Pani Puri, also known as Golgappa or Puchka, is a popular street food in India. These crispy, hollow puris are filled with a spiced potato mixture and topped with tangy, sweet, and spicy water, creating a burst of flavors in each bite.
Pani Puri is a favorite chaat recipe for many Indians. With its numerous variations, the tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors of the pani make each version uniquely delicious and irresistible.
Growing up, we mostly enjoyed this iconic Indian street food at roadside stalls or restaurants. It was only after moving to the USA that I started making Pani Puri at home, along with favorites like dahi papdi chaat and bhel puri.
Today, I'm sharing a foolproof recipe to make Indian street-style Pani Puri at home using simple ingredients. For convenience, I recommend buying ready-made puris from any Indian grocery store! You may also enjoy my Indian-Mexican fusion twist on this classic — the flavorful mexican pani puri made using avocadoes.
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What is Pani Puri?
Pani stands for ‘water’ while puri stands for ‘puffed and crispy deep-fried ball’. These balls are made with wheat flour or semolina-kneaded dough. In layman's language, spicy and tangy water is filled inside the crispy puri, along with a spiced mashed potato mixture.
This recipe has various names. For instance, golgappa, gup chup, puchka, poochkas, gupchup, and more - are unique to every region in the country. No matter what you call it, this snack is sure to be loved by all.
Difference between Pani Puri, Golgappa, and Puchhka?
They are all made with round semolina puris, but the difference is in the taste, ingredients, and regional styles. It's commonly called Pani Puri in Mumbai, Golgappa in the North, like Delhi, and Puchhka in the Northeast.
Ingredients
Puris: You can use homemade or store-bought. They are easily available in Indian grocery stores.
Potato Filling:
- Potato: I used Yukon gold potatoes. I boiled them in Instant Pot. You can also use a stovetop pressure cooker to boil them.
- Onions: I used red onions. You can use any variety.
- Coriander: Use freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Spices: roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chili powder, and salt
Pani:
- Coriander Leaves: Use fresh coriander leaves. You can also use tender coriander stalks, as they add a lot of flavor.
- Mint Leaves: Mint adds a refreshing flavor and green color to the pani. But discard mint stems as they make the pani bitter. Do not use dried mint powder.
- Ginger: Use fresh ginger.
- Green Chilies: For heat and spiciness, adjust according to your preference.
- Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice for the best result. It gives a tangy taste to the pani.
- Ice Cubes: Adding 1-2 ice cubes while blending will keep the vibrant green color of the chutney because the heat from the blender causes herbs to turn darker.
- Spices: Roasted cumin powder, pani puri masala, hing, black salt, salt, and black pepper powder.
- Tamarind Pulp: Tamarind pulp adds a tangy and mild sour taste and balances the dish's overall flavor. Soak 1 lemon-sized tamarind in ¼ cup of hot water for 15 minutes and extract its pulp.
- Jaggery: adds sweetness and balances the tanginess and spiciness of the pani. You can substitute it with refined sugar.
- Water: Water is used to make the base of the pani. Use the chilled water to make pani.
Extras and Toppings:
- Onions: for extra crunch and flavor.
- Sweet Tamarind Chutney: You can add a little sweet chutney for added sweet and tangy flavor.
How to Make Pani Puri (Golgappa)
Prepare the Puri
I used store-bought poori in this recipe. You can also make these poori's at home. I will share the recipe soon.
Prepare the Potato Filling
Add boiled and mashed potatoes, chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chili powder, and salt to a mixing bowl. Pani puri filling is ready. Keep it aside.
If desired, add boiled black chickpeas to this mixture.
Prepare the Pani
In a blender, add coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, green chilies, lemon juice, ice cubes, and water. Blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add roasted cumin powder, pani puri masala, hing, black salt, salt, black pepper powder, tamarind pulp, jaggery, and chilled water. Mix everything well. Pani is ready.
