Pani Puri

Don’t stuff your face. Face your stuff !

Stuffing your face with stuff, and eating it without a dibble down your chin. Paani poori on a summer evening.

The original calls for the stuffed pooris to be dunked in a bowl of spiced water and eaten.
I serve these a bit la-di-da at parties – with the paani^^ in shot glasses  accompanying the stuffed pooris!

Recipe

1. Paani
Blend together
1/2  cup mint
1/2  cup cilantro
1 inch ginger
1 serrano pepper
1.5 tsp  Swad tamarind paste
Add
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp cumin powder
¾ tsp black salt
Dissolve in 4 to 5 cups of  cold water, depending on your taste
Garnish with boondhi^, just before serving

2. Mini Poori & Boondhi^
Buy at Patel Bros or similar. Have never made them from scratch 
Sweet and sour tamarind date chutney **
Spicy green chutney**

3. Potato Channa filling
Mix together
2 big potatoes boiled & mashed
1 cup cooked channa*
½  big onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp coriander, finely chopepd
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp chaat masala
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
½ tsp black salt – adjust to taste

Assembly
1. Chip off the top of the poori
2. Fill with Potato Channa Stuffing
3. Drizzle a dollop each of the tamarind and spicy chutney
3. Dunk in the Paani and stuff it whole in your mouth immediately!

Notes
 So don’t I get 100% for honesty ?
* I used tinned garbanzo beans for this. Can also soak half a cup of channa overnight and pressure cook.
** Recipe to follow in near future post. I make a big batch and store refrigerated
^ Mini deep fried gram flour dough droplets
Did not have handy, used sev (same family, different shape )instead for the crunch factor!
^^ Can be spiked with vodka to get the party going 