Jhal Muri

Jhal Muri is Bengali Street Food, which has numerous versions all across India.  Makes an excellent evening snack, or snack-on-while-you-watch-movie-at-home snack! Basically if you ask me, it's eat-anytime-you-are-hungry-snack.  We used to have a different version of this in Gujarat.  Here, I am presenting the Bengali / Kolkatta version.  I recently made it one day, and then.. made it four days in a row, even skipping dinner two of the days..shhhh.  It's-that-Yummy-humble-street-food!!

Recipe:

Puffed rice (muramurē / mamra ) - 3 Cups, dry roasted (see note*)

Sev (bengal gram noodles) - 3 tablespoons

Peanuts - 3 tablespoons, (roasted or fried)

Bengal gram - 2 tablespoons, soaked, fried (or can buy readymade)

Cucumber - 1/4 cup

Tomato - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Cilantro - 4-5 sprigs

Mustard oil - 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon.  

Tamarind chutney - 2-3 teaspoons (or more if you want it moist)

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

Chaat masala - 1/4 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon

Chili powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Black salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Note* - I used spiced, roasted puffed rice.  Basically, heat a teaspoon of oil, add asafetida, mustard seeds.  Let it splutter. Add puffed rice, roast it on medium heat.  Add a small pinch of turmeric powder, chili powder, salt to taste, saute' for a couple more minutes and then turn off the heat.   This process is not quite necessary. I used these 'coz that's what I had available.   You can even roast the puffed rice without any of the above added ingredients, in a microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, watching it closely.

• Chop cucumber, tomato into very small cubes. Finely chop onion, green chillies, and cilantro. Julienne ginger.  Keep it all aside
• Mix puffed rice, sev, peanuts.  Add the above chopped veggies (keeping some on side to garnish on top). 
• Add mustard oil.  Do-not-skip-mustard-oil (don't overdo either).  It has a fine, subtle taste.  But it is a must for making authentic bengali / Kolkatta Jhal muri. 
• Add tamarind chutney, lemon juice.  I like to keep a bit on the drier side, do I added very less tamarind chutney.  
• Sprinkle chaat masala garam masala, chili powder, salt, and black salt.
• Serve it in authentic paper cone.   

Savor every bite of it, and then be ready to make seconds!