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Pani Puri Recipe| Golgappa Recipe | Puchka Recipe [Video]

Pani Puri recipe with step by step Video instructions. The KING of Indian Street food - Pani Puri or Golgappa or Puchka. Crispy fried dough balls stuffed with a potato pea mash, sweet tamarind chutney and a chilled spicy coriander-mint water.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

How to make pani puri recipe, how to make puchka recipe, how to make golgappa recipe, pani puri ka pani recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

What kind of a place would the world be if there was no street food? Boring???

I think Street Food talks a lot more than Restaurant food. Street food is like the soul of the place. You learn so much more about the culture and people just by looking at the street food being sold. While restaurant food is usually mellowed down and modified to suit the palate of the customers it serves, street food is bold and original. If you haven't eaten street food, you probably haven't tasted the city yet.

India wouldn't be India if it were not for its "Chaat". Chaat refers to a variety of savory sweet tangy food sold on the roadsides from either small stalls or little food carts. And according to me, the most popular Chaat has always been - Pani Puri, also known as Golgappa in the North and Puchka towards the East. Names may vary, but the love for this dish does not. You can find Pani Puri being sold in every nook and corner of any city in India. But each one has their own favorite stall that they are extremely loyal to. Our favorite, is the Bihari guy outside a supermarket in Jayanagar 4th Block. He makes the crispest puri there is. I have never made my own Puris, that is an experiment for some other day. Buying is a lot easier.

Puris are crispy hollow balls made of deep fried dough. These balls are gently tapped with fingers to make a hole on one side. Then comes the stuffing, the stuffing varies according to the region you are in. It can be a potato mash, potato-green pea mash, sprouts, black chana, chickpeas etc. A little bit of this stuffed is stuffed into the puri. Then comes the celebration - the Pani or water. The Pani awakens every teeny weeny taste bud in your mouth. It is sour, it is spicy, it is salty. Made of mint, coriander, tamarind, chillies and spices, it is a flavor bomb. One of the essential ingredients for making the perfect pani is Black Salt or Kala Namak. A funky smelling salt that has its origin in the Himalayas. The pani is stirred before dipping the puri in it to fill up the puri with this wonderful Pani. Now if you want, you can add jaggery or sugar to the Pani to make it slightly sweet, or you can make the Date Tamarind Chutney like it is traditionally done and spoon in a little of it along with the Pani to get a slightly sweet Pani Puri. Keeping the sweet chutney separate from the Pani allows you to adjust the sweetness according to each individual's taste.

Once the puri is filled with the pani, it has to be eaten immediately. Eating a Pani Puri can be tricky if you have never had it. You have to eat the puri in one go. It is like a filled water balloon, you try to cut it in half and all the water will be out and you will be left with a soggy puri.

My love for Pani Puri comes from my Dad. He never missed a chance to eat a plate of pani puri, neither does Raj. When I am shopping for weekly groceries at the super market, he's outside sneaking a plate of pani puri. In this one matter, we are definitely made for each other. We are 2 bottomless holes when it comes to pani puris. We can just keep on going!!

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Video Recipe

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Pani Puri | Golgappa | Puchka Recipe

Pani Puri | Golgappa | Puchka is an Indian Street food or Chaat item in which crispy fried dough balls are stuffed with mashed potatoes, spicy coriander-mint water and a sweet tamarind chutney.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 8 hours (includes soaking time for peas)
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 100

Author: Anupama

Ingredients:

To make the Pani:

0.75 -1 cup chopped Coriander leaves
0.75 -1 cup chopped Mint leaves
1 litre cold Water
Lemon sized piece of Tamarind
2-3 green Chillies
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Chaat Masala
Black Salt to taste

To make the Potato-Pea Stuffing:

5-6 Potatoes
3/4 cup dried Green Peas
1 tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
Water as required

To Assemble the Pani Puri:

100 Puris
1 bowl Date Tamarind Chutney

Method:

To make the Potato-Pea Stuffing:

1. Soak the dried green peas overnight or for 6-8 hours.
2. Drain and boil them until done. I usually pressure cook them for 2-3 whistles.
3. Boil and peel the potatoes.
4. Mash together the potatoes and the green peas.
5. Add in salt and chaat masala and mix well. Keep it slightly under seasoned as the pani is already salty.

