Indian cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Jhal Muri

Kolkata street snack of puffed rice tossed with raw mustard oil, onion, chili and pieces of coconut.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 200 g puffed rice
• 2 onions
• 2 green chilies
• 1 boiled potato
• 60 g sev (chickpea noodles)
• 50 g peanuts
• 80 g grated coconut (or 200 g freshly grated coconut)
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 1 lime
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Salt

Instructions

1. Finely dice the onions, deseed the chilies and cut into fine rings, peel the boiled potato and cut into 1 cm cubes.
2. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 min. until fragrant and speckled dark, then let cool and roughly chop.
3. Quickly sort through the puffed rice in a wide bowl and remove any soft grains — only crisp puffed rice gives the right bite.
4. Add the onions, chilies, potato cubes, grated coconut, peanuts, chaat masala and a generous pinch of salt, and drizzle the mustard oil over raw.
5. Toss everything vigorously by hand or between two bowls for 30 sec. so the oil spreads evenly without crushing the puffed rice.
6. Immediately sprinkle with sev, chopped cilantro and the juice of half a lime, and serve in paper cones or small bowls before it turns soft.