Pani Puri

In a mixing bowl, take 1 cup fine sooji or rava or semolina (160 grams), 1 tsp oil, 3 to 4 pinches baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt. With your fingers, mix the oil evenly with the sooji.

Now add 1 tbsp maida/all purpose flour to this mixture. Mix again very well so that the all purpose flour is mixed evenly.

Add 3 tbsp water first. Mix again. Then add 1 tbsp water more and begin to knead the dough. Sooji absorbs water while kneading.

Add water in parts while kneading. Then add 2 tbsp more of the water and continue to knead. The kneading is very important in getting the perfect pani poori texture. the dough is not soft nor too hard. If you make the dough soft, then add 1 to 3 tsp more of the sooji. If the dough looks hard, then add sprinkle some water and continue to knead. The pani puri dough should be elastic.

Knead to a semi soft elastic dough and keep it in a bowl or pan. Cover the dough with a moist kitchen towel or napkin and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, knead the dough again. Now divide the dough into two or three parts. Take one part on your work surface and begin to roll. Avoid adding any dry flour while kneading. Keep the remaining dough covered with the moist kitchen towel.

Roll to a large round. The pooris have to be thinly rolled. if not thin, the base becomes thick and remains soft even after frying.

With a cookie cutter or a small bowl, cut small to medium discs from the rolled dough. Remove the dough edges and place the small roundels in a plate without them touching each other.

Keep these pooris covered with a moist kitchen towel.

Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. The oil should be medium hot.

Add a tiny piece of the dough ball in the hot oil. If the ball steadily comes up to the surface, the oil is hot and the pooris can be fried now.

Slide a few pooris in the oil. They will puff up quickly as soon as you add them to the hot oil. (You can fry up to 4 to 8 pieces at a time, depending on the size of your pan)

With a slotted spoon flip them, once they puff up. Even after oil stops sizzling, continue to fry till light golden. (Frying this way, gives a crisp texture to the pooris from outside as well as inside) Fry them till they are a light golden or golden.

Stuffing -Boil the potatoes till they are cooked completely.

Peel them and then chop them. Finely chop the onion.

In a small bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, coriander leaves, cumin powder, chaat masala powder and black salt. Mix well and keep aside.

Pani - In a blender add all the ingredients mentioned above for the pani. Add little water and grind to a fine chutney.

Remove the green chutney in a large bowl. Add 2 to 3 cups water. Mix well. Check the seasoning. Add more black salt or jeera powder or chaat masala if required. If you want a thin pani, you could add some water. But keep on checking the seasoning, as per your taste.

Add the boondi to the pani. You can chill the pani in the fridge or add some ice cubes to it.