RAG Demo

Tag: Tangy

  • Pani Puri

    Golgappe in Delhi, pani puri in Mumbai, puchka in Kolkata: the snack has as many names as cities. North Indian vendors carry a large earthen pot of spiced water and a basket of puris, and customers stand in a semicircle as the vendor fills and hands out one puri at a time until they say stop. Delhi's version usually has two waters, spicy and sweet.

    The puri must be paper-thin and crisp so it shatters in the mouth. The filling is boiled potato and kala chana or boondi, and the pani is a sharp, cold blend of mint, coriander, green chilli, tamarind, black salt and roasted cumin. The pleasure is the burst of cold, tangy, spicy water with the crunch of the shell.

    It is street food eaten in the evening, and at home it is a party favourite, with a counter set up for everyone to fill their own. Bought puris are common, but homemade ones are well worth trying. Good puris and well-chilled pani make all the difference, so plan ahead and chill the water for a few hours.

    At a glance

    RegionDelhi
    CuisineDelhi street food
    DietVegan
    CourseStreet food
    Prep time45 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time75 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientssooji / potato / mint / tamarind / black chickpeas

    Ingredients

    For the puris (about 50)

    • 1 cup fine sooji (semolina)
    • 2 tbsp maida
    • A pinch of baking soda
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • About 1/3 cup water
    • Oil for deep frying

    For the teekha pani

    • 1 cup mint leaves
    • 1/2 cup coriander leaves
    • 3 to 4 green chillies
    • 1 inch ginger
    • 3 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
    • 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp black salt
    • 1 tsp chaat masala
    • 1/2 tsp regular salt
    • 5 cups chilled water
    • 2 tbsp boondi (optional)

    For the meetha pani

    • 1/2 cup tamarind-date chutney
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
    • A pinch of black salt

    For the filling

    • 3 potatoes, boiled and diced small
    • 1/2 cup kala chana, soaked and boiled
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
    • 1/2 tsp chaat masala
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. For the puris, mix sooji, maida, soda and salt. Add water little by little and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest 30 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes until smooth.
    2. Roll a portion of dough very thin, about 1 mm, and cut out 5 cm discs. Keep the cut discs under a damp cloth so they do not dry.
    3. Heat oil to hot, around 180 C. Slide in 5 to 6 discs and press each gently with a slotted spoon so it puffs. Fry 1 to 2 minutes, turning, until crisp and light golden. Drain and cool completely.
    4. For the teekha pani, blend mint, coriander, chillies and ginger with 1/2 cup water to a smooth paste. Mix with tamarind pulp, spices and chilled water. Strain if you prefer clear pani, and chill for at least 1 hour. Add boondi just before serving.
    5. For the meetha pani, whisk the tamarind-date chutney with water, cumin and black salt.
    6. Toss the potatoes and chana with chilli powder, cumin, chaat masala, salt and coriander.
    7. To serve, crack a hole in the top of a puri with your thumb, add a teaspoon of filling, dip it in teekha or meetha pani and eat in one bite.

    Tips

    • Puris that do not puff were either rolled too thick or the oil was not hot enough.
    • Store cooled puris in an airtight tin; re-crisp in a warm oven for 5 minutes if they soften.
    • The pani tastes best ice-cold and made a few hours ahead, so the spices infuse.

    Serve with

    Extra chilled pani and a final sukha puri sprinkled with chaat masala.

  • Punjabi Kadhi Pakora

    Every region of North and West India has a kadhi, but the Punjabi version is the thickest and most substantial. It uses properly sour curd, a generous amount of gram flour and a long, slow simmer, and it is always loaded with onion pakoras that soak up the gravy. In Punjabi homes it is the go-to dish when the curd has turned too sour to eat on its own.

    The flavour is sharp and tangy, warmed by fenugreek seeds, ginger and a tempering of ghee, dried red chillies and Kashmiri chilli powder poured over the top. The pakoras are fried crisp and then turn soft and spongy in the kadhi. A properly cooked kadhi has no raw besan taste and a smooth, pourable body.

