Indian cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Pani Puri

Hollow semolina balls with a potato-chickpea filling, dunked in ice-cold mint-tamarind water.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 150g fine durum semolina
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 potatoes
• 200g cooked chickpeas
• 1 bunch mint
• 1/2 bunch coriander
• 2 green chilies
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1L oil for frying
• Salt

Instructions

1. Knead the semolina, flour, a pinch of salt and 80–90ml warm water into a firm, smooth dough and let rest covered for 30 min.
2. For the pani, finely blend the mint, coriander, green chilies, cumin, tamarind paste, 1 tsp of the chaat masala and salt with 700ml cold water, pass through a sieve and chill for at least 1 hr.
3. Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20 min. until soft, peel and roughly mash with the chickpeas, then season generously with salt and the remaining chaat masala.
4. Roll the dough out paper-thin and cut out 4cm circles with a glass; keep the discs under a damp cloth so they don't dry out.
5. Heat the frying oil to 180°C and fry the circles in batches for 1–2 min., pushing them under with a slotted spoon, until they puff up into balls and turn golden brown; drain on kitchen paper.
6. Carefully poke a hole in the top of each ball, fill with the filling, top up to the brim with the ice-cold pani, and eat immediately, whole.