The Rolling Tip For Making Perfect Pani Puri

Diwali is a five-day religious festival primarily observed by people of Indian and Southeast Asian ancestry. The celebration typically peaks on the third day, known as Lakshmi Puji, which in 2024 is October 31. Diwali is also known as the Festival of Lights as it's meant to honor the triumph of good over evil. Traditions can vary greatly from family to family, but it's common for celebrations to include lots of tasty home-cooked dishes. In addition to the two fried items that are a must-have during Diwali (kaju burfi and rasgulla), many revelers also make pani puri to celebrate the holiday.

Pani puri consists of crisp, round pastries stuffed with sweet and savory fillings. Added flavoring comes from the pani, which is spice-infused water (cilantro and mint are common) that's poured into the pastry (aka puri) along with the filling. While the combination of flavors and ingredients can vary, the consistency of the dough used to make pani puri is non-negotiable, which is why a rolling pin is key.

When rolling out your dough, try not to make it overly thick or thin, instead aiming for about ¼ inch at most. Excessively thick dough will have a hard time achieving the perfect crispy texture, while dough that errs on the thin side will lack essential puffiness, which can make filling the pani puri with delicious ingredients a lot more challenging.

Pani puri ranks among the essential street foods you must try from each country, as these filling pastry bites are wildly popular in India. However, the beloved chaat (a type of Indian snack commonly found among the selections of street vendors), is easy enough to make at home, provided that you use the proper techniques. The texture and puffiness of the puri make such a difference to the end result, and while some folks opt to roll the dough into balls and flatten it before cooking, an adjustable rolling pin and round cookie cutters can help you achieve the perfect dough thickness.

Adjustable rolling pins come with removable discs, corresponding to a specific thickness, such as ¼ inch, ⅛ inch, etc. Once the dough has been sufficiently flattened to your desired thickness, take some round cookie cutters and punch out each puri, which ensures that all the pastries are a uniform size and shape. After you cut out the individual pastries, you can take the dough scraps, flatten them with your adjustable roller, and carve out some more round shapes.

Once the puri is fried (or baked, if you prefer), it can be filled with a variety of tasty sweet or savory fillings and the pani. While potato and chickpea are the most common fillings, remember that sweets are traditionally eaten during Diwali, as sharing sweets with others symbolizes the holiday's theme of good overcoming evil, and the flavor possibilities are nearly endless.