Cook Book: "Aloo Dahi Papdi Chaat" - An Indian Street food

"Aloo Dahi Papdi Chaat" is one of my favorite Chaats or Indian Street food, which I make regularly at home.
My most favorite chaat is ofcourse "Pani Puri".
However due to reasons of hygiene, I have almost stopped eating chaat on the streets especially after I have become a Mother.
I not only make the chutneys at home but also make the "Puris" or "Papdis" at home itself.
Half a cup of semolina will make around 40-50 puris or papdis and this is sufficient for me and my daughter for 2-4 rounds of chaat.
Another reason for making "Papdi" or "Puri" at home, is that they are crispier and stay crispy fresh in an airtight container for more than a week.
Also the shop sold puris are so big that my lil one could barely put the whole puri/papdi in her mouth in one shot...
all these reasons were enough to continue making puris and papdis at home.
However the earliest memories of making "Puri" for chaat is of my granny during my college days while we lived in Hassan.
We loved chaat and there was no good place in Hassan to eat chaat, so my granny found out this recipe of making Puris through some cookery books and a few attempts.
My brother an I would try to help her in rolling the puris and make a mess of the kitchen, but that was really good fun..
And we would make hundred+ puris.... on a sunday afternoon and gobble them all up in no time..
The work of cleaning up the kitchen would be on my sweet Mom...
But those childhood memories are so amazing that they motivate me to actually spend some time and effort to make puris and papdis at home.
But try making this once at home from scratch, am sure you will make it again and again and stop eating chaat outside.

Makes 40-50
Puri/Papdi Ingredients:
Semolina - fine variety also known as Chiroti rava - 1/2 cup
Maida or plain flour or all purpose flour - 1/2 tbsp
Soda water or Aerated water - 3 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Jeera or Cumin - 1 tsp (only for Papdi)
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Knead the semolina along with maida, salt and soda water into a smooth dough.
Do not add any water while kneading.
Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Now make 40-50 equal portioned balls.

Now roll into puris and keep under a damp cloth for about 5 minutes.

If you want to make puri for panipuri then deep fry them as it is.
They will puff up.
If you are making papdi, then just make few lines on each with a knife, so that they do not puff up.

Take a deep frying pan, add oil, keep on medium heat and fry the puris or papdis till golden brown.

Chutneys required:
Coriander Mint Chutney
Dates and Tamarind Chutney

Other ingredients required:
Tomatoes - chopped finely
Onions - chopped finely
Coriander leaves - chopped finely
Potatoes - boiled mashed and mixed with salt, chilly powder and chaat masala
Chaat masala
Red chilly powder
Sev or Bhujiya
Thick curds or Dahi

Now to assemble the Papdi chaat:

Take a serving plate, keep the papdis on the plate.
And add the different ingredients one by one, layer wise...

Layer 1 - Top the papdi with Aloo/Potato mash