Puffed Rice Bhel (Indian Puffed Rice Salad)

Bhel is one of the popular Indian snacks loved my almost everyone. It is a spicy, tangy snack made of puffed rice! BTW, if you are not sure what Bhelpuri is, look it up here. 

Its been ages when I actually used to enjoy this at street corners in the evenings. Wow! what an experience. 

Making bhel is almost similar to making a salad.....puffed rice+veggies+ dressings and garnished with generous amount of sev (small pieces of chrunky noodles made of chick pea flour which is deep fried!). Everybody add their own blends of chutney (dressings) to make it as per their taste. 

I too love to make it at home. I prefer to avoid anything deep fried so I try to replace sev with corn flakes (though wheat flakes would have been better option) to make it healthier and also avoided the boiled potatoes. It taste as good without it too. 

It is low-fat, nutritious and delicious! What more you can ask for ;-)

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 cups of puffed rice

2 tablespoon corn flakes/wheat flakes

1/2 green chilly, chopped
1 medium slice of raw mango, chopped (adds to the tanginess) 

Lemon juice 
A generous handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
About 1 teaspoon salt

Dressing: 

Coriander & Mint Chutney (we have made this earlier I had told you then also this chutney is good on its own and great when used to prepare dips, starters, mains & sides!!.) 

You can find it here on how to make it 

Tamarind & Jaggery Chutney: 

200 gm Tamarind paste (you can use also the raw tamrind, after boiling remove the seeds from the pulp)
300 gm Jaggery (you can use sugar instead, it makes a less sticky dressing)
2 teaspoon Cumin powder
2 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1 teaspoon Black Salt  (I used regular salt instead)

Boil with a cup of water and simmer till it thickens

Method:

In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients like cornflakes, puffed rice,and mix them well.

Now add chopped veggies including the green chilly (if you can't handle too much spice then omit chilly) followed by coriander & mint chutney, tamarind& jaggery chutney and salt. Toss all these things nicely and serve immediately otherwise it may turn soggy. 

A nice, guilt free and scrumptious snack!! The end result: 2 empty bowls and 2 filled tummies!! You must surely try this one if you haven't had it before.