Archive note — reviewed September 28, 2026. This recipe was recovered from a March 29, 2017 capture. Its puri dough quantities and rolling thickness are unresolved source ambiguities. Do not use the quoted dough instructions as a working recipe. No corrected amounts have been invented; the historical description, fillings and photographs are preserved below.
What is Pani Puri?
Pani puri is a delicious Indian street snack. They are delightful, little, round, and hollow crispy puris. The puris are stuffed with a mashed potato mixture and then filled with spiced pani.
This pani puri recipe is my favorite snack and I enjoy making them at home with my family. Mastering the art of making perfect puri takes time. We prepare the puris in batches and store them in an airtight container to be used as and when required.
Pani is the Hindi term for water. Panipuri is also referred to as gol gappa, fuchka and gup chup in various parts of India.
Masala is the Hindi word for spice. Pani Puri Masala is simply adding the correct mixture of spices to the recipe. The original article also recommended a commercial masala, but its product link and availability have not been verified.
The Basic Process
Puri is prepared from dough made of semolina and all-purpose flour. The dough is then rolled into small size puris which when deep fried in oil puff up into round hollow crispy puris. The potato stuffing is a mixture of coarsely mashed boiled potatoes mixed with dry spices, chopped coriander leaves, and onions.
Boiled chickpeas are also sometimes added to the stuffing. The historical recipe mentioned sprouts; use them only after thorough cooking because raw or lightly cooked sprouts can carry harmful bacteria. See FDA — Selecting and Serving Produce Safely. Ground herbs and powdered spices are mixed with water to prepare pani.
Historical recipe ingredients
Unresolved puri dough record — not a usable formula. The source labels this section “The Pani part,” although the ingredients appear to concern the puri dough. It records the following values; the baking soda quantity and flour proportion have not been validated and must not be treated as corrected cooking instructions.
½ cup of fine semolina; 3 tbsp baking soda; ½ tbsp all purpose flour; salt to taste.
For potato stuffing
3 medium size boiled potatoes, peeled and roughly mashed with a fork
½ cup coriander leaves
1 tsp chaat masala powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ cup finely chopped onions
Salt to taste
For pani puri water recipe
1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
¾ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 inch ginger, peeled
1 to 2 green chilies
2-3 cups water
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tbsp chaat masala powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
Salt to taste
Other ingredients
Oil for frying puri
Historical method and source limitation
The dough-making part cannot be followed reliably. The original described kneading a semi-stiff dough, resting it under a damp cloth for 15 minutes, cutting puris with a 3-inch cutter, resting them for 5 minutes, and frying them individually over medium heat until puffed. It also stated a rolling thickness of “1 1/2 inch,” which is unresolved. Together with the suspect dough quantities above, this prevents treating the source as a complete tested recipe. No replacement thickness or dough formula is supplied here.
The remaining filling and assembly directions are retained from the historical article:
- To make potato stuffing mixture, combine mashed potatoes with the dry spices and season with salt
- To make pani, blend coriander leaves, mint leaves, tamarind pulp, ginger and green chilies in a blender. Transfer the prepared paste in a bowl and pour 2 cups of water. Stir in the dry spices and season with salt. Feel free to add more water if required, adjust the spices and seasoning as per taste
- To enjoy panipuri, gently crack the top portion of a puri with your thumb to make a small hole for stuffing. Stuff in potatoes, dip puri in spiced water to fill it with water and enjoy pani poori immediately
Food handling note — September 2026
Wash the herbs and other produce under running water. Keep the potato filling and prepared herb water refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below until needed. Refrigerate perishable components promptly in shallow containers, within two hours of preparation or one hour above 90°F (32°C). Use refrigerated cooked leftovers within three to four days. These handling notes do not validate the unresolved dough recipe. Sources: FDA — Selecting and Serving Produce Safely and USDA FSIS — Leftovers and Food Safety.
Useful tips
- Puris can be made in advance and stored in an air tight container.
- Feel free to add tomato ketchup or hot sauce to stuffed puri based on your personal taste.
- Puris stuffed and filled with spiced water are to be consumed immediately, else the puris turn soggy.
You can use store-bought or homemade tamarind pulp. To make tamarind pulp, place ¼ cup tamarind with ¼ cup water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Place a sieve on a bowl and pass the mixture through the sieve to collect tamarind pulp in the bowl.