How to Make Pani Puri

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 20, 2023

The pani puri originated from the Mughal region of India, present day South Bihar where it is also known as phoolki. The English meaning of gol gappa is "watery Indian/pakistani bread" or "crisp sphere eaten." Pani puri, also known as phoochka, gol gappa or gup chup, is a popular street snack in India, Nepal and Pakistan. The name pani puri literally means "water in fried bread." It consists of a round, hollow puri shell filled with a spicy potato-based stuffing and dipped in a watery sauce, or pani, to fill up the hollow inside the dough. Pani puri differs from region to region, but this basic recipe is an excellent place to start.

Ingredients

The Puri

1 cup rava (whole wheat flour may be substituted)
1 teaspoon maida (white cake flour may be substituted)
Pinch of salt
Warm water
Olive oil

The Filling

3 russet potatoes
2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
chopped green chillies
chopped onions
1 teaspoon chat masala ( 2 if you like)
1 to 2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
1/2 spoon of Salt

The Pani

1 teaspoon tamarind paste diluted in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons jaggery (white sugar may be substituted)
1 teaspoon black salt (table salt may be substituted)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon dhania powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2-3 chopped green chilis
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Water

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Making the Puri

1
Mix the flours with a few spoonfuls or warm water. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours and a pinch of salt. Add one teaspoon of warm water and mix it with your fingers. Add another spoonful of water and mix more. The dough should be course and loose in texture, rather than moist.
- Add the water very slowly, in small increments, so that you don't end up mixing in too much. Puri dough should never be wet or sticky.
- If the dough seems very moist, work in some extra maida (or cake flour) to absorb the extra moisture.
2
Knead the dough well. Use your hands to knead the dough for about 7 minutes, until it becomes tight, stretchy and shiny. This will encourage the formation of gluten, which is essential to the texture of the finished puris.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If the dough feels loose and falls apart, keep kneading. You should be able to stretch the dough without it breaking.
- If you wish, you can knead the dough using the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer.
Advertisement
3
Add a teaspoon of oil and keep kneading. Pour the oil over the dough and knead it into the dough for another 3 minutes. This will improve the flavor and texture of the dough.
4
Rest the dough. Form it into a ball and place it in the a bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp dishcloth. Set the bowl in a dry, warm place. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes to rest. This will further improve the texture of the finished puris.
5
Roll the dough very thin. Place the ball of dough on an oiled surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle no thicker than ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm). The dough should be easy to roll thin without tearing. It may snap back when you attempt to roll it, but with a little work you'll be able to create a large, thin circle of dough.
6
Cut the dough into smaller circles. You can use a biscuit cutter or the rim of a cup. Cut out as many dough circles as possible from the rolled-out dough.
7
Heat oil for frying. Pour 2 inches (5.1 cm) of oil into a stockpot or high-sided frying pan. Heat the oil until it reaches 400 °F (204 °C), or a bit of dough dropped into the oil sizzles and browns.
8
Fry the puris. When the oil is hot, place a few dough circles into the oil to cook. After just a few seconds), they'll begin to puff up and crisp. When they are crispy and very lightly brown (after about 20-30 seconds, use a large slotted spoon to place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Continue frying the remaining dough circles.
- The puris will cook very quickly, so it's necessary to watch them the whole time they're in the oil. Remove them before they turn dark brown, or they'll have a burned taste and fall apart easily.
- Cook only a few puris at a time. If you crowd the pot, it will be difficult to control the cooking time of each puri.
- Don't cover the puris when they're finished cooking, or they won't stay crispy.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Making the Filling

1
Prepare the potatoes. Peel the potatoes, then roughly chop them. Put them in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until they're completely soft, and a fork slides through them easily. Drain the water. Mash the potatoes roughly with a fork.
2
Add the spices. Put the red chili powder,chopped green chilli,chopped onions, chat masala and coriander leaves in the pot with the potatoes. Add a pinch of salt. Use a fork to mash the spices in with the potatoes to thoroughly distribute them. Taste the mixture and add more spices or salt if you wish.
3
Add the chickpeas. Stir in the and chickpeas with a spoon, so that everything is completely mixed. If you wish, add a few drops of oil to moisten the filling. It doesn't need too much moisture, though, since you'll be adding pani as the finishing touch

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Making the Pani

1
Combine everything except the water.Don't add too much sugar. It will ruin the taste. Place all the spices and herbs together in a blender, food processor or mortar. Process them until they are ground into a fine paste. Add a little water if necessary to loosen the ingredients and make them easier to grind.
2
Mix the paste with 2-3 cups of water. Place the paste and water in a mixing bowl and mix well. Taste the mixture and add more black salt or spices as necessary.
3
Chill the pani if you wish. It's often served cold with the puri. If you wish to chill it, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve pani puri.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Serving the Pani Puri

1
Tap a puri at the center lightly to make a half-inch hole. Do this with the tip of a knife or your fingertip. Be sure to tap gently, since the puri is crispy and fragile.
2
Fill it with a small quantity of filling. Scoop in some of the mashed potato and chickpea filling. If you wish, you can add other fillings, too, like chutney, yogurt sauce or green moong dal sprouts. Spoon in enough to fill about half of the puri.
3
Dip it in the pani. Submerge the filled puri in the bowl of pani so that the extra space fills with the spicy water. Don't keep it underwater too long, or it will get soft.
4
Eat it while it's still crispy. It's necessary to serve and eat pani puri right away, before it gets soggy and falls apart. Eat the whole thing in one or two quick bites. If you're serving guests, you can have them assemble their own pani puri so they experience the best texture possible.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Community Q&A

Question

How should I prepare the water?

Community Answer

For pani, the powder comes as as pani puri powder, or put five to 10 packets of sonaji jaljira powder.