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Bhel puri
भेळ पुरी (bhel puri): Mumbai's beach-side tangle of puffed rice, sev, potato and two chutneys
On Girgaum and Juhu Chowpatty the bhelwalas set up as the sun drops into the Arabian Sea, and bhel puri is what Mumbai eats while it walks along the sand. Puffed rice, crushed flat puris and boiled potato are tossed in a steel bowl with sweet tamarind and fiery green chutneys, then buried under fine sev and handed over in a folded paper cone with a puri for a spoon. It is crunchy, sweet, sour and hot all at once, and it has to be eaten within minutes. Chef's tip: lay out every component before you start, because the mixing takes thirty seconds and the crunch only lasts about five minutes.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz puffed rice (murmura)
- 12 flat puris (papdi)8 crushed, 4 left whole to scoop
- 7 oz potatoboiled, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 1 red onionfinely chopped
- 1 tomatoseeded and finely chopped
- 1 green chillifinely chopped
- 4 tbsp sweet tamarind-date chutney
- 3 tbsp green coriander-mint chutney
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ limejuiced
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
- 2 tbsp raw green mango (optional)finely diced
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: If 3 ½ oz puffed rice (murmura) has gone soft, toast it in a dry wide pan over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until it squeaks and snaps. Tip into your largest bowl and leave to cool.
3 minStep 2: In a second bowl mix 7 oz potato, 1 red onion, 1 tomato and 1 green chilli with 1 tsp chaat masala and ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder.
2 minStep 3: Spoon 4 tbsp sweet tamarind-date chutney and 3 tbsp green coriander-mint chutney over the potato mix and stir. Taste: it should be loud, sweet-sour and hot, as the puffed rice will soften the flavour.
Step 4: Only now tip the potato mixture onto the puffed rice, add the crushed 12 flat puris (papdi), half the 2 ⅛ oz fine sev (gram-flour noodles) and the 2 tbsp raw green mango and 2 tbsp roasted peanuts if using, and toss quickly with two spoons for about 30 seconds until everything is coated. Common mistake: mixing ahead of time; within ten minutes the puffed rice turns to chewy paste.
1 minStep 5: Pile into bowls or paper cones, squeeze over ½ lime, shower with the rest of the sev and ½ oz fresh coriander, and push a whole puri into each to use as a scoop. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bhel puri take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of puffed rice (murmura)?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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