Pani Puri

5 from 1 vote

A perfect recipe to make the quintessential street recipe; Pani Puri. This chaat needs no introduction and is great to make ahead of time!

Puffed hollow dough balls filled with a mix of boiled potatoes, ragda and moong, a sweet and tangy chutney and spicy pani.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 517kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

For the Pani

1 cup mint leaves (sifted)
1 cup cilantro leaves (trimmed)
4-5 Thai green chili
2 inch ginger
1 teaspoon aamchur powder
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
½ teaspoon rock salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 cups water
2 tablespoon boondi

For the Filling

3 medium potatoes
1 cup brown chana
1 cup moong
1 cup ragda
1 teaspoon rock salt (divided)
1 teaspoon salt (divided)
½ teaspoon aamchur
8-10 stalks cilantro
1 cup Sweet Dates Tamarind Chutney
40-50 puffed puris

Instructions

In a bowl add washed and trimmed greens. Also add the spices.
1 cup mint leaves, 1 cup cilantro leaves, 4-5 Thai green chili, 2 inch ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
Transfer to a blender.
Add water and some ice cubes and churn.
6 cups water
Check if everything is smooth and transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
Add in aamchur and rock salt, mix well and refrigerate till ready to use.
1 teaspoon aamchur powder, ½ teaspoon rock salt
Soak the brown chana, moong and ragda overnight or for at least 6 hours. Then prepare the ragda using the instant pot. Also prepare the sweet dates tamarind chutney.
1 cup brown chana, 1 cup moong, 1 cup ragda
Drain the brown chana and add it to a pressure cooker container. Add water just enough to cover the chana and a pinch of salt. Place in a pressure cooker filled with some water.
1 teaspoon salt
Wash and cut the potatoes in half. Place them in another pressure cooker container and add a pinch of salt. Then place this on the chana and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally and open the pressure cooker.
3 medium potatoes
Add the soaked moong to a pan filled with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Cook on medium flame for 8-9 minutes, ensuring it only cooks al-dente. Drain and set aside.
Peel the potatoes, add to a bowl and also add in some rock salt, chopped cilantro and aamchur.
1 teaspoon rock salt, 8-10 stalks cilantro, ½ teaspoon aamchur
Mash till smooth. Add chana and mix well.
In a plate place puris, potato chana mix, moong, ragda (white peas) and some boondi. Also serve the prepared pani in a bowl and sweet dates tamarind chutney in two bowls.
1 cup Sweet Dates Tamarind Chutney
Top the pani with boondi. Pierce a puri and add in the fillings. Also add the chutney and pani and enjoy!
2 tablespoon boondi, 40-50 puffed puris

Video

Notes

The easiest way to make this is to use store bought sooji or flour puri. They are easy to find in Indian stores and come in big boxes. However, skip using the masala that comes with it. It does not give the same pani as the fresh one. If you would rather make your own puri, use this puffed puri recipe.
Make the pani ahead of time and refrigerate or add ice cubes. That way it is chilled by the time it is ready to eat. Also, add boondi last, just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.
While I have listed all the stuffing options, it is not mandatory to make them all. You can either make moong, chana and potato or just ragda. These are the options at the stalls in India.
Make the ragda in the instant pot or simply pressure cook them with some salt and turmeric powder till soft but does not disintegrate.
Assemble and enjoy pani puri immediately. It tends to get soggy in minutes.
A traditional plate of pani puri in Mumbai comes with six puris. However, there is really no limit to the number of puris we can have in one go!
To make the pani more spicy, add a couple of extra green chili. Moreover, enjoy pani puri with just the pani and fillings, leaving out the sweet chutney.
If you would like a boozy version, add some vodka to the prepared pani. This pani puri is indeed super interesting!

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition