TDG: Bhel Poori

[Fat Guy]

Bhel Poori is here.

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[anil]

Suvir, chaccha-amba (chopped green unripe mango) is essential to bhelpuri.

[Monica Bhide]

Nice article Suvir. Happy New year!

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir,  chaccha-amba (chopped green unripe mango) is essential to bhelpuri.

I would not say essential, but certainly amazing in it.

I remember being able to get it for a short period of time each year. And that was in Bombay. It was amazing. We have discussed that in the Bhel thread here.

I love what green mangoes can do to most Chaat.

I add it in NYC when I can find them. But green mangoes here can be very sad.

[Fat Guy]

I notice green mango is suggested in your recipe for green chutney, which goes into the bhel poori. Would you suggest additional green mango as well, assuming a good green mango can be found on green-mango-impoverished shores?

Also, what is "sev" or "sevpuri"? I came across the word when searching for bhel mix online. Are they one and the same?

[Suvir Saran]

I notice green mango is suggested in your recipe for green chutney, which goes into the bhel poori. Would you suggest additional green mango as well, assuming a good green mango can be found on green-mango-impoverished shores?

Also, what is "sev" or "sevpuri"? I came across the word when searching for bhel mix online. Are they one and the same?

I add green mangoes into the chutney and then some very finely minced green mango flesh can be used as a garnish. Magical.

Sev is the name for the very fine chickpea flour noodles you get mixed in with the rice puffs in the Bhel Mix.

These can be found in Indian stores sold as Sev or as Thin Sev. We make these noodles in many different sizes and thicknesses. For Bhel you need the finest and thinnest.

I like to keep a bag handy so I can garnish the bhel with some extra sev. This ensures that the Bhel has some fun dry and crunchy stuff to contrast with the more wet crunchy stuff. Bhel is a great way of learning how textures can be just as pleasurable on the palate as taste.

Sev Puri is another chaat (street food) dish altogether. Using many of the same ingredients.

[CathyL]

Nice article, Suvir. And another must-try recipe! This was one of my favorite dishes at the Diwan dinner.

[mamster]

Suvir, your lyrical chops make you the Saran rapper of our time.

Question: I seem to remember that when I was in London, if an Indian restaurant had "bhelpuri" or "bhelpoori" in the name it meant that it was vegetarian. Do I have this right, and if so, what's the connection with the dish if any?

[anil]

.....

Question:  I seem to remember that when I was in London, if an Indian restaurant had "bhelpuri" or "bhelpoori" in the name it meant that it was vegetarian.  Do I have this right, and if so, what's the connection with the dish if any?

Not necessarily. If the place is called Bhelpuri House in LON, probably the owner(s) are native Gujurati speakers, if so, they tend to be vegetarians. A Bhelpuri House in JuhuBeach, Mumbai, India also would probably have someone from UP or Bihar running it, and good possiblity of them being vegetarian.

Edited January 1, 2003 by anil (log)

[Blondie]

This was one of my favorite dishes at the Diwan dinner.

Me too, but I'm at least 50 miles away from bhel mix until Friday

I just made the tamarind chutney and it is outstanding For now I'm just having it with some pappadums (nuked for 30 seconds) and cilantro chutney from Hampton. How long will it keep in the fridge?

Edited January 1, 2003 by Blondie (log)

[Suvir Saran]

This was one of my favorite dishes at the Diwan dinner.

Me too, but I'm at least 50 miles away from bhel mix until Friday

I just made the tamarind chutney and it is outstanding For now I'm just having it with some pappadums (nuked for 30 seconds) and cilantro chutney from Hampton. How long will it keep in the fridge?

It should keep a week Blondie.

And maybe you can get Bhel Mix at an Indian grocer online.

www.namaste.com is one such source. Try them out.

Or when you are in NYC, buy Bhel Mix and Thin Sev. They keep for a long time in air tight containers. And with the chutneys you have, will make better Bhel Puri than what you ate at Diwan.

It is really easy to make. I promise you that.

[Blondie]

Or when you are in NYC, buy Bhel Mix and Thin Sev.  They keep for a long time in air tight containers.  And with the chutneys you have, will make better Bhel Puri than what you ate at Diwan.

