BhelPuri

Life changes so much after having a baby. Its so amazing that someone so little can make you laugh with joy , get worried over the silliest things and teach you what patience is! Also someone so little can completely change the routines in a house :-)

These days its difficult to even make a cup of tea ready before Manish comes home from work in the evening, but yesterday my little one was so happy playing by himself in his swing, looking at own face on the mirror attached to the swing's mobile and smiling away , that I thought why not make some quick and easy snack that we could enjoy over tea. And thats when I thought of making BhelPuri which is an all time favorite chaat for Manish.

Now BhelPuri is a savoury Indian snack which is made using puffed rice , boiled potatoes, sev (a thin noodle  shaped fried snack made using chickpea flour) ,sweet and sour tamarind chutney , some green chutney made with corriander leaves and mint, spiced with some chaat masala and red chilli powder. You can also add onions or tomatoes , roasted peanuts for some crunch or even diced raw mango.
There are several ways to make BhelPuri but I made a simple one with whatever I had in the fridge, and it came out really well. Its best when eaten soon after making.

BhelPuri
Recipe Source : My own

You'll need
Bhel (puffed rice) - 2 cups
Boiled potato cut into small cubes - 1
1/2 cup Red Onion cut into small cubes ( 1small onion or 1/2 large onion)
1/2 cup Cucumber cut into small cubes (optional)
1 medium Tomato - deseeded and diced
Tamarind chutney - 2- 3 tbsp or as per taste
Sev - 1/2 cup
Corriander leaves - chopped handful (optional)
Chaat masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 pinch
Salt - to taste

Directions:
In a bowl mix together all the ingredients and check for seasoning. Serve immediately.

Suggestions: You can also add roasted peanuts , boiled chana (white chickpeas) , raw mango and also green chutney to your bhelpuri.

To make Tamarind chutney (Recipe source : ShowMeTheCurry )
Water - 2 cups
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Directions: 
1. Mix the tamarind paste with water and boil the mixture in a saucepan.
2. While boiling, add the jaggery, Red chiili powder, Garam masala, Cumin powder and salt.
3. Keep boiling until the chutney reduces to a thicker form and turn off the heat.

I like my BhelPuri less soggy and more crunchy so I added only enough tamarind chutney to bind the mixture. You can add more if you prefer the taste

Try it out, its a tasty, healthy and colorful snack that Ï'm sure you'll enjoy to bits!!!

- Manju