Jhal Muri
Spiced Puffed Rice
"Jhal Muri or masala muri recipe: Jhal muri is another street food/chaat made in Kolkata with good laal muri (puffed rice) with boiled potato, chopped fresh cucumber, tomatoes, green chillies, coconut, sprouted Bengal gram, boiled yellow peas, etc. All of this is seasoned with a special jhal muri moshla (spice mix), generous sprinkling of pungent mustard oil and black salt. Jhal muri sellers set up their shops outside schools, colleges, railway stations, parks—anywhere people need a light, affordable evening snack. Our favourite jhal muris are those served on trains during long journey by traveling vendors who board the train with their jhal muri setup serve jhal muri to hungry (or bored) passengers, and then get off the train at another station. They keep traveling back and forth on certain routes all day selling delicious jhal muri. Apparently there is this British man who came to Calcutta, fell in love with jhal muri and now he has set up a jhal muri stall in London that Londoners seem to love!"
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| Jhaal Moori |
Jhal muri is a tasty and very popular street food snack from Kolkata. This vegan snack is made with puffed rice and other tidbits like roasted peanuts, onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, spice powders, and herbs. In the Bengali language ‘jhal’ means spicy and ‘muri’ means puffed rice.
Like most street food snacks jhal muri also has a spicy, tangy taste (chatpata as we call in Hindi). A special ingredient that is added in jhalmuri is mustard oil. This lends a typical pungent flavor to this puffed rice snack – hints and hits of the flavor & aroma of mustard oil is felt when eating.
“Jhal muri has many flavors, textures, and taste. the spiciness and heat come from the green chilies. Puffed rice and peanuts add to a nice crunchiness and crispiness. Onions and cucumber also add some crunch. The tangy taste is from tomatoes and lemon juice. The spice powders add some aroma and depth, whereas the mustard oil takes this simple snack to a wholly new level.
Usually, muri masala is used to make jhalmuri. here I have added a blend of everyday Indian spice powders that are used in Indian cooking in the recipe. Even chana chur (a savory mixture like chiwda) is added. I have added sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) instead of chana chur in the recipe.”
YIELDS 4 Servings Preparation 40
1. First finely chop veggies like onion, tomato, boiled potato, ginger, lemon and green chilies. You will need ¼ cup finely chopped onions, ¼ cup,¼ cup finely chopped tomato, ½ cup chopped boiled potatoes, ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 to 2 green chilies, finely chopped. You can even mince the onions and ginger. Keep aside.
2. Heat a Kadai and keep flame to a low or medium-low. Add 2 cups of puffed rice (murmura).
3. Stirring often roasts till they become crisp and crunchy.
4. Stir often and roast for 2 to 3 minutes or more if required. Check a few puffed rice and they should be crunchy and not soft or chewy.
5. Switch off the flame and keep the pan down. Add the spice powders, ½ teaspoon black salt and ½ teaspoon salt. if the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then just roast them for some seconds or a minute. Keep the pan down and then add the spice powders.
6. Mix puffed rice with the spice powders. Let this puffed rice cool at room temperature before you begin with the next step.
7. Add ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chanachur, bhujia, soaked chola, soaked chola, boiled motor.
8. Next add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green chilies and ginger. at this step you can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coconut.
9. Quickly mix gently. Immediately drizzle 1 teaspoon mustard oil and aam er archer tel all over.
10. Next drizzle 1 teaspoon lemon juice all over.
11. Gently mix again.
12. Add sev. add chana chur (savory mixture like chiwda).
13. Add coriander leaves. Mix quickly. Check taste and add more salt, lemon juice or any of the spice powders if you want.
14. Serve jhal muri straight away.
EQUIPMENT USED
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