Bhel Puri: The Chaat Statement Of India!
India has a rich culture of street food and snacks. All if us have a craving for something tangy or spicy in between our major meals of lunch and dinner. The demand is well catered by the street food culture of India. Our street food culture is considered to be more vibrant than entire cuisines of different nations.
The Chaat culture has especially been appreciated by the people who love spices. The variety of spices in the street food is a treat to the lovers of taste. There are several big players like pani puri, papri chaat etc. when it comes to street food. But these are often co fined to a part of India. Bhel Puri unites the whole of India. Found in almost every part of the country, bhel puri is one of the most iconic Indian street food.
The Bhel puri recipe is more of a mixing process rather than cooking. However, if you want to customise according to your wishes, preparing Bhel Puri isn’t too difficult either.
Preparation of bhel puri recipe
Preparation of Bhel puri requires some of the basic Indian household ingredients. The base of the preparation is puffed rice. Sev, assortment of various vegetables like cucumber, onion, coconut bits, various kinds of Indian spices and some excellent Chutney to go with the puffed rice. Mixing it all together provides us with the flavourful preparation of Bhel Puri. Apart from the taste, the texture that bhel puri bodes is also impressive. The addition of papdi adds to the crunchy texture of the dish. The crunchy, tangy and other flavourful additions are a treat to one’s taste buds.
Origin of bhel puri
The origin of Bhel Puri is much debated. Some say it originated in Mumbai region while a contradicting theory talks of Gujarat as its finding fathers. Wherever the origin maybe, this snack has made its way to the heart of Indian and now is a mainstay in the chaat culture of India. Mangaloreans and Sindhis adapted the dish in their own way. The Bengal variant of Bhel Puri is Jhalmuri.
The Bhel Puri has certain exclusive features. Serving style of Bhel Puri is unique. A paper rolled into a cone is the usual way that Bhel Puri is served and a sprinkle of spices and various other add ons on the top.
Variations of Bhel Puri:
Bhel Puri has certain variations when it comes to preparations.
- Sevpapdi chaat: Here there is a mixture of 3 to 4 chutneys along with sev and boiled potatoes are used to make this chaat.
- Sev Puri: A simplified version of Bhel puri that is prepared using sev, bhel puri, papdi and chutney.
- Dahi Puri: It is basically Bhel Puri but topped off and mixed with yoghurt.