can describe – but only trying this for yourself will help you get an idea of how tasty Pani Puri really is, and why you can’t just stop at a few. In fact, I know people who can eat about 50 of these in one go! As I said, its tasty, packed with flavor for all its small size, and highly addictive!

Pani Puri (Golgappas) – The Ultimate Indian Chaat

Ingredients
To Make Puri :
1/4 cup maida/all-purpose flour
1/2 cup urad dal flour
1 1/2 cups ravva/semolina little less than 1/4 cup
atta/whole wheat flour
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for deep frying.

To Make Pani :
6-7 cups cold water
1/2 cup packed pudina leaves
1 green chilli
small piece ginger
1 tbsp amchur pwd
1/2 tsp chaat masala pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
pinch of black salt (optional)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste.

Method:
To Make Puri, Combine all the mentioned ingredients (except oil for deep frying), adding water slowly and make a dough. Leave aside covered with damp cloth for 30 mins.

While the dough is resting, Prepare the pani (water) required for the recipe, and keep aside. Boil two potatoes, peel and mash them. Combine the mashed potato with little salt and red chilli pwd and keep aside until use. Chop a large onion finely and keep aside until use.

Knead the dough again. Pinch off some dough and make very small balls. Roll out small thin rotis, using the rim of a container to cut out the round shape.

Heat enough oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. It should be on medium high and once its hot, slide the roti into the hot oil and using the back of the ladle, press in the center and along the edges and you will find it will puff. Flip over and fry the other side till light golden brown. Don’t fry too much as it will turns too dark. Remove on to absorbent paper. Cool and store in an air tight container and use when required.

To Make Pani :
Make a paste of mint leaves, green chilli and ginger and keep aside. Take a vessel, add the cold water in it, followed by the green mint paste and combine well. Add cumin pwd, chaat masala pwd, amchur pwd, black salt, salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves. Chill in refrigerator till use. Pani will always gain flavor as it stays overnight, so plan accordingly and give it at least 8 hours for the flavors to mingle well.

Assembling the Pani-Puri : Take a small puri in your palm and lightly crack open the top to make a hole in the puri. Stuff with a tsp of spiced mashed potato, 1/2 tsp of chopped onions, 1 tsp of sweet chutney, pour 2 tbsps of the prepared chilled mint pani and stuff the whole puchka into your mouth. Then savor the explosion of flavors as loads of tastes – sweet, spicy, tangy, chatpata and masaledar – all set your mouth on fire! As I told you, you won’t stop at one!

Special Notes & Tips:
1. While making Puri ,Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying the puri. If the oil is not hot enough, the roti will absorb a lot of oil. Ensure to roll out very thin puris, otherwise they will not puff up. And use very fine rava.

2. If you do not have urad dal flour, replace it with 1/2 cup of maida to make the puris. You won’t be compromising the texture by this substitution. If made ahead of time, lightly warm the Puris in oven for 3-4 mts before serving.

3. For a tingling twist to the recipe, replace water with soda water (fizz) to make the dough. This gives it the bubbly aerated texture, and also a gentle taste.