Bhel puri / Masala puri

Preparation time:

45 mins

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients for masala:

Dry green peas-1 cup

Potato-1 big

Onion-1 big

Tomato-1 big

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Ginger garlic paste-2 tablespoons

Turmeric-1 teaspoon

Garam masala-1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

To grind:

Coconut-1/4 scraped

Cooked peas-1 big ladle

Boiled Potato pieces(which was boiled along with peas)

Coriander seeds-2 tablespoons

Jeera-2 tablespoons

Cinnamon-1-inch piece

Cloves-2

Red chilli-8 Sauf-1 tablespoon

Seasonings:

Jeera-1 teaspoon

Peppercorns-1 teaspoon

Sauf-1 teaspoon

Bayleaves-1

Vegetables for bhel puri:

Onion-1 big

Tomato-1 big

Cucumber-1/2

Raw mango-1 medium

Cabbage-1 cup shredded

Carrot-1 big shredded

Coriander leaves-1/2 bunch washed and chopped

Other ingredients:

Readymade Puri-1 pack

Puffed rice-1 packet

Preparation:

The masala:

Soak the dry peas overnight

Wash, peel and cut the potato into 4 pieces Pressure cook the above with ginger garlic paste, salt and turmeric for four to five whistles until soft In a mixie jar, add coconut and other spices and grind into a smooth paste, then open the jar and add the cooked peas and potato pieces and blend it together and set aside

In a non-stick kadai pour oil and when it is warm and ready add the seasoning and when it splutters add finely chopped onion, tomato and curry leaves and fry till the tomatoes are mashy

Now pour in the grounded paste into this and allow it to cook for a few minutes

Then add the whole mixture into the cooker and add garam masala and check for salt and allow it to cook for 1 whistle

After opening your masala is ready for making bhel puri

Bhel puri:

Wash and finely chop the vegetables mentioned above 

In a big mixing bowl, add 1 cup of puffed rice, 5 to 8 smashed puris, 1 big ladle of all the chopped vegetables mixed together and 2 big ladles of masala which we had prepared earlier 

Mix it thoroughly and your bhel puri is ready to be enjoyed.

Masala puri:

In a serving bowl, place 5 to 6 puris and pop open their tops

Add a spoon of the vege mixture into each puri

Pour one ladle of masala in such a way that it tops all the puris

Sprinkle some oma podi for garnish Now your masala puri is ready to be served

Notes:

I make it very often because everyone in my family loves it and is a very healthy snack in which my kids are tricked into eating all the vegetables

You can make your own puris at home too instead of buying ready made ones

You can get "tasties-ready to fry papad" from big basket and fry them at home so that you can enjoy the satisfaction of preparing from scratch

In the forthcoming posts i will write about how to make fresh puris from dough at home itself...

If you have extra vegetables, don't worry you can serve it as a different snack for the next day along with boiled peanuts and a dash of chat masala. 

You only get this type of special bhel puri in coimbatore which is mixed with masala and has a unique taste.

To make kids like this dish, you can top it with few kurkure pieces as seasoning.

Try it out and let me know whether you liked this recipe in the comments below