7 Types of Pani for Pani Puri Recipe (Gol Gappa & Puchka)
Street-style pani puri at home: potato filling plus seven chilled waters: spiced guava with meetha pulp, quick aam panna, mint-coriander, hajma hajam, lashun garlic, date-tamarind meetha, and hing pani. Vegan as written; use GF labeled puris if needed.
Equipment
- Blender
- Fine mesh strainer
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowls and jugs for each pani
Ingredients
For the puris and filling
- 40 to 50 ready pani puri shells store-bought
- 3 medium potatoes boiled, peeled, and crumbled
- 1/2 cup cooked yellow moong or kala chana optional
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion optional
- 1 to 2 green chilies optional; minced
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kala namak black salt; to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Fine salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Fried boondi (optional garnish for pani)
Date and tamarind meetha pani (make first)
- 10 to 12 soft dates pitted and chopped
- 3 to 4 tablespoons seedless tamarind paste
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups water simmer and blender rinse
- 3 to 4 tablespoons jaggery or brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder optional
- Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kala namak fine salt to taste
- About 2 cups extra chilled water to dilute
Spiced guava pani
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups smooth guava pulp from about 2 medium ripe guavas, strained
- 1/2 cup thick reserved date-tamarind pulp from meetha step, before full dilution
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kala namak
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder or Kashmiri chili
- 1 to 2 cups cold water to taste
Aam panna pani (quick)
- 1 small raw green mango about 150 g; peeled and diced , or 1/3 cup thick aam panna concentrate
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 to 3 tablespoons jaggery or sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt
- 6 to 8 mint leaves
- Lime juice, to taste
Mint-coriander pani
- 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
- 2 to 4 spicy green chilies
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon jaggery optional
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder amchur
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder optional
- Pinch of hing
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- Fine salt and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kala namak, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- About 4 cups chilled water total
Hajma hajam pani
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup smooth tamarind pulp paste whisked with water
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar or fine caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon kala namak
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon hing
- 3 cups chilled water
Lashun (garlic) pani
- 8 to 10 large garlic cloves peeled
- 3/4 to 1 tablespoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kala namak
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 lemon or 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups chilled water
Hing pani
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon hing powder
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons jaggery or sugar
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kala namak
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder optional
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 1/2 cups chilled water
Instructions
Potato filling
- Mix crumbled potato with optional moong or chana, onion, chili, chaat masala, black salt, cumin, cilantro, lime, and fine salt. Taste slightly salty.
- Chill up to 1 day. Rest at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Date and tamarind meetha pani
- Simmer dates, tamarind paste, jaggery, and 1 1/2 cups water until dates are very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly.
- Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly.
- Reserve 1/2 cup strained pulp for spiced guava. To the remainder, stir in cumin, optional chili, hing, chaat masala, salts, then whisk in about 2 cups chilled water. Chill at least 1 hour.
Spiced guava pani
- Whisk guava pulp with reserved meetha pulp, kala namak, and red chili powder.
- Thin with cold water to pani consistency. Chill; adjust salt or chili cold.
Aam panna pani
- If using raw mango, simmer with 1 cup water until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, cool, then blend with mint, jaggery, cumin, and black salt. Strain; add remaining water and lime.
- If using concentrate, whisk with water until tart-sweet, add cumin and black salt. Chill.
Mint-coriander pani
- Blend cilantro, mint, chilies, ginger, tamarind, jaggery, amchur, cumin, optional fennel, hing, chaat masala, salts, lime, and 1 cup water until very smooth.
- Strain well. Stir in remaining water. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Optional boondi on top.
Hajma hajam pani
- Whisk tamarind pulp, sugar, ginger, cumin, kala namak, fine salt, chili, and hing until sugar dissolves.
- Stir in water. Chill 1 to 2 hours; taste and adjust.
Lashun pani
- Blend garlic, chili powder, chaat masala, cumin, kala namak, fine salt, and lime with minimal water into a smooth paste.
- Whisk paste into remaining water. Chill. Optional boondi on top.
Hing pani
- Mash hing into tamarind paste and jaggery until smooth. Whisk in chaat masala, kala namak, optional chili, fine salt, then water.
- Chill. Stir before serving.
Serve
- Keep puris airtight until the last moment. Crack, fill with potato mixture, pour pani at the table from separate bowls.
Notes
Make meetha first so you can reserve thick pulp for spiced guava before diluting the sweet pani.
Pani should taste strong straight from a spoon; puris dilute the hit.
For a full aam panna concentrate method, see the aam panna post on Petite Paprika.
Optional mild eighth jug: salted lime water for kids or chili-shy guests.
Meetha base freezes well; mint and garlic pani are best within a few days refrigerated.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!