Description
A classic Indian street food snack, Easy Pani Puri features crispy, hollow puris filled with a spicy, tangy potato and chickpea filling, served with refreshing jaljeera water. This recipe guides you step-by-step to make puris from scratch, prepare the flavorful aloo filling, and whip up the aromatic tamarind-mint jaljeera, all coming together for a delightful, bite-sized explosion of flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
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 or 1 lime-sized seedless Tamarind (use either)
- 2 Green Chillies or Serrano Peppers (adjust to taste)
- 1 ½ 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
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- Water – approximately 3 cups (2 cups for blending + 1 cup for diluting post-straining)
- Lime juice to taste
For Garnishing & Servings
- Soaked Boondi
- Pudina leaves
- Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a bowl, mix together the fine sooji and whole wheat atta. Gradually add ¼ cup hot (not boiling) water and mix to form a stiff dough. Knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes until it feels firm and smooth. Adjust water by a teaspoon if needed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20-25 minutes.
- Shape the Puris: After resting, knead the dough briefly again. Divide it into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll it into a thin rope. Cut the rope into small equal portions (about blueberry-sized). Roll each piece between your palms until smooth, then gently flatten it. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a thin circle about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Place the rolled puris on a plastic sheet covered by a dry cloth and keep the rest of the dough covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
- Fry the Puris: Heat refined sunflower oil in a karahi or deep frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Drop a puri into the hot oil with the side that touched the plastic sheet going in first. Press gently with a slotted spoon so it puffs up. Once puffed, flip it over while pressing lightly to brown evenly. Remove puris when golden brown and crisp. Repeat with all puris. Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Prepare the Aloo Filling: Lightly mash the boiled potatoes and boiled kala chana or kabuli chana by hand. Mix in black salt, roasted cumin powder, and red chilli powder until evenly combined. Set aside for serving.
- Make the Jaljeera Pani: In a blender, blend together raw mango or tamarind, green chillies, mint leaves, coriander leaves, peppercorns, cumin, red chilli powder, black salt, sugar, and 2 cups water until smooth. Strain the mixture through a strainer lined with a mulmul cloth (or fine sieve) into a large bowl, pressing down to extract all juice. Discard residue. Add another cup of water to dilute the jaljeera to your desired taste. Adjust seasoning and add lime juice to balance sourness. Chill the jaljeera before serving. Optionally add soaked and lightly squeezed boondi.
- Serve: To enjoy, poke a hole in a puri with your thumb. Fill it with a spoonful of the aloo filling, then pour jaljeera into it. Add sweet tamarind chutney if desired. Eat immediately for the best burst of crisp, tangy, and spicy flavors.
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 40-50 puris depending on their size.
- The dough for puris should be firm and not soft to ensure proper puffing during frying.
- Roll puris thinly and evenly; uneven edges can prevent them from puffing correctly.
- Puris can be rolled into an oval or circular shape; perfection in shape is not necessary.
- Use an oil with a high smoke point like refined sunflower oil for frying to achieve crisp puris without burning.
- Test fry 1-3 puris first to get the oil temperature right; puris won’t puff properly if the oil is too hot or too cold.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 7-8 puris with filling and jaljeera)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
