Pani Puri With Chana Masala

Step 1

Place the chickpeas into 500ml of fresh water with the peeled and crushed garlic cloves, teabag, the bay leaf, whole spices and a generous pinch of salt. Heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 2

Mix the sooji flour in bowl with the baking powder, salt and oil. Add the flour and mix again with your fingertips before adding in the water a little at a time as you bring it together into a soft dough. Note: semolina absorbs water slowly. Knead for 5-10 minutes until soft and elastic. Wrap in Cling Film and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Peek and finely dice the onion, hold a few tablespoons of it back to garnish. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and turmeric. Fry the onion in the pan once the cumin seeds start to pop and cook gently for 10 minutes so they soften and gain some golden colour. Stir in the ginger, mango powder and pomegranate seeds to cook for another couple of minutes before including the tomato purée. Bubble for 5 minutes adding a little water from the chickpeas if required, then finally add the ground coriander and masala spices.

Step 4

Pick the teabag and whole spices out of the chickpeas and combine them with the tomato sauce, including the cooking liquid from the chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes, reducing to a consistency that is easily spoonable, then season to taste.

Step 5

Heat a pan of vegetable oil to 170℃.Roll sections of the rested dough out on a work surface as thin as you can… a pasta roller can help. Cut out discs 6cm across and lower 4-5 at a time into the heated oil. Once they have puffed up, floated and turned golden on one side, flip them over to cook the other side. They will need about a minute on each side, until you can no longer hear them frying. Scoop them out and drain on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

Step 6

Place all the ingredients for the pani into a blender and blitz for a fair while until smooth. Pour it through a fine sieve to capture the water. Season to taste and adjust according to levels of chilli, sugar and salt. Leave to one side until required.

Step 7

Prick the potatoes and place into a microwave for 10 minutes on full power to cook right through. Scoop the insides into a mixing bowl when cool enough to handle and fork the potato up with all the spices and seasoning, including the chopped coriander.

Step 8

Serve a bowl of the chickpea curry with a little extra ginger and red onion as garnish and crumble a few of the less perfect puri over the top. Alongside pile up the puffed golden puri with a bowl of the potato filling, pani and black salt for people to make their own. Serve 6