Crisp Semolina Puri with Mint-Coriander Pani and Tamarind Chutney

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The whole street-cart experience built at home: hollow semolina puris fried until they puff into crackling spheres, a bracing ice-cold mint-coriander-cumin pani, sticky tamarind-date chutney, and a spiced potato-chickpea filling. You crack a hole in each shell, spoon in the filling, dunk it in pani and eat it whole in one bite, standing over the bowl the way it's meant to be done.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine semolina (sooji/rava)
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 7 tbsp warm water, plus more as needed
• 4 cups neutral oil, for frying

• 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
• 1 1/2 cups packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1-2 serrano or Indian green chiles, stemmed
• 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 1 tbsp jaggery or light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted cumin powder
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tsp black salt (kala namak)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 4 cups very cold water
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup boondi (tiny fried chickpea pearls), optional

• 6 Medjool dates, pitted and torn
• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 1/4 cup jaggery or dark brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp Kashmiri red chile powder
• 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 oz)
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1/2 cup fine sev (crisp chickpea noodles)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, optional
• extra chopped red onion and cilantro

• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked smooth (for dahi puri style)

Instructions

1. Make the puri dough first so it can rest: in a bowl, stir together the semolina, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 7 tbsp warm water and mix to a shaggy mass, then knead on the counter for a full 8 minutes, until it is very smooth and stiff — firmer than pizza dough, with no cracks. Add water only 1 teaspoon at a time if it refuses to come together. Cover with a damp towel and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Make the pani: combine the mint, cilantro, ginger, chiles, tamarind concentrate, jaggery, and 1/2 cup of the cold water in a blender and blend 60 seconds to a very smooth dark-green paste. Scrape into a large pitcher or bowl, whisk in the remaining 3 1/2 cups cold water, the roasted cumin, chaat masala, black salt, black pepper, and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Whisk in the lime juice. Taste: it should be aggressively tart, salty, and cumin-heavy — like a spiced sour drink. Adjust with more lime, salt, or a pinch of sugar, then refrigerate at least 1 hour. Do not add the boondi until serving.
3. Make the chutney: simmer the dates, tamarind concentrate, jaggery, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the dates are very soft. Blend until smooth (a stick blender in the pot works), return to the pan, and stir in the roasted cumin, ground ginger, chile powder, and black salt. Simmer 3-4 minutes more until it coats a spoon like thin maple syrup, then cool. It thickens as it cools; loosen with a spoonful of water if needed.
4. Make the filling: cover the whole unpeeled potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer 18-22 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Drain, cool 10 minutes, peel, and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Toss with the chickpeas (lightly crushing about a third of them with your fingers), red onion, cilantro, chaat masala, roasted cumin, black salt, and lime juice. Set aside at room temperature.
5. Roll the puris: divide the rested dough in half and keep one half covered. On a lightly floured counter, roll the first half as thin as you can — about 1/16 inch, thin enough to see the counter faintly through it. Cut 2-inch rounds with a cutter, small glass, or bottle cap. Transfer the rounds to a plate under a damp towel; gather scraps, re-knead, rest 5 minutes, and re-roll. Repeat with the second half. You should have 34-38 rounds. Uneven thickness is the number one reason puris don't puff, so roll patiently.
6. Heat the oil in a deep 3-quart saucepan or wok to 370°F (188°C) on a thermometer — about 2 inches deep. Test with one puri: it should rise and balloon within 10 seconds.
7. Fry in batches of 4-5: slip the rounds in and immediately press each one gently under the oil with the back of a slotted spoon for 3-5 seconds. That pressure is what forces them to puff into hollow balls. Once puffed, fry 60-90 seconds total, flipping once, until pale golden and rigid. Lift out and drain on a rack or paper towels. Keep the oil at 365-375°F between batches, adjusting the heat as you go.
8. Cool the puris completely, at least 15 minutes — they crisp fully as they cool. Any that stayed flat are still delicious crushed over the filling as chaat. Store cooled puris in an airtight container up to 3 days.
9. Just before serving, stir the boondi into the chilled pani (it softens slightly and floats) and pour the pani into a wide bowl or pitcher. Set out the filling, chutney, sev, pomegranate, and extra onion and cilantro.
10. To eat: tap a hole in the thin top of a puri with your thumb or a spoon handle, spoon in 1 tablespoon of the potato-chickpea filling, drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon tamarind chutney (and a little yogurt, if using), then dunk the whole puri in the pani until it fills. Top with a pinch of sev and eat it in one bite, immediately, before it goes soft. Fill and serve one round at a time — assembled puris last about 20 seconds.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem