Pani Puri (Golgappa)गोलगप्पा
⏱ Prep 35m🍳 Cook 20m🍽 Serves 5🌿 Vegan
Video: Hebbars Kitchen (YouTube)
On a lane in Varanasi or Lucknow, the pani puri vendor's hands move so fast the puris are filled and passed before you can think. In Uttar Pradesh these are called golgappa, and the pani is bracingly sour from tamarind, fragrant from mint and coriander, and sharp with black salt and roasted cumin. The puri must shatter cleanly when bitten — thin, hollow, and uniformly puffed from a semolina dough that is rolled paper-thin and fried in oil that is not too hot.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- For the puris
- ▪fine semolina (sooji / rava)½ cup (90 g)
- ▪all-purpose flour (maida)2 tbsp
- ▪salt¼ tsp
- ▪baking sodaa tiny pinch
- ▪oil, for deep fryingfor frying
- For the pani (spiced water)
- ▪fresh coriander leaves and tender stalks1 cup loosely packed
- ▪fresh mint leaves (pudina)½ cup loosely packed
- ▪tamarind (imli), seedless — soaked in 3 tbsp warm water for 20 minutes1 tbsp packed
- ▪green chilies2 (adjust for heat)
- ▪roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera)1½ tsp
- ▪black salt (kala namak)1 tsp
- ▪chaat masala½ tsp
- For the filling
- ▪potatoes, boiled and roughly mashed2 medium
- ▪boiled chickpeas (kabuli chana) or boiled green moong½ cup
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Black salt (kala namak) is non-negotiable for the characteristic UP golgappa flavour — it is available at virtually every South Asian grocery store abroad. Regular sea salt produces a noticeably flatter pani.
- Seedless tamarind concentrate (such as Tamicon brand) can replace soaked block tamarind; use ½ tsp concentrate in place of 1 tbsp soaked pulp, adjusting to taste.
- Chaat masala (MDH or Everest brand) is available at South Asian and some larger Asian grocery stores abroad. If unavailable, add an extra pinch each of roasted cumin powder and black salt; the flavour profile will be close.
Method
- 11. Make the puri dough: combine semolina, flour, salt, and baking soda. Add warm water a little at a time (about 4–5 tbsp total) and knead into a stiff, smooth dough — stiffer than chapati dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
- 22. Divide dough into 30 equal balls. Working in batches, roll each ball out on a clean, dry surface to a thin round, 4–5 cm across. The thinner, the better — aim for almost paper-thin. Cover rolled puris with a damp cloth while you finish rolling.
- 33. Heat oil in a kadai or deep pan to 180°C (350°F) — test with a small scrap of dough; it should rise to the surface within 3 seconds. Gently slide in 4–5 puris at a time. Use a slotted spoon to press them lightly below the oil surface — they will puff up into hollow balls within 20–30 seconds. Fry until pale golden and fully puffed, about 1 minute total. Drain on paper towels. Cool completely before storing (they crisp as they cool).
- 44. Make the pani: squeeze the soaked tamarind to extract its pulp; discard fibres. Blend coriander, mint, green chilies, and tamarind pulp with ½ cup water to a fine paste. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing firmly.
- 55. Add roasted cumin powder, black salt, chaat masala, and 3½ cups cold water to the strained paste. Stir well and taste — it should be tart, herby, and sharply salted. Adjust tamarind or black salt as needed. Chill until serving.
- 66. Prepare the filling: season mashed potatoes and chickpeas with a pinch of black salt, ½ tsp roasted cumin powder, and salt to taste.
- 77. To serve, make a small hole in the top of each puri with your thumb. Add a teaspoon of filling, then immediately submerge in the chilled pani and eat in one bite.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.