I love chaats (a common spicy, tangy street food of India) smothered or topped with fresh, green, spicy coriander-mint and tangy, sweet date-tamarind chutneys; showered with sev (fine, fried besan or gram or chickpea flour noodles) and sprinkled with finely chopped red onions and spice powders like chaat masala, roasted jeera (cumin) powder and chilli powders!!! Pani puri is one such chaat. Puffed, crisp, deep fried puris (fried flour and semolina breads) are filled with spiced potatoes, sprouts etc., served with tangy date and tamarind chutney (khajur-imli chutney) and dunked in a spicy water called “pani” (water in Hindi), which has coriander leaves, mint leaves and some spices, before popping them whole in your mouth!! They are called “gol guppas” in Delhi and “puchkas” in West Bengal. Making them at home involves a lot of preparation; making the chutneys and either making the sev and puris or you can buy them in any grocery store or supermarket. So, many prefer to eat them at roadside stalls or at restaurants. I have always relished the homemade ones, especially the chutneys; you can prepare these to your taste and making them at home assures you of the quality of water used in the chutneys!! Today, I have used store-bought puris, sev and boondis (deep fried balls of besan), which saves a lot of time. If you prefer, you can make your own. Tamarind-date chutney goes well as a dip with samosas, kachoris, ragda-patties or any other chaat item. Also sending this to event + Giveaway Monsoon Mojo 2 .
Note:
25 to 30 puris For the tamarind chutney: 2 to 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste (depending upon how sour your tamarind paste is) or ½ cup of tamarind 10 to 12 dates, deseeded ½ cup to 1 cup jaggery (unrefined sugar) 1 teaspoon roasted cumin or jeera powder ¼ to ½ teaspoon or to taste kala namak or black salt For the filling: 1 big or 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and crumbled ¼ cup finely chopped red onions ½ teaspoon red chilli powder ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder Salt to taste or you can add kala namak (black salt) For the Pani or Coriander-Mint water: 1 cup chopped coriander leaves ¼ cup chopped mint leaves 1 green chilli or jalapeno, chopped ½ inch ginger, chopped 1 teaspoon chaat masala ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder Salt to taste or black salt to taste 1 teaspoon lemon juice Water To serve the pani puris: Sev Boondis
Instructions The filling can be varied. You can use sprouts, cooked garbanzo beans (chana) etc. Adjust the chillies and other spices according to your taste. The tamarind-date chutney (or khajur-imli chutney can be used to serve with other snacks like samosas, kachoris or any other chaat item).
