Pani Puri

Serve when

Fill and eat each one immediately after filling — a pani puri that sits goes soggy in seconds.

In the series

Season 7

S7E1 · ~00:22:00 At Soam in Mumbai, chef Chintan Pandya walks Phil through pani puri after starting the meal with fresh mango lassi

In the series

Chef Chintan Pandya takes Phil to Soam specifically because it's one of his own favorite Mumbai lunch spots, and pani puri is the dish he wants Phil to experience exactly the way locals do — fast, cold, and eaten standing up between bites of conversation.

Ingredients

24 store-bought puri shells (hollow, crisp semolina spheres)
For the pani (spiced water):
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup cilantro leaves
2 green chilies
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black salt
3 cups cold water
For the filling:
2 cups boiled potatoes, diced small
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup tamarind chutney
Sev (crispy chickpea noodles), for topping

Method

Blend the mint, cilantro, green chilies, tamarind paste, chaat masala, cumin, and black salt with a little of the water until completely smooth, then stir in the remaining water. Chill well — pani should be served ice cold.
Toss the potatoes, chickpeas, and onion together for the filling.
Just before eating, tap a small hole in the top of each puri shell, spoon in a little filling and a dab of tamarind chutney, top with a pinch of sev, then fill with the cold pani.
Eat immediately, whole, in one bite — that's the entire point of the format.

Substitutions

Puri shells: These are almost always bought pre-made, even in India, since making the hollow spheres from scratch takes real practice. Indian grocers sell them shelf stable.
Black salt: Kala namak has a distinct sulfurous note that's part of the dish's identity; a little extra regular salt is a flat but workable substitute if it's not available.