Puri recipe for pani puri | suji ke gol gappe | puchka recipe with step-by-step pictures. Tips and tricks to make the perfect puri for pani puri.
It’s been a while I’ve shared some chaat recipes aka Indian street food on the blog here. Ever since I’ve been in the US I’ve lost track of the last time I indulged in some chaat. It was a regular affair back home.
Nonetheless, I’m happy to share this puri recipe, the vessel that carries all that yummy filling and mouthwatering, spicy and tangy flavored water or thinned out chutneys.
Pani Puri or golgappa is hands down my favorite Indian street food, followed by dahi puri, sev puri and much more actually. And now I’ve mastered the art of making some at home, that we enjoy guilt-free. Well, I’m not talking about the calories of course, rather of the quality, prepared with clean ingredients and fresh water.
Sure, ready-made puri is readily available in Indian stores, not only the ready to fry pani puri or golgappa but also the ones that are already fried. It does make life simpler. But, I prefer to make my own puris at home. It is really easy, although a bit time consuming, you can’t beat freshly made homemade puris. You know what goes into it, and the quality of oil you used to fry them.
Golgappa does sound like a pretty strange name, right? It does not have an English name. The puri or golgappa is basically a crispy sphere filled will all sorts of tongue-tickling deliciousness. Stay tuned for that part in my coming post.
Table of Contents
Puri ingredients
Fine semolina, flour, and salt are the main ingredients to make this crispy puri for paani puri. I’ve tried various combinations of making this puri, so I can share a foolproof recipe here with you guys.
You can also make maida puri with maida or atta golgappa with wheat flour or a mix of rava and maida or rava and atta. When I initially began making puris at home, I experimented with various permutations and combinations.
My previous experience in R&D bug surfaces now and then, even though I don’t work as of now. But I love to experiment where required. I tried the following 3 variations to make these pani puri shells, just to see if you really need a leavener such as baking soda to make these puff up.
- First Experiment: semolina + salt + flour (maida) + water
- Second Experiment: semolina + salt + flour (maida) + baking soda + water
- Third Experiment: semolina + salt + flour, dough kneaded with club soda.
All these 3 doughs yielded delicious, crispy and puffy puris. So the bottom line is that you may or may not add baking soda.
It is basic science, the moisture in the dough makes these puri swell upon coming in contact with the hot oil, the steam escapes causing it to puff, the same science that applies to the soft and puffy puris.
Here the puris are crisp and not soft, coz the dough here is made mainly of semolina, and maida is added as a binding agent.
I do add a little baking soda though, coz almost all the puris will puff up. When you don’t add baking soda, you have to rely heavily on rolling out the dough as evenly as possible.
It is completely doable and will come with practice. But if you are a beginner at making puris, adding a pinch of baking soda or kneading the dough with club soda would be your safe bet to make perfectly puffed up puris.
You can make these pani puri shells in 3 easy steps
The recipe to make puchka balls or puri is really uncomplicated and pretty easy to execute.
- Step 1: Make a dough that is not too hard nor too soft.
- Step 2: Next roll out the dough. Cut it into rounds and place them on a damp cloth covered with another damp cloth. Traditionally the dough is divided into small marble-sized balls, and each ball is rolled out individually. Some people use a roti maker to flatten out individual balls. Basically, they use this appliance as a pani puri maker. If you have it, go ahead and use it, it does flatten out the dough evenly, which will help in the puris puffing us evenly. But it is not a necessity and a must-have. Do it as I did, and you will have good results as well. Seriously, no biggie!
- Step 3: Next, fry the puri in moderately hot oil until golden brown.
These are the 3 main steps, but I’ve broken down them further in the stepwise instructions so that it is easy for you to understand.
I’ve never tried a baked pani puri recipe, and I’m not sure if it would work. You need that chemistry of the interaction with the hot oil and the moisture in the dough for it to puff up. I just don’t think that can be achieved in the oven. You would end up with a crispy cookie of sorts instead is what I feel.
Tips to make the perfect puri for pani puri
There is no specific secret of crispy pani puri, just keep in mind the following, and you will be making puris like a pro.
The consistency of the dough
The puri for pani puri needs to be crispy, and that is achieved only with the activation of gluten strands in the semolina. That’s why it is important to knead the dough well, so it is elastic enough when rolled out without any tearing.
The thickness of the dough when you roll it out
You have to be careful about the thickness of the dough. It has to be thin, or else they won’t puff up whilst frying.
The temperature of the oil whilst frying the puris
The oil should be heated on medium-high heat, it should be hot enough that the puris begin to float and puff up. Fry them until they are golden brown and crisp. Spread the fried puris on a tray lined with absorbent paper to drain off excess oil.
