Here at JCO, we love our exciting appetisers, especially the kind that wake up your taste buds! This Tandoori Mogo is exactly that. Mogo is tossed in a bold tandoori marinade , then baked until charred on the edges. It’s full of character and seriously addictive.
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in March 2010. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
This dish is a Dhanecha family special. My mum learnt it from her late sister-in-law, who grew up in East Africa. Mogo was a staple for East-African Indians and no two households made it the same way.
It’s one of those ingredients we keep coming back to and reinventing. We’ve played around with it in all sorts of ways – crispy plain mogo chips , or a bold Indo-Chinese masala mogo or Schezwan chilli mogo inspired by a dish I tried at a restaurant and couldn’t stop thinking about.
Tandoori spice pairs beautifully with mogo – it’s creamy mellowness helps soak up the flavour. Once grilled, you get a soft centre and crisp edges – just like my Tandoori Paneer Tikka .
The Recipe Breakdown
When I make this at home, I always start with a homemade tandoori marinade which is the real star of the show. I mix passata with tandoori masalas, yogurt, lemon juice, and a good hit of green chillies, and garlic and ginger paste.
But one thing I don’t do is throw raw onions straight into the mix because they stay sharp and undercooked. Instead, I fry them off first until they’re soft, sweet, and golden. It makes a world of difference.
Once the cassava is boiled and cooled, I toss everything together and let it marinate (the length of time depends on how far ahead I’ve prepped). I then bake until it’s cooked through and starting to catch at the edges.
The result? Smoky, spicy mogo with proper depth of flavour in every bite.
I also used to help make these for family BBQs when I was little. My job was to prep the marinated mogo into little foil parcels ready for the grill. There’s just something about that smoky char from the coals that takes the flavour to a whole new level!
I like to serve it with something fresh and zingy. My go-to is crisp green salad leaves, sliced Indian onion salad and thick Indian mint yogurt sauce .
What I love about this one is that it’s easy to make ahead, especially for larger get-togethers. I’ve even prepped the marinade a day in advance and really let the flavours meld.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Tandoori Mogo
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram mogo cassava
- 500 millilitres passata
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 green chillies chopped
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste combined
- 2 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon kasoori methi
- 3 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon oil
- coriander finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil mogo in salted water until just tender. (I used frozen cassava for ease). Cut into chips.
- In a pan, sauté the chopped onions until translucent and soft.
- In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala, chaat masala, black pepper, kasoori methi, salt, lemon juice and passata. Also add in the sautéed onions.
- Pour this tandoori marinade over the boiled cassava and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Alternatively, move to the next stage immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 170C / 340F or Gas Mark 3-4.
- Place the marinated mogo in a casserole dish or oven safe skillet. Cover with foil.
- If you are going to BBQ, divide into smaller portions and add to pockets of foil. Seal tightly.
- Bake covered in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil, turn up the heat to 200C / 390F or Gas Mark 6 and bake uncovered for an extra 10-15 minutes or until charring at the edges.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with extra lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Tandoori Mogo
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram mogo cassava
- 500 millilitres passata
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 green chillies chopped
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste combined
- 2 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon kasoori methi
- 3 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon oil
- coriander finely chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil mogo in salted water until just tender. (I used frozen cassava for ease). Cut into chips.
- In a pan, sauté the chopped onions until translucent and soft.
- In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala, chaat masala, black pepper, kasoori methi, salt, lemon juice and passata. Also add in the sautéed onions.
- Pour this tandoori marinade over the boiled cassava and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Alternatively, move to the next stage immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 170C / 340F or Gas Mark 3-4.
- Place the marinated mogo in a casserole dish or oven safe skillet. Cover with foil.
- If you are going to BBQ, divide into smaller portions and add to pockets of foil. Seal tightly.
- Bake covered in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil, turn up the heat to 200C / 390F or Gas Mark 6 and bake uncovered for an extra 10-15 minutes or until charring at the edges.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with extra lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Learn how to make perfectly crispy, puffed-up puris for pani puri with my tried-and-tested recipe and easy tips. Basically, the right amount of crunch without being so hard they hurt the roof of your mouth!
All that’s left is to load them up with the pani puri stuffing and water , and you’re all set for a crunchy, spicy explosion of flavour!
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in January 2012. I’ve added new images and helpful content, with some changes to the recipe that I’ve highlighted below.