To make the Pani:

6. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 15 minutes and squeeze out the liquid. Remove the pulp and keep the tamarind juice aside.
7. Blend together the coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilli with a little water into a smooth puree.
8. Add the puree to 1 litre of water , preferably cold.
9. Add the cumin powder, tamarind juice, black salt and chaat masala to taste.
Chill the green pani in the fridge until serving. Alternately, you can add ice to the pani to serve immediately.
10. Strain the water before serving.

To Assemble the Pani Puri:

11. Gently tap a hole in the puri using your finger.
12. Spoon in the potato stuffing into the puri.
13. Now pour in the date tamarind chutney if you like the pani puri to be slightly sweet.
14. Spoon in the green pani and eat immediately.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Masala Puri

Masala Pav

Bangalore Street food made by topping tomato slices with a mix of sweet and spicy chutneys and topped off with salted puffed rice

Tomato Puri

Pindi Chhole

My second recipe with tea and chickpeas. Pindi chhole is a simple vegan chickpea curry made with chickpeas (kabuli chana /chhole) cooked with tea and tempered with spices.

So who had fun over the weekend? Did you try my Sunday lunch special? In case you missed, you should try out this Jackfruit Biryani / Kathal Biryani. It even has a vegan option. Don't you just love me!

I had a fun/busy weekend as usual. I had all plans of going for a movie, but the disappointing reviews left me with a big 3 hour gap in my weekend. Sad and Yay!! No movie, but at least 3 more hours of just doing nothing. I could fit in one long walk this weekend. Since we lazy people barely workout in the week, we make it a point to go for these ridiculously long walks on the weekend. All Gee's fault really. This trend was totally started by her!! Although our walks usually end up in a plate of Pani Puri or Tomato Puri, but hey, at least we get some fresh air. Just some, with all the pollution around.

Back to my Pindi Chhole recipe....

This is my second recipe of Tea+Chickpeas. While this Amritsari Chhole was made with an onion-tomato based masala, this one is different. Simpler, actually!! Double YAY!!

As far as your chhole or chickpeas have been boiled, this is an instant recipe. Ready in less than 15 minutes. Now that is what I call Healthy Fast Food!

This recipe starts exactly like the Amritsari Chhole, with the dried chickpeas being soaked overnight. You can make this with canned chickpeas that have already been cooked, but then you miss out on the cooking-with-tea part and I somehow feel that is what makes this recipe so good. So if you are looking for an instant option, you can probably just simmer the canned chickpeas in a tea decoction for a while, but I'm not sure it would taste the same.

So after it has soaked and you have cooked the chickpeas with spices and tea, all you really need to do it heat oil, fry a lot of mince or paste of ginger and garlic. This is what gives it most of the flavor. Then add the spice powders. Some sort of souring agent, traditionally dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) are used, but you can use dried mango powder (amchur) or tamarind juice. Lime juice can also be used. Keep aside a little bit of the chickpeas and add the remaining to the pan. The chickpeas that you have kept aside, need to be mashed and then added. This helps in giving you a thicker gravy in the absence of tomato and onions.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

If you liked this, you may also like:

Pindi Chhole

Pindi Chhole is a vegan chickpea curry made by cooking chickpeas or kabuli channa along with tea and later adding a tempering of ginger-garlic and spices.