Do not stack the puris one over the other while they are still hot, as they can get soft and soggy. Once they are completely cool, transfer to an airtight container.
So next time you want to have some chaat, especially pani puri at home, you ought to make your own puris. And I’ve got you covered with the best poori recipe, so what are you waiting for? Ahh! the pani?? Stay tuned, coz that’s coming up in a few days along with the complete Bombay pani puri recipe.
You may also enjoy these Indian street food recipes
- Ragda Patties
- Kutchi dabeli
- Veg Frankie
- Don’t forget to check this post on the 3 essential chutney’s for chaat snacks as well.
How to make crispy puri for paani puri/suji golgappa – Step by step instructions
How to make rava pani puri dough?
1.In a medium-sized bowl, add 1 cup fine rava, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
2.Now add water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and knead a smooth, elastic dough that is neither too soft nor too stiff. Remember, rava absorbs water, so if you knead a very stiff dough, it will get difficult to roll out the dough later. It will take about 8-10 minutes to knead the dough.
3.Cover the dough with a damp kitchen napkin, set aside for 30 minutes.
Rolling out the dough
1.After the resting period, knead the dough again for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 parts.
2.Grease the rolling pin and board or work surface with oil. Take one part, and roll it evenly to a diameter of 6.5 inches approx and 2 mm in thickness. The rolled out dough should not be too thick as the puris won’t puff up, and they should neither be so thin that you can see the surface of the board through it. Using a round cutter or a sharp bowl, cut out circles (or fancy shapes for a change :D).
3.Transfer the cut-outs onto a damp cloth, cover with another damp cloth. Repeat the same with the other 3 parts. Collect the scraps together and knead again, roll it out repeat the same procedure until all the dough is used up.
Frying the puris
1.Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed wok/kadai. To check the right temperature and thickness of the puri, test one puri, it should sizzle, float and puff up immediately.
2.Gently slide a few puris in the oil, fry on medium-high heat, you will see them rising on top and puffing up within a few seconds. You may nudge the puris with a slotted spoon to help them puff up. Reduce the temperature to medium-low once the puris puff up to maintain the temperature.
3.Keep flipping them on both sides until it reaches a light golden brown color. The ones that don’t puff up can be used for other chaat snacks like sev puri etc.
4.Fry the remaining puris, in the same way, maintaining the temperature of the oil as required. If the oil is too hot, the puris will burn, and if it is warm, the puris will absorb a lot of oil.
Notes
- Do not try to roll out the entire dough, especially if you are a beginner, as you may have spots of uneven thickness. For best results, I find it’s good to divide the dough into at least 4 parts. Rolling a smaller part of the dough gives an even thickness, which in turn helps most puris puff up.
- If you followed all the steps correctly and still find that even though the puri puffed up they are soft and not as crisp, then how do you troubleshoot that? It is very easy, turn on the oven and preheat it to the lowest temperature for about 15 minutes. Switch off the oven and place all the puris in a baking tray, and bake for about 15 minutes. They will crisp up. Once it is completely cool, transfer to an airtight container.
★ If you try this suji pani puri recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Feel free to share your feedback and suggestions at [email protected]. Thanks so much 🙂
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Puri Recipe for Pani Puri | How To Make Suji Golgappa
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine rava/sooji/semolina
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida), or an equivalent amount of atta flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, optional but recommended
- Pinch of salt
- 5-6 tablespoons room temperature water for kneading (approx 90 ml), You may need more or less depending on the quality of the rava
- 1 to 2 teaspoons oil, for greasing the board and rolling pin
- Oil, as required, to fry the puris
Instructions
How to make rava pani puri dough?
- In a medium-sized bowl, add rava, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- Now add water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and knead a smooth, elastic dough that is neither too soft nor too stiff, takes about 8-10 minutes to knead the dough. Remember, rava absorbs water, so if you knead a very stiff dough, it will get difficult to roll out the dough later.
- Cover the dough with a damp kitchen napkin, set aside for 30 minutes.
Rolling out the dough
- After the resting period, knead the dough again for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 parts.
- Grease the rolling pin and the board or work surface with oil. Take one part, and roll it evenly to a diameter of 6.5 inches approx and 1.5 to 2 mm in thickness. The rolled out dough should not be too thick as the puris won't puff up, and they should neither be so thin that you can see the surface of the board through it. Using a round cutter or a sharp bowl, cut out circles (or fancy shapes for a change :D).
- Transfer the cut-outs onto a damp cloth, cover with another damp cloth. Repeat the same with the other 3 parts. Collect the scraps together and knead again, roll it out repeat the same procedure until all the dough is used up.