If it's half as good as Diwan's I'll be ecstatic.

I used your garam masala recipe as well since I had none. Normally I would have bought a commercial blend, but I was glad to have made it myself. Very simple and smells so great. I'll stock up on the rest this weekend

[Suvir Saran]

If it's half as good as Diwan's I'll be ecstatic.

I used your garam masala recipe as well since I had none. Normally I would have bought a commercial blend, but I was glad to have made it myself. Very simple and smells so great. I'll stock up on the rest this weekend

It will be much better. I promise you that.

Make the cilantro chutney from the recipe given with the article. It will ensure you do everything the right way.

You can also buy the Cilantro Chutney and Tamarind Date Chutney at Indian stores. They work just fine.

Unfortunately Hamptons green chutney is good but not what you need for Bhel Puri. I am sure it can work in a pinch.. but if you have the option.. Make your own, or use the Indian store one.

What are you using the garam masala for? Glad to know you have liked it.

[Blondie]

It will be much better. I promise you that.

Make the cilantro chutney from the recipe given with the article.  It will ensure you do everything the right way.

You can also buy the Cilantro Chutney and Tamarind Date Chutney at Indian stores.  They work just fine.  

Unfortunately Hamptons green chutney is good but not what you need for Bhel Puri. I am sure it can work in a pinch.. but if you have the option.. Make your own, or use the Indian store one.

I will definitely make my own but perhaps I'll pick up a jar for emergencies. I know what you mean about the Hampton cilantro chutney. It's quite good, but it tastes more like coconut than cilantro. How far in advance can your green chutney be made?

Once I get stocked up, what else can I make with the Bhel Mix and Thin Sev?

[Suvir Saran]

It will be much better. I promise you that.

Make the cilantro chutney from the recipe given with the article.  It will ensure you do everything the right way.

You can also buy the Cilantro Chutney and Tamarind Date Chutney at Indian stores.  They work just fine.  

Unfortunately Hamptons green chutney is good but not what you need for Bhel Puri. I am sure it can work in a pinch.. but if you have the option.. Make your own, or use the Indian store one.

I will definitely make my own but perhaps I'll pick up a jar for emergencies. I know what you mean about the Hampton cilantro chutney. It's quite good, but it tastes more like coconut than cilantro. How far in advance can your green chutney be made?

Once I get stocked up, what else can I make with the Bhel Mix and Thin Sev?

You can snack on Bhel Mix as you would on Party Trail Mix.

Thin Sev can be used as a garnish on Indian Chickpeas or Ragda (white peas) or even eaten by itself as you would nuts.

The chutney can be made upto a week in advance. You can even freeze it, that will keep it fresh longer.

And, to tell you the truth, I always keep bottles of the Tamarind Chutney and Cilantro Chutney in the refrigerator for times when I need it in an emergency.

[tommy]

ellen did a *fanstastic* job with that photo. i assumed it was from a magazine until today.

suvir, assuming i'm too lazy to make my own chutneys, and if you're comfortable, could you recommend a brand? or are they all pretty much the same. i'm planning visiting that indian store down on lex and 28th soon.

[Suvir Saran]

ellen did a *fanstastic* job with that photo.  i assumed it was from a magazine until today. 

suvir, assuming i'm too lazy to make my own chutneys, and if you're comfortable, could you recommend a brand?  or are they all pretty much the same.  i'm planning visiting that indian store down on lex and 28th soon.

Swad (good for cilantro and mint chutneys) is a good brand... and also Deep (for tamarind-date chutney).

But they are all good.

On Lexington Ave, I like going to Foods Of India. They are the store south of Kalutsyans.

Let us know what happens...

And yes Ellen is a professioanl photographer, and soon becoming a great name in food photography. Her photographs are brilliant.

[A Scottish Chef]

Let us know what happens...

Suvir, I bought a Bhelpuri mix in Glasgow to have a go at your recipe. The man in the store assured me all I needed was in the pack. Well, now I have opened it I not it has no chutney inside at all. It does have a packet of dried herbs/spices that it advises I soak for five minutes before adding to the rice mixture along with chopped coriander, onion, potato and green chillies.

