Bombay special Bhel Puri

Chaat items are always a winner in a party menu. Although the joy of eating it in a road-side chaat shop on the streets of Bombay is unbeatable and a different experience altogether, making it and having them with your family and friends at the comforts of your very home sofa set is not a bad idea at all.

One such item is the Bombay special Bhel Puri – it is a very ideal starter that can be served with chaai in a party or a get-together. It is super healthy, delicious and satisfies the taste buds of adults as well as kids. Even the hungry kids returning from school are going to love this.

Ingredients:

Papdi – 1 packet

Mini Pooris- 1 packet

Mur-muras – 2 cups

Plain sev – 2 cups

Roasted or fried peanuts – ½ cup

Onion -1 cup, finely chopped

Tomatoes – 1 cup, finely chopped

Carrot – 1 cup, grated

Potatoes – 1 cup, boiled and cut into cubes

Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup

Sweet Chutney – ½ cup

Green Chutney – ½ cup

Chaat Masala powder – 1tsp

Salt – to taste

To garnish:

Onion – ½ cup, finely chopped

Plain Sev - ½ cup

Fresh Coriander leaves – ½ cup, finely chopped

Chaat Masala powder – 1tsp

Method:

1. Combine Sweet Chutney and Green chutney in a bowl and keep it separately.

2. In a large wide bowl, crush the mini pooris and the papdis into one or two pieces. Now add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, grated carrots, boiled and diced potatoes, Pomegranate seeds, roasted peanuts and the mur-muras. Mix generous amount of sev. Add the mixture of sweet and green chutneys just enough to coat the bhel puri mixture. Add salt and chaat masala powder.

3. Serve in a plate and garnish with finely chopped onions, plain sev and fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle some chaat masala powder on top. Serve immediately.

For Green Chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Green Chillies - 2 nos

Jeera -a pinch

Amchur powder (or Raw Mango powder) - 1/2 tsp

Lemon - 1/2 medium size

Salt - to taste

Grind all the ingredients under this head except the lemon. Once made into a fine paste, transfer into a small bowl and squeeze some lemon juice into this. Keep it ready in a small bowl.

For Sweet Chutney:

Imli (or Tamarind) - A small lemon sized ball

Seedless Dates - 7-8 nos

Gur (or Jaggery) - 1 Small cup

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1/4th tsp

Salt - to taste

Stuffed Bread Pakoda

This dish entered our kitchen through my daughter who was fond of it

In a pressure cooker, put tamarind and dates and add a little bit of water just enough to soak them. Let it remain on low flame for 12-15 mins. Now add Jeera, red chilli powder and salt to taste. After a couple of mins., switch off the gas. Once it cools down, puree the mixture using a food processor and then strain it.

Tips:

1. The sweet and green chutney that needs to be added to the bhel puri should be of the same ratio. Refrigerate the excess chutney in an air-tight container for up to 30 days.  If you have added more chutney to the bhel puri mixture by mistake, you can adjust the same by adding some more papdis or mini pooris or mur-muras with or without vegetables mentioned above. However, it may not have a great taste. Hence, it is suggested that you add the chutney little by little, have a mix, check and add if needed.

2. Be cautious while adding salt as the chutneys already carry salt in them. So you will need to add only for the bhel puri mixture.

3. If you are making it for a party, you can keep the chutneys ready in a bowl and the other elements in different bowls and mix them only when you are serving or else it will become soggy.