Kachi Kairi Pani Puri

When it comes to pani puri I am a true blue Bombay girl; I have had pani puri in various parts of the country but I like the pani puri you get in the streets of Bombay the best. What makes it different for me, is that they always give you a mix of meetha and teekha pani, also the filling is of sookhe matar which is just salted and many of them have the pani served cold. I am sure many of you who are reading this post will have their own preferences for pani puri but these are mine.

Some of the differences I have seen in various parts of the country is that in many places like Bangalore, Calcutta and Bhubaneshwar the filling is made up of boiled, mashed and spiced potatoes. In some places in Uttar Pradesh though the filling is of dried peas, salt is not added to it. Also in most places the meetha pani is not the norm and you get it, only if you ask for it.

The first time I made pani puri I just used the ready made pani puri masala for the pani and I just mixed tamarind pulp and sugar for the meetha pani :-). Now I guess I have come a fairly long way with my pani puri and I dish out quite decent stuff. Pani puri now is made generally when my sister comes visiting as things like this are best enjoyed when you have many people to enjoy it with. I had intended to make grape pani puri this time but the season for grapes was almost over by the time I finally made it and it was mango season so we had kachi kairi pani puri. Here is the recipe I used...

Ingredients

Store bought puris

For the Teekha Pani

2 raw mangoes (I used totapuri variety),

Green chillies to taste,

1 inch piece ginger,

1 cup mint leaves,

½ cup coriander leaves,

1 tsp roasted cumin powder,

1 tsp black salt,

Salt to taste,

2 tsps chaat masala powder,

1 tsp black pepper corns

For the Meetha Pani

¾ cup tamarind,

¾ cup jaggery,

1 tsp roasted cumin powder,

¼ tsp black salt,

½ tsp red chilli powder

For the Filling

2 cups dry white peas,

Salt to taste,

1 medium sized onion,

1 tsp roasted chilli powder,

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

Method

Peel the raw mangoes and cut it into small pieces. Grind it along with all the other ingredients of the teekha pani to a fine paste. Add water as required to this mixture and strain it. Adjust seasoning and chill (optional).

Soak the tamarind for about half an hour and remove the juice. Place the juice in a stainless steel vessel with all the other ingredients and let it come to a boil. Let it boil for about 3-4 minutes and then turn off the heat. Note for pani puri this sweet chutney shouldn’t be too thick. Let this cool. You can prepare this a day in advance and this can also be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Soak the white peas for about 8 hours and cook it with salt till done and soft. Sprinkle the chopped onions, roasted chilli powder and roasted cumin powder over this.

To serve crack open a puri, put in a spoonful of the filling, top it with some sweet chutney or meetha pani and fill the remaining area with the teekha pani. It is now ready to be popped into your mouth :-).

Note: You can substitute the raw mangoes with sweet and sour grapes or tamarind for variations to the teekha pani.