Puri - A small, crunchy, and hollow ball typically made with semolina (also known as rava). Other variations of this puri can be made with rice flour or atta (Indian whole wheat flour). Spicy Green Pani - My recipe for this spicy water uses a green chutney base comprised of green herbs like cilantro and mint, thinned out with ice cold water and mixed with chaat masala and black salt. Sweet Tamarind Pani - My recipe for this sweet and sour water is made with tamarind-date chutney (also known as imli-khajur chutney) that is thinned out with ice cold water and mixed with chaat masala and black salt. Potato and Chickpea Filling - Boiled potatoes and chickpeas are mixed with with chopped fresh red onions tossed in lip-smacking spices.
Store-bought vs homemade pani puri
Making homemade puri is absolutely not required for eating pani puri at home. In fact, when I was growing up, my amma (mom) never made this component at home; she would buy it from the grocery store. My favorite store-bought pani puris are the ones that are already fried and sold in large boxes. I prefer these to the ones that are sold as dried discs to be baked or fried at home. The dried discs are usually made with rice flour and remind me more of fryums instead of the street-side puris I grew up eating, which are made from semolina. The pre-fried puris almost always use semolina. If you go with the store-bought variety, make sure to lightly toast the puris in the oven at 200F to crisp them back up. However, if you are interested in making all the components from scratch, checkout my in depth blog post that goes over the best variety of semolina and the ideal rolling technique to craft this crunchy puri at home.
Pani puri party
Pani puri is the perfect party snack. Here are some tips and ideas for throwing a pani puri party:
Pani for pani puri
Pani is the flavored water that gives pani puri its burst in your mouth sensation that. Choosing which pani you like is very personal to you. I myself love to alternate between a sweet tamarind pani and a spicy green pani to get the sweet and spicy combo. You can endlessly customize your pani with the flavors and herbs you like. Check out these two homemade pani recipes for your pani puri that use chutneys as their bases.
Pani with alcohol
No pani puri party would be complete without a little booze! Did you know that you can spike or add alcohol to your pani puri? Simply spike your pani water with your alcohol of choice. My preferred hard liquor to add to the pani is either tequila, vodka, or gin. The lighter liquors pair well with the salty, sweet, an sour notes of both the sweet tamarind pani and the spicy green pani.
Other chaat recipes you’ll love
If you love chaats as much as I do, here are other chaats that you will love!
Dahi Puri
Aloo chana papdi chaat
Other Recipes To Try
Chaat Nachos Crispy Kale Chaat Papdi Chaat Dahi for Chaat Spicy Cilantro Mint Chutney Sweet and Sour Tamarind Date Chutney Potato and Peas Samosas Guide to throwing an Indian chaat party
