Pani Puri or Golgappas, Jal Pani and Potato Stuffing

Pani Puri  or Golgappas

Recipe type: snacks

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 4-5

Pani Puri  or Golgappas is my most favorite chaat from childhood. I used to have pani puri often with my family on the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) and it was something I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Pani literally translates to water and here the Puris are fried puffed crisp dough balls. Generally, the water or pani is sour, tangy as well as spicy. This spicy pani is balanced with the addition of a sweet tamarind chutney.

This sweet chutney is called as meetha (which means sweet) pani. The spicy water is called as teekha (which means spicy) pani. Both are added in the puri along with the main filling which consists of boiled potatoes, chickpeas, moong sprouts or a thick dry curry made from white peas which is called as ragda.

The puri or pooris are made from flour or sooji/cream of wheat or both. They are thin, crisp, fully puffed and thus occupy the filling and the chutneys. These can be brought ready from the stores or can be made at home too. If you want to make pooris at home then check this step by step poori/puri recipe.

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

Puri/Puchka Recipe

Prep: 10 mts, Sitting time: 30, Cooking time: 20-30 mts

Serves 8-10 persons

Cuisine: Indian

Source: Recipe files

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Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp maida/all-purpose flour

2 tbsps urad dal flour

1 1/2 cups ravva/semolina/sooji (very fine variety)

salt to taste

water for kneading (bottled soda water prefered)

oil for deep frying

1 Combine all the mentioned ingredients (except oil for deep frying), adding water slowly and make a dough. Leave aside covered with damp cloth for 15 mts. (very imp step)

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

3 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. Keep them covered.

4 Heat enough oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. It should be on medium high (the oil should not be piping hot) and once its hot, slide few rotis 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.

5 Cool and store in an air tight container and use when required.

Note: 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. If made ahead of time, lightly warm in oven for 3-4 mts before serving. Ensure to roll out very think puris. And use very fine sooji.

For the stuffing - * check notes for other options

• 2 to 3 medium potatoes
• 1 small to medium onion
• 1 to 1.5 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala powder
• ¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
• black salt as required

Jal Pani

For the Pani Recipe:

• ½ cup chopped mint leaves
• ¾ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 tbsp seedless tamarind, tightly packed
• 3 to 3.5 tbsp crumbled or powdered jaggery/sugar or as required
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
• 1 tsp chaat masala powder
• 2 to 3 cups of water
• 1 to 1.5 tbsp boondi/fried tiny gram flour balls (optional)
• black salt as required

Potato Stuffing

Instructions

Preparing the Stuffing:

1. Boil the potatoes till they are cooked completely.
2. Peel them and then chop them.
3. Finely chop the onion.
4. In a small bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, coriander leaves, cumin powder, chaat masala powder and black salt. Mix well and keep aside.

Method to make the Pani:

1. In a blender add all the ingredients mentioned above for the pani.
2. Add little water and grind to a fine chutney.
3. Remove the green chutney in a large bowl. Add 2 to 3 cups water. Mix well. Check the seasoning. Add more black salt or jeera powder or chaat masala if required. If you want a thin pani, you could add some water. But keep on checking the seasoning, as per your taste.
4. Add the boondi to the pani.
5. You can chill the pani in the fridge or add some ice cubes to it..

Assembling Pani Puri:

1. Crack the top of the puri with a spoon.
2. Add 2 to 3 tsp of the boiled potato-onion filling in the poori.
3. Stir the green pani first and then it and the sweet chutney as per your taste.
4. Serve the pani puri immediately.
5. You can also make individual portions with the puris, potato-onion mixture and the pani. Let the individual assemble the pani puri for himself/herself as per his/her taste.

Notes

* other stuffing combinations or a combination of these:
steamed moong sprouts
boiled white chickpeas (kabuli chana)