Jhal muri recipe with step by step photos. If you ever get a chance to visit Kolkata in West Bengal, you just cannot miss trying their version of the bhel puri called the Jhal Muri. It is the quintessential street food popular in this part of the Indian subcontinent.
What is Jhal Muri
When you translate the Bengali name of the dish Jhal Muri, it means ‘spicy’ that refers to ‘jhal’ and ‘puffed rice’ that refers to ‘muri.’ You really can’t imagine the street food of Kolkata without mentioning this uber essential snack.
Though there may be variations that differ from hawker to hawker, the essence is the same. That is, like most street food snacks in other regions of India, the Jhal Muri is also a scrumptious amalgamation of ingredients which are spicy, sweet, sour and tangy. Thus, fitting apt to the word ‘chatpata’ in Hindi.
This vegan snack of Jhal Muri is made with puffed rice and other tidbits like roasted peanuts, onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, spice powders and herbs.
A special ingredient that is added in jhalmuri is mustard oil. This lend a typical pungent flavor to this puffed rice snack – hints and hits of the flavor and aroma of mustard oil is felt when eating.
Most of the states in India, have their own version of a puffed rice snack. Where Bhel puri is from Maharashtra, Karnataka has Churumuri or masala mandakki or girmit. Andhra Pradesh has uggani or borugula upma.
Apart from them there are few other chaat snacks that are not made with puffed rice but have many flavors in one bite like jhal muri. E.g.
Jhal muri has many flavors, textures and taste. The spiciness and heat comes from the green chilies. Puffed rice and peanuts add to a nice crunchiness and crispiness. Onions and cucumber also add some crunch. The tangy taste is from tomatoes and lemon juice.
The spice powders add some aroma and depth, whereas the mustard oil takes this simple snack to a wholly new level.
Usually muri masala is used to make jhalmuri. Here I have added a blend of everyday Indian spice powders that is used in Indian cooking in the recipe. Even chana chur (a savory mixture like chiwda) is added. I have added sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) instead of chana chur in the recipe.
Serve jhal muri as soon as you as you mix everything. The puffed rice grains should not become soggy. I have shown the method step wise.
But you can add everything and mix together once the puffed rice is roasted well. I always dry roast puffed rice till they become crisp and crunchy. If the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then no need to dry roast them.
How to make Jhal Muri
preparation
1. First finely chop veggies like onion, tomato, boiled potato, cucumber, ginger and green chilies.
You will need ¼ cup finely chopped onions, ¼ cup finely chopped cucumber, ¼ cup finely chopped tomato, ½ cup chopped boiled potatoes, ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 to 2 green chilies, finely chopped. You can even mince the onions and ginger. Keep aside.
2. Heat a kadai and keep the heat to a low or medium-low. Add 2 cups of puffed rice (murmura).
3. Stirring often roast till they become crisp and crunchy.
4. Stir often and roast for 2 to 3 minutes or more if required. Check a few puffed rice and they should be crunchy and not soft or chewy.
Making Jhal Muri
5. Switch off the heat and keep the pan down. Add the following spice powders one by one:
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (or white pepper powder)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- ½ teaspoon rock salt or regular salt or add as per taste.
The heat from the pan will roast the spice powders and make them aromatic. if the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then just roast them for some seconds or a minute. Keep the pan down and then add the spice powders.
6. Mix puffed rice with the spice powders. Let this puffed rice cool at room temperature before you begin with the next step.
7. Add ¼ cup of roasted peanuts.
8. Next add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green chilies and ginger. at this step you can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coconut.
9. Quickly mix gently.
10. Immediately drizzle 1 teaspoon of mustard oil all over.
11. Next drizzle 1 teaspoon of lemon juice all over.
12. Gently mix again.
13. Add sev. Instead of sev you can also add chana chur (savory mixture like chiwda).
14. Add coriander leaves. Mix quickly. Check taste and add more salt, lemon juice or any of the spice powders if you want.
