Pani Poori Recipe

Pani poori, as you all know, is one of the most loved chaat varities here in India. Hanging out with friends at a chaat shop and gorging on paani poori (one entire poori in you mouth is the lightest and joyful moment anyone can ask for!!

There are loads of chaat shops here in bangalore wher each shop specializes in a particular chaat. I usually prefer street vendors as they make the tastiest and spiciest pani poories. There is one vendor at Girinagar who makes wonderful pani poories and has gathered  a whole lot of loyal customers (I am one among them!!

But my best pani poori moment was at my brother’s marriage where there was a seperate section for “Chaats” where in everything from pani poori to pav bhaji was served. A guy- Kumar, working for “Karnataka Bhel” in Chamrajpet was given the contract. The marriage ceremont was a blast and around 1500+ guests attended the wedding. But the problem was… the entire pani poori stand ran out of stock in a short time and we were left with not even a single poori!! But to our surprise, one of my cousins had smiggled an entire tray of poories (about 100-125) with all the stuffing and the pani and had hid it in a safe place.

And wow!! It was 12.30 in the morning and its was around 12 of us including the bride and the groom, and the pani poori party began… we all sat around the tray as if sitting around a campfire and Kumar started stuffing the pooris, dipeed it and distributed it among we hungry folks!! Each one of us literally gobbled the pooris like hungry rats eating a pile of cheese!!

Stuffing for Pani poori is done in several ways with several ingredients. Some people prefer potato as the major stuffing ingredient, some sprouts and some go for boiled peas. I personally prefer the pea stuffing as i feel that it tastes better than aloo or the sprouts. But opinions differ… so, just go ahead, prepare the pani poori, choose your stuffing and have a blast!!

Ingredients in the Pani Poori Recipe:

Poori:

• Semolina (Sooji) : 1/2 cup
• Plain Flour (maida) : 1/2 tbl spoon.
• Soda Water :  3 tbl spoon
• Salt to taste

Pani:

• Chopped Mint Leaves : 1 1/2 cups
• Chopped Coriander Leaves : 1 tbl spoon
• Tamarind : 1/3 cup
• Ginger : 1
• Green Chillies : 4 to 5
• Cumin Seed Powder (Roasted) : 1 tea spoon
• Black Salt : 1 1/2 tea spoon
• Salt to taste

Stuffing:

• Boiled Green Moong (lentils) sprouts : 1/2 cup
• Potatoes : 2 (medium)
• Tamarind Chutney as required

Pani Poori Recipe:

1. Mix semolina, plain flour, soda water and salt. Knead well to make a soft dough. Cover it with clean wet cloth for about 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into forty marble-sized balls and roll each ball into a disk. Place each disk under a damp cloth soon after rolling.
3. Heat oil in a container. Deep fry these disks, slightly pressing them  with a spoon, until they puff up and are golden brown.
4. Place the puffed disks (“pooris”) on a soft tissue so that excess oil is absorbed.
5. Now, soak the tamarind in half a cup of warm water for approximately 30 minutes. Drain out the water and mix the pulp to a smooth consistency using a blender.
6. Transfer the paste into a large bowl and add approx. 1 litre of water, continuously stirring the contents with a spoon. Add a pinch of black pepper and salt. Mix well.
7. Refrigerate for about 1-1.5 hours to ensure proper blending.
8. Meanwhile, boil the moong sprounts it they are soft enough and allow it to cool.
9. Cook the the potatoes slightly and mash them by adding a pinch of salt

To Serve Pani Poori:

1. Make a small hole in the center of each puri by gently pressing your thumb at the center.
2. Add a small quantity of the mashed potatoes which forms the stuffing. Add a little Tamarind chutney.
3. Dip each puri in pani until it is full and serve.

Additional Information with Pani Poori Recipe:

Serving : Serves 4-5
Preparation Time : 30 mins
Difficulty Level : Very Easy
Calories : 270

Pani poori is the best food item to choose for kitty parties as it just doubles the fun. I hope you enjoyed reading this recipe. Do try it out and share with me, your “Pani Poori Moments” Watch out for more spicier and tastier Chaat recipies on this space.

Tagged as: pani puri, pani puri recipe