The incredibly popular range of street food in India - the yummy Indian chat. I had not introduced this at home as yet. But when little ones mingle with other little ones, they get to know of all the junk food in town and it was only a matter of time before "bingo", "oreo", "poppins" and eventually "chat" is discussed. So the little girl asked me what pani-puri is one day. I explained to her how the tiny puris are stuffed with potato-peas or channa and some sweet-and-sour chutney and topped with onions, cilantro and mint. And finally dipped into some spicy water and eaten. She was particularly amused by the name "Gol Gappa" as it is called in some parts of India. I was postponing it for some time, since I was not so confident of making the puris at home. But finally decided to give it a shot.
Recipe Source RiasKitchen
Ingredients
Maida - 2 tbsp
Chirotti Rava - 1 cup
Water - as needed
Oil - for frying
Sift maida and rava together. Add water form a course, but soft dough. Knead a little more and make it smooth. Keep covered with a damp cloth for 10 mins.
Pinch out a little dough and roll it out into a very thin disc approximately 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Keep the discs on top of the wet towel.Heat the oil in a small kadai. When the oil is hot enough, drop one disc. Press the disc deep into the oil using the back of the slotted spoon and it will puff up. Then drop the next one. Once the puris are golden brown on one side, flip them over and fry the other side. Remove the puris from the oil and place them on blotting paper/newspaper to drain out the oil.
Tips: The puris have to be rolled out really thin. 1 cup of semolina dough yields atleast 60 pruis. I tried the 1/4 cup maida, and 3/4 semolina combination. I rolled out slightly thick puris and it turned out very rubbery. So the next time I used the above proportions, rolled the puris very thin and it turned out fine.
For the Pani or Spicy Water:Mint leaves - 1 cup
Green chilly - 3-4
Tamarind syrup - 3 tbsp
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Thyme - 1/2 tsp
Water - 4 cups
Grind all ingredients together into a fine paste with a little water. Strain the paste and add the remaining water. Adjust salt as needed.
Assembling the puris
Make a hole in the puris. Put a teaspoon of potato-peas masala or channa masala into the puris. Slightly warm the stuffed puris in the microwave. Add a teaspoon of Katta Meetha chutney and garnish with chopped onions, cilantro and mint leaves. Serve the puris and Pani in a bowl or plate and some katta-meetha chutney.
Verdict:
The puris, the pani and the chutney tasted so authentic. I don't think we will ever enjoy something from the street stall anymore. The little girl found the pani and chutney a little spicy to her taste. So she ate the stuffed puris.
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