15. Serve jhal muri straight away.
Few more popular snacks recipes you may like are:
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Jhal Muri
Ingredients
main ingredients for jhal muri
- 2 cups puffed rice (murmura, muri)
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions
- ¼ cup finely chopped cucumber
- ¼ cup finely chopped tomato
- ½ cup chopped boiled potatoes or 1 medium potato, boiled
- 1 to 2 green chilies – finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped or minced ginger
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sev or chana chur
- 1 teaspoon mustard oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or add as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coconut – optional
spice powders for making jhal muri
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- ½ teaspoon rock salt (edible and food grade) or regular salt or add as per taste
Instructions
preparation for jhal muri
- First finely chop veggies like onion, tomato, boiled potato, cucumber, ginger and green chilies. You can even mince the onions and ginger.
- Keep them aside.
making jhal muri
- Heat a kadai and keep flame to a low or medium-low. Add 2 cups of puffed rice (murmura).
- Stirring often roast for 2 to 3 minutes or more till they become crisp and crunchy.
- Check a few puffed rice and they should be crunchy and not soft or chewy.
- Switch off the flame and keep the pan down. One by one add all the spice powders from the above list of “Spice powders“. Also add black salt and rock salt or regular salt as per taste.
- The heat from the pan will roast the spice powders and make them aromatic. If the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then just roast them for some seconds or a minute. Keep the pan down and then add the spice powders.
- Mix puffed rice with the spice powders. Let this puffed rice cool at room temperature before you begin with the next step.
- Add ¼ cup roasted peanuts.
- Next add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green chilies and ginger.
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon mustard oil all over.
- Next drizzle 1 teaspoon lemon juice all over.
- Gently mix again.
- Add sev. Instead of sev you can also add chana chur (savory mixture like chiwda).
- Add coriander leaves. Mix quickly. Check taste and add more salt, lemon juice or any of the spice powders if you want.
- Serve jhal muri straight away.
Notes
- If the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then no need to dry roast them.
- You can increase the quantity of green chilies, red chili powder and garam masala powder to make a spicier Jhal Muri.
- If you feel like adding onion and ginger to the recipe, go for it. Just mince or finely chop them and then add.
- In place of black pepper powder, you can even add white powder and in place of rock salt, you can even add regular salt.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Jhal Muri Post from the archives first published on February 2018 has been republished and updated in January 2023.
Hey Dassana,
I’m really a big fan of ur site and run to you for every new dishes I have to try.
I just wanted to give a suggestion for this jhaal moori recipe. My mom in law mixes moori with mustard oil and mixture in one bowl and in separate bowl she keeps all the other ingredients mixed like potato onion cucumber spices etc.
When we eat, we mix small portion of potato mixture in moori and eat, in this was moori doesn’t get soft easily.
Thank you Sadqua. That is a good way and method of having muri. Thanks for sharing. I am sure it will help the readers as well. Thanks again.
I made this. It was super tasty.I live in bangalore and here I’m not able to find this north indian street food,thanks to your recipe
Dassana Amit everyone in my home loved it so much ????
thank you iksha for the positive comment and review on jhal muri recipe. glad to know. happy cooking.
Loved it, as usual you have another winner. Such a tasy healthy snack. I left out the mustard oil as I did not have any but it still tasted great. What is mustard oil added for? Taste ? Or to bind the spices to the puffed rice or both? Next time planning to add a bit of raw mango to it. Thanks for another great recipe
thanks anu and welcome. mustard oil is added for taste. but i also believe the street vendors add it to bind the masalas to the puffed rice. yes ofcourse you can add raw mangoes. it will taste too good.
Hey! Thanks for this recipe, I live out of India and its really impossible to find real chaat/jhalmudi where I live, fortun8ly i have all ingredients for this recipe! thanks!
welcome shrishthi. nice to know that you have all the ingredients to make jhal muri at home.