masala puri

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.