    It is eaten with plain steamed rice as kadhi chawal, usually for weekend lunch, with a pickle and papad on the side. Many families say it tastes even better the next day. Leftover pakoras are rarely wasted; they are eaten as a snack with green chutney. The kadhi also freezes well without the pakoras, so many cooks make a large pot and add fresh pakoras when reheating.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time70 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientssour curd / besan / onion / fenugreek seeds

    Ingredients

    For the kadhi

    • 2 cups sour curd
    • 1/2 cup besan
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp mustard oil or ghee
    • 1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1 onion, sliced
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 2 green chillies, slit

    For the pakoras

    • 1 cup besan
    • 2 onions, thinly sliced
    • 1 green chilli, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • A pinch of baking soda
    • Water as needed
    • Oil for deep frying

    For the tadka

    • 2 tbsp ghee
    • 3 dried red chillies
    • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

    Method

    1. Whisk the curd, besan, turmeric, chilli powder and salt until completely smooth, then whisk in the water to a thin, lump-free mixture.
    2. Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot on medium. Add methi seeds, cumin and ajwain; when the methi turns light brown, add onion, ginger and green chillies and saute 3 minutes.
    3. Pour in the curd mixture and stir continuously on medium heat until it comes to a boil, about 8 to 10 minutes. Constant stirring now prevents splitting.
    4. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The kadhi will reduce, thicken and turn glossy, with no raw besan taste.
    5. Meanwhile, mix pakora ingredients with very little water to a thick batter that just binds the onions. Drop small spoonfuls into medium-hot oil and fry 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain.
    6. Add the pakoras to the kadhi 10 minutes before serving and simmer gently so they absorb the gravy.
    7. For the tadka, heat ghee until hot, add red chillies, switch off and add chilli powder. Pour over the kadhi just before serving.

    Tips

    • The curd must be sour – leave it out for a day if needed. Sweet curd makes a flat kadhi.
    • If the kadhi gets too thick on standing, loosen with hot water and bring back to a boil.
    • Whisking in a little water to the pakora batter and beating it well makes softer pakoras.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice, with mango pickle and roasted papad.

  • Mirchi ka Salan

    Mirchi ka salan is a Hyderabadi curry of long, mildly hot green chillies cooked in a nutty, sour gravy. It is the traditional accompaniment to biryani, and no Hyderabadi wedding feast serves biryani without it. The gravy, made of roasted peanuts, sesame and dry coconut with tamarind, is closely related to the base used for bagara baingan.

    The salan is thick, tangy and slightly sweet, with a deep nutty flavour from the roasted seeds. The chillies are slit, fried and then simmered so they turn soft and absorb the gravy without losing their shape. It cuts through the richness of biryani, and many people also eat it with plain rice or roti.

    At a glance

    RegionTelangana
    CuisineHyderabadi
    DietVegan
    CourseSide dish
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsgreen chillies / peanuts / sesame seeds / dry coconut / tamarind

    Ingredients

    For the chillies

    • 250 g long, thick, mild green chillies (bhavnagari or banana peppers)
    • 3 tbsp oil

    For the paste

    • 3 tbsp raw peanuts
    • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
    • 2 tbsp dry coconut, grated
    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 medium onion, sliced and roasted

    For the gravy

    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
    • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 3 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
    • 1 tsp grated jaggery
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1.5 cups water

    Method

    1. Wash and dry the chillies. Slit each lengthwise without cutting through, and scrape out some seeds if you want less heat.
    2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadai and fry the chillies on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, turning, until blistered in spots. Remove and set aside.
    3. Dry roast the peanuts for 4-5 minutes until golden, then the sesame seeds until they pop, then the coconut until light brown, and finally the coriander and cumin for a minute. Grind with the roasted onion and a little water to a smooth paste.
    4. In the same kadai, add 2 tbsp oil and splutter mustard, cumin, nigella and fenugreek seeds. Add curry leaves and ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.
    5. Add the ground paste, turmeric and chilli powder and fry on low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until the paste darkens slightly and oil begins to separate.
    6. Add tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
    7. Add the fried chillies and simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes until the gravy is thick, oil floats on top, and the chillies are tender.
    8. Rest for 30 minutes before serving; the flavour improves as it sits.

    Tips

    • Choose thick, long chillies with low heat; small spicy ones make it too fierce.
    • Roast each seed separately as they brown at different rates.
    • The salan should be thick and oily on top, not watery.

    Serve with

    Hyderabadi biryani with burani raita, or with bagara rice.