Introduction: Indian Chat Dahi Puri With Cottage Cheese
Dahipuri, or dahi puri, is a snack which is very popular in India. The dish is a form of chaat it is served in mini-puri shells.
As a tasty twist I added paneer to it, which is a fresh cheese common in South Asia. It is made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or any other food acids.
You can either buy it in a store, or prepare it at home very easily. Here is a link of how to prepare homemade paneer.
We are going to start with the mini-puri shells in which the dish is served in. They are an unleavened deep-fried Indian bread.
Ingredients for the puris:
- 2 cups semolina (sooji)
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 3 to 4 tbsp. of all-purpose flour
Step 1: Procedure for Preparing the Puris
Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middling of durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and couscous.
- Fill 2 cups of semolina, 1/8 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl and mix well.
Step 2: Add Water
- The next step is to add water. When it is added, the semolina absorbs it.
- Add 3 to 4 tbsp. of all-purpose flour to it, depending on the consistency you want.
Step 3: Forming the Dough
- Mix and knead the dough until it is soft, elastic and non-sticky.
- Add a little oil and knead again.
Grease your worktop with oil, take a small portion of the dough and roll it flat using roller.
- Cut the dough into small circles with a lid or a cap of a wide-neck bottle
Step 4: Frying
- Fry it in oil until they turn slightly brown in color. They puff up as soon as you place them in the oil.
Step 5: Baking
- After frying, bake them at 150°C (302°F) for 15 minutes to make sure to get rid of all the moisture.
- They will be totally crisp after baking
Tip:
- First fry them to a light brown color and then bake them
Step 6: Dates Tamarind Chutney and Red Chili Garlic Chutney Preparation
The puris you just prepared above can be used for the dahi puri preparation.
To prepare the dahi puri we need to prepare few chutneys.
Ingredients for the dates tamarind chutney:
- 1/4 cup tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup deseeded dates soaked in half cup water
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- a pinch of black salt for taste
Ingredients for red chili garlic chutney:
- 10 dry red chiles
- 6 to 7 garlic clover
- a pinch salt for taste
Step 7: Procedure for Dates Tamarind Chutney
Soak 1/4 cup tamarind in 1/4 cup water and microwave the mixture
Similarly soak 1 cup deseeded dates in half cup water and microwave it
Extract tamarind juice and add to blender.
Add the soaked dates, coriander powder, red chili powder, black salt, ginger powder, cumin powder and blend by adding water.
Take a sauce pan and transfer the blended paste, add half cup of water and boil until the paste becomes thick.
I already posted an instructable on how to make a dates tamarind dip. Please check this link for the detailed procedure on how to make dates tamarind chutney.
Step 8: Procedure for Red Chili Garlic Chutney
- Soak about 10 red chilies in hot water for about 30 minutes.
- Add the soaked chilies in a blender with 6 to 7 garlic cloves and salt
- Blend to paste by adding water to it
Step 9: Ingredients for Paneer Dahi Puri
After preparing puris and chutneys, the final step is to make the dahi puri.
Ingredients for paneer dahipuri:
- 30 puris
- One to one and half cup of crumbled paneer
- Fresh green peas boiled
- 3/4 cup of the dates tamarind chutney
- 1/2 cup of the red chili garlic chutney
- Spicy tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp of red chili powder
- 1 to 2 tsp of chat masala
- 2 tbsp of coriander powder
- Aamchur powder
- Pani puri masala
- Salt for taste
- Thick curd
- Sev*
*Sev is a popular Indian snack food consisting of small pieces of crunchy noodles made from chickpea flour paste.
Step 10: Procedure for Making the Paneer Dahi Puri
- Take the paneer slices and crumble it.
- Now place the crumbled paneer in pan and all spices red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chat masala, aamchur powder, cumin powder, panipuri masala and salt.
- The amount of spices depends on how you would like everything to taste
- Mix all spices with the paneer and slightly heat it for 3 minutes. Add spicy tomato ketchup to it and mix.
Step 11: Filling
- Next step is filling. Take puris and make hole in the centre.
Fill the puris with prepared spicy crumbled panee and fill 3/4 of the puris with crumbled paneer
- Next add boiled fresh green peas on top of crumbled paneer
Step 12: Add All Chutneys
- Now add all the chutneys: the dates tamarind chutney and the red chili garlic chutney in all the puris
- Next add the sliced onions
Step 13: Add Thick Curd
- Add a pinch of sugar to the curd and mix. Add this thick curd and also the sev on top of it.
- Finally sprinkle the red chili powder and chat masala on top.
- Garnish with coriander or curry leaves
(All spices listed above will be available in indian stores)