This next dish is my take on a Indian street food called Pani Puri - pani is the spiced 'water' and puri are the crisp shells, which I filled with spiced chickpeas, potatoes and red onion. This dish varies from region to region and goes by several names including Phuchhka, Golgappa, GupChup and of course Pani Puri, the fillings and flavours also vary, but this is my take on this delightful snack!
I first tried Pani Puri last summer when I was at home after returning from Budapest - we were in a Indian Street Food restaurant in reading and this was certainly a memorable dish! We had them with chickpeas, onion and potato with a very spicy coriander water and a tangy chutney. For the water in this dish I toned down the spice and made it a little sweet and tangy with the addition of tamarind paste and a medjool date - combing both the dressings that we first experienced. Since then, I've been back to the restaurant once again and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around - although I knew to go easy on the coriander water this time!
Whilst you can make the shells from scratch, most Asian supermarkets should stock them - they're comparable to mini papadums, except they're made from wheat flour rather than lentil. I stuffed them with pan fried chickpeas, coated in several spices, including coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper for some heat.
The puri are then stuffed with the spiced veggies and served alongside the coriander water. Just before consuming, you spoon some of the water into the shell and eat it in one bite. The experience is a burst of flavour - spicy, sweet, tangy, juicy and so so delicious! These are perfect food for a party or as component of a starter at a dinner party, where you can wow your guests with a new and exciting dish!
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Pani Puri | Yield: 45 | Time: 30-40 mins
You'll need
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Non-stick frying pan
- Small saucepan
- Blender
- Tea spoon
Ingredients
- 45 pani puri shells
Filling
- 1 medium potato - 1 cm cubes boil 10 mins
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 tbsp oil - cook 5 mins frying pan
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp onion
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Pinch cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 1/4 red onion
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp mint leaves
- 1/2 chili
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 medjool date
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup water
Method
- Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Cut a potato into 1cm cubes and boil for 5-10 minutes, then drain.
- Drain the chickpeas and add to a non-stick pan with a splash of oil and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add the spices and stir to coat the chickpeas, reduce the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Finely dice 1/4 of a red onion and add to the pan along with the cooked potatoes. Stir together and place to one side.
- Add all the ingredients for the coriander dressing to the blender and blitz until smooth. Then pour into a serving dish.
- To fill the shells; tap with the tip of a tsp to make a gap for the fillings, then spoon in 1-2 tsp filling into each shell and place on a serving dish. Just before eating each pani puri, spoon 2-3 tsp of the dressing into each shell and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
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