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 8 Hours (Includes chickpea soaking time)
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1.5 cups dried Chickpeas / Kabuli Chana
1 Bay leaf
2-3 Cloves
1 Green Cardamom
1 Black Cardamom
5-6 Peppercorns
1” piece Cinnamon
1 Tea Bag or 1 tsp tea powder tied in muslin cloth pouch
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste (Preferably freshly ground)
1-2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Kasuri Methi
½ tsp Carom seeds / Ajwain
½ tsp Black Salt / Kala Namak
1 tsp Anardana Powder or 1 tsp Amchur or 1 Tbsp Tamarind Juice or Lime juice
4-5 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Cook the chickpeas in 2 cups of water along with the tea bag, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, green cardamom, black cardamom and ½ tsp salt until the chickpeas are cooked. I pressure cook them, and it takes me around 2-3 whistles or 8-10 minutes for the chickpeas to be cooked. The chickpeas should be well cooked but not mushy.
Heat oil in a kadhai or pan and add the carom seeds.
Once the carom seeds brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté until fragrant.
Keep aside ¼ to ½ cup of chickpeas aside and add the rest along with 1 cup of the water it was cooked in.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and black salt.
For sourness, add any one of the following – anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) powder or amchur (dried mango powder) or tamarind juice or lime juice. Use what is available with you.
Crush the chickpeas that were reserved aside and add to the pan.
Add kasuri methi and simmer for 4-5 minutes until thick. Adjust salt and spices as per taste. Add more of the cooking water if you would like a thinner consistency.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with Puri or Roti.

Roasted Masala Makhana (Phool Makhana / Foxnuts)

Mid Week Munchies!! Looking for a healthy vegan crispy spicy snack to get through the day? You have GOT TO try these Roasted Masala Makhana!!

Masala roasted phool makhana recipe, how to roast makhana recipe, how to make makhana, roasted foxnuts recipe, how to cook lotus seeds recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com One Teaspoon Of Life

I almost thought summer was here and I'd started taking suggestions for summer recipes, you know those iced drinks that give you a brain freeze or those fresh salads etc. You get the idea. And then it started to rain. Not that I don't like it when it rains. I cannot say it enough - I love rains. Absolutely love love love (except when I am stuck outside in traffic). I'm a July baby, the month when monsoons are at their peak, so I guess my connection with rain is from birth. The sound of rain on a tin roof can still lull me off to sleep.

There I go rambling, again!! But getting back to the point, rain makes me hungry. Well, at least it makes me want to eat. And I want those tiny bite sized snacks (usually pakoras) or sweets. Basically nothing healthy, get me anything deep fried or loaded on sugar and you are my new best friend.

This time, I did not have ingredients to make pakoras and I was just too lazy to go downstairs with an umbrella to buy pakoras. So ditch-the-deep-fried-snacks time it was.

So I made the next best thing - Roasted Masala Makhana, and it was SOOOOO good!!

I think I must have walked around super markets like 8 million times wondering what those puffy white balls kept on the shelf next to puffed rice was. I'd pick it up planning to find recipes online only to junk it at the billing counter, thinking I'll buy it next time after researching the recipes. But I'm glad my older and wiser sis Gee made me buy it like 2 months ago when we were both shopping. She told me how she had eaten it somewhere and it tasted so good, so crispy etc etc. She used all the right words and there I was finally billing it.

This recipe is adapted from Veg Recipes of India. I love that site and most of all I trust Dassana, the author. I'm yet to find a recipe on her site that has failed me. I love her simple style of writing, all in all she is just awesome.

Makhana or Fox nuts are usually very chewy when packaged. To get them to crisp up, just roast them on really low heat in some oil until they are nice and crisp. Then immediately remove from heat and toss in the salt and spices. That's it. Nothing more! Allow it to cool before storing it in an air tight container.

I would have loved to tell you the shelf life, but in my house, it is very very short. Raj is a snacks magnet and is drawn to any snacks I hide in the kitchen. And since I'm trying really hard to stop buying snacks and biscuits and just make my own munchies, they barely last 2-3 days. I don't mind though as these are very healthy too.

