Gulp And Gone! Avocado Pani Puri.

The buttery, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture of avocados is far too appetizing to let go of a chance to use them in our recipes. When we’re left with a heap of avocados, when we’ve made ample batches of sandwiches and kababs in the days leading up to the acquisition of a fresh lot, we don’t blink twice before jazzing it up to use in another fun-filled snack, pun unintended. These roly-poly deep-fried beauties come alive with the punch of sweet-hot-sour tastes of the typical chaat variety, and the lusciousness of avocados walloped with a dusting of chilli powder and a squirt of lemon juice.

Avocado Pani Puri

(Serves 3-4)

• 1 Avocado
• 1 Lemon
• 30 Puris (Crisp, hollow, spherical crackers)
• ¼ Cup fresh mung bean/dal sprouts
• Salt and chilli powder, chaat masala to taste
• ¼ Cup sweet tamarind chutney
• Pani or spiced water (recipe follows)

1. Slit the avocado into 2 halves and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh using a sharp-edged spoon and cut it into chunks. Transfer the chunks to a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice all over the chunks. Sprinkle with salt, chilli powder and chaat masala to taste.
2. When you are ready to serve, crack the tops of the puris and make a hole just enough to fill them. In each puri add an avocado chunk, some mung sprouts and a dollop of sweet chutney as the filling. Pass the Pani (spiced water) in wide-mouthed cups, one for each person. Dip the filled puris in the Pani and stuff the entire puri in your mouth.

Tadka’s Shortcut Pani for Pani-Puri

• 1 Litre cold water
• ¼ Cup mint-coriander chutney (Or 2 cups mint+1 cup coriander leaves+2 green chillies ground to a paste)
• 2 Tablespoons sweet tamarind chutney
• ½ Teaspoon chaat masala
• ½ Teaspoon kala namak or powdered rock salt
• 2 Tablespoons boondi

Stir the chutneys and spices into the water. Top with the boondi just before serving.

Note: 

For a dressed up version of the avocado filling, mix in some finely chopped onion, tomato, minced green chilies and cilantro/ coriander leaves before squirting the lemon juice.

Stop by an Indian grocery store and you should be able to pick up a kit that includes everything you need for this dish – the crackers, instant mixes for hot and sweet chutneys and the pani. Ask for a Pani Puri kit by Haldirams.

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