Bhelભેળ
Bhel is puffed rice tossed with sev, onion, tomato, chutneys and lemon. It takes fifteen minutes, needs no cooking, and works with whatever is in the kitchen. Mix it just before eating so the puffed rice stays crisp.
Ingredients
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- 4 cups puffed rice (mamra)
- 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 boiled potato, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp green chutney
- 3 tbsp date-tamarind chutney
- 1 cup sev, ½ cup papdi or chevdo
- Lemon, coriander, salt, red chilli powder
Method
- Toast the puffed rice on a tawa for 2 minutes to crisp it.
- In a large bowl combine the puffed rice, vegetables and spices.
- Add both chutneys and toss quickly.
- Fold in the sev, papdi and coriander.
- Squeeze over lemon and serve at once.
Tips
- Mix only at the last moment or it turns soggy.
- Go easy on the chutneys; wet bhel is disappointing bhel.
Storing and reheating
Mixed bhel is not something you store; it goes soft within fifteen minutes. Keep everything apart instead: puffed rice stays crisp for a month in an airtight tin, sev and papdi in their own box, green chutney three or four days in the fridge and date-tamarind chutney two to three weeks. Chopped onion and tomato should be used the same day.
What you can swap
- No papdi? Crush plain puris or masala khakhra into it. Salted wafers work too, but then cut back on the salt.
- Out of date-tamarind chutney? Simmer two tablespoons tamarind pulp with two tablespoons jaggery and a pinch of black salt for five minutes and you have it.
- For the green chutney, blitz coriander, green chilli and lemon together. You only need two tablespoons, so a mortar and pestle will do.
- Swap the boiled potato for finely diced raw mango or boiled chickpeas. The bhel comes out lighter and sharper.
What to serve with it
An evening snack with cutting chai. On the street carts of Ahmedabad and Surat it appears only after five. At home it is what gets made when guests turn up unannounced, and in the monsoon it sits beside a plate of hot bhajiya.
Mistakes to avoid
- Deseed the tomato and squeeze out the juice. A watery tomato turns the whole bowl limp in five minutes.
- Do not add the lemon and salt early; they pull water out of the vegetables. Squeeze the lemon in as you serve.
- Do not mix bhel for ten people in one big bowl. Toss it in portions of two or three and keep the rest dry.
- Do not fold all the sev in. Anything mixed through gets wet with chutney. Half inside, half scattered on top at the table.
Questions people ask
How do I crisp up puffed rice that has gone soft?
Toast it on a dry tawa over low heat for two or three minutes, stirring constantly, or microwave it for a minute. Let it cool completely before it goes back in the tin, or the trapped steam softens it again.
Can I prepare bhel ahead for a party?
Not mixed, but the prep can be done. Make both chutneys the day before and refrigerate them, boil and dice the potato, toast the puffed rice and box it. At serving time it is only a two-minute toss.
Why does my bhel taste flat?
Almost always the sweet-sour balance. You need both the date-tamarind chutney and the lemon, and a pinch of black salt opens the flavour up immediately. Fresh green chilli also gives a livelier heat than red chilli powder.
