Pani puri

Vanessa Lewis

I like to involve all our chefs at Giraffe in preparing staff meals, then we all get to sit down as the Giraffe family and have dinner before a busy night of service. One afternoon Swati, our demi chef, made the most awesome staff dinner; I was blown away. This week’s recipes are inspired by Swati, who hails from Mumbai in India, featuring her sensational fresh take (and one of her favourites) on street food.

For the puri and smashed chickpeas

1 cup	Unroasted semolina (Main)
1 tsp	Baking soda
1 Tbsp	Flour
¼ tsp	Salt, for the puri
1 Ltr	Oil, for frying
1 tin	Chickpeas (Main)
1 tsp	Flake salt, for the chickpeas

For the tamarind chutney

3 cups	Tamarind pulp, from most supermarkets and Asian food stores (Main)
½ cup	Palm sugar, can be substituted with either coconut or brown sugar
1	Green chilli, or 1 tsp chilli powder (Main)
1 Tbsp	Ground cumin

For the spice water

2 cups	Fresh coriander
1 cup	Fresh mint
2	Green chillies
2 tsp	Chaat masala (Main)
1 Ltr	Water

Directions

1. To make the puri, combine the semolina, baking soda, flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Carefully add water, just enough to combine. Knead to form a very firm dough (the firmness of the dough ensures crispy puris).
3. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin (or pasta machine) till about 25mm thick. Take a 5cm cookie cutter and cut discs from the dough.
4. Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the oil and heat to 180C for deep-frying.
5. Cook the puri discs in batches till they puff up. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat till all the dough is used.
6. To serve, poke a hole in the top of the puri, stuff the chickpea mix in, then tamarind chutney, pour over the spice water and eat immediately.
7. For the chickpeas: Drain and mash roughly and season with flake salt.
8. For the tamarind chutney: Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot and cook for 10 minutes. Season with flake salt and pepper to taste. Pour into sterilised jars. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.
9. For the spice water: Add to a blender the coriander, mint, chilli, cumin, chaat masala, salt and pepper. Process to a smooth paste. Pour the paste into a bowl and add the water, mix to combine.