Pani Puri aka Gol Gappa or Puchka Recipe - Pan Puri is a popular Indian street food where crispy puris are hollowed out and filled with a vegetarian filling of potatoes/chickpeas and flavoured chutneys/water that are sweet, sour and spicy. When you bite down on the filled Puris, you get the most divine explosion of flavours in your mouth.The puris can be made at home or store brought. I brought the puris on this occasion but have included the recipe for my homemade Puris below.
2largePotatoesPeeled and Boiled for 15 - 20 minutes and diced
400gBlack Chickpeasfrom a tin, drained
2clovesGarliccrushed
1teaspoonGinger Paste
1 tablespoonCoriander LeavesRinsed & Chopped
½teaspoonCumin Powder
½teaspoonCoriander Powder
½teaspoonChilli Powder
⅛teaspoonGround Black Pepper
Salt to taste
Coriander & Mint Water
½bunchCorianderLeaves and Stems, Rinsed & Chopped
10Mint LeavesRinsed & Chopped
2Garlic Clovescrushed
1inch Gingercrushed
2Green Chillies
1teaspoonCumin SeedsRoast
1teaspoonChaat Masala
Salt
500ml Water
Yoghurt
200gPlain Yoghurt
1teaspoonBlack Saltor Chaat
½teaspoonCumin Powder
Water
Puris
30 SmallPuris
Topping
Chopped Red Onion
Sev
Tamarind
2tablespoonConcentrated Tamarind Paste
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the Potato and Chickpea Filling and mash together with your hands till combined.
Blend all the ingredients for the Coriander and Mint Water. Set aside.
Whisk together the ingredients for the Yoghurt in a small bowl and set aside.
Assemble
Poke a hole in a Puri using your thumb or a knife.
Add 1 tablespoon of the potato chickpea filling.
Add some Onion and sev.
Add some Coriander & Mint Water.
Drizzle over Tamarind Paste and Yoghurt.
Notes
Is Golguppa and Puchka the same as Pani Puri?
They are pretty much the same thing but there are slight differences between them. Traditionally Puchka is made with black chickpeas and potatoes and the pani contains no mint. Golguppa has potato, chickpeas, tangy & sweet water & mint. Pani Puri also has Imli (Tamarind) Chutney or a concentrated paste as well as a potato and chickpea filling.Because they are all so similar, the recipes are treated as one.
How to make Puris
Combine ⅓ cup Wholewheat Flour with ⅔ cup Semolina, ⅔ cup Plain Flour and ⅔ cup Warm but not boiling Water. Knead to form a soft Dough. Then roll into thin, small circles (Puris) and deep fry in hot oil.
Make Ahead
Make fillings/pani and chutneys in advance so that the flavours have a chance to develop. You can make them all in advance. Keep them in the fridge!
Storage
Pani puri is best enjoyed fresh.Any Puris that have already been filled should be eaten immediately and should not be stored.Store any leftover puris in an airtight container otherwise they will go stale. Leftover toppings can also be kept up to 2 days.
Tips
Puris and Sev can be found in any South Asian Supermarket.
The Water that is used in the Pan Puri should be stored in the fridge so it is cool when serving.
If you can’t find Chaat Powder/Masala, you can use a combination of Black Salt, Cumin Powder and Red Chilli Powder.