Should I wait until I can make or buy the chutney's you suggest or would you know if this would still provide a good result? The brand is Haldiram's and is made in New Delhi. Curiously, they are a member of the Snack Food Association of Virginia? Someone shrank the world when I wasn't looking

P.S. Bhel Poori or Bhelpuri? Are these spelling variations simply a regional difference due to India's vastness?

Edited January 11, 2003 by A Scottish Chef (log)

[Suvir Saran]

Let us know what happens...

Suvir, I bought a Bhelpuri mix in Glasgow to have a go at your recipe. The man in the store assured me all I needed was in the pack. Well, now I have opened it I not it has no chutney inside at all. It does have a packet of dried herbs/spices that it advises I soak for five minutes before adding to the rice mixture along with chopped coriander, onion, potato and green chillies.

Should I wait until I can make or buy the chutney's you suggest or would you know if this would still provide a good result? The brand is Haldiram's and is made in New Delhi. Curiously, they are a member of the Snack Food Association of Virginia? Someone shrank the world when I wasn't looking

P.S. Bhel Poori or Bhelpuri? Are these spelling variations simply a regional difference due to India's vastness?

You can go ahead and follow the instructions in the package and make it as they say.

I ate this at a cousins house. It was quite passable, in fact I ate lots of it.

Next time you go shopping, you can also buy some tamarind date chutney and some coriander or mint chutney. Mix these into the bhel mix and see what you think. The taste will be just slightly different and fresher.

I am not quite the snob about foods like these. Whatever is convenient and will ensure you to make it at home, is what you ought to go with. Does that make sense?

Bhel Puri is how it is called. It is two words since it is written as such by vendors in Bombay where the recipe comes from. But either of the two ways is acceptable. It does vary not only from region to region, but also from block to block. Most people that buy this dish from street side vendors are ill-literate and so it hardly matters to the vendor what has been written on his stand. IN fact the vendors are often ill-literate as well. Sad but true. And things are changing...

Let us know how the Bhel experience goes for you.

[A Scottish Chef]

I am not quite the snob about foods like these.  Whatever is convenient and will ensure you to make it at home, is what you ought to go with.  Does that make sense?

Perfect sense. The result is what matters.

[anil]

........ The brand is Haldiram's and is made in New Delhi. Curiously, they are a member of the Snack Food Association of Virginia? Someone shrank the world when I wasn't looking  

Haldiram's has a mega-store-restaurant-manufacturing operation outside Delhi - more like near the Airport towards the 'burbs. Membership quazi-lobbying entities is now a days mandatory - I figure Snack Food Assoc. is as good as a few hundred other entities in DC area

Edited January 12, 2003 by anil (log)

[Kim WB]

Suvir, I think its great that you are so accepting of alternative mixes, jarred chutneys, canned beans, etc. YOu are one of the few professional chefs who understands the time constraints and abilities of the home chef. My first Indian dishes were with pre mixed garam masala, chutney's, etc...and those moderate successes made me want to try more. ( I always used the wrong pan, too! ) I commend you for this approach: you welocome people to the cuisine in whatever way they can try it, and then, lead them to a level where they desire to put more effort and homemade care into each dish. Thanks.

[tommy]

ok, so i went to the indian grocery, and like a dodo, i forgot the asafetida. and i have no idea what it is. any thoughts on leaving this one out?

also, as far as garam masala goes, what's the deal? i found preground stuff at the grocer. i also found a package with all of the ingredients, that i suppose are in the right proportions. also, the regular ol' Kings grocery store has this stuff as well, with what appears to be a reasonable mix of spices.

so, should i use the preground stuff that i bought at the indian joint?

[tommy]

i'm going to put this thing in a mold to get that perdy round shape. i'm hoping it doesn't stick to the mold. thoughts?

[Jason Perlow]

ok, so i went to the indian grocery, and like a dodo, i forgot the asafetida.  and i have no idea what it is.  any thoughts on leaving this one out?

Its a powder that comes in a small baby-powder or talcum-like container with a VERY strong funky odor. You are only supposed to use a very small amount of it, like a salt shake for a whole big batch of the bhel.

I suppose you could leave it out. We got plenty if you want to come over and borrow some.