Over time, I’ve refined the recipe to make it more beginner-friendly without loosing the signature crunch. (I bet you’re replaying that sound in your head right now).
My biggest change to the method – no more double frying. Initially, we thought that frying the puris twice gave them extra crunch. While it worked, it also added time and effort. Now, I’ve found that a well-kneaded dough and a good single fry are all you need for that same crispy texture.
Another small update – I now add a pinch of baking soda to the dough. This helps the puris puff up better while frying, making them light and airy without affecting the crunch.
You can use these for other chaat recipes too – Dahi Sev Puri is one of my favourites.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Semolina – use regular semolina, NOT the fine or coarse variety. The semolina we get in Britain is yellow in colour, whereas in India you can get white semolina. This affects the colour of my puri – making them look a little darker. This is totally normal.
Chapati atta – good old chapati flour here.
Baking soda – just a small pinch goes a long way. I always check my baking soda is in date before using
Oil – whilst I generally cook with olive oil, I like to deep fry in a lighter oil such as sunflower oil.
How to make them + Tips
Mix together the semolina, chapati flour and the baking soda. For me, a ratio of 1:0.5 semolina to chapati flour works best. I add the water bit by bit to form a stiff yet pliable dough, similar to puri . I always need to adjust how much water I add – every packet of semolina is a little bit different.
Place the kneaded dough to rest in an airtight container – it prevents moisture loss and the dough drying out. Rest for around 15-20 minutes.
Take the dough out and give it another quick knead. Section into equal sized pieces pieces and then in turn, section each piece into further small balls.
I’ve found that keeping the dough both 4 and 5 grams work best. This is especially helpful as you get a little variation in the sizes of the puri – smaller mouths need smaller puris!
Place the little dough balls back into the container and sprinkle over a small amount flour to coat them.
Now I sprinkle over a little flour on a working surface and roll out each ball into a round. Keep the container closed and only take out one ball at a time.
I’ve tested out the best thickness to roll out the puri. I suggest aiming for 1-2mm thickness.
You can see from this picture that the more thinly rolled out puri has puffed up a bit more than the thicker puri.
Wet a clean kitchen towel then wring it out until it’s just damp. Fold in half and place each rolled out puri under the wet kitchen towel.
You may want to test the thickness of your puri by frying a few first, before rolling out the rest.
Heat a generous amount of oil in a large kadai to give the puri enough space to rise. Heat the oil on medium high and maintain the heat at this temperature throughout cooking.
Drop a puri into the hot oil and gently press down on it to help it to puff up. Some of my puri puffed up by themselves. Turn them around a few times until golden brown brown all over.
Remove from the heat using a slotted spoon and take out into a large plate.
Out of the 40 + puri that I fried only 4 puris didn’t puff. Those were during the first few tests while I was figuring out the right oil temperature and dough thickness. Once that’s sorted, this recipe is super reliable. Proof below.
Storage Tips
As soon as the puri are cooled to room temperature, place in an airtight container until ready for use.
In all honesty, while you can store these for a few days longer, the crispiness will not be the same as the first day. Remember, these are homemade not shop bought which are often made with machines!
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Pani Puri Puri Recipe
Equipment
- 2 Air tight container
- 1 Kadai
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 2 Kitchen towel clean
Ingredients
- ½ cup semolina regular variety
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour chapati atta
- small pinch baking soda
- ¼ cup water at room temperature
- oil for deep frying
- 2 teaspoon whole wheat flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or wide plate add the semolina and whole wheat flour and pinch of baking soda.
- Mix it with your hands and add water little by little to knead the dough. This dough supposed to be like regular puri dough, a little stiff but pliable.
- Place the dough in an airtight container, close the lid and set a side for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the dough and knead it for a minute or so.
- Make a cylinder and cut into equal portions. Place the pieces back into the container.
- From one piece, make very small balls (roughly 5 gram each). Keep them in another airtight container with the lid closed.
- Once all the balls are made, sprinkle over a little flour and shake them in the container to coat well. Take out one ball at a time to roll.
- Roll out one ball on a flat surface using a rolling pin.
- Lay it on a damp towel, cover it using another towel. Make all the puris and keep covered.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai on medium heat.
- Add a couple of puris into hot oil, and very gently press the puri with a slotted spoon.
- They will puff up quite quick. Gently turn them a few times until golden all over.
- Repeat for all the remaining puri.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
