Home made Pani Puri

Making the dough

1. First, add the fine semolina/sooji, all-purpose flour, and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.
2. Next, pour in the oil, crumble, and mix well making sure the semolina/sooji turns moist.
3. Once the dough is moist, add the hot water and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is formed.
4. Then, sprinkle water as needed and knead until it forms a smooth and soft dough.
5. Finally, cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes before kneading for 2 more minutes before rolling the dough out.

Rolling the dough

1. First, divide the dough into 6 roughly equal parts. Next, grease the rolling pin and the work surface with oil. Once they are ready, roll the dough evenly to a diameter of about 7 to 8 inches.
2. It should not be too thick or thin. About .5 to 2 mm in thickness is fine.
3. Next, use a round cutter to cut out circles from the dough.
4. Once the rounds are removed, transfer them on to a damp cloth and cover them with another damp cloth. 
5. Repeat the same with the other parts of the dough by collecting the scraps, kneading again, and rolling it out. Use the same process until all the puri are rolled out.

Frying the Puri

1. First, heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed wok or kadai. To check the right temperature and thickness, test one puri, it should sizzle, float, and puff up immediately.
2. Next, gently add 3 to 4 puris to the oil. You can nudge the puris with a spoon to help them puff up a bit. 
3. Fry all the puris over medium heat. You can use the ones that don’t puff up for other chaat snacks like sev puri or eat them with chai or other favorites.
4. As they fry, flip them periodically so that both sides reach a light golden-brown color and puris are crisp.
5. Finally, remove from the oil and place on an absorbent paper towel to soak up extra liquid.

For Store bought Paani Puri

1. Pre-heat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 360 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Arrange the puri in a single layer. Brush or spray some oil on to the puri.
3. Air fry the puri for 2 minutes.
4. Remove the puri and set it aside. Continue with the next batch of puri.

Filling for the Puri

1. For the filling, first peel and mash the boiled potatoes. Next, add in the boondi, salt, and chili powder. 
2. Finally, mix well and set aside.

Pani Puri Water

1. First, use a blender to grind all the pani ingredients very well.
2. Then, add 4 cups of water and any additional seasoning if you prefer a stronger flavor.
3. Once the ingredients are in the water, place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill. 
4. After an hour, the pani puri ka pani is ready. Finally, add boondi to the pani if you wish to while serving.

Assembling the Pani Puri

1. When you are ready to assemble, crack the top of the puris with your thumb and stuff the cavity with soaked boondi and boiled mashed potatoes.
2. Next, add a dash of sweet chutney and a spoonful of pani. You will want to serve it immediately.
3. If you prefer, you can skip the sweet chutney. 
4. Either way, they will turn soggy if you wait too long to eat them.