About Masala Puri Chaat
Masala puri is a popular street food snack that originated in Bangalore, India. Typically masala puri is served in bowls with several layers of deliciousness. It features crispy puri loaded with a spiced white peas gravy, then topped with fresh veggies, vibrant ground spices, sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) or crunchy pieces of pani puri, and cilantro. The result is a satisfying snack that has a great combination of textures and deep, slightly sour and tangy bold flavors. This masala puri is inspired by a recipe from Aayis Recipes and also without the inclusion of sweet tamarind chutney. It’s also similar to Ragda Chaat as a layered street food snack, but has a completely different taste and flavor profile. (And be sure to try my Ragda Patties recipe, too!) Note that to properly make Bangalore masala puri at home, you do need to have crispy Pani puri or Golgappa. These can be made at home or purchased from a sweet shop or online grocery stores. Preparing these crispy puri at home is not difficult and can be made in a large batch a day or so ahead of time. That way you’re ready to go when you want to make masala puri. Enjoy this tangy, spicy masala puri chaat snack right away as soon as you assemble and make it!
How to make Masala Puri
Pressure cooking white peas
- Rinse and then soak 1 cup of dried white peas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. These peas have a light creamish color or are creamish yellow. You can even use dried green peas or fresh green peas instead of white peas. If using fresh green peas, then just pressure cook them for 2 to 3 whistles or boil/steam them in a pan until softened.
- Drain all the water and add the soaked white peas to a stovetop pressure cooker. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (about 2 to 3 pinches ground turmeric).
- Then add 2 cups of water.
- Pressure cook for 15 to 20 minutes or for 10 to 12 whistle on medium heat. Once the pressure falls on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid and check if the white peas are cooked. You should be able to mash them easily with a fork or spoon. If they are not fully cooked, then add ½ cup more water and pressure cook for 5 to 10 more minutes. 5. The peas should be quite soft and mashable. They should not be al dente or undercooked from the center as this can give you digestion problems or stomach aches.
Making Masala Paste
- Once the dried white peas are cooked, it’s time to make the flavorful masala paste. To a spice grinder jar add the following ingredients:
1 to 2 mace strands 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds 2 cloves 1 inch of cinnamon ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds 1 tiny piece of nutmeg (or 2 pinches of nutmeg powder) 2 marathi moggu (kapok or dried capers) – The marathi moggu is optional and can be skipped if you don’t have it.
- Now also add 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal to the grinder jar.
- Next add the following ingredients:
3 to 4 medium garlic cloves (chopped) ½ inch ginger (chopped) ½ cup chopped coriander leaves 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped) ¼ cup tightly packed fresh coconut
- Then add ¼ cup of the cooked white peas and ⅓ cup water.
- Grind to a smooth fine paste. Ensure that there are no chunks or tiny pieces of any ingredients in the masala paste. Set aside.
Making Peas Gravy
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions. You can use any neutral-flavored oil.
- Mix and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder and mix well. You can replace red chili powder with cayenne pepper or hot paprika.
- Now add the green masala paste.
- Mix well and saute for a minute.
- Then add the remaining cooked white peas.
- Add 1 cup of water.
- Season with 2 teaspoons sugar or according to your preference. Also add salt as needed.
- Mix very well and simmer on low to low-medium heat. Stir regularly so that peas or the gravy mixture does not stick at the bottom of the pan.
- Continue to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or till you see some oil specks on the top. The masala should get cooked and its rawness should go away. Once done turn off the heat. Cover and set aside.
- Meanwhile, while the peas gravy is cooking, finely chop 1 medium-sized onion, 1 medium-sized tomato, 1 small lime or lemon and coriander leaves. Set aside.
Assembling and making masala puri
- On a plate, crush 4 to 5 Puri which we use for Pani puri.
- Pour on a generous amount of the peas gravy. If you like some sweetness, then you can add sweet Tamarind Chutney at this step.
- Top with some finely chopped onions and tomatoes. You can also add grated carrot or beetroot if you like. Another option is to add unripe green mangoes when in season.
- Sprinkle on chaat masala, black salt or regular salt. Also, drizzle some lemon juice all over for some tanginess.
- Sprinkle some sev on top. If you want the crunch of the pooris, then sprinkle crushed puris on top. You can do this instead of adding the puris to the bottom of the bowl first, or add them to the bottom and top the masala puri chaat with more of the crushed puris.
- Lastly, add some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) on top.
- Serve Bangalore style masala puri right away. It makes for a filling and healthy snack. You can enjoy as a brunch or as an evening snack. Assemble and prepare this chaat snack when you want to eat it. Don’t assemble and prepare it earlier as the puri and sev will become soggy. But you can make ahead the individual elements of this dish like cooked white peas, masala paste, the peas gravy and later assemble them to make the chaat. Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Sev Puri (Indian Chaat Snack) Bhel Puri Recipe – Zesty Chaat Mumbai Style Churumuri Recipe | Masala Mandakki (Spicy Puffed Rice Snack) Mirchi Bajji Recipe | Chilli Bajji | Mirapakaya Bajji This Masala Puri recipe from the blog archives first published in October 2017 has been updated and republished on August 2021.
