Somesh Rao's Bhelpuri

1 box Rice Krispies
1 pkg. bhel mix or sev
2 cups mashed boiled potatoes, salted
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
3 tbsp. freshly roasted and ground cumin
Green chilies
2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
Tamarind
Jaggery (or brown sugar)
1 cup chopped onions

Directions:

First boil the potatoes, mash them, salt them and add pepper to taste. Add some coriander leaves. Roast the cumin and grind it.

Dissolve approximately 4 tbsp. of tamarind concentrate in 1 cup of hot water and let it simmer and thicken gradually. Dissolve the jaggery (or sugar) until the sauce becomes tart and slightly sweet. Add some salt and ground red paprika, if you want to. The sauce should be of a consistency slightly thinner than maple syrup.

Pour into a serving container (like a creamer). Mix the puffed rice and sev/bhel mix in a large bowl. On a plate, serve the rice-bhel mixture; add the potatoes, then the onions, chilies, and then dust the cumin powder over it. Next pour on the sauce and top with the coriander garnish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the ingredients on the plate and eat.

Comments from Kathleen Morrison :

*Thin deep-fried chickpea flour noodles.

This is a concoction that I often bought from street vendors in India. My mouth still waters whenever I think of bhel. The recipe presented here was taken off the net, and I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I include the note from the contributors:

"Warning: This recipe is directed at those who know what bhelpuri tastes like. Quantities mentioned are approximate; proportions are left to the reader's taste. Purists will have to go to an Indian grocery shop. Deviationists may use substitutes. The most important thing is to keep the puffed rice-sev mixture crisp by not adding the other ingredients to it until it is served. This should be done on the plate."

User Reviews:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been looking for this recipe ever since moving to Canada in 1995, when we started to suffer Indian cuisine withdrawals! It was our favourite appetiser in a restaurant in England.

Submitted by Ashlene on December 04, 2003

potatoes are not mashed but cubed

Submitted by x y on December 04, 2003

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