Pani puri recipe gets a Mexican Indian fusion makeover! Here, the puris are filled with Mexican food - beans and salsa to give this vegan Asian snack a whole new flavor! Makes for a crunchy, tasty snack that's loved by all!
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What is pani puri
In Hindi, pani means water and puri shells are crispy-fried puffed balls made from chickpea/semolina flour. Also known as Golgappa or puchka, it's an extremely popular bite-size street food chaat among other Asian snacks. It consists of these hollow crispy puri filled with potato, chickpeas, onions, and a variety of tangy spices. It's then filled with cold flavored water made of tamarind and mint. Important fact - We all love Pani Puri! There are many Asian snacks that come under Indian Chaat but Pani puri is a clear winner! There is nothing in this world more satisfying than eating chaat at a roadside stall with your friends or family. Agree with me on this?
Since we are talking about the Indian chaat, here are some of my other favorites -Indian Masala Corn, Vada Pav, Bombay Sandwich, Cheeselings Bhel, Moong Dal Pakoda, Ragda Patties, Misal Pav, and Pav Bhaji!
Indian Mexican fusion
Let me tell you, that this recipe of pani puri is perfect for Indian Chaat Party, Cinco de Mayo, or just a summer barbecue. This vegan Mexican food has all the right flavors to keep any party going! I feel it's the perfect marriage of Mexican and Indian cuisine. You will love it too!
This is my bestie's recipe! During one of our conversations, she mentioned that she had made Mexican Pani puri for dinner that night. I was immediately interested to know more because I instantly loved this idea of serving vegan Mexican food in an Indian style! There was no way I was not making it! It sounded too interesting to not try. Given my love for both cuisines, making this snack surely made my heart smile! One of my favorite Asian snacks had just gotten a makeover and how!
Why make it
- Extremely delicious to taste
- Mexican Indian fusion recipe
- A fun and innovative snack to make
- Vegan snack
- A crowd-pleaser for sure
- Super easy and quick to make
Ingredients needed
If you love Mexican and Indian food, you probably already have all the required ingredients to make this supremely delicious Mexican Indian fusion dish!
To make the beans in tomato sauce, you will need:
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Kidney beans - Preferably use the small kidney beans or rajma.
- Cilantro
- Seasonings - Garam masala, paprika, salt, and sugar to help balance the flavors.
To make salsa, you will need:
- Red onions
- Tomatoes
- Bell Peppers - Colorful peppers make it look appetizing, but you can use whatever you have handy.
- Garlic, Jalapeno, and Cilantro
- Spices and seasonings like tomato ketchup, salt, oregano, coconut aminos or soya sauce, sugar, crushed black pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika.
Lastly. of course you need the Puri. These are easily available at all leading Indian grocery stores. On Amazon, you get the ready-to-fry ones. You just need to fry them in hot oil and they will pop like a puri. You can make them in advance and store them in an airtight container for later use.
How to make it
This recipe of pani puri is divided into 3 parts. We need cooked kidney beans to make this Indian fusion dish. You can use canned beans or cook dry beans separately, beforehand.
To prepare the beans in tomato sauce
- The first thing we need to do here is to blanch the tomatoes. For this, trim off the stems and cut a small "x" into the bottom of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water and let them cook for 30-40 seconds. Use tongs to transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water so that they stop cooking. Then peel off the skin. Once the tomatoes have cooled down, blend them into a smooth puree.
- Add olive oil to a pan and fry minced garlic till it turns light golden.
- Then transfer the blanched tomato puree to the pan and cook on medium flame. Let it come to a boil. This could take 3-4 minutes. At this point, take out half a cup of this sauce in a bowl and keep it aside. We will add it to the salsa for a more saucy texture.
- Next put in the cooked kidney beans to the pan, stir and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and mix it with the gravy.
- Then add the spices and seasonings like salt, garam masala, paprika, and sugar. Stir it all in together and cook for another 2 minutes before taking it off the flame. Allow it to cool down.
To prepare fresh salsa
- Add very finely chopped onions to a mixing bowl.