In case you have never had it before, they taste very similar to pop corn but waaay crispier. And you can flavor them as you like. I had thought of chaat masala before I even looked at Dassana's recipe, so I stuck to it. But I've seen mint flavored and caramel flavored makhana in Food Hall and I may be trying to make them next.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

If you liked this, you may also like:

Savory Puffed Rice / Murmura Chiwda - Crispy snack made by mixing plain puffed rice with peanuts and spices.
Crispy Flat Rice / Poha Chiwda - Poha/Flattened rice deep fried and flavoured with spices and peanuts.

Roasted Masala Makhana (Phool Makhana / Foxnuts )

Roasted Masala Makhana is a vegan snack made by roasting foxnuts and tossing it with spices.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

100gms Makhana (Phool Makhana / Foxnuts )
4-5 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan or kadhai.
Add the makhana and roast on low flame for 12-15 minutes until crispy.
Remove from heat and immediately add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and chaat masala. Mix well.
Add salt to taste. Chaat masala contains salt, so adjust the salt accordingly.
Store in an air tight container when completely cooled.

Bean and Grilled Veggie Sliders with Coriander Cashew Sauce

I finally got around to making these Bean Burgers.

How to make vegan bean burger recipe grilled veggie burger vegan slider cilantro cashew sauce coriander cashew sauce www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

I'm a big fan of Burgers and a bigger fan of Bean Burgers. If I see a Bean Burger on the menu, you can be sure I'm ordering it. Regular Bean Burgers are usually just mashed beans shaped into a patty and fried. They are mushy and generally low on spice. So when I set out to make my Bean Burgers, I knew I wanted to add another element to it, another flavor, something that would make my Bean Burger tastier and juicier. TA-DA! Grilled Veggies.

Grilled veggies are the best, aren't the? Low on calories, high on health, super high on taste, and absolutely vibrant to look at. This burger was a marriage of two of my favorite things.

So let me tell you what's about to go down:

A crispy golden SHALLOW FRIED patty made from beans, grilled vegetables, garlic, sauteed onions and cabbage, red chilli powder and oat flour.
A creamy VEGAN sauce made by blending cashews with garlic, coriander, lime and salt. Juicy creamy green goddess goodness.
Tomato and Onion slices, just to UP the fresh quotient and to add crunch without any effort at all.
Multi grain buns.

Now tell me that isn't healthy!!

Just because it is healthy, does not mean it is losing out on taste or texture. The Bean Patty is everything it should be. It has beans that are hearty and filling. The grilled veggies are coarsely blended with the bean mixture and add a bite to the otherwise plain burger. With each bite you get a different mix of grilled vegetables, so you'll never be bored. I grilled my veggies with very little olive oil in the oven. I used a mix of colored capsicums or peppers and zucchini. The sauteed onions add a much needed sweetness. And the cabbage.. well, I had the cabbage, so I tossed it in. It adds to the texture, but can totally be skipped. Garlic, chilli and salt are a given, so no discussion there. Oat flour - I know this just upped the health factor, but that's not why it is there. The entire patty is made of only wet ingredients, there is nothing else to soak up the juices. Juiciness is needed, but excess of it will make the patty very soft and fragile. The oat flour was added to soak in the excess liquid and give enough strength to the patty, so I could shape it and fry it. This can be replaced with bread crumbs.

Next comes the coriander cashew sauce. Simplest sauce ever!! Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Then drain and blend with chopped coriander and garlic. Squeeze some lime juice, add some salt and pepper. Done!! There is literally no cooking involved here.

I made sliders instead of burgers, just coz they are so much fun to eat. You can make regular burgers with the same recipe, just adjust the quantities.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Beetroot and Cauliflower Burger - Burger made from beetroots and cauliflower served with an eggless mayo.
Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich - Sandwich inspired by the Panera Bread sandwich of the same name.
Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Two bruschettas, one topped with avocado and olives and other with tomato and onions.
Grilled Paneer Sandwich - Sandwich made with rye bread and grilled marinated paneer along with a home-made tartar sauce and lettuce.

