Bhel Puri; a tangy, sweet and spicy Indian Chaat that is addictive!
This street side recipe can easily be made at home in minutes. All you need is murmura, veggies and chutneys.
Bhel Puri is a popular street snack from Mumbai in India. It falls under chaats and is super easy to make and always delicious.
Almost every 2 or 3 streets there is a vendor selling chaats and bhel is always part of the menu. It is an instant snack that takes only 5 minutes to put together but gets soggy equally quickly.
The beaches of Mumbai have the best Bhel Puri. A lot of places across the country sell bhel puri as Mumbai Bhel Puri or Chowpatty Bhel.
The street side has become so popular that bhel is now often made for parties and most people from the city know how to put it together.
I have the fondest memories of having SUPER SPICY bhel from the chaat vendor right around the corner of my street. He would come with his cart at 4 p.m. and make all kinds of chaat recipes by the road.
He is SO popular that a lot of Bollywood stars frequent his location to enjoy chaat!
And now, I have all the ingredients permanently stocked in my pantry and the chutneys frozen away. It is SO easy to make bhel for any meal or snack.
About this Bhel Puri recipe
Bhel literally means 'a mix'. So the recipe translates to a mix of colorful, flavorful ingredients that are full of various textures.
The crunchy bits combine with the wet ingredients and chutneys to form a bite that is irresistible. The word puri refers to the papdi or fried puri that the bhel is served with.
The street vendors make this in a piece of rolled paper and serve it in it too. That way there are no extra plates required.
Traditionally the vendors do not hand out spoons with the bhel. It is enjoyed with a piece of puri as a spoon. And that is truly the best way to enjoy it too.
Plus, it is super easy to pick up bhel from the vendor and go on with walking or driving away. One does not have to return any spoons or plates to the vendor. And that makes it a truly take-away recipe.
This recipe is for Geela or 'wet' bhel as it has all the chutneys added in. The other recipe is that of sukha or 'dry' bhel. It has all the veggies and murmura with sev but no chutneys. This is enjoyed as a quick snack with chai in many households.
Why you will LOVE this Easy Bhel Puri Recipe
- It is super easy and quick to make. Especially if you have all the chutneys ready before hand.
- It can be made gluten-free by eliminating the papdi. It has flour and all the other ingredienst are gluten-free.
- This one is a quick tea time snack, appetizer or even a light meal. It is super versatile.
- Bhel is a perfect blend of sweet, spice and savory. Together all the elements add texture, taste and color to the recipe.
- Given that it is a chaat recipe, it is generally enjoyed by everyone and it is easy to customize it based on availability and preferences.
Video Recipe
Ingredients
Murmura/ Puffed Rice: The base of this recipe is murmura. Puffed rice flakes, these are available in various kinds like Kolhapuri, Basmati etc. Any of them work for the recipe.
I like to dry roast them with some turmeric and salt. This step is optional.
Veggies: We add finely diced vegetables in the recipe. Onion, tomatoes, raw mango (when in season), boiled potato and cilantro are often used.
Adding some cucumber or carrots is popular too.
Chutneys: Given that the recipe is for a chaat, we use a lot of chutney here. The sweet and sour dates tamarind chutney is the first one. I make it before hand and refrigerate. Here is how to make it.
I use Green cilantro chutney thinned out with some water. It is perfect to add spice to the recipe.
Last, garlic chutney is perfect to use for flavor. It can be made at home or bought. It adds some spice and a lot of garlic-y flavor to the bhel.
Papdi/ Puri: An essential part of bhel is enjoying it with a piece of puri. I also add some crushed Papdi in the bhel. Get them from the Indian stores or make them at home.
Sev: Thin sev i.e. Nylon sev or bhel sev is perfect for the recipe. It is fine and blends well with the ingredients.
Crunch elements: Salted peanuts, roasted spicy chana dal, poha chivda, corn flakes chivda etc are great for some crunch.
Chaat Masala: Bhel with some added chaat masala is amazing. The masala is a perfect blend of spices and salt to make it tasty.
Apart from these, some lime juice, cilantro, pomegranate arils can also be added. They add texture, color and taste to the bhel.
Step by Step Instructions to make Bhel Puri
Preparation required
1- Prepare the spicy green chutney, garlic chutney and tamarind dates chutney before hand. Keep them refrigerated.
Here are the recipes to make the chutneys:
2- Boil and peel the potatoes. Chop them into small pieces.
3- Chop red onion, tomatoes and raw mango to fine cubes. Cut the cilantro. Keep them ready.
4- Dry roast the murmura with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.
To make the Bhel
5- In a large bowl add the roasted murmura.
6- Add diced onions, tomatoes and raw mango.
7- Next add chaat masala, masala chana dal and broken papdi. Mix well.
8- Add the three chutneys, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. Taste and adjust as required.
9- Add sev and give it a mix till it is all coated well.
10- Serve in bowls topped with cilantro, some more sev and some papdi on the side.
More chaat recipes
Looking for more chaat recipes? These are perfect for any day!
Tips and Notes
- Enjoy the bhel within minutes of making it. It tends to get soggy very quickly.
- Skip the potatoes, onions and garlic chutney to make the bhel jain. The other ingredients are perfect for jain cuisine.
- To make the bhel gluten-free skip the papdi. The other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- Ensure the chutneys are not very runny. This will result in a super soggy bhel. They have to be of dropping consistency.
- Keep the chutneys ready and murmura roasted. That way the recipe comes together in under 5 minutes.
Mumbai Bhel Puri
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup Murmura Dry roasted
- 1 large Red Onion
- 1 large Tomato
- ½ medium Raw Mango
- 2 medium Potatoes
- ½ cup Masala Chana Dal
- 1 cup Thin Sev
- 8-10 Papdi
- ¾ cup Dates tamarind Chutney
- ½ cup Spicy Cilantro Chutney
- ½ cup Spicy Garlic Chutney
- 1 Lime
- ½ teaspoon Chaat Masala
- ¼ cup Cilantro
Instructions
Preparation required
- Prepare the spicy green chutney, garlic chutney and tamarind dates chutney before hand. Keep them refrigerated.
- Boil and peel the potatoes. Chop them into small pieces.
- Chop red onion, tomatoes and raw mango to fine cubes. Cut the cilantro. Keep them ready.
- Dry roast the murmura with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.
To make the Bhel
- In a large bowl add the roasted murmura.
- Add diced onions, tomatoes and raw mango.
- Next add chaat masala, masala chana dal and broken papdi. Mix well.
- Add the three chutneys, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. Taste and adjust as required.
- Add sev and give it a mix till it is all coated well.
- Serve in bowls topped with cilantro, some more sev and some papdi on the side.
Video
Notes
- Enjoy the bhel within minutes of making it. It tends to get soggy very quickly.
- Skip the potatoes, onions and garlic chutney to make the bhel jain. The other ingredients are perfect for jain cuisine.
- To make the bhel gluten-free skip the papdi. The other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- Ensure the chutneys are not very runny. This will result in a super soggy bhel. They have to be of dropping consistency.
- Keep the chutneys ready and murmura roasted. That way the recipe comes together in under 5 minutes.
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