Recipes, Vegetarian

Kutchi Bhel

Let’s take a trip again to the western part of the Indian subcontinent to the state of Gujarat and a small village called Mandvi in Kutch district. Kutchi Bhel is a street food is mostly available here. Since I hail from this place, I love to have it as dinner at times as its quite filling and with a burst of flavours.

Ingredients

  • Serves 2
  • For the Bhel
  • 2 Cups Puffed Rice
  • 1 Cup Mixed Namkeen Farsan
  • 1 Potato (boiled)
  • 1 Big Onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 Big Tomato (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 Cup Coriander (finely chopped)
  • 6-8 Pieces Dhokla (roughly mashed)
  • For the Chilly-Garlic Chutney
  • 1 Cup Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • Salt to Taste
  • 6 Tbsp Groundnut Oil
  • 50 Gms Garlic Cloves (peeled)
  • For the Dates-Tamarind Chutney 
  • 1 Cup Seedless Dates
  • 1/4 Cup Tamarind Pieces
  • 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/4 Cup Jaggery
  • For Masala Peanuts
  • 2 Cup Peanuts (peeled and salted)
  • 2 Tbsp Groundnut Oil
  • 2 Tsp Heaped Garam Masala
  • 1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 Tsp Dry Mango Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Coriander Cumin Powder
  • Salt To Taste
  • 2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • For Garnishing
  • Coriander (finely chopped)
  • Yellow Plain Sev
  • Masala Peanuts 
  • Masala Chana Daal

Preparation

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes

  1. For the chilly-garlic chutney, add garlic cloves, cumin seeds and salt in a mixer and blend into a fine paste. Next, add red chilli powder, oil and blend it well until everything mixes well. Store it in a container and refrigerate (when using, pre-soak the chutney in warm water for 2 hours and mix it well with a spoon).
  2. For dates-tamarind chutney, pressure cook dates, tamarind and water for 4 to 5 whistles. Let the mixture cool and check for any seeds. Add this mixture to a blender jar with red chilli powder and jaggery. Blend it into a fine paste and store it in an airtight container and refrigerate (when using, mix a portion of chutney with water).
  3. For masala peanuts, hand crush peeled and salted peanuts into halves. In a tempering pan, heat oil on slow flame and add the mixture of all masala with salt in it. Stir for 30 seconds. Pour the mixture in the peanuts and mix well. Add dry mango powder and powdered sugar and mix again. Store in an airtight container for further use.
  4. For the bhel, take a big mixing bowl and add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, dhokla, puffed rice and namkeen mixture. Mix all the ingredients well. Then add sweet and spicy chutney as per your taste and mix it well.
  5. Garnish with chopped coriander, sev, masala peanuts and masala chana dal. Tastes best when crunchy. 

Watch
Karan Bheda

I learnt cooking at the very young age of 13 as my mom owned a food business. My sister and I used to be her helping hands. I have always been a curious learner and have learnt cooking just by watching my mom cook (who by the way is an awesome cook). Mom never thought cooking was only for girls. I'd often post pictures of the food made by me on my WhatsApp stories and Facebook status. Seeing that, my friends suggested - why don’t I start a cooking page. I was always a cooking enthusiast and tried new recipes after eating them at restaurants or by looking them up online and in books.