#263 Super Bowl Sunday..and a must-have street snack from Western India- Bhelpuri

Super Bowl Sunday is here again and New Orleans will host its 10th Super Bowl today. I'm making a snack as we watch the Baltimore Ravens play the 49 ers taking you all the way to Bombay for Super Bowl Bhel!!!

One of the tastiest street foods I associate with the beaches in Mumbai(Chowpatti) is the Bhelpuri but I've also had the pleasure of snacking on this food while I was in Pune. The Bhelpuri is from the "Chaat" family which in turn is a salty-spicy crunchy mix sold on carts throughout India served up in a newspaper sheet folded in the form of a cone and eaten with a spoon. Although it is a simple indulgent snack there are innumerable variations of Bhelpuri some of which are unaccounted for, but the most common one always starts with puffed rice and sev,  and then you add layers and layers of different ingredients as you go  with chutneys or masalas.

Normally there is either potatoes or chick peas but my version does not include the starchiness of potatoes or chaat masala(lets leave the masalas in curries). I've even made a version with potato chips which is awesome. Let me mention that this is also not a typically healthy snack. Although it looks like a semi-salad, most of the store-brought ingredients are deep fried snacks.

Servings: 3
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins

3 cups puffed rice
1 cup of sev(vermicilli like fried strips of flavored chick pea flour)
1 cup of papdi and peanuts (may substitute with a spicy Indian mixture)
Indian Mixture is a mixture of fried snacks mostly made of chick pea flour
you may even find potato sticks, chick peas, peanuts, raisins, curry leaves in some mixtures.
1 onion chopped fine
1 tomato-chopped
1 green chili chopped fine
Date-tamarind chutney to taste
Mint-Cilantro chutney to taste
2 Teaspoons yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Directions:
1. If you decide to make the date/tamarind chutney or mint chutney it may take at least 20 mins.
2. For a green chutney grind together mint, cilantro, garlic and green chillies with salt and lemon juice to taste.
3. For a sweet chutney cook and puree dates, add chili, salt and dried ginger add a little tamarind and mix.
4. I've taken short cuts to use storebought mint chutney. add a few tspns of yogurt to the mint chutney and lime juice
to freshen it up.
5. Mix together the dry ingredients and toss with cilantro.
6. When ready to eat, mix in the onions, tomatoes, green chili and the two chutneys to taste.
Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ones.
7. Serve topped with additional chutneys, yogurt, cilantro and sprinkle with additional chili powder for a spicy kick.