Sev puri

February 04, 2020

Sev puri

Sev puri:( A famous Indian chaat):

Sev puri is a kind of an Indian snack or a chaat that originated actually from Mumbai. Mumbai is the metro city of Maharashtra wherein sev puri forms among the street food dishes. All crowd on the busy roads gather around the street carts to relish their mouth watering street foods or chaats like sev puri, pani puri, ragda patties, bhel etc. Not only in Mumbai but this street food have spread it's wings on every corner of States.

Sev puri is now available almost in every corners of different states in India. However every state has a different way of preparing it. In Mumbai, flat puris are used to prepare sev puri whereas puffed puris are for pani puri purpose. In Goa where I have been eating all these years, puffed puris are used to prepare sev puri as well as pani puri. Satisfying your taste buds with mouth watering street foods on local carts what we call as gadas is just a heavenly experience.! However now due to food adulteration and various diseases which have emerged through polluted water used in the preparations of street foods have made them a bit unhygienic to eat on local gadas. People prefer to eat these street foods in hotels but the taste is always compromised. I and my hubby used to regularly have street foods specially sev puri and pani puri on local street corners, however now have stopped completely due to unhygienic conditions. Its always prevention better then cure. Why invite unhygiene in your gut, when you can try it safely at your homes. Now I prepare sev puri, pani puri etc at home. Home made food is always hygienic, safe to your gut and healthy. And the most important part of having homemade food is you can have in lot of quantities or in large amount you can say which you don't get outside even if you spend many pennies.

So let me share with you the way I prepare my sev puri at home and we each at least can gulp down 8-10 puris at one time. Healthy, tasty, safe, hygienic and stomach filling street food, what else is required.

Ingredients:
Puffed puris-1 packet ( easily available on purohit shops)
Nylon sev-1 packet
Tamarind-1 bowl
Jaggery-1 bowl
Red chilli powder-1 tsp
Green chillies-10
Coriander leaves- 2 bowls
Chopped onions-1 bowl
Chana( vatana)-1 bowl
Haldi powder- 1 tsp
Chaat masala-1 tsp
Jeera powder-1 tsp
Salt as required
Water as required

Method:
For a perfect sev puri, you require to prepare following main ingredients from above mentioned ingredient quantities.
1) Ragda
2) Imli pani ( Tamarind water)
3) green chutney
4) masala powder

So let's go step by step
1) Ragda:

For this soak chana in water overnight or 4-6 hrs in hot water. Then drain this water and cook them in a pressure cooker with required water, haldi powder and salt for 5-6 whistles. These chanas need to be well cooked in mashy form. Once the pressure is released, remove the cooked chana in a vessel. Check its consistency and add more water and cook for a while till you get a semi consistent gravy. Check salt. Your Ragda is done. Keep aside. Always keep in mind that while plating your sev puri, your Ragda should be hot. So heat it again while plating if it turns cold.

2) Imli pani ( tamarind water):

This is prepared in various ways. Some boil tamarind and dates in water, drain and mash. I soak tamarind in hot water for 5-6 hrs. Then mash them with hand nicely till you get a thick pulp. Sieve the pulp on a sieve and add more hot water to get complete pulp from tamarind. Then add jaggery, red chilli powder and required salt and stir till jaggery is completely dissolved. Your tamarind pani is ready.

3) green chutney:

Grind green chillies, coriander leaves(1 fistful) and salt with little water. Your green chutney is ready.

4) masala powder:

Mix chaat masala, jeera powder, red chilli powder and salt in equal quantities. Done.

Now the main show of sev puri is the plating.
Go step by step.
In a plate place required puffed puris. Break them in centre.