Frying the puris
- Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed wok/kadai. To check the right temperature and thickness of the puri, test one puri, it should sizzle, float and puff up immediately.
- Gently slide a few puris in the oil, fry on medium-high heat,you will see them rising on top and puffing up within a few seconds. You may nudge the puris with a slotted spoon to help them puff up. Reduce the temperature to medium-low once the puris puff up to maintain the temperature.
- Keep flipping them on both sides until it reaches a light golden brown color. The ones that don’t puff up can be used for other chaat snacks like sev puri etc.
- Fry the remaining puris, in the same way, maintaining the temperature of the oil as required. If the oil is too hot, the puris will burn, and if it is warm, the puris will absorb a lot of oil.
Notes
- Do not try to roll out the entire dough, especially if you are a beginner, as you may have spots of uneven thickness. For the best results, I find it’s good to divide the dough into at least 4 parts. Rolling a smaller part of the dough gives an even thickness, which in turn helps most puris puff up.
- If you followed all the steps correctly and still find that even though the puri puffed up they are soft and not as crisp, then how do you troubleshoot that? It is very easy, turn on the oven and preheat it to the lowest temperature for about 15 minutes. Switch off the oven and place all the puris in a baking tray, and bake for about 15 minutes. They will crisp up. Once it is completely cool, transfer to an airtight container.
- Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
Hi Freda,
The quality of explanation is amazing. Going through one of the sections, I came across that;
In the rolling dough section.
You have mentioned 1.5 to 2mm diameter. Is there an typo error here, because I am guessing it should have been thickness.
Hey Sheldon! Thank you! Yes, you are right, it is a typo, thanks for pointing it out. 😊
Also how do you get them to have the rava grainy consistency? Mine look like normal puris, not pani puri pooris
That is strange because the puris are made up entirely of rava and very little maida. SO there is a big difference in the final product. Normal puris are not as crisp to be cracked with fingertips and turn soft soon. Even if you use fine rava, it should have that grainy consistency as you say. I’m sorry, I really don’t know what else you could do as we are already using rava for crispy and crunchy puris. I have not had that problem. If they turn soft (not normal puri soft), then you can crisp then again in the oven as stated in the post.
Hi tried your recipe and puris are crisp but v thick on the bottom and thin on top, tried to roll out in smaller batches and as evenly as possible, how to avoid this?
Hello! It probably needed to be rolled out a little thinner to avoid one side from turning thick. Fry one to test if everything is okay before continuing with the rest of the batch.
Thank you for the recipe. It was awesome and so yummm❤️
Glad you loved it, Fazeela! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your feedback. I really appreciate it 🙂
i tried with soda , but same issue. was thick on one side and also not very nicely puffed. it was little oily too. please suggest what can i do to get it right
Hi Geeta! I guess it’s oily coz your oil temperature is low, you might need to increase it to medium high heat. Test the oil temperature with one puri initially. Try rolling out the dough as evenly as possible so that it has even thickness on both sides after frying. If you have a hard time doing so, then make small balls and roll them out individually. Hope this helps.
How much oil do these puris need to puff up?
Hi Ruby! You would need about 1.5 to 2 inches oil.
I tried your recipe. And it’s awesome.
Yay!!! Very happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Tepaswinee 😊
It was nice. I tried with little wheat flour.
Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂
Super
Thank you 🙂
Puris came out very perfectly puffed and crispy! Also,loved the ‘theekha paani’ recipe. Thanks Freda!
Hi Preeti! So glad you loved it! Appreciate your feedback, thanks 🙂
Hi, I’m hoping to try this recipe. Can I store the leftover unrolled dough in the freezer for later use? How long will it last?
Hi! I’ve not tried freezing the dough. Sorry I’m really not sure.
Follow the recipe to the T and you will prepare some yummilicious puris for the pani puri
Thanks so much for your postive review! So glad to hear this, Dipti 🙂
Super it was very nice taste you see super how nice it was it was nice to eat so crunchy superrrr
Glad you liked it, Nethra 🙂
Hi, thank you for the recipe. How long they can be stored?
Hi Ann! They should last for about 2 weeks in an airtight container. If they become soft, you can re-crisp it using the method mentioned in the post.
Hello Madam
I tried the recipe with eno. The puris are getting puffed up well but they are becoming thick from one side and thin from another side. Can you please suggest any solution where I am wrong what I can improve.
I followed your recipe only instead of soda I used eno
Hi Avinash! I have not tested this recipe with eno, so I’m not sure if that caused this problem. Secondly, did you roll out the dough evenly?
