Pani Puri (Gol Gappe) For ICC-May

This month’s Indian Cooking Challenge (ICC) was so much fun, making poori was only the first part of the fun, dipping them in pani and competing with your hubby to finish them off forms the rest of the fun. Thanks Valli for choosing these fun filled gol gappes for this month’s challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed making them (albeit my biceps started aching from trying to roll the pooris too thin) and eating them.

My pooris were not as crisp as I wanted them to be, but they puffed up OK and tasted yummy. So I have no regrets. But the best part was the Red tamarind chutney that was sooo yummy and I’m sure going to be using that in other chaat recipes.

Here’s the recipe:
Puri Ingredients:
Sooji (Semolina) – ½ cup (make sure that you use fine sooji)
All-purpose Flour – ½ tbsp
Cooking soda – ½ tsp (I forgot to add this—maybe that’s why puris where not crispy?????)
Salt - to taste

Method:

• In a bowl, mix sooji, salt and AP flour. Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time and form into stiff dough. Knead well for at least 5-6 minutes. Add ½ tsp oil and knead again for 2 minutes.
  
• Cover with damp kitchen towel and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
  
• Roll the dough out as thin as possible. Take a small cookie cutter or a bottle lid and cut into circles. Cover the circles with damp towel at all times to avoid drying out.
  
• Deep fry them in hot oil and watch them puff up like magic. Remove on to a paper lined plate and enjoy them with dip and fillings.
  

Pani (Flavored Tamarind water) Ingredients:
Chopped Mint leaves – 1½ cups
Coriander leaves – 1tbsp
Tamarind pulp – ¼ cup
Ginger – 1”
Green chilies – 4 to 5
Roasted ground cumin – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients with some water into a smooth paste. Add more water to make dilute it. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  

Fillings:

• Boil and slightly mash 1 small potato. Season with salt and red chili powder.
• Boil chickpeas and cook with some salt, red chili powder & garam masala.
  

Red Tamarind Chutney
Ingredients:
Tamarind pulp – ½ cup
Jaggery – ½ cup
Sugar –2 tbsp
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Roasted Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Roasted clove powder – 1/8 tsp
Black pepper – ¼tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Add jaggery, sugar, red chili powder, ground cumin and cloves to tamarind pulp. Season with salt; heat the mixture on medium heat for 5 minutes. Keep aside until ready to serve.
  

To Serve: Poke a small hole in the center of the puri. Add all or any of the fillings in the center. Add a little red tamarind chutney. Then dip it in the spicy flavored water and gulp it down in one bite.