Bean and Grilled Veggie Burger with Coriander Cashew Sauce

Bean and Grilled Veggie Burger with Coriander Cashew Sauce is a vegan burger with a patty made from grilled vegetables and red kidney beans and has a sauce made from coriander and cashews.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8

Ingredients:

Bean and Grilled Veggie Patty

3/4 cup Red Kidney Beans, cooked
1/2 cup Mixed Vegetables, chopped (Red Capsicum, Yellow Capsicum, Green Capsicum, Zucchini)
2 Onions
1/4 cup Cabbage, sliced (Optional)
2 tsp Garlic minced
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 cup Oat meal
2 tsp Olive Oil
4-5 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Coriander Cashew Sauce

18-20 Cashews
1 handful Coriander leaves
1-2 Garlic cloves
1 tsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

To assemble the Bean Burger

8 Multigrain Slider Buns
1 large Tomato
1 Onion

Method:

Bean and Grilled Veggie Patty

To grill the vegetables, lay the chopped vegetables onto a baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil on them. Sprinkle salt, mix well. Grill for 15-20 minutes until slightly charred.
Heat 3 tsp of Oil in a shallow pan and add slices onions. Saute until the onions have browned slightly. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp of Oil and saute the cabbage, (if you are using it) until it wilts slightly.
Grind the oatmeal to powder.
In a food processor or a mixer, add the beans, grilled veggies, garlic, sauteed onions and cabbage, read chilli powder, oat flour and salt. Pulse until the mixture sticks together but it still coarse.
Form 8 patties and keep aside.
Heat the remaining Oil in a small pan and add the patties one by one carefully. Do not crowd the pan and I suggest frying them in batches.
Flip the patty when one side browns. Cook until both the sides are brown and crispy.

Coriander Cashew Sauce

Soak the cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
Blend to a smooth paste along with the coriander, garlic and a little bit of water.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper. Mix well.
To assemble the burger, heat the burger buns and spread the cashew sauce on the lower bun.

To assemble the Bean Burger

Place the patty on the lower bun and top it up with sliced tomato and onions.
Add a big dollop of the cashew sauce and place the upper bun.
Serve hot.

Pathrode Dosa | Uppu Menasu Dosa | Uppu Khara Dosa

Happy Weekend Guys!!

How to make uppu khara dosa / uppu menasu dosa / Pathrode Dosa recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Isn't it a wonderful feeling that you get to wake up when you want and for once your life is not ruled by technology. No alarms to snooze, no water heaters to be turned on, no bus / train to miss. So Saturday breakfast is usually something relaxed, that does not need too much effort, but definitely not something like a zero effort cereal. I love cooking traditional recipes on weekends when we get to sit down and enjoy a meal while it is still hot.

Pathrode Dosa also sometimes called Uppu Khara Dosa or Uppu Menasu Dosa is a dish from Mangalore and its surroundings. Rice grows abundantly there and almost every meal out there has rice as their hero.

Pathrode Dosa is a very similar to the Menthe Pathrode recipe, the only difference being there the entire batter is steamed and then fried, while here it is spread on a tava or a griddle and cooked.

To make Pathrode dosa, you need to soak rice for 2-3 hours and then grind it as fine as you can. Let that rest for 30 mins to an hour. For the masala, you can either use fresh coconut or onion depending on what you have available with you. Grind the onion or coconut with tamarind pulp, red chillies and coriander powder to make a coarse thick masala. Add the masala to the rice batter along with some salt and chopped up fenugreek or methi leaves to make Pathrode Dosa batter. Add water to adjust the consistency. You can replace the methi leaves with spinach or any peppery leaf, or just leave it out. Spoon out the batter and spread it a little on a hot greased tava or griddle. Flip when one side is cooked and cook until the other side is browned.

