Pani Puri

Craving some delicious Indian street food? Follow this easy pani puri recipe with step-by-step pictures to make this popular dish at home!

What is Pani Puri?

Pani puri, also known as panipuri, is one of the most popular Indian street foods, which can be easily found in most Indian cities. It features hollow, crispy puris (the crispy ball) filled with potatoes, onions, and chickpeas, then dipped in its iconic green-colored, tangy, and spicy flavored water (pani).

This beloved vegan snack delivers a burst of flavors and a rich combination of the puri’s crispy texture and the filling’s creamy texture in every bite.

Make The Puri (the cripsy balls)

You can make the puri dough for pani puri at home using semolina, all-purpose flour, salt, and water. Combine these ingredients to form a smooth dough and let it rest for a while. Divide the dough and roll it into small, thin discs. Once prepared, your homemade puris are ready to be deep-fried into crispy balls. For more details you can follow Swasthi’s puri dough recipe.

Making puris from scratch requires patience and practice. If you’re making pani puri at home for the first time, a simpler method is to use store-bought pani puri coins. These will save you preparation time and are easier to puff up when deep-fried.

Make the Filling

The filling for pani puri typically consists of a mixture of mashed potatoes, boiled chickpeas, and various seasonings.

– Prepare the chickpeas

Prepare the chickpeas using your preferred method.

I typically start by washing and soaking dried chickpeas overnight until they double in size. Then, I add 3 parts of water to 1 part of dried chickpeas and cook them in the high-pressure setting of an Instant Pot for 14 minutes to achieve a texture that’s neither too firm nor too soft.

Alternatively, you can simmer the chickpeas in a regular pot over medium-low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours until they reach your desired level of tenderness. However, using an Instant Pot is a more efficient method, saving both time and energy.

An easier method is using canned chickpeas as a substitute for boiled chickpeas in your pani puri filling.

– Prepare the mashed potatoes

Prepare the mashed potatoes using your preferred method. You can boil the potatoes whole, with or without peeling the skin, or cut them into smaller pieces and steam them until tender.

For a time-efficient approach, you can place a steamer basket over the chickpeas and cook both in a single Instant Pot, as demonstrated in the recipe below.

For making pani puri filling, it’s traditional to mash the potatoes after boiled or steamed. Mashing creates a smoother texture that blends well with the other ingredients like chickpeas and spices. This smooth consistency allows the flavors to combine evenly and enhances the filling’s overall creamy texture, which is ideal for stuffing into the puris.

Make the Pani (spicy water)

Pani, the flavorful green spicy water, is the heart of pani puri.

To prepare it, begin by blending fresh mint leaves, cilantro, green chili pepper, cumin, salt, chaat masala, and ginger until smooth.

Traditionally, tamarind and black salt are added for their distinctive tangy and savory notes, crucial for balancing the spice. However, if tamarind is difficult to find where you live, as it is for me, you can substitute it with a mix of lemon juice and lime juice, and replace black salt with regular salt. These substitutions provide a citrusy twist while still delivering a flavorful and enjoyable pani puri experience.

EQUIPMENT

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Instant pot or regular pot (For boiling the chickpeas and steaming the potatoes)
• Blender (For blending the spicy water)
• Fine mesh strainer (For straining the spicy water)

INGREDIENTS  

– For the Filling:

• ⅓ cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup water
• 3 potatoes (medium-sized)
• ¼ onion (medium-sized; finely diced)
• ¼ cup cilantro (finely chopped)
• 1 Jalapeño (finely diced; skip it or use a spoon to scrape off the seeds if you couldn’t handle spicy food.)
• ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala powder

– For the Pani (spicy water):

• ½ cup mint leaves (chopped)
• 1 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 2 Jalapeño (Use 1 or use a spoon to scrape off the seeds if you couldn’t handle spicy food.)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin (or cumin powder)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chaat masala powder
• 1 cup cold water (for blending)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tbsp lime juice (optional)
• 2 cups cold water (for adjusting the thickness of the pani)
• salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 tbsps boondi 

– For the Puris (crispy balls):

• 30 pani puri coins
• 2 cups oil (use high smoke point oil for deep frying, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, corn oil …)

INSTRUCTIONS 

– Prepare the filling:

1. Rinse ⅓ cup of dried chickpeas thoroughly under cold water. Place the rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with several inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight.

2. After soaking, drain the chickpeas and rinse them again with fresh water. Transfer the soaked chickpeas to an instant pot and add 1 cup of cold water.

3. Peel the potatoes. Cut them into smaller, evenly-sized pieces.

4. Place a metal trivet at the bottom of the instant pot. Place a steamer basket on top of the trivet. Arrange the potatoes in the steamer basket. Ensure they are not submerged in water.

5. Close the lid and set the valve to the “Sealing” position. Set the Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” mode to cook on high pressure for 14 minutes.

6. Once the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release. Once the pressure is fully released and the pin drops, open the lid carefully.

7. Transfer the potatoes into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes until smooth.

8. Remove the chickpeas from the instant pot and drain them. Combine the boiled chickpeas with diced onion, chopped cilantro, diced Jalapeño, salt, red chili powder, and chaat masala in the mashed potato mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly. The filling is ready. Set it aside.

– Prepare the Pani (spicy water):

1. In a blender, add mint leaves, coriander leaves, Jalapeño, ginger, cumin, salt, chaat masala, and cold water. Blend until smooth.

2. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Add lemon juice and lime juice. Gradually pour in 2 cups of cold water, adjust the amount of water and salt to achieve your preferred taste. Add 2 tbsps of boondi to the spicy water.

– Prepare the Puris (crispy balls):

1. Pour enough oil into a deep frying pan so that the puris can be submerged completely. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches around 350°F. (You can test the oil temperature using a wooden chopstick: gently insert the tip of the wooden chopstick into the hot oil, when the oil is around 350°F, you should see steady bubbles forming around the tip of the chopstick. These bubbles indicate that the oil is hot enough for frying.)

2. Carefully slide a few pani puri coins into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan.

3. Fry the puris until they puff up and turn golden brown, flipping them once to ensure even cooking on both sides.

4. Remove the puris with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

– Assembling the Pani Puri:

1. Take a fried puri, use your fingers to make a small hole in the center of the puri.

2. Stuff the puri with the potato-chickpea filling.

3. Use a spoon to pour about 1 tablespoon of pani (spicy water) into each puri just before eating. Enjoy!

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