Paanipuri

Paanipuri ….the most famous street food of Mumbai,is nothing but a crunchy round , crisp fried shell(Puri)of flour(Maida along with sooji i.e All purpose flour with semolina)),served with a filling of boiled potatoes,boondi(Fried droplets of Gramflour dough) and a spicy, tangy chutney called paani

There are many variations of Panipuri viz; Batatapuri,Ragdapuri,Sevbatata puri,Pyazbatata puri,all named according to the stuffing used .Panipuris are also known as Golguppe or Puchka or even Ghupchup.No matter what type of stuffing is used,no matter what recipe of chutney is followed and no matter what it is called as,but the journey of this heavenly Chaat starting from a plain Puri to stuffed,chutney filled paanipuri rolling in the mouth ends with only one reaction……UUmmmmm;) )

Well after lots of drooling lets come to the main point…..how to make them?

The fried puris are available at most of the farson shops,almost all over India and Indian Stores Abroad.But for those less fortunate ones(sorry) who are unable to fetch them,just put some extra efforts and make these at home.Here’s the recipe……

1. For puris:

Ingredients:

• Maida(all purpose flour) 1 cup
• Sooji(rawa or semolina) 2 tspn
• Water
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Sieve the flour and add sooji and salt .Knead a hard dough using some water
• Now let it rest under wet cloth for about an hour or more
• Later take a small portion of this dough and roll into a thick chapati
• Using a small bowl or cup with sharp edges,cut the chapati into many puris
• Repeat the procedure for remaining dough
• Now fry these puris in hot oil, gently pressing them from sides so that the puris puff up(some of them may not puff at all, so dont worry , coz those will give you an excuse to make Papdi Chaat
• Drain them on tissue paper and store them into an airtight container , after cooling , till further use

2. For Sonth chutney:

Ingredients:

• Tamarind-50gm
• Jaggery 1/2 cup(crushed)
• Salt
• Rock salt(kaala Namak) 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder 1/4 tsp
• Powdered dry ginger 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp

Method:

For sonth chutney , boil all the above ingredients(listed under sonth chutney) , till a thick consistency is obtained. Strain and let it cool down

3. For Green chutney or Paani:

Ingredients:

• Mint leaves(pudina) 1/2 bunch
• Coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup
• Green chillies 2-3
• Black rock salt(kaala namak) 1/2 tspn
• Red chilly powder 1/4 spn(optional)
• Salt as per taste
• Cumin seeds 1 tspn
• Jaljeera powder or chaat masala powder 1tspn
• Water and ice cubes
• Tamarind water (diluted water in which tamarind was soaked and squeezed out) few spoons

Method:

• For tamarind chutney, grind coriander leaves and mint leaves along with green chillies and cumin seeds, into a fine paste
• Now take this paste, mix some water, salt, rock salt, ice cubes, some tamarind water, jaljeera powder or chaat masala powder and keep on tasting and adjusting seasoning(wow ..i love this part of making ) till you finally achieve a satisfying flavor

For serving:

For serving, carefully prick the puris with finger, put a bit of stuffing of your choice (ragda or boiled potato, boondi,or sprouted Moong) put some sonth chutney,then dip into chilled tamarind chutney and consume IMMEDIATELY…….Have a blast

Note :

• Always store Puris in airtight containers or else they will turn out soggy
• In case making sonth chutney is not possible, just soak some tamarind in water , squeeze it out , discard the pulp and add some sugar or grated jaggery and mix properly.Use it along with Green chutney
• For   convenience ,you can mix both types of chutneys in a single container, and serve