- Then put in very finely chopped tomatoes.
- Next, add the chopped bell peppers to the bowl.
- Mince garlic and jalapeno and then add it to the bowl.
- Chopped cilantro goes in next.
- Lastly, add tomato ketchup, salt, oregano, coconut aminos or soya sauce, sugar, crushed black pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, and the reserved tomato puree from before. Mix it all together. Keep it aside for now.
For all my chopping needs, I use this amazing chopper. It gives you diced veggies in an instant and has never let me down!
To assemble this Mexican Indian fusion snack
You can prepare the beans and salsa in advance and start making Mexican Pani Puri when you are about to eat.
- Only when it's time to serve, lightly crack the top of the puri using your finger or a spoon.
- Using a small spoon, fill all the puris with the beans mixture.
- Follow by adding the prepared salsa in a similar way.
Serving Suggestions
This popular Indian street food is ready to be devoured! You can add chunks of avocado on top and squeeze lemon juice over it for a more authentic Mexican flavor. Also, you need to pop the whole puri into your mouth in one go! That's how it's eaten. Asian snacks like these can make any party or get-together a smashing hit! Serve this and watch it all disappear in seconds! It truly is the ultimate vegan Mexican food that will leave you craving more!
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Top recipe tips
While making the tomato sauce, it's important to blanch the tomatoes first and peel the skin off.
That's because the skin has a slightly bitter flavor and texture that we don't want in the creamy sauce. Omit to add garlic in the recipe if you don't like it.
While small kidney beans are preferred for this recipe, you can also use regular sized kidney beans/rajma or even black beans here.
If using canned beans, then you can add it directly to the sauce. In case you are using dry beans, soak them overnight and then pressure cook them in salt + turmeric water. Give it 4 whistles.
The final consistency of this sauce is a personal choice. You like it thin, add some water along with the beans.
You can make it into a thin salsa or blender salsa for this recipe if you want the pani puri effect. You can also make a small batch of the actual flavored water (pani) if you want.
If you wish to then also add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the salsa for that extra zing. I prefer using coconut aminos over soya sauce because it is non-GMO and MSG-free.
If you get ready puris from the grocery store, no need to cook it. They are ready to eat. As I mentioned before, you can prepare the beans and salsa in advance and store it in the fridge.
But start assembling the Mexican Pani Puri only when you are ready to eat. Otherwise, they will get soggy if you make them in advance.
Add some grated vegan cheese on top and microwave it for 10 seconds for the cheese to melt and you have cheesy Pani Puri!
Alternatives to puffed puri
BTW, you can also make Mexican Sev Puri using these ingredients. For that, you would need flat puris. Then layer the beans and salsa on top and enjoy.
Other alternatives are, using Ritz crackers, bread slices, ramekins, or mini poppadums.
Some of my favorite Mexican recipes are:
- Tandoori Cheese Quesadillas (Another Mexican-Indian fusion recipe)
- Black bean Taco Boats
- Enchilada Mini Casseroles
- Mexican Casserole with Gnocchi
- Mexican Rice
Recipe 📖
Indian Mexican Pani Puri recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
To make the beans in tomato sauce
- 3 Tomatoes
- Water for blanching
- 1 teaspoon Cooking oil
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Kidney beans, cooked Preferably use the small kidney beans or rajma.
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- Salt as needed
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
To make salsa
- 1 Red onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tomato, finely chopped
- 1 Bell Pepper, finely chopped
- 1 Jalapeno, minced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Aminos or soya sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt as needed
To assemble the Mexican Pani Puri
- 20 Puris
Instructions
To make the beans in tomato sauce
- We need cooked kidney beans first. You can use canned beans or cook dry beans separately, beforehand.
- Then we need to blanch the tomatoes. For this, trim off the stems and cut a small "x" into the bottom of each tomato. Then, put the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water and let them cook for 30-40 seconds. Then, use tongs to transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water so that they stop cooking. Then peel off the skin. Once the tomatoes have cooled down, blend them into a smooth puree.
- Add olive oil to a pan and fry minced garlic till it turns light golden.
