Bhel Puri

One of the popular Indian street food is bhel puri. It's a quick and easy to make dish with tangy, spicy and sweet elements to it. The main ingredient is puffed rice.

Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups puffed rice
• 1 large boiled potato, chopped in small cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/6 cup tamarind (reduce the quantity if it is concentrated)
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon green chillies
• 4 tbsp mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed powder (if not available, dry roast cumin seeds and blend in a fine powder)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup peanuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup sev
• 1/4 cup papadi, a crispy fried dough wafers (I couldn't find a link, optional)

Procedure

Adjust the below sauces according to your spicy, sweet and tangy flavour preference.

Spicy Green Sauce

• Blend mint, green chillies with 5 tbsp water.
• Add lemon juice and salt to it.

Sweet Tangy Sauce

• Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Using a strainer, squeeze out the juice from tamarind and keep the juice aside.
• If you are using concentrated tamarind paste, add 8 tbsp water to 2 tbsp tamarind paste. Keep the juice aside.
• Mix sugar well to the paste.

Final mixing

• In a bowl, add finely chopped onions, tomatoes and potatoes.
• Add red chilli powder, black salt, cumin seed powder and salt to taste.
• Add the prepared sauces to it.
• The following steps should be done, when you are ready to serve to ensure bhel puri is still crispy.
• Add the puffed rice to onion, tomatoes and potatoes mix. Give it a nice mix.
• Garnish with peanuts, sev, papadi.

Bhel Puri is ready to be served. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coarinder if available.