Bhel Puri: the Crunchy Sour Mix
Recipe Details
Make your evenings fun & delicious by feasting on a popular Asian Street food- Bhel Puri. This is particularly popular in India.
This crisp snack recipe combines an assortment of crunchy ingredients with juicy fresh veggies, fragrant spices, some chili heat, and three lip-smacking chutneys.
Each spoonful of this vibrant snack unfolds layers of flavor and yummy textures. As you munch on, you keep craving for more!
You should be able to buy most of the ingredients below at any Indian supermarket or even Amazon, which will cut out MAJOR PREP time, and then you can toss these dry ingredients with the fresh ingredients.
The recipe below serves 4-6 (depending on how hungry you are!)
What you’ll need
3-4 cups puffed rice (Muri or Murmure)
1 tsp mustard oil
5-6 papdi
5 tbsp fried peanuts
3½ tsp spice blend 1 tsp amchur - dried mango powder, 1 tsp chat masala, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp salt)
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 small-sized cucumber (peeled & chopped)
1 medium-sized potato (boiled, peeled, & cut into cubes)
1 green chili (minced)
½ cup fresh coriander leaves (chopped roughly)
1 tsp lemon juice
For Tamarind Chutney
2 tbsp tamarind (soaked in water)
¾ cup water
1-2 tbsp jaggery (substitutes for jaggery in a recipe the best options are rapadura, dark brown sugar, demerara, muscovado, or black sugar)
1 tbsp date paste
Salt to taste
For Coriander Chutney
½ cup fresh coriander sprigs (chopped roughly)
8-10 fresh mint leaves
1 green chili
Salt to taste
For Kashmiri Chili Chutney
6 Kashmir dried red chilies (soaked overnight in water, drained, & de-seeded)
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
Salt to taste
1 tsp peanut oil (optional)
INSTRUCtions
Prepare the 3 Chutneys
1. Tamarind Chutney
Rub the soaked tamarind and strain the pulp.
Transfer the tamarind pulp into a pot followed by ¾ cup water, jaggery, date paste, & salt.
Place the pot on the stove over a low flame, cover, and let it simmer for 10 minutes or more until the chutney reaches semi-thick consistency. Stir at regular intervals.
Remove into a bowl and let cool.
2. Coriander Chutney
Put the chopped coriander, mint leaves, green chili, & salt into the grinder. Drizzle some water and pulse until smooth.
3. Kashmiri Chili Chutney
Transfer the pre-soaked, drained & de-seeded Kashmiri red chilies into the grinder. Add the garlic, salt, & oil. Then, blend into a smooth paste and keep aside.
Make the Bhel Puri
Heat the mustard oil (1 tsp) in a wok over a medium flame.
Add the puffed rice and stir fry for a few minutes until crisp.
Stir continuously to save them from burning at the bottom.
Then, take out into a large mixing bowl.
(or you can microwave the puffed rice for 30 seconds.)
Add in the papdi, sev, fried peanuts, & spice blend into the bowl and mix together
Next, add the chopped tomato, onion, cucumber, boiled potato cubes, minced green chili, freshly chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice, 1 tbsp tamarind chutney, 1 tbsp coriander chutney, & 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili chutney. Toss well.
Finally, divide into small bowls and serve garnished with some extra drizzle of the 3 chutneys.