I dont know why my puris turned out very soft .😒😒
Hi! Can you tell me the consistency of the dough? It could have turned soft because your dough was probably soft. The dough should not be very soft, that’s why I’ve given measurements for the water. If they puffed up, put them in a preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, they will crisp up.
Preheated oven means only in heated kadhai or on heated oil mam?
Hi Subhu! The preheated oven is only if you need to crisp up puris if they turn soft after frying. You dont need to re-fry them in oil again.
Ma’am, I had tried this recipe. So, how should I make it crisp as I don’t have oven at home.
Probably crisp it on the tawa. Heat a tawa on medium high heat, once it is hot enough, switch off the heat, and keep the puris on the hot tawa for 3-4 minutes. Flip and crisp up the other side. I’m not sure if it will work, as I’ve not tried it. If you do, please share how it turns out.
Followed the steps and referred the pics posted.. turned out perfect and fresh..feeling awesome it worked so well in 1st attempt.. thanks.. quarantine learning 😁
Hello Tulsi! Thanks for the taking the time to share your feedback with us, truly appreciate it 🙂 Enjoy yummy chaat at home and stay safe!
Hi Freda,
Can I dry them in a sunlight and fry whenever I want like papad? If not can you please post a recipe for dried papad
Regards,
Satya
Hi Satya! Unfortunately I can’t tell you, as I’ve not tested it to preserve it in the dried form. Sorry!
I wasn’t able to get a smooth dough so nit all puris puffed up properly. But majority turned out well. And the taste was amazing.
Hi Shikha! Glad to know it turned out well! Thanks for sharing your feedback with us 🙂
Hi these puris better than store bought as hav always used club soad to make them but needed a recipe without it during quarantine time will surely try it with soda powder and will post the results
Thnx
Hi Bhawana! Would love to know how it turned out 🙂
Made half the recipe to try it out. They turned out better than I imagined. Some didn’t puff up, maybe should have nudged them a bit more. The ones that puffed were perfect. Made me so proud!
Thank you for the great instructions!!!
I would post pics if that was an option.
Hi Fatima! Yes, it will come with practice and before you know it, they all will be puffing up! But I’m so glad this worked for you in the first attempt! It makes me happy, appreciate you coming back and sharing your feedback 🙂 Thanks so much! You could msg the pic on my Facebook page 👍🏻
Found it to be easy
Will definitely try out.
Hi Meenaxi! Would love to know how it turns out 🙂
Presently I don’t have fine rava. Can I do it with the thicker variation.(by grinding it to powder).
Hi Manasi! Pulse the rava in batches to a finer consistency, do not make it too powdery. Please share your feedback on how it turns out.
Great share for panipuri lovers.. why to buy from outside when we can follow these steps and prepared so perfect puris at homeitselfs 😉 Thanks freda for the sharing
Glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by, Sasmita 🙂
Even the sound of this post has filled my mouth with water. This is such a brilliant post, crisp clear instructions to dish out the main element of this flavour bomb of a snack. Pictures as usual so delightful.
Thanks a lot, Piyali 🙂
When are you hosting a chaat party! At one time I used to make puri at home too, it is hard work and you have done so well.
Come on over, we will make some together 😃😃 thanks, Jagruti 🙂
Beautiful made puris.Next time onwards I am not going to buy from outside. I will follow your recipe . Thanks for sharing.
Sounds great! Thanks for stopping by:)
Lovely made puris Freda and a nice detailed post. The puris are perfectly made.
How beautiful those puris looks, puffy pooris looks just prefect to make some pani puris without any hesitation.; And am in love with those puffy beauties.
These homemade pooris look so perfect and crunchy, better than market bought ones. Loved the detailed recipe about this and how it can be made in 3 ways.
Love your detailed explanation as to how to make perfect puris for pani puri at home. Love our post and it reminds me of the time when my mother in law and I would make tonnes of puris at home for dinner parties. Haven’t made them in a long time as I buy them. I should make them at home again.
Puri looks so perfect. Just like store bought. Thanks for sharing detailed step by step recipe. You made the whole process so easy. Lovely click. Awesome share.
Beautifully shot!! These Pooris are so perfect want to grab one and eat!!l
Perfect little puris… so tempting. I have been trying some recipes bust mostly not a great show. So I will try this tested version soon.
Even I miss Indian street food after coming to US..you made these puri so gorgeous…this wants me to try these for myself
how good these puris are looking… Just like the shop bought puris they are crispy and crunchy and good to know we can prepare them 3 ways
Thanks, Amrita 🙂
Those Puris look perfect. Homemade puris are always so much more better than the store bought ones. Would love to try it sometime
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks, Preethi 🙂
What a perfectly puffed puri!! Very well explained, Freda! <3