Making bhel puri

[Fat Guy]

I've eaten enough bhel puri to feed a village, but I haven't prepared it in something like seven years and even then I did so under close supervision. Now I find myself needing to make it for a party. Can we get a bhel puri crash course here?

[MikeHartnett]

Mmmm... I'd love to hear about this. Love bhel puri.

[jaynesb]

I learned how to make it from Suvir Saran's version here on eGullet (and many years ago.)

I can't find the article that I saved but it was titled "Saran Rap: Bhel Poori", dated Tuesday December 31, 2002 and was a short article followed by a recipe.

your reference to Suvir's piece about Bhel Poori . It looks like the link got lost when we migrated though.....

I'd say that making it for a party will be a different challenge because of how quickly everything can get soggy.

Jayne

[LindaK]

Here's an eG recipe from 2002, maybe this is the one you mean: Bhel Puri

[Venita]

You may want to see this video for bhel puri...

I couldn't post more than one youtube link at a time...

Chutney recipes in youtube can be found with

"Chaat Sweet tamarind Chutney vahchef"

"Chat green chutney vahchef"

Edited June 14, 2011 by Venita (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Here's a version I did a while ago. It's not authentic though, if you're into that kind of thing.

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large firm tomato, diced

1 small onion, peeled and cut into small dice

1/4 cup golden raisins

juice of half a lime

1/2 cup puffed rice and sev snack mix — (1)

handful of mint, chopped

handful of cilantro, chopped

pinch of kosher salt

Bring a pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, then shock immediately in ice water. Drain thoroughly and put potatoes in a large bowl.

Add the tomato, onion, puffed rice snack mix, raisins and lime juice. Stir thoroughly. Taste for salt if necessary (you shouldn’t need much), sprinkle with mint and cilantro and serve at once.

The pic doesn't show it but there's a little mint chutney in there as well.

I recommend adding the sev at the last minute. Maybe passing it out in individual ramekins or containers for people to add to their taste? That'd side-step the sogginess.

[Jenni]

^^

I hope you do not mind me saying, but that is nothing like any bhel puri I have ever had! Sorry, that sounds harsh, I am sure it is still delicious.

Bhel puri is one of those things that always seems to taste better when made by a street vendor. Restaurants do it badly for some reason, though YMMV. Also, it's made quite badly all over India, and well in it's natural home of Mumbai (and also Pune, and I'm sure in other nearby places in Maharashtra). Key thing: make it fresh!!! Don't make it and then go and make yourself a drink, comb your hair, file your tax return, etc. It must be eaten ASAP.

That said, I have never made it seriously at home (only vague varients). As I said, the vendors must have some secret magical ingredient that makes it better - it's a popular theory that the grime and poor hygeine of street food somehow makes it better!

Edited June 14, 2011 by Jenni (log)

[cteavin]

Personally, I don't like it when it's even a little moist, so I like adding a bit of citric acid for the sour in place of lime -- yum! Oh, and I love it when the puffed rice if fresh out of the fat with some fried curry leaves mixed in and the boondie and the . . . . (sigh) I need to make some this weekend.

I'd love to hear what peoples favorite ingredients are in theirs.

[SobaAddict70]

^^

I hope you do not mind me saying, but that is nothing like any bhel puri I have ever had! Sorry, that sounds harsh, I am sure it is still delicious.

Bhel puri is one of those things that always seems to taste better when made by a street vendor. Restaurants do it badly for some reason, though YMMV. Also, it's made quite badly all over India, and well in it's natural home of Mumbai (and also Pune, and I'm sure in other nearby places in Maharashtra). Key thing: make it fresh!!! Don't make it and then go and make yourself a drink, comb your hair, file your tax return, etc. It must be eaten ASAP.

That said, I have never made it seriously at home (only vague varients). As I said, the vendors must have some secret magical ingredient that makes it better - it's a popular theory that the grime and poor hygeine of street food somehow makes it better!

I don't mind, that's why I said it's not authentic. It works for me though.

[jaynesb]

Thanks for tracking down the recipe. After that forum post, Suvir Saran produced a nice piece for the Daily Gullet with that recipe as well as recipes for the chutneys. (The article was accompanied by Ellen R. Shapiro's photo of a bhel poori garnished with grape tomatoes and cilantro.)

Jayne

[DanM]

There is an Indian market in West Hartford, CT that makes a killer Bhel Puri at the deli counter. I hate to ask, but would Rice Crispies work for the puffed rice?

[Jenni]

Can you get unsweetened rice crispies? That would work. Indian puffed rice grains look longer than the kind of puffed rice often found in the West, but otherwise basically no different. The only problem might be if the rice crispies products have sweetener and flavourings added. I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that there is a Kallo brand puffed brown rice with nothing added that I used to be able to get in the UK and I liked to use that because it was just a little bit healthier than white puffed rice.

By the way everyone in this thread has focused on bhel puri which is a particular kind of puffed rice snack from a certain region of India. But actually there are lots of different puffed rice snacks. I just think that sometimes people think that bhel puri refers to ALL of these things, and therefore they call everything with puffed rice in it bhel puri, which is infuriating.

Anyway, one that people should really try is jhal moori/muri. The name literally means spicy-hot puffed rice and it orginates in West Bengal. The key thing about this dish is that some raw mustard oil is mixed with everything to bring it together. This adds a bit of punch and is really delicious. There are many variations but a vague combination might be:

*Puffed rice (this is the "moori")

*Boiled potato, chopped

*Chopped raw onion

*Minced green chillies

*Roasted peanuts

*Sev

*Fresh coriander, chopped

*Masala - some kind of mixture of roasted cumin, chilli powder and chaat masala seems common but it varies between who is making it. The simplest would be a bit of roasted cumin and maybe some kala namak.

*Salt

*Lemon juice

*Mustard oil

*Some thin slices of fresh coconut to put on top

You don't need a lot of the two wet ingredients. It all has to be tossed together at the very last minute and served quickly. Other add ins may include chopped cucumber, sprouted beans, bits of crunched up papri, tomato, etc. but I tend to think of the above combination I have given as being simple and good and I like it a lot.

By the way one of my favourite places to have this is on trains. The vendor comes around and he will likely be able to make a wide number of puffed rice based snacks as you desire, but jhal moori is a firm favourite of mine. He tosses it all together and gives it to you in a paper cone (this is how you get served the snack basically everywhere) and you can then while away your time blissfully munching and stop thinking about how many hours late your train is! On my list trip through West Bengal I got a cone of this as soon as we crossed the state border, along with a steaming cup of kulhar chai. Small pleasures. but so good.