- Then transfer the blanched tomato puree to the pan and cook on medium flame. Let it come to a boil. This could take 3-4 minutes. At this point, take out half a cup of this sauce in a bowl and keep it aside. We will add it to the salsa for a more saucy texture.
- Next put in the cooked kidney beans to the pan, stir and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and mix it with the gravy.
- Then add the spices and seasonings like salt, garam masala, paprika, and sugar. Stir it all in together and cook for another 2 minutes before taking it off the flame. Allow it to cool down.
To make salsa
- Add very finely chopped onions to a mixing bowl.
- Then put in very finely chopped tomatoes.
- Next, add the chopped bell peppers to the bowl.
- Mince garlic and jalapeno and then add it to the bowl.
- Chopped cilantro goes in next.
- Lastly, add tomato ketchup, salt, oregano, coconut aminos or soya sauce, sugar, crushed black pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, and the reserved tomato sauce from before. Mix it all together. Keep it aside for now.
To assemble the Mexican Pani Puri
- Only when it's time to serve, lightly crack the top of the puri using your finger or a spoon.
- Using a small spoon, fill all the puris with the beans mixture.
- Follow by adding the prepared salsa in a similar way.
- Serve immediately.
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We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Shabnam says
OMG So delicious. Definitely I will make it when I have guests coming or even before that. Thank you . I love your recipes.
Priya says
Thank you so much! This recipe is a hit at parties. Do try it 🙂 Let me know how it goes.
veenaazmanov says
Very creative idea for a party. Sounds interesting and looks healthy and delicious too.
Priya says
Thank you
Charla says
The pictures alone are stunning as someone who is a big fan of fusion recipes (I do them all the time). I'm quite keen to give this a try!
Priya says
Thank you so much for liking them 🙂
Jeannette says
I LOVE pani puri, but a Mexican spin on it sounds INCREDIBLE! What an amazing idea!
Priya says
I know right! Thank you.
Sadia Malik says
Pani poori is my favorite, love this idea of fusion flavors.
Priya says
Mine too! You will love this recipe then. 🙂
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Fusion recipes show one's creativity, and this Indo-Mexican pain puri is the absolute example of your profile. Fabulous these are.
Priya says
Thank you so much! I enjoyed making them..
Sara Welch says
Loved the balance of flavor and textures in this dish! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
Priya says
Thank you so much
Anita says
I can't find puris, so serve it with some crackers and flat breads instead. So good!
Priya says
Yes, these are great ideas to serve them if puri is not available
Haley D. Williams says
I have never made panu puri before, but your post makes it so easy to do! I appreciate the detailed instruction.
Priya says
It's very popular street food in India! Thank you
Jen says
YUM! This is my first attempt at this style of fusion cooking. What delicious worlds to come together in one dish. Will report back.
Priya says
You will be fine! these are effortless! Let me know how it went! 🙂
Jordin says
Wow these look so delicious and comforting! I can’t wait to try this recipe out ASAP!
Priya says
yes do try it out..they are really good
Kushigalu says
Pani Puri fan here and totally love the twist. I will try this soob.
Priya says
Yay!!! Thank you so much. Let me know how it goes.
Priya says
Thank you so much.
cyndy says
Thank you for making this recipe so easy with all the instructions. These were delicious and a big hit in my family. I love finding a new recipe that I haven't tried before!
Priya says
I am so glad and happy to hear this. Thank you so much
Priya says
Thank makes me so happy! Thank ou.
Valerie says
I've never had pani puri before. It sounds like it's got an interesting flavor. Serving it in shells is a great idea I think I prefer for gatherings.
Priya says
They are a delicacy! You must try it once 🙂
Priya says
Oh yes! It's a crowd favorite for sure!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Mexican Pani Puri sounds so so delicious.. Infact we just had some Pani Puri tonight.
Priya says
Thank you so much Sandhya!
Priya says
Thank you so much. Love Pani Puri
Rachel says
My two favorite cuisines in one?! This is so clever!
Priya says
mine too 🙂 Thanks
Priya says
Thank you so much