Chaat Gaadi is here!! Pani Puri, Masala Puri & Dahi Puri

Every Indian I know, loves chaat…from kids to grannies and grandpas, the spicy finger licking combination called “Chaat” is an all time favourite. Somehow it always seems to taste best when had in the roadside gaadis ..hehe…probably the fact that eating out involves standing and precariously balancing the chaat plates in one hand and eating with the other, at the same time taking care not to spill the chaat! An adventure on its own..hehe! I miss those gaadi chaats here in the US, there are restaurants which serve chaats but don’t taste that good. My mom used to make them at home so I thought I’d give it a try here too.

Masala Puri

Masala Puri is puris with ragada on top. Ragada masala is a mixture of boiled peas and various other ingredients.

You will need:
For the Masala Puri

Pani puris

2 tomatoes Chopped

1 onion chopped

1 carrot grated

1 cup Fine Sev

Salt

Mint(Pudina) chutney (recipe)

Meeta ( recipe follows)

Chopped coriander

For the Ragada:

1 ½ cups Dry Peas
¼ tsp Turmeric
2tsp Red chilli powder
2 tbsp Corriander powder
¼ tsp Black pepper powder
1 large onion cubed
2-3 Big cloves Garlic
½ tsp Garam masala
2-3 Curry leaves
1” pc Ginger
½ cup Corriander
6-7 Green chillies

Soak peas overnight and boil it with little salt and keep aside. Place remaining ingredients in a blender with ½ cup of boiled peas. Blend to a fine paste. Add this paste to the peas and bring to a boil. Let boil for atleast 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste and use as required.

In a bowl mix the chopped onions, coriander and grated carrot. Take 6-7 puris in a shallow bowl or a plate. Flatten them by pressing down with the palm of your hand. Pour 2-3 ladles of the ragada on top of the crushed puris. Pour 1 tsp of Pudina chutney and meeta on top. Add a pinch of salt and top with the onion mixture. Cover with fine sev. Top with chopped tomatoes. Serve hot. Always prepare when ready to eat otherwise puris will become very soft.

Meeta

You will need:

2-3 portions Jaggery

1 portion of Tamarind juice

¼ cup Water

Place jaggery and tamarind juice with water in a pan. Bring to a bubbling boil. Taste and add more jaggery if required. Meeta is ready when the mixture has thickened and is sticky. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Pani Puri/Gol Goppas

For the Pani:

2 litres water
2 garlic pods
15 green chillies
1 lemon (juiced)
1 ½ half tsp jeera
½ tsp black pepper crushed
Salt to taste
1 ½ tsps Jal Jeera powder

For the Pani Puri assembly:

Pani Puris
1 cup Boiled Peas
1 Onion chopped
1 Carrot grated
Chopped coriander
1 Potato boiled (optional)

Grind all the Pani ingredients into a fine paste and put the paste in a muslin cloth, tie it and leave it in the water. Stir once in a while. After ½ a day remove the muslin cloth from the water and Pani is ready to use. Top with chopped coriander. Use as required, can be chilled and used too.

This makes what is called Bangarpet Pani. Bangarpet is a small town located near Bangalore, Karnataka, famous for its Pani. This Pani is colourless but has good flavour.If you don’t have a muslin cloth, then you can add the paste to the water and strain it after half a day. The resulting liquid will not be as clear though.

Mix chopped onions, coriander and grated carrot. Make a small hole on top of each pani puri and fill it with boiled peas and the onion mixture. Add mashed potato if using. Serve these puris with a cup of pani. Add meeta to each puri if you like the pani puris sweet.

Dahi Puri

Also called Sev Dahi Puri or Sev puri, this is another delicious chaat.

You will need:

Pani Puris

Onion mixture (chopped onion, coriander and grated carrot)

Boiled Chikpeas

Boiled potato (mashed)

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp Chaat masala

1 cup Fine sev

1 cup yoghurt

Water

Mint (Pudina) chutney

Meeta

Beat the yoghurt with little water to make a smooth paste which has a pouring consistency. Add 1 tsp Sugar and little salt. Mix and keep aside.

Fill puris with onion mixture, boiled chickpeas or mashed potato. Add a pinch of red chilli powder, chaat masala and salt. Add ¼ tsp of Pudina chutney and meeta. Top with the beaten yoghurt. Again add a pinch of red chilli powder and chaat masala. Top with sev and serve.

Add Meeta only if you want it sweet, it can be omitted otherwise.

A weekend of chaats, what more can one want? :)