Another yummy, appetizing chaat from Indian streets… One of the vivid memory I have of eating chaats in India is this one! I have a very good friend who is living in Chennai, India. She loves street chaats and knew every street vendor in our neighborhood. Besides her boyfriend, I was her best companion for eating these, as I enjoyed having them too! Rain or shine, we had these chaats every week and relished it to the fullest.
This is one among the few that I miss here. Though, I find many chat corners… none of them taste like the one we get in India. So I thought I would make it myself.. After researching and trying different masala puri recipe versions, I fell in love with this particular recipe. I felt this recipe is the best of all that I have tried and have been making at home every single time I think of eating “one plate of masala puri” :).
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry green peas, soaked overnight and pressure cooked with little salt (do not use frozen peas, the taste will vary)
1/4 cup toro dal (yellow pegion peas) cooked till soft with a pinch of turmeric
carrot-1, grated
onion-1, finely chopped
Puris – used store-bought (pani puris)
Sev- 1 cup (o size, store bought)
Coriander (Cilantro) leaves- 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Shredded coconut-1 tbsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt
Dry Spices :
cloves-3
cinnamon- 1 inch
coriander seeds- 1 tsp
cumin seeds- 1 tsp
peppercorns- 1 tsp
Nutmeg- a small piece
Method:
Dry roast all the spices until light golden brown, then add coconut and fry for a minute and keep it aside.
Grind the spices with coconut, red chill powder and 1/4 cup of water to a smooth paste. Add the toor dal and grind again for a minute.
Take the ground paste in a heatproof pan and add half cup of water to liquefy it. Add salt, sugar and cook for a 5-6 minutes. Add the cooked peas and allow the mixture to blend well. Add more salt if needed. The gravy should not be too thick or too thin.
Crush 4-5 puris on the serving plate.
Spread about 1-2 ladle full of gravy.
Top it up with some grated carrot.
Then add chopped onions
and a layer of sev.
and finally with some cilantro! Serve immediately. (Add the topping according to your taste)