Pani puri, as I call this delicious snack, has always been a favorite since childhood. I remember my parents and I used to have pani puri wallah pani poori on the streets of Mumbai on several occasions.
I’ve even seen how puris are made in bulk and then sold. As a kid I was thinking, how come the puri swells so much and stays crispy. There was a family near me who made these puris in bulk, packaged them, and then supplied them to grocery stores.
We are fond of these crispy puris, that most of the time we just have them. I have made these poor many times. Therefore, I updated this article with better photos and lots of tips.
I received many comments that the pani puri became soft after cooling. When I do them, I never had this problem. I thought to myself that this problem was due to the fact that the dough was not kneaded well and the poor slices were thick. Previously, I just mentioned about kneading the dough well. But not stress that the dough should also have elasticity. Therefore updated this post.
I have to say it’s easier to get a bunch of ready-made puris than to make them. It takes an effort to make these poor. So prepare them, when you are free from all work. The benefits of making puri at home are that fresh oil and ingredients are used to make the puri. Plus, no additives or preservatives are added and you know what’s in them. Plus, they taste better than those brought in by the store.
These puris can be made in large quantity and stored in an airtight container. This recipe gives 50 to 60 poori.
You can use these rava puris later to make Golgappa or Pani Puri or ragda puri or Mumbai style puchka or Dahi puri, just crumble and top it up on Ragda pancakes, dahi papdi chaat, aloo chana chaat, sev puri, bhel puri or just have it clear.
Also Read: Matar Paneer (Cooker And Instant Pot)
How to make sooji puri for golgappa or pani puri
1. Take 1 cup of unroasted fine rava or semolina or sooji (160 grams), 1 teaspoon of oil, 3 to 4 pinches of baking soda and ΒΌ teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix the oil with the sooji evenly with your fingers.
3. Here is the homogeneous mixture of oil, sooji and salt.
4. Now add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose maida / flour to this mixture.
5. Mix again very well so that the all-purpose flour is evenly mixed.
6. First add 3 tablespoons of water.
7. Mix again.
8. Then add 1 tablespoon of water and start kneading the dough. Sooji absorbs water while kneading. Therefore, add water in parts while kneading. Then add 2 more tablespoons of water and continue kneading. I added 6 tablespoons of water. Depending on the quality of sooji, you may need to add a little less or more. Kneading is very important to obtain the perfect texture of the pani lean. The dough is neither soft nor too hard. If you make the dough soft, add an additional 1-3 teaspoons of sooji. If the dough feels hard, add a little water and continue kneading.
9. The rava puri paste should be elastic. Gluten strands must be formed, which gives the poori shape and structure. The correct texture of the dough also helps to plump the poor and helps them to stay crispy. Knead very well. Elasticity helps to roll the dough without cracks and thinly. The dough should roll easily while rolling, without any cracks. You should be able to lift the rolled dough easily without it tearing, breaking, and falling apart.
10. Knead into a semi-soft elastic dough.
11. Keep the well kneaded in a bowl or saucepan.
12. Cover with a damp cloth or towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
13. Here is the dough after 30 minutes.
14. Knead again.
Roll and make puri for the golgappa
15. Now divide the dough into parts of two or three. Take a portion on your work surface and start rolling. Avoid adding dry flour while kneading. Keep the remaining parts of the dough covered with a damp cloth.
16. Ride in a grand tour. You see that there are no cracks in the rolled dough, and the dough has good elasticity. You can turn all the rolled dough without it breaking or tearing.
17. Continue rolling until you get a thin, even circle. The poor must be finely rolled up. If it is not thin, the base becomes thick and remains soft even after frying. If the dough is not rolled evenly, the poor will not puff.
18. Using a cookie cutter or small bowl, cut small to medium discs from the rolled dough. Using a cookie cutter gives the poor uniform shape and size. You can also make small balls and roll them up. But then the poor will not have an even and uniform shape.
19. Remove the edges of the dough and place the small rings on a plate without them touching. Keep these poor people covered with a damp cloth. Bring the edges together and knead them lightly. Roll the edges too and make poor the same way. In this way, prepare all the poor and keep them covered with a damp cloth. You can also roll them up and fry them simultaneously like I did.
Fry the sooji puri
20. Heat oil for frying in a kadai or pan. The oil should be moderately hot. To the hot oil, add a small piece of dough ball. If the ball rises steadily to the surface, the oil is hot and the poor can be fried now.
21. Slip some poori in the oil.
22. They swell quickly as soon as you add them to hot oil. Depending on the size of your pan, you can fry up to 4-8 pieces at a time. Nudge the poori with the frying spoon to make them puff up.
23. With a slotted spoon, turn them over once they have inflated. Return several times.
24. Even after the oil stops sizzling, continue to fry the poor until lightly browned or golden. Even after they are golden, keep them in the oil by frying them for a few seconds, so that they become crisp. Frying in this way gives a crispy texture to the poor on the outside and inside. Otherwise, they stay soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
25. Drain the puris on paper towels. There will also be some flat puris. You can use them to make Sev puri, Bhel puri, chana dal bhel puri or Papdi chaat.
26. Continue to fry the poori this way.
27. To remove excess oil, drain puris on paper towels.
28. Once the puris have cooled to room temperature, immediately add them to a box or jar and tightly close the lid.
29. Prepare Pani puri, Dahi puri or ragda puri from these homemade puri or golgappas or puchka.
30. You will get 50 to 60 sooji puris with this recipe. they stay crisp and tasty for a month if stored in an airtight box or jar.
Tips for making rava puri for pani puri or puchka
- Always cover the dough with a damp cloth even when rolling the puris. If the dough gets dry, you won’t be able to roll it easily.
- Make sure all rolled puris are covered with a damp cloth. If the puris become dry, the puris will not swell.
- The tips above come from experience. Just before frying, remove the damp cloth.
- You can fry 4-7 puris at a time.
- Do not add oil to the dough while kneading as the puris will become soggy later.
- The dough should be semi-soft with strands of gluten formed in them. There must be elasticity in the dough. These factors result in a crispy puri. The crisp remains even after poor cooling and even later.
- Maida or refined / all-purpose flour is used to bind the dough. Avoid adding more maida to the dough. If the dough does not bind well, you can add a few more teaspoons of maida. But don’t add too much.
- Puris should be thin. If you don’t roll them thinly, the puris won’t puff up well and stay soft on the inside.
- Fry the puris in medium hot oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the puris will absorb the oil and become soaked in oil. Too hot oil will burn the puris.
