A) Making Golgappa Pani
1. Soak 1 tablespoon of tightly packed tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for about 20 minutes.
2. Take ⅓ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves in a small grinder jar. Only use the mint leaves. Do not add the stems as then the pani can become bitter.
Rinse the mint leaves well with water before adding them to the grinder jar.
3. Add the soaked tamarind along with its water. Make sure there are no seeds in the tamarind.
4. Add the following spices – 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper and seeds removed from 1 black cardamom. Discard the outer cardamom cover. To get the seeds, lightly crush the cardamom in a mortar-pestle. Then remove the seeds.
5. Now add 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder), 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) and black salt as required.
If you do not have dry mango powder, then you can add some lemon juice. Instead of dry mango powder, kachri powder or bel powder can also be used. Instead of black salt, you can use rock salt or sea salt.
6. Grind to a smooth chutney.
7. Take the jaljeera chutney in a bowl. Also add 1.5 cups water.
8. Mix very well. Check the taste of golgappa pani and add more salt and dry mango powder if required. You can also add some lemon juice if you want.
If in case the pani tastes bitter (due to the type and quality of mint leaves), then add some lemon juice to balance the bitterness. If you want then you can keep this golgappa pani in the refrigerator.
Making golgappa stuffing
9. Rinse and then soak ⅓ cup white chickpeas and ⅓ cup black chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Later drain all the water and rinse the chickpeas very well in running water.
10. Add the chickpeas in a stovetop pressure cooker. Also add 2.5 cups water. You can also use just one type of chickpea.
11. Add ½ teaspoon salt.
12. Pressure cook on medium heat for 18 to 19 minutes. When pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked well or not.
If not, then pressure cook for some more time till the chickpeas are cooked well.
13. Drain all the water and take the chickpeas in a bowl.
14. In another stovetop pressure cooker, take 2 to 3 medium sized rinsed potatoes. Add enough water just about covering the potatoes. Also add ½ teaspoon salt.
Pressure cook them for 5 to 6 whistles or 9 to 11 minutes on medium heat. In the picture below there are more potatoes as I added them in another chaat recipe.
15. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, remove the potatoes. Let them cool a bit. Then peel and chop them. Add the chopped potatoes to the cooked chickpeas.
16. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala and ¼ teaspoon black salt or add as required.
17. Mix everything well. Keep aside.
Assembling golgappa
18. Keep all the elements of golgappa before assembling them – jaljeera pani, tamarind chutney, chana and potatoes stuffing.
Take the golgappa puri in a small plate. Crack open the top with a spoon or with clean fingers.
19. Place the chickpeas and potato stuffing inside the golgappa puri.
20. Spoon some sweet tamarind chutney less or more as per your preferences.
21. Now spoon the jaljeera pani or golgappa pani less or more as required.
22. Have them immediately.
23. You can also arrange all the golgappa elements on the dining table and let people make the golgappa for themselves.
