Dahi Puri & Masala Puriદહીં પૂરી અને મસાલા પૂરી
Two chaats from the same puris: dahi puri, filled with potato and topped with sweetened yoghurt and chutneys, and masala puri, the drier, spicier version without yoghurt. Dahi puri is the one children always ask for.
Ingredients
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- 24 ready-made puris
- 2 boiled potatoes, mashed
- 1 cup whisked yoghurt with 1 tsp sugar
- Green chutney and date-tamarind chutney
- Fine sev, onion, coriander, pomegranate
- Chaat masala, roasted cumin, black salt
Method
- Crack a hole in the top of each puri and fill with mashed potato.
- For dahi puri, top with sweetened yoghurt, both chutneys, chaat masala and sev.
- For masala puri, skip the yoghurt and add extra chutney, onion, chilli and lemon.
- Scatter pomegranate and coriander over the top.
- Serve the moment they are assembled.
Tips
- Use thick, cold, mildly sweet yoghurt, not sour.
- Assembled puris go soft within minutes, so fill them at the table.
Storing and reheating
This is not a dish you store; you assemble it and eat it within two minutes. Filled puris do not survive even in the fridge. The components do keep: plain puris for two weeks in an airtight box, the mashed potato for two days, green chutney for three or four days, and date-tamarind chutney for two to three weeks.
What you can swap
- No round puris? Use flat papdi and make it as a papdi chaat, or fry small puris at home from a stiff flour dough.
- No date-tamarind chutney? Simmer tamarind pulp with jaggery and a pinch of black salt for a quick version.
- If the curd has turned sour, whisk in a tablespoon or two of milk with a teaspoon of sugar; that rounds the sourness off.
- No pomegranate? Finely diced cucumber gives the same freshness, if not the colour.
What to serve with it
It belongs to the evening chaat plate alongside pani puri and bhel. At home it is made on a Sunday evening or when guests drop in, and at weddings the chaat counter almost always offers dahi puri and masala puri side by side.
Mistakes to avoid
- Never use thin curd. If yours is loose, hang it in a cloth or sieve for fifteen minutes to drain, otherwise the puris collapse immediately.
- Do not salt the curd in advance; salt pulls water out of it. Add the salt and chaat masala only as you serve.
- Do not fill every puri at once. Build a plate of six or eight, hand it over, then build the next. That is how it is actually eaten at home.
- Keep the sweet chutney thick. A runny one soaks through the base of the puri; it should pour slowly, like honey loosened with water.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between dahi puri, sev puri and pani puri?
The shell is what changes. Dahi puri uses the round puffed puri, filled with potato and topped with curd and chutneys. Sev puri uses flat papdi and has no curd at all. Pani puri uses the same puffed shell but is filled with spiced tamarind water.
How do I keep the puris crisp?
Keep the box properly sealed and away from the stove and any steam. If they have gone soft, warm them on a tawa or in a low oven for three or four minutes and let them cool; the crispness comes back.
What changes in masala puri without the curd?
Without curd the hot and sour notes come forward, so you use a little more of both chutneys plus onion, lemon and chaat masala. It also travels better and holds longer at a party, because there is no dairy in it.
