Mumbai sev puri

This Mumbai sev puri is one of my favourite savoury snacks (chaat in Hindi) to make - they are so addictive and delicious! I've been learning Hindi during the corona lockdowns and I've learnt that chaat in Hindi originally means to "lick" or to "relish". Although when people refer to chaat they usually refer to the collection of savoury Indian snacks. This Mumbai sev puri really is the epitome of a good Indian chaat - you really do relish every single bite! 

What is sev puri?

Sev puri is a popular snack hailing from Mumbai. Sev = small fried crispy "noodles" made from roasted besan (chickpeas flour). Puri refers to small crispy discs (also called papdi) made from wholewheat flour. The papdi is topped with an assortment of delicious ingredients including potatoes, tomatoes, onions and different chutneys like garlic-chilli chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and coriander-mint chutney. The sev and a sprinkling of different spice powders like chaat masala, chilli powder and cumin are put all over the top - making for a truly delicious snack. There are so many flavours bursting in your mouth. Make a lot as you will be coming back to them again & again!

The components in my sev puri

Besides the essential puri & sev, these are the ingredients I add to my sev puri 

• Boiled and mashed potatoes - they provide a nice base to the snack 
  
  
• Chopped tomatoes & onions 
  
  
• Tamarind chutney - gives a nice tang and sweet flavour. Balances out all the flavours really well.
  
  
• Coriander & mint chutney - gives the snack a light freshness & provides a nice colour!
  
  
• Dry garlic-chilli chutney - gives the sev puri some spice and a nice kick! 
  
  
• Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing 
  
  
• Spice powders like chaat masala, cumin powder & chilli powder for sprinkling over at the end 

If you have all of the chutneys ready - making this snack takes very little time. You simply have to boil & mash the potatoes and then chop the tomatoes and onions into fine dice. If you enjoy making Indian snacks I highly recommend making a big batch of the chutneys. Tamarind chutney keeps well in the fridge for at least a month, and you can freeze coriander & mint chutney in ice-cube trays. Then you can just defrost a few cubes when you need them. The garlic-chilli chutney will also keep well in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. 

Let's make sev puri!

Ingredients 

Makes 24 sev puri (serves 3-4)

24 bombay puris (papdi) 
2 large potatoes peeled, boiled & then mashed 
1 large red onion finely diced 
1 large tomato finely diced
Nylon sev as required 

2 tsp dry garlic-chilli chutney - find the recipe for this here
Chaat masala as required 
Red chilli powder as required 
Cumin powder as required 

Lemon juice as required
Handful coriander leaves to garnish

For the green chutney 

2 handfuls coriander leaves
2 handfuls mint leaves
Small piece ginger 
1 green chilli 
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
Salt to taste 
Water, as required 

For the tamarind chutney

2 tbsp tamarind paste or concentrate 
1.5 cups water
1 cup powdered jaggery 
Pinch salt 
Pinch cumin powder 

Method 

Prepping ingredients 

• Wash & peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil until soft and then mash with a fork or potato masher. Set them aside to cool. 
  
  
• Chop the onion and tomato into a fine dice. Also set them aside. 

Making the chutneys (if you haven't got them already)

• For the garlic-chilli chutney - you can follow the recipe here
  
  

• For the tamarind chutney, heat the water until just below boiling. Add the tamarind paste or concentrate, jaggery, salt and cumin powder. Mix well. Reduce the heat and let the chutney bubble until reduced and slightly syrupy. Let the chutney cool before using. 
  
  
• For the green chutney, in a blender, add the coriander, mint, ginger, garlic clove, chilli, cumin seeds and salt. Add 1/4 cup water and blend until smooth and lump free. Set aside in a bowl.
  

Assembling the final sev puri 

• Keep all the prepped ingredients for the sev puri ready. 
  
  
• First, arrange the puris on a plate (depending on how many you are serving for and making!) 
  
  
• Top each puri with a small tsp of boiled potatoes. 
  
  
• Do the same with the chopped onions and tomatoes. 
  
  
• Sprinkle a pinch of chaat masala, cumin powder and kashmiri red chilli powder over the puris. 
  
  
• Next, top with the dry-chilli chutney, coriander chutney & tamarind chutney (as much as a like of each). 
  
  
• Sprinkle sev all over the top of the puris (as much as you like)
  
  
• Finally, sprinkle over a little lemon juice and top with coriander leaves. 
  
  
• Enjoy the puris straightaway before they become soggy - they truly are the perfect snack!