Masala Puri
Masala Puri is a spicy and tangy lip smacking chaat. This street food is perfect for those chilly or rainy days when you want something piping hot and delicious. Of course, you can have this Bangalore style Masala Puri any time of the year, whenever your heart yearns for something spicy, something tangy & sweet, with a kick of many unique flavors. Bangaloreans love their Masala Poori Chaat: spicy, sweet, tangy and all the flavors in between. And we’ve made others fall in love with this food, too!
Indian Chaat foods evoke the memories of fun times spent together with family and friends. These are perfect foods for get-togethers and potlucks. This dish is no different — has all the elements and hits the right notes on the taste scale.
About Masala Puri
Masala Puri is a delicious street food from Bangalore, where flavorful green peas curry is served over a bed of crushed crisp puris, garnished with onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and sev. Sometimes tamarind chutney is also served over the peas curry.
Masala Puri is a famous food from Karnataka, and especially loved in Bangalore and Mysore. You’ll find street vendors serving tasty versions that subtly differ from each other. If you love to try different varieties of chaats, specifically the ones bursting with multiple flavors and fillings, you’ll enjoy my recipe immensely.
Bearing many resemblances to Ragda, this Masala Puri is equally delicious but with a completely different flavour profile. Both use dried peas, the Bangalore masala has green peas while the Mumbai version contains white peas.
My Bangalore Style Recipe
My recipe is made the authentic way with the use of dried green peas, green chili and herbs. While this dish isn’t spicy like misal pav and is kids’ friendly, make a much milder version by leaving out the chilies.
You’ll find two styles of Masala Puri served at food stalls. The standard green gravy with coriander and mint. The less common variant has peas and carrots cooked in an orangish gravy. This one uses less of herbs and more of red chili powder.
In a lot of eateries in Bangalore, you will also find the plain mushy cooked green peas being assembled instantly with a green or orangish gravy and then topped with garnishes. So there are so many ways masala puri is made and served.
This savory snack also makes for a light protein-rich dinner and works as a meal prep option. Prepare the gravy 2-3 days ahead. Store in the refrigerator and serve hot with puris and other garnishes.
How to make Masala Puri
Prepare the Dried Peas
1. Rinse and soak 1 cup of dried grean peas in a large bowl for 6-8 hours or preferably overnight. Drain the water and rinse the soaked peas that have now doubled in size.
2. Pressure cook the peas: Peel the potato and add it with green peas to a pressure cooker. Add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric and 3 cups of water. Close the lid and pressure cook for 15-20 minutes or until you hear 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally. The peas should be well cooked and softened.
Make the Masala
3. While the peas are cooking, prep the other ingredients. Chop tomatoes and onions for the gravy. Finely chop onions and tomato for toppings.
4. Add 1½ to 2 tablespoons of oil to a pan or pot & heat it. Reduce the heat to low and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds and stir to prevent the seeds from burning. When the seeds start spluttering, add 1 chopped green chili, 1 inch ginger slices and 2 to 3 sliced cloves of garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.
5. Add the chopped onion (about ½ a cup) and sauté for 2-3 minutes until it turns translucent.
6. Add the chopped tomato (about ½ to ¾ cup) and ¾ to 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes turn mushy. Stir frequently to ensure the food doesn’t stick to the bottom.
7. Move the onions tomatoes to a side in the pan. Add ¾ to 1 teaspoon of red chili powder and ¾ to 1 teaspoon of garam masala.
8. Mix to combine and cook for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. Turn off and cool this completely.
Make Masala Paste
9. Check if the peas and potatoes are done. Peas should be slightly mushy, partially holding shape and fully cooked.
10. Add the sautéed onion tomatoes to a grinder jar along with ½ cup of coriander leaves (with tender stalks) and 15-20 mint leaves. Also add 2 tablespoons of boiled peas. I usually take the top portion of the cooked peas from the bowl, which mostly has the loosened skin from the peas. Adding peas to make the paste provides thickness to the gravy.
11. Grind the cooled masala to a smooth thick paste. Do not add water at this stage.
Make Masala Puri Gravy
12. Add the blended paste to the same pan on medium-low heat and cook for a few minutes until aromatic.
13. Add the remaining peas and the potatoes, along with the stock (water we used to cook the peas).
14. Mash the potato gently & mix well to thicken the gravy. This is the consistency you will get.
15. Add 1 cup of fresh water, jaggery (if using) & 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (optional). Simmer the masala for 10 to 12 minutes. Stir at frequent intervals. In the meantime, prepare the tamarind chutney, using my notes (if you’re making it at home).
16. Taste and add more salt to the gravy if required. The masala should be cooked well and the rawness gone. When the oil specks rise to the top, remove from heat. This is the consistency you should look for. The masala gravy thickens a bit after cooling, so turn off accordingly.
17. I used store bought ready to fry puri papads. Now is the time to fry them. Heat some oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot enough, fry the puris, 3 to 4 at a time. Drain excess oil on paper towels or remove them to a steel colander.
Assemble the Masala Puri
18. In a serving plate/bowl, crush 6-7 chaat puris for the base.
19. Pour the masala gravy (heat it up if it’s gone cold). Add 2-3 teaspoons of tamarind chutney.
20. Top with finely chopped onions and tomatoes. You can also add grated carrot for a healthier option. Drizzle some lemon juice on top. Sprinkle chaat masala if desired.