Bhel puri

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A beloved Indian street food snack, bhel puri is an explosion of different textures, flavours and colours. Bhel mix and sev can be found in Indian grocers, while the two chutneys are excellent recipes in their own right to serve with all manner of Indian dishes.

Will says: ‘This is another signature Kricket dish that has been on the menu since day one. Each street vendor in Mumbai has their own version – perhaps just changing a few spices – and we have kept this recipe fairly traditional. The only aspect that you wouldn’t typically see is the addition of yoghurt, which I believe is needed to balance the moisture levels in the dish. It’s incredibly quick to make and virtually all raw so it’s healthy to boot! You will find both bhel mix and sev in most Indian stores. Bhel mix is made from puffed rice and vegetables while sev is a deep-fried chickpea noodle snack seasoned with turmeric.’

This recipe is taken from Kricket: An Indian-Inspired Cookbook by Will Bowlby (£28, Hardie Grant). Photography by Hugh Johnson.

First published in 2021

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 4 tbsp of natural yoghurt
  • caster sugar, to taste
  • 100g of bhel mix, available from Indian grocers
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 green mango, finely diced
  • 4 pinches of chaat masala
  • 80g of sev, available from Indian grocers
  • 1 handful of coriander, small

Tamarind chutney

Coriander chutney

Method

1
Begin by making the chutneys, as these can be done in advance. You’ll probably have some leftover of both, but they both freeze well and can be kept in the fridge for 1 week
2
For the tamarind chutney, place all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a low heat for around 1 hour, or until well blended and thick, then set aside to cool. If using fresh dates, you may need to blitz the chutney in a blender or food processor to help them break down. Cover and keep in the fridge until needed
3
For the coriander chutney, place the coriander, oil, ginger, garlic and chilli in a food processor and blitz to a paste. Loosen with the lemon juice and season to taste with sugar and salt. Cover and keep in the fridge until needed
4
Beat the yoghurt in a bowl and sweeten to taste with sugar, then set aside
5
In a separate bowl, combine the bhel mix, onion and mango, then dress with 4 tablespoons of coriander chutney and the chaat masala. Stir to combine
  • 100g of bhel mix, available from Indian grocers
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 green mango, finely diced
  • 4 pinches of chaat masala
6
Spoon the mixture onto 4 serving plates, then generously spoon over the sweetened yoghurt and a tablespoon of date chutney onto each plate, leaving some yoghurt visible. Sprinkle over the sev and top with the coriander. Serve immediately as it will become soggy quite quickly
  • 80g of sev, available from Indian grocers
  • 1 handful of coriander, small
First published in 2021

After falling in love with Indian food whilst working in Mumbai, Will Bowlby returned to the UK to open Kricket, a modern Indian restaurant with plenty of British twists.

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