When preparing pani puri, I personally prefer to filter the pani mixture. Use a strainer and carefully pour the pani into a container. Use a spoon or ladle and gently press down on the mixture to extract all the flavors.
Add boondi now if you like soft boondi. If you like crispy boondi, then add it while serving.
Assemble and Serve
Place the puris on a serving plate or tray. Also, have the pani and potato mixture ready nearby.
Take the puri in your hand and gently poke a hole using your thumb or a spoon for filling.
Take some potato filling in a spoon and put it inside the puri.
Dip the stuffed puri into the cold, tangy, spiced pani and enjoy. You can also pour the pani into each puri using a spoon or ladle. Add sweet tamarind chutney, too, if you like.
Eat it soon as you make it. Otherwise, the puris will get soggy. Also, encourage everyone to have it in one bite.
Serving Suggestions
These snacks are best enjoyed in the evening along with masala chai when you want something tangy to satiate your taste buds.
Tips to Make the Best Pani Puri Recipe
- Crispy Puris: Use fresh, crispy puri and not stale ones.
- Serve Chilled: You can either store the pani in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving or add a few ice cubes before serving.
- Serve Immediately: Make sure to serve the pani puris as soon as they are assembled to get the best flavor and texture.
Variations
- Fillings: You can make a variety of fillings such as ragda, boiled sweet potato, sprouted moong, potato and black chana, avocado, or boondi.
- Toppings: You can top it with onions, sev, and more.
- Spicy Pani: If you want only teekha pani, skip adding tamarind and jaggery while making pani. But I highly recommend adding it gives a great flavor. You can adjust the sweetness according to your preference.
- Tamarind Date Chutney: In case you don't have tamarind available, another option is to use sweet tamarind chutney as a substitute in your pani puri recipe. Also, make sure to skip adding jaggery in this case, as sweet chutney already has jaggery in it.
Storage Suggestions
- Fridge: You can store the leftover potato mixture and pani for 1-2 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
- Freezer: You can also freeze the leftover paani in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight when you are ready to use.
More Indian Snack Recipes
Pani Puri Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 puris (or golgappa), store-bought
- ¼ cup date tamarind chutney optional
For Aloo Stuffing
- 3 medium potatoes boiled
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- salt to taste
For Pani
- 1 cup coriander leaves tightly packed
- ½ cup mint leaves tightly packed
- 1 inch ginger
- 2-3 green chilies
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-2 ice cubes
- ¼ cup water (for blending)
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon pani puri masala store-bought
- 2 pinches hing (asafoetida)
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ cup tamarind pulp
- 2 tablespoon jaggery (or sugar)
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup boondi optional
Instructions
Prepare the Puri
- I used store-bought poori in this recipe. You can also make these poori's at home. I will share the recipe soon.
Prepare the Potato Filling
- Add boiled and mashed potatoes, chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chili powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pani puri filling is ready. Keep it aside.
- If desired, you can also add boiled black chickpeas to this mixture.
Prepare the Pani
- In a blender, add coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, green chilies, lemon juice, ice cubes, and water. Blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add roasted cumin powder, pani puri masala, hing, black salt, salt, black pepper powder, tamarind pulp, jaggery, and chilled water. Mix everything well. Pani is ready.
- When preparing pani puri, I personally prefer to filter the pani mixture. Use a strainer and carefully pour the pani into a container. Use a spoon or ladle and gently press down on the mixture to extract all the flavors.Add boondi now if you like soft boondi. If you like crispy boondi, then add it while serving.
Assemble and Serve
- Place the puris on a serving plate or tray. Also, have the pani and potato mixture ready nearby.
- Take the puri in your hand and gently poke a hole using your thumb or a spoon for filling.
- Take some potato filling in a spoon and put it inside the puri.
- Dip the stuffed puri into the cold, tangy spiced pani and enjoy. You can also pour the pani into each puri using a spoon or ladle. Add sweet tamarind chutney, too, if you like.
- Eat it soon as you make it. Otherwise, the puris will get soggy. Also, encourage everyone to have it in one bite.
Nutrition
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