Paani-puri

Here I am in my kitchen and soaking takes a new connotation.

The begins with making usal/Misal with soaked grains, ends with soaking for Idli/dosa/or whatever.

Today, I am planning pani-puri where soaking manifests at many levels.  For those who are interested and follow my footsteps in stupidity, here is making pani puri from scratch.

To make Paani: chopped mint and coriander leaves one bunch each. 2-3 green chillies,  1 ½ tablespoon jaggery, 1 ½ tablespoon tamarind soaked and pulp extracted.1/2 inch ginger, 2-4 peppercorns, 5 garlic flakes, 2 tsp. Jeera, salt to taste

To make puris: 1/3 cup wheat flour, 1/3 cup maida. 1/3 cup  sooji, all mixed to a stiff dough there are people who mix with soda. But since I am not that efficient I stick to this proportion.

Stuffing: peas/Channa soaked overnight.(My mother uses sprouted moong.),2 chopped onions, 2 two diced tomatoes.

assembling the Pani-puri.

Puri’s are cut out so that they can be popped into the mouth.

Soaked peas are boiled, and mashed with diced onions and tomatoes.

All the ingredients for Paani are soaked  3-4 cups of water and boiled. Better  still would be to grind add water just enough to soak it bring this mixture to a boil and strain. After which you can add water till the paani reaches your favourite strength.

Sometimes I like to add in chutney made of coriander leaves, dates. Green chillies and red chilli powder.

At the end of it all I am soaked in sweat and irritation.

But off late I have discovered a NO SOAK way to Panipuri, people may choose to call him the neighbourhood bhelwallah.

Despite it’s very tedious assembling  of ingredients Paanipuri is not  laborious to make. It is also a very healthy food. this is the traditional Indian food that was created in UP from where it has become a national food,and an icon of youth and forging romance.