Making of Pani Puri (simply bread of water) at home – process fraught with uncertainty

The first one stayed flat, the second one had small blisters all around it, and the third one was even worst – it carved in. The small thinly pressed round dough (for bread) was supposed to puff up in the middle when you put it on a pan with hot oil. But it didn’t. There goes our Saturday, I thought.

My wife and I had worked for 2 hours to reach this point. We’d prepared the dough, boiled potatoes and shopped around for other ingredients. The pani puri is a delight snack item, in which you break part of the swollen bit of the puri (or bread), in the hole goes mashed potato (which is mixed with salt and red chilli powder) and then you add water. Well, it’s not really water, but rather a drink that is full of flavors – tangy, spicy, peppery, you name it. We had to purchase about 5 items for the water to get this taste. But it was worth it. When we’d put all the ingredients and the water in a mixer and blended them, the drink was mouthwatering to say the least.

After the swollen bit of the puri is filled with water and mashed potato, you gulp it in one go. As you break the puri with our teeth, the water gushes to all part of our mouth and you’re covered with this wonderful flavor. I frequently close my eyes at this point and take in the sensation. No wine or champagne can even come close to beating this experience.

But here we were – the puri just wasn’t bulging up.

But wife is full of innovative ideas when it comes to cooking. She tries every possible ways. Failure just isn’t an option for her. But I’m a quitter. I’d already told her that I’d go out and purchase just the puri and have it our other items.

Without listening to my stupid idea she increased the gas, the oil simmered, and she put the dough in.

We both watched, hoping…would this trick work?

You could see the puff but it wasn’t what we wanted it, not exactly. It was in between a small blister and a full swell.

“Maybe the ingredients for the dough aren’t correct!” I say, sounding hopeful.

“We did everything correctly,” my wife shouted, annoyed. “I’m improving, wait for this one.”

Another dough went it, she quickly flip it to other side, and then flipped back again, and then hey presto – a wonderful puff appeared.

Just what we’d been hoping for.

Thank goodness!

The pani puri was an utter delight. It took us 3 hours to finish making it the whole thing and just 15 minutes to gorge about 20 puris each. I skipped dinner and slept with my taste buds wonderfully happy.

Any takers?