If you don't want to wait 3 hours for your breakfast, I don't, just soak the rice the previous night for 2-3 hours or you can soak it the previous morning. Grind it at night and leave it covered on the counter overnight at room temperature. Make the masala fresh in the morning and add it to batter just 10-15 minutes before making. Don't add any salt to the batter if leaving it overnight and don't add the masala overnight either.

You have to serve this dosa hot like all other dosas. You can serve this dosa with chutney or butter, or even just plain. It has enough flavour to stand up on its own.

Try out this Tondekayee Chutney to go with the Pathrode Dosa.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Mysore Masala Dosa - A rice and lentil pancake that has a chilli and garlic chutney spread on the inside and stuffed with a potato bhaji.
Instant Ragi Dosa - Instant dosa or crepe made with rava or semolina and ragi flour (finger millet flour).
Instant Wheat Dosa - Instant savory dosa or pancake made with whole wheat flour.

Pathrode Dosa | Uppu Menasu Dosa | Uppu Khara Dosa

Pathrode Dosa is a pancake made with rice, spices and fenugreek or methi leaves. It is vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Dosa Rice or any Regular Rice
1/2 cup grated fresh Coconut or 1 Onion
2 tsp Coriander Powder
3-4 dry Red Chillies or 3/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
A handful of Fenugreek leaves or Methi leaves
1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak the rice for 2 hours.
Drain out the water from the rice and grind it with very little water to get a smooth batter. Let it rest for 30 mins to 1 hour.
Grind together the coconut or onion along with the coriander powder, tamarind and the dry red chillies into a fine masala paste. Use 1/4 cup of water to help the grinding.
Wash the methi leaves thoroughly and chop it finely.
Add the masala paste and the chopped methi leaves to the rice batter.
Add salt and the remaining water and mix well.
Heat a griddle and grease it.
Once the griddle is hot, pour a ladle of the batter on to the griddle and gently spread it.
Cover and cook for 45-60 seconds on medium heat.
Spoon a little oil on the top and flip the dosa.
Cook for another 45-60 seconds or until the dosa is cooked through.
Serve hot.

Savory Puffed Rice | Murmura Chiwda | Churmuri Chiwda | Khara Kadle Puri | Bhadang

It was such an awesome day to sleep in and do absolutely nothing...

How to make vegan murmura chiwda or churmuri chiwda or bhadang or khara kadle pure recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Unfortunately, it was a Tuesday!! Working day, guys.

There is nothing worse than having to work on a day as cold, humid and lazy as today. Well, may be getting stuck on an island with no chocolate is worse, but hey, let's stick to reality.

There is also something about cold rainy days that gets my appetite worked up. I'm always HUNGRY... Well, I'm "always" hungry most other times as well, but this rainy day hunger is different. It is just not my stomach, but my heart and my head as well that craves all sorts of deep fried goodness and endless cups of piping hot tea.

I know deep fried food is bad especially when I've missed 4 days of my workout. The first was justified, I was super tired and my back ached. But the other 3 days were just plain laziness and excuses. So no matter how much the heart or the head craves, I let my guilty conscience take over and snacked on this Savory Puffed Rice (Murmura Chiwda | Churmuri Chiwda | Bhadang | Khara Kadle Puri) the whole day with at least 3 cups of tea.

I've always loved Savory Puffed Rice,what's not ot love in it? It's crispy, it's light, it is spicy without being overpowering, and the best part - Peanuts, I make sure every handful has a minimum of 2 peanuts in it.

Savory Puffed Rice | Murmura Chiwda | Churmuri Chiwda | Bhadang | Khara Kadle Puri is plain salted puffed rice that has been mixed with a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, peanuts, fried gram, dry red chillies, turmeric powder, salt and a little bit of sugar. See how easy that is? The list of ingredients may seem long, but the best part of making something from scratch is infact that you can omit what you don't want. Skip what you don't have. Just make sure you have turmeric and salt. A lot of people I know add a lot more ingredients like dried coconut slices or cashewnuts or fried garlic to their chiwda, but I prefer the basic one with just fried Peanuts.

