Health Benefits of Pani Puri – Indian Snack to Try

Pani puri is an Indian fried bread snack, that consists of a round, hollow puri (Indian style fried bread), deep fried until it is crisp and filled with a mixture. That mixture itself is made up of flavoured water, tamarind, chutney, chilli, potato, onion, chickpeas as well as chaat masala powders.

Pani puri is a popular street snack in India, where the crunchy yet moist texture of the fried dough and the bursting savoury taste of the filling makes it an instant favourite for the people there. By the way, what are the health benefits of pani puri?

What are its Health Benefits?

1. Pani Puri Contains 100 Calories

A 70 g serving of pani puri contains 100 foods and drinks calories table, which already fulfills 5% of the recommended 2000-calorie intake per day. Most of the calories are sourced from the bread, oil and potato.

2. Pani Puri Has Moderate Amounts of Health Benefits of Sodium

There are 210 mg of sodium present inside a 70 g portion of pani puri. That value already makes up 9% of sodium’s recommended daily value of 2400 mg.

3. Pani Puri Provides Dual-source of Carbohydrates

Pani puri has potato and bread as its main ingredients, which coincidentally makes it a dual source of carbohydrates. In this case, there is a possibility of an increased calorie storage!

4. Pani Puri’s Chutney Lowers Blood Sugar and Increases Energy Levels

Indian chutney condiments are blessed with natural health benefits. Garlic chutney for example, have the abilities to lower down blood sugar while increasing energy levels, and also for a cold remedy, similar to the health benefits of raw garlic!

5. Pani Puri’s Tamarind is an Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory at the Same Time

There are polyphenols in tamarind that serve as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory simultaneously, which can protect the consumer from the risks of diabetes symptoms, cancer or heart disease.

6. Pani Puri’s Chilli has Capsaicin

Chilli inside pani puri is filled with capsaicin, which aside from releasing the hot flavour enables us to boost digestion, suppress appetite and have a better weight management.

7. Pani Puri’s Onions Have Multiple Nutrients

Onions are rich in nutrients, which among them are carbohydrates, fibre, vitamin B complex, benefits of potassium as well as vitamin C benefits.

8. Pani Puri’s Chickpeas Contribute to Weight Management

Finally, the chickpeas inside pani puri contribute to weight management because they contain fibre and can replace meat as a source of protein.

How to Cook Pani Puri

Ingredients

• 1 cup of unroasted semolina sooji flour or 160 g of rava flour
• 3 to 4 pinches of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons of water
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of oil
• Cooking oil for deep frying

Steps

1. First, take 1 cup of sooji and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour inside a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of baking soda, ¼ tablespoons of salt, and 1 teaspoons of oil. Combine all ingredients evenly.
2. Add ¼ cup of water to start kneading.
3. Knead until it is soft and smooth. Add more water into the dough when required.
4. Grease the dough with oil, cover and rest it for 20 minutes until the dough absorbs moisture.
5. Knead the dough again and divide it into half. Dust it using all-purpose flour afterwards.
6. Next, roll the dough thin using a rolling pin.
7. Take a small cup to start forming the puris.
8. Drop the puri on the cup and press it until it starts to puff up. It will automatically turn over as it puffs.
9. Fry the puri until it is golden brown.
10. Strain it to remove any excess oil.
11. Finally, pani puri is ready to be served.