Just the mention of the word Pani Puri takes me back to my teenage days. The song of golgappe wala in scorching heat - uff pani puri brings some of the best memories.
The tangy condiments, those soft alo and chana filled in puris, somethings are irreplaceable in life.
After shifting to the UK, there were days I would cry from the thought of those delicious crispy puris and sour pani that I would devour to no end.
There are some stores that sell pani puri, but the pani isn't as delicious as back home.
Hence, to fulfil my cravings for pani puri, I took it upon myself to create one at home.
I rummaged through the internet to find the best pani puri recipe, and after a lot of experiments, and failures, I have compiled the best recipe of Karachi-style pani puri at home.
Although this recipe can not match the pani puri like the one sold by aunty in dhoraji, it works great for those cravings.
Karachi-Style Pani Puri At Home
I never imagined I would be making pani puris from scratch at home. Who would make so much effort in something that's so easily available?
Little did I know that I would be the one putting in so much effort to create pani puris at home just to satisfy my cravings.
But, my hard work pays off once the product is ready and my whole family enjoys it. So, without further ado, let's delve into the recipe.
Ingredients
For the Puri
- Fine semolina (sooji) - ¾ cup
- All-purpose flour (maida) - 2 tbsp
- Lukewarm water - ¼ cup
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Baking soda - a pinch
For Meethi Chutney / Sweet Chutney
- Jaggery (gur) - 1 cup
- Dried plum - ¼ cup
- Tamarind pulp (imli)- ½ cup you can add it with or without seeds
- Dry ginger powder (soonth) -½ tsp (optional)
- Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
- Crushed red chilli - ½ tsp
- Salt - ¾ tsp
- Crushed and roasted cumin seed powder - ½ tsp
For Green Chutney / Mint Chutney
- Mint leaves -¼ cup
- Coriander leaves - ½ cup
- Green chillies - 2
- Garlic cloves - 6-7
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Cumin powder - ¼ tsp
For Sour water (khatta pani)
- Cold water - 2 cups
- Chaat masala - 1 tsp
- Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
- Red chilli powder - ¼ tsp
- Dry ginger powder - ¼ tsp (optional)
- Crushed cumin powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Black salt (kala namak) - ¼ tsp
For Filling
- Boiled chickpeas - ½ cup
- Boiled potatoes - ½ cup
- Crushed red chilli - ¼ tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Black salt -¼ tsp
Directions
For The Puris
- In a bowl, mix semolina, salt, baking soda, and all-purpose flour.
- Make dough by using lukewarm water gradually into the mixture.
- Knead the dough with your hands for a good 5-6 minutes to give it a smooth texture.
- Make sure the dough is on the softer side as the semolina absorbs water.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for around 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough again, this time the dough will be bit on the harder side.
- Divide the dough into 2 parts, and take one part and roll the dough into a thin sheet. The thinner the sheet, the crispier the puri.
- Now with the help of a cookie cutter make small circles, and lift the extra dough off.
- Repeat the process with the second half of the dough. You will get several puris in this amount.
- Cover the circles with a wet cloth and let it rest for 15-20 mins.
- Preheat the oil to 160 degrees, and put 5 6 puris in the wok and gently press them with a ladle.
- The puris will start rising and start turning golden brown.
Strain the puris in a strainer and let them rest there so that they remain crispy. You can keep them in an air-tight container to maintain their crispiness.
However, it is best to use it within 24 hours. Now the basic ingredient of pani puri is ready.
For Meethi Chutney
- Take jaggery in a pot, add 2 cups of water, and put it on low flame.
- Then add tamarind pulp, and dried plum and let the mixture boil for 10-15 mins.
- Now add the rest of the spices and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
- You will notice that the mixture will start thickening.
- Add more water if you feel the consistency is too thick, but make sure you give it a boil after adding water.
The mixture will thicken as it cools down. This sweet chutney can be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for a good 2-3 months.
The best thing about this sweet chutney is that you can not only use it with pani puris, but with different chaats as well.
For Green Chutney
- Put all the ingredients of green chutney in a blender, add ¼ cup water, and blend it into a smooth paste.
- You can add this green chutney as it is or you can even add it to some yoghurt and whisk it to form raita.
- I prefer adding green chutney as it is to my pani puris.
- This green chutney can also be preserved in the freezer and be used for other purposes as well.
For Khatta Pani (sour water)
In a bowl, take 2 cups of cold water, add chaat masala, tamarind pulp, red chilli powder, black salt, cumin powder, and dry ginger, and give it a proper mix.
You can adjust the sourness of the water by adding more tamarind pulp or you can squeeze in a lemon. Delicious pani puri water is ready.
For Filling
Add chickpeas, and boiled potatoes in a bowl and give it a slight press enough to slightly break them and stick to each other. But make sure not to over-mash them and form a thick paste. Then, add the spices and mix with a spoon.
Garnishing The Pani Puri
Usually, I prefer eating pani puri in a hands-on experience. After all, if you do not have some water running down your chin or if you don’t get your hands dirty, you won’t get the true essence of eating that roadside pani puri.
Hence, I lay everything out on the table, and everyone enjoys it that way.
However, I do help guests who are not accustomed to eating pani puri by cracking a hole in the middle of the crispy puri and adding chickpea filling, green chutney, and sweet chutney.
Make sure to add the pani just before putting it in your mouth else your puri will become soggy.
Wrap Up
Although making pani puris at home seems like a daunting task initially, once you try it, you get the hang of it and it doesn't seem that much intimidating.
For me, trying out Karachi-style pani puri at home had become a necessity, and thankfully I was able to create that same taste (almost the same) that I used to eat from the roadside vendor across my college.
This recipe has helped me introduce my kid to the flavours of my hometown.