The instructions to make this Savory Puffed Rice must be the shortest ever on One Teaspoon Of Life... All you need to do is, heat oil, and then add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, chuck in the peanuts and fried gram. Fry them until the peanuts are slightly browned, then add everything else and mix and pour onto the Puffed Rice or Murmura or Churmuri or Kadle Puri. Carefully (cause the oil is hot), mix everything until every grain of puffed rice is bright yellow. Initally use a spoon to mix, but later, just get your hands dirty and mix it. If you feel anything is lacking, like turmeric or you feel you need more peanuts ( I always feel I need more), just heat a little oil, add whatever is missing and pour that oil to the puffed rice and mix again.

This is just the basic snack, there is so much more you can do with it. You can use it as a base for Bhel Puri instead of plain murmura or chop up some onions, tomato and coriander, mix well and enjoy a quick fresh snack. It also makes a great travel snack - a lot of vegetarians travelling abroad usually carry it or like me, you can just snack on it when stuck in traffic on your way back from work (and you don't have to even feel guilty about it)

Store it at room temperature in an air tight box and it will easily last you 3-4 weeks.

Savory Puffed Rice is easily available at local stores, but I've found that many a times, the store bought one smells like old oil. Also, they skimp on the peanuts and load it up with dried coconut or sugar, both of which I don't enjoy. I assure you, what you make at home is definitely better than the one at the store.

There is just one thing you need to remember, use the crispiest puffed rice (murmura | churmuri | kadle puri) you can find. And preferably one that does not have sand in it. If you are based out of Bangalore, I highly recommend the one from Nilgiris, it's the best I've found till date - clean and crisp and it stays crisp longer.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Crispy Spicy Flat Rice or Poha Chiwda or Avalakki Mixture - Poha/Flattened rice deep fried and flavored with spices and peanuts.
Churmuri Soosla or Kadle Puri Oggarne or Savory Puffed Rice Breakfast - A light South Indian breakfast made with puffed rice made with moist puffed rice.

Savory Puffed Rice | Murmura Chiwda | Churmuri Chiwda | Khara Kadle Puri | Bhadang

Savory Puffed Rice | Murmura Chiwda | Churmuri Chiwda | Khara Kadle Puri | Bhadang is a simple crispy snack made by mixing plain puffed rice with peanuts and spices.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 200 gms

Ingredients:

200gms salted Puffed Rice (Churmuri / Kadle Puri/ Murmura)
1/3 cup Oil
4-5 Tbsp Peanuts
1 Tbsp Fried Gram
1 sprig Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
4-5 dried Red Chillies
1/4 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Method:

Pour the puffed rice to a large bowl or onto newspapers and keep aside.
Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds.
Once the seeds splutter, add the dry red chillies, peanuts and the fried gram and fry until the peanuts are slightly browned.
Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt.
Allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes and then pour onto the puffed rice. Add sugar and red chilli powder.
Using a spoon mix the oil with the puffed rice until the mixture is cool enough to handle with your hands.
Now using your hands, mix well until every grain of puffed rice is bright yellow.
Adjust the salt and sugar as required.
If you feel the need to add anything else like turmeric powder or peanuts or curry leaves, heat a little more oil and add the ingredient to it and then add it to the puffed rice. Mix well.
Store at room temperature in an air tight container after it cools.

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

I promised, and here it is - Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart...

How to make eggless vegetarian beetroot and blue cheese quiche at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

But first, how was Diwali? I hope you all had a safe and fun Diwali. Belated Diwali wishes for all those who missed my wishes on Facebook.

Did you eat sweets till your tummy hurt? I'm so used to doing that on Diwali. The whole month's diet goes for a toss on a single day, and yet, it is totally worth it. But this year, I'm missing that. Did you forget, I'm on my super-duper-awesome trip to Cambodia? Read all about my plans here and get my latest updates on Twitter.

