Dahi Puri is a popular Indian street food where golgappas (fried small balls made from semolina/flour) are filled with potato, cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney, yogurt and sprinkled with spices. It is crunchy yet soft from the inside and is like a flavor explosion in the mouth. It’s hard to stop at one when it comes to Dahi Puri!

I don’t think it’s wrong to say that you get some of the best chaat in Delhi. Whether it’s aloo tikki, golgappe or samosa, it’s hard to beat the flavors that you find in literally every nook and corner of Delhi.

Growing up in that area, I grew up eating my share of some amazing chaat. It’s still the first thing I eat when I go back home. Chaat in India is very region specific, with every region/city having its own street food. While Delhi has golgappe and tikki, Mumbai has vada pav and dahi puri! I didn’t grew up eating dahi puri, because it wasn’t that popular in Delhi.

But considering how much I love everything and anything related to chaat, it took no time for it to become my favorite after I first tasted it many many years ago in Mumbai. The spicy chutneys, crispy exterior, soft interior, topped with chilled yogurt, it was tangy, spicy, sweet has so many flavors and

Ingredients

Golgappa/Panipuri: these are small crispy fried balls often made with sooji (semolina) or atta (whole wheat flour). These are known by different names in India. For example, I grew up around Delhi, so for me, this is golgappa but it is panipuri for people from Mumbai. You can find them at Indian grocery stores or you can also make these at home. I usually get these from store when I want to make dahi puri quickly.

Fillings: the dahi puri is filled with potato, onion, cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney and yogurt. I like going heavy on the yogurt since this is dahi puri but you can adjust the amount of each to preference.

Toppings: spices like chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, kala namak add flavor and tang to the dahi puris. Sev and cilantro provided texture and freshness to every bite.

Chutneys for Dahi Puri

The taste of dahi puri depends on the flavor of chutneys used, so homemade chutneys work best here.

Cilantro chutney: this chutney is made with cilantro, ginger, chilies and is a must have for this recipe. You can make it as spicy as you like or can handle.

Sweet tamarind chutney: the other key chutney for any chaat is the tamarind chutney. Homemade version made with tamarind, jaggery, spices lasts quite a bit in the fridge and goes well with so many things like samosa.

Step by Step Instructions

Before you start, make all the chutneys, you can do this beforehand. Boil and then chop the potato into small cubes. Also, chop the onions.

Whisk 1 & 1/2 cup yogurt with 2 teaspoons sugar and 4 to 5 tablespoons of water. The yogurt should not be very runny so you can adjust the amount of water depending on how thick or thin your yogurt is, to begin with.

1- Arrange the golgappas on a serving plate. Carefully break each golgappa in the center using your fingers. This is to make space for all the filling.

2- Add the boiled potato cubes to each of the golgappa. Make sure to chop the potato into small pieces.

3- Then add the chopped onion.

4- Sprinkle cumin powder, black salt, chaat masala, and red chili powder over the top of each golgappa.

5- Then fill each golgappa with cilantro chutney, followed by tamarind chutney. You can add around 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of each, this depends on the size of golgappas you are using.

6- Then fill each golgappa with the prepared yogurt. Add lot of yogurt, since this is dahi puri, yogurt has to be the star ingredient.

7- Sprinkle cumin powder, black salt (kala namak), chaat masala, and red chili powder again on top of the yogurt.

8- Top with nylon sev and then with chopped cilantro. Serve dahi puri immediately else it will get soggy.

More Filling Options

To make this Dahi Puri more wholesome and filling, you can add the following in addition to potatoes:

• kala chana (black chickpeas): soak overnight and then boil kala chana in a pressure cooker until done.
• chole (white whickpea): you can either use canned chickpea or soak raw chickpeas overnight and boil and then use.
• moong sprouts: the addition of this will make the dahi puri healthier and protein-packed.

Using Shortcuts/Make Ahead Option

Make chutneys in advance: the chutneys can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Both, the cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney store well in the refrigerator for a week or two. You can even freeze these chutneys to make them last longer. So, make these in advance, so that you can prepare dahi puri quickly on the day when you want to eat it.

Boil the potato beforehand: you can also boil the potatoes and chickpeas (if using) in advance and keep then refrigerated.

Buy chutneys from store: If you don’t wish to make these chutneys at home, buy them from Indian grocery store. You will find both these chutneys easily at most stores. The tamarind chutney is usually in the refrigerated section of the store.

Buy pre-made golgappas: making golgappas at home takes time so it’s a good idea to buy these from Indian grocery store. You will find 2 kinds of golgappas at stores- one which you have fry at home and other which are already fried and ready to eat. You can buy either, I prefer the ones which are ready to eat.

Pro Tips

• Dahi puri needs to be served immediately. It will get soggy if you don’t serve it immediately. So, have everything ready, make the dahi puris and then serve them immediately.
• Use thin sev (nylon sev) for topping dahi puri preferably. But if it’s not available, then you can use other variety of sev too.
• Some people also like adding spicy garlic chutney to dahi puri, you can definitely add that as well.
• Amount of spicy and sweet chutneys that you would add to your dahi puri would depend on how much sweet or spicy you want them to be.
• The golgappe that I used were a little bigger in size- each weighing around 4 grams and around 2-inches in diameter. If your golappas are smaller, then you might not be able to fill them with say 1 teaspoon of chutney each. So, adjust the amounts accordingly.

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