Masala Puri

Masala Puri is a very popular Indian street food. People always prefer to eat this chaat either at the street vendor or at a restaurant. But I always like making it at home (as usual). I got this recipe from a very good friend of mine and have been making it for more than a year now. Posting this recipe was in my to-do list since a long time. It is not that difficult to make this chaat. Clicking the pictures was a challenge for me. Whenever I made either I would be too lazy to click the pictures or the final product would vanish within few minutes :-) This time I was very much determined to click a picture of each step.

This chaat is a favorite of ours and all the effort it takes in making it is worth at the end:-) You will realize it once you make it. So try it soon:-)

Ingredients:

For the Masala:

• Green Peas (dried)- 1 cup
• Onion, medium sized- 1
• Tomato, big sized- 1
• Potato, small sized- 1
• Red chilli powder- To taste
• Garam Masala- 1 tsp
• Oil- 2-3 tsp
• Salt- To taste

For Toppings:

• Papdi/ Puffed Chaat Puris- 18-20
• Onion, chopped- 1/3 cup
• Cilantro, chopped- 3-4 Tbsp
• Thin Sev- 1/2 cup
• Date- Tamarind Chutney- As required
• Green Chutney- As required (I didn't use)

Procedure:

To Make Masala:

Soak the green peas for 6-8 hours and then cook it in a pressure cooker, in enough water for three whistles (add salt before you close the lid of the cooker). I also cooked the whole potato (de skinned) along with the green peas.

Chop the onions and tomato.

Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.

Fry until it turns light brown. Then add chopped tomatoes.

Mix well. Sprinkle little salt and continue heating until the tomato becomes mushy.

Then turn off the heat and allow this mixture to cool. Then make a paste of this mixture without adding water.

Add this paste in the same pan and start heating it.

Heat it for 3-4 minutes, until it loses some moisture. Then add the cooked peas along with water (save a fistful of the cooked green peas).

Mix well. Let this mixture come to a boil. Meanwhile make a coarse paste of the saved cooked green peas. Also mash the cooked potato using your hand or using a fork. Now add the coarse paste of cooked green peas and mashed potatoes to the above mixture.

Mix well. Then add red chilli powder and garam masala. Check for salt at this point. If this mixture has boiled for a good time then turn off the heat. The final consistency of the masala should be medium thick (not too thick or watery). Now the masala is ready.

Next comes the assembling part:

Arrange the chopped onions and cilantro on a plate. Also put the sev (I used store bought one), date- tamarind chutney and green chutney in small bowls.

Now arrange the papdis on the plate as shown below. I used the store bought ones (if you are using puffed chaat puris, then crush them lightly using your hand).

Now put the prepared masala all over the papdis (or crushed puffed puris), as required.

Then add the date- tamarind chutney, green chutney, chopped onion, chopped cilantro and sev, one by one (amount of each item to be added is personal preference. Add accordingly).

Masala Puri is ready!!

Serve it immediately once assembled. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.