Bhel Puri Chaat is a popular Indian street-style snack made using puffed rice as its base ingredient. This tangy, spicy and very slightly sweet chaat can be made in just 10 minutes if you have the ingredients ready. Here is my easy recipe to make at home (vegan, low-cal).
For Cilantro Mint Chutney (or use 3 teaspoon store-bought)
2cupscilantro (coriander)tightly packed
1cupminttightly packed
3-4green chilieschopped
½inchpiece of gingerchopped
3-4garlic clovespeeled
¼ teaspoonasafetida
½teaspooncumin seeds
½teaspoonsalt
3tablespoonslime juice
2ice cubes
For Tamarind Chutney (or use 3 teaspoon store bought)
½cuptamarind paste
2cupswater
1cupcrushed jaggery
2teaspoonsgrated ginger
1teaspoonroasted cumin powder
1teaspoonred chili powder
1teaspoonfennel powder
½teaspoonasafetida
1teaspoonblack salt
1teaspoonregular white salt
Others
½cupchopped onions
½cupchopped tomatoes
1teaspoonchopped green chilies
3tablespoonschopped cilantro (coriander)
½cupboiled and cubed potatoes¼-inch cubes
½teaspoonsaltor to taste
½teaspoonKashmiri red chili powder
1teaspoonchaat masala spice mix
2cupspuffed rice
1tablespoonlime juice
¼cupfine sev
Instructions
Make Cilantro Mint Chutney
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Make Tamarind Chutney
Add tamarind paste and water to a saucepan and mix well
Add jaggery, ginger, cumin powder, red chili powder, fennel powder, asafetida, black salt, and regular salt to the pan and mix well.
Cook the mixture on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.
Add raisins and cook the chutney for another 15–20 minutes. Keep stirring very frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the chutney.
Make Bhelpuri
In a large bowl, mix together 3 teaspoon coriander mint chutney, 3 teaspoon tamarind chutney, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, coriander leaves, potatoes, salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, and chaat masala powder.
Add puffed rice and lime juice to the bowl and mix the contents of the bowl together.
Transfer immediately in shallow bowls and garnish with fine sev. Serve immediately.
To make a dry version of bhel puri, just skip adding the chutneys to the recipe. You can add some crumbled papdi, roasted peanuts, and masala chana to it too. You can add some grated cheddar cheese on top of it too.Serve it as soon as you make it otherwise it will turn soft and soggy which won’t taste great.Prep is important! Keep all the ingredients ready before assembling the bhel puri.To keep the bhelpuri crisp for a little longer, you can dry roast the puffed rice a little bit and then cool it down completely.Mix the wet ingredients with dry ingredients only when ready to serve.The chutneys and other ingredients can be at room temperature or chilled.You can also make variations and add veggies such as grated carrot, grated beetroot, chopped cucumber, etc.Adjust the chutneys and spice powders as per your personal preferences.This is a great snack to carry for your picnics. Just pack each ingredient separately in small boxes. Once you are ready to serve, just mix everything together in a large mixing bowl and serve immediately.This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.