Indian street food recipes are world famous because of the taste, flavor, and combination of spices. Most of them are either made with Ragda Curry or with the combination of deep-fried snacks in a Chaat Chutney. But there are some other unique water-based street food recipes and the Pani Puri recipe or Golgappe is one such popular street food snack.
Ask any Indian, what is their favorite street food? Most will say Pani Puri! It is perhaps one of the most common and popular Indian street food recipes. Basically, it is a combination of street food recipes made with small Puri balls filled with spiced and mashed aloo and a specially made spiced water.
From an Ayurvedic Standpoint:
Sonth or Sunthi is Katu (pungent) in taste and Ushna (hot) in potency, making it an appetizer and digestive, according to Kaideva Nighantu (Ayurvedic medical text). It is also an aphrodisiac, treats respiratory disorders, cough, nausea and vomiting, hiccups, and constipation, and helps with Vata and Pitta Dosha imbalances. It is described in Rajanighantu as an appetizer and cardiac tonic. It is used to combat throat inflammation and diseases.
Cumin and tamarind, according to Ayurveda, help digestion, and cumin seeds are believed to balance all three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Herbs and spices used in preparing this soothing Ayurvedic energy drink have a calming impact on the body and help to restore one’s appetite.
Dhauta Guda, or washed jaggery, cleanses the body of toxins and balances the Pitta Dosha. Ayurvedic practitioners, however, firmly advise utilizing old jaggery–at least one-year-old–to promote digestion, cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, improve cardiac function, and combat anemia.
Chickpeas aid in the control of hyperpigmentation. It removes extra fat from the skin and leaves it with a lighter, more even complexion. It also aids in skin regeneration owing to its healing properties. And coriander seeds and cilantro are both digestive and cooling, balancing out some of the pungent and heating spices described earlier.
Servings: 4
Time to Prepare: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Pani:
- 1 cup Sonth Chutney
- 2 cups mint leaves (firmly packed)
- 8 cups water
- 75 gm coriander leaves (ground together)
- 6-7 green chillies
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds (roasted and powdered)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- A handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
For Sonth Ki Chutney:
- 100 gm tamarind (soaked in warm water for half an hour at least)
- ¾ cup jaggery (broken)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp dry ginger powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black rock salt
For Masala:
- 1½ cups potatoes (boiled, peeled, and mashed)
- ½ cup black chickpeas (boiled)
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon chaat masala powder (available in any Indian grocery)
- Salt to taste
For Pani Puri:
- Pani of Pani Puri
- 24 puffed papdis
- Chickpea and potato masala
Instructions:
Preparing Pani:
- Mix all the Pani ingredients and chill it for a while.
Preparing Sonth Ki Chutney:
- Strain the tamarind through a strainer, using water to rinse.
- Add just enough water to the pulp to make it pourable.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients of Sonth Ki Chutney and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and let it simmer, stirring regularly until it thickens slightly.
- Garnish with a handful of chopped coriander leaves.
Preparing masala:
- In a mixing bowl, add the mashed potatoes, black chickpeas, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chaat masala, coriander leaves, and salt (add only if not already added when boiling the potatoes and chana).
- Mix them with a spoon. Masala is done.
Preparing Pani Puri:
- Make a hole in the center of the thinner side of the papdi, stuff it with masala, then fill it with Pani, and eat the whole Puri at once.