Back to my recipe of Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart.

When I made Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart for myself and Gee, I made this Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart for Raj. The whole idea of making either of these tarts actually started when I went ahead and finally bought "Blue Cheese". I like blue cheese, but I've never bought any. I've had it in restaurants or cheese platters elsewhere, but never at home. I'd been toying with the idea of buying it for a long time. I knew I liked it, but I definitely cannot eat the entire slab, and I wasn't sure Raj would like it, he really isn't into funky foods. He finally got fed up of seeing me standing at the cheese counter eyeing blue cheese and forced me to buy some. Yay!!

Tangy salty blue cheese and sweet beets work wonderfully well together. For this tart, the beetroot was first cooked until almost done. Then peeled and sliced into bite sized pieces. After that I fried it with little oil in a frying pan along with some sugar, pepper and balsamic vinegar, just to caramelize it. Hey, I was having caramelized onions, he deserved caramelized beets. Just the beets and the blue cheese taste great together so skip everything else if you want. I added sauteed capsicum and strips of fresh basil just to oomph up the tart.

You may notice I haven't added a lot of the blue cheese. I wanted to, but it was his first time having blue cheese and I definitely did not want to overwhelm him, so I kept it to a minimum, where there is a hint of the tang and the salt, but it is subtle. If you love blue cheese, go on and replace the regular cheese with more blue and it should be your little mouthful of cheese heaven.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart - Tart made with sweet caramelized onions, pepper sauteed mushrooms, an easy vegan pastry and creamy rich cheesy white sauce.
Beetroot Burger - Spiced beetroot, cauliflower and beans patty combined with some eggless mayo to make a Veggie Burger.
Stuffed Potato Skins - Baked potato skins stuffed with an instant tomato sauce, fried green Capsicum and Mozzarella cheese.

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart is an eggless tart made with caramelized beetroot, sauteed capsicum, basil and a creamy rich blue cheese sauce held together in a crispy pastry.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:   International
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yield:   6 Tarts (3.5" each)

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Olive Oil
0.5 cup cold Water
0.25 tsp Salt

For the Sauce:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1.25 cups Milk
25gms Cheese or 2 Cheese Cubes
2 Tbsp Blue Cheese
3-4 cloves Garlic
0.25 tsp Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Filling:

1 small Beetroot
0.5 Capsicum
8-10 Basil Leaves (Optional)
0.5 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Jaggery Powder or Sugar
5-6 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make the Pastry:

Whisk together 0.25 cups of water and the oil to form an emulsion.
Take the flour in a large bowl, add salt.
Add the emulsion to the flour and mix with a spatula or hands until combined.
Fold the dough 4-5 times, do not knead.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Grease the tart tins.
Divide the pastry into 6 equal parts. This recipe uses 6 individual tart tins of 3.5" diameter. If you plan on making one large tart, do not divide the dough.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the tart tin.
Place the rolled out pastry in the tin and gently press the pastry in tin. Remove any excess pastry from the sides.
Put in baking beans and bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Allow them to cool a little and then remove the pastry shells from the tins and keep aside.

To make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and fry for 45-60 seconds.
Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
Grate the cheese into the sauce and mix well.
Simmer for another 2-3 mins and remove from heat. If the sauce has become very thick, add 1-2Tbsp milk to loosen it.

To make the Filling:

Boil the whole beetroot without peeling it.
Once the beetroot is almost cooked, remove it from water and allow it to cool.
Once it is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into small chunks.
Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a pan.
Once it is hot, add the beetroot. Add a pinch of salt and mix well,
Fry the beetroot on low heat until cooked.
Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar or jaggery and mix well.
Cook for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Cut the capsicum into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the capsicum.
Add salt and pepper.
Saute the capsicum for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Julienne the basil leaves into thin strips.

Assembling the Tart:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Place the beetroot, capsicum and basil in the tart.
Spoon in the sauce.
Sprinkle another layer of beetroot and capsicum on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top browns.