Masala Puri Recipe (Bangalore Style Chaat)

Masala Puri is a favorite street food chaat originating from Bangalore in Karnataka, and consisting of crisp crushed golgappa puris layered with a spicy mixture of cooked dried white peas, chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, tamarind chutney, lemon juice, a sprinkle of chaat masala and crunchy sev. Known for its unique South Indian twist on classic chaat, this flavorful dish offers a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and tangy elements in every bite.

Masala Puri – A Bangalore Street Food Classic

Masala Puri is a popular street food snack that originated in Bangalore in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is typically served in bowls with several layers of deliciousness and textures.

The highlight of this dish is the spiced dried white peas gravy which is jazzed up by all the chaat essentials along with crispy golgappa or pani puris.

If you deconstruct a Masala Puri – it will feature crispy puris loaded with a spiced white peas gravy, topped with fresh veggies, ground spices, sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) or crunchy pieces of pani puri, and coriander leaves.

The result is a satisfying snack that has a great combination of textures and deep, slightly sour and tangy bold flavors. All the things that your palate can never get bored of. In fact, once tasted, you will crave for more.

With the long list of ingredients in this recipe, you might get worried as to how you would end up making a perfect one.

But let me tell you, if you follow the recipe well, then there’s no way it’s going to be difficult to assemble a scrumptious chaat. Just keep patience and work on the recipe as mentioned.

This Masala Puri is inspired by the recipe from Aayis Recipes and also without the inclusion of sweet tamarind chutney.

It’s similar to the Mumbai special Ragda Chaat as a layered street food snack, but has a completely different flavor profile. Since we are speaking of ragda here, you can try my recipe of Ragda Patties too.

To properly make Bengaluru style Masala Puri at home, you do need crispy Pani Puri shells or golgappa. These can be made at home, purchased from a sweet shop or online grocery stores.

Preparing these crispy puris at home is not difficult and can be made in a large batch ahead of time. That way you’re ready to go when you want to use them for the recipe.

Enjoy this tangy, spicy Masala Puri chaat snack right away as soon as you assemble it.

How to make Masala Puri Chaat

Masala Puri does need a bit of prep, but don’t let that scare you. Once the peas are cooked and the puris are ready, the rest is just layering everything together.

The first step is to get the white peas soaked and cooked properly because they’re the heart of this chaat.

Soak & Pressure Cook White Peas

1. Rinse and soak 1 cup dried white peas in 2.5 to 3 cups water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. These peas have a light creamish color or are creamish yellow.

You can even use dried green peas or fresh green peas, instead of white peas. If using fresh green peas, then just pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles or boil/steam in a pan until softened.

2. Drain all the water and add the soaked white peas to a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Also, add ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon (about 2 to 3 pinches) turmeric powder.

3. Next, add 2 cups water.

4. Pressure cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 whistles or 15 to 20 minutes. Once the pressure falls naturally, then only open the lid and check if the white peas are cooked.

You should be able to mash them easily with a fork or spoon. If they are not fully cooked, then add ½ cup more water and pressure cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.

5. The peas should be soft and mashable. They should not be al dente or undercooked from the center as this can give you digestion problems or stomach aches.

Make Masala Paste

6. To a spice grinder jar add the following ingredients:

• 1 to 2 thin mace strands
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 tiny piece of nutmeg (or 2 pinches of nutmeg powder)
• 2 marathi moggu (kapok or dried capers) – The marathi moggu is optional and can be skipped if you don’t have it.

7. Also, add 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal to the grinder jar.

8. Next, add the following ingredients:

• 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves (chopped)
• ½ inch ginger (chopped)
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped)
• ¼ cup tightly packed fresh coconut

9. Next, add ¼ cup of the cooked white peas and ⅓ cup water.

10. Grind to a smooth fine paste. Ensure that there are no chunks or tiny pieces of any ingredients in the masala paste. Keep aside.

Make Gravy

11. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions.

You can use any neutral-flavored oil.

12. Mix and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

13. Then, add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder and mix well. You can replace red chili powder with cayenne pepper or hot paprika.

14. Now, add the prepared masala paste.

15. Mix well and sauté for a minute.

16. Next, add the remaining cooked white peas.

17. Add 1 cup water.

18. Season with 2 teaspoons sugar or according to your preference. Also, add salt as needed.

19. Mix very well and simmer on low to low-medium heat. Stir regularly, so that peas or the gravy mixture does not stick at the bottom of the pan.

20. Continue to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or till you see some oil specks on the top. The masala should get cooked and its rawness should go away.

Once done, switch off the heat. Cover and keep aside.

21. Meanwhile, finely chop 1 medium-sized onion, 1 medium-sized tomato, 1 small lemon and coriander leaves. Keep aside.

Making Masala Puri

22. On a plate, crush 4 to 5 puris which we use for Pani Puri.

23. Pour on a generous quantity of the prepared white peas gravy. If you like some sweetness, then you can add sweet Tamarind Chutney at this step.

24. Top with some finely chopped onions and tomatoes. You can also add grated carrot or beetroot, if you like.

Another option is to add raw mangoes when in season.

25. Sprinkle chaat masala powder, black salt or regular salt. Also, drizzle some lemon juice all over, for some tanginess.

26. Sprinkle some sev on top. If you want the crunch of the puris, then sprinkle crushed puris on top.

You can do this instead of adding the puris to the bottom of the bowl first, or add them to the bottom and top the chaat with more of the crushed puris.

27. Lastly, add some chopped coriander leaves on top.

28. Serve Bangalore style Masala Puri chaat right away. It makes for a filling and healthy snack. You can enjoy as a brunch or as an evening snack.

Serving and Storage

• Always assemble Masala Puri only at the time of serving. If you assemble earlier, the puris and sev will turn soggy.
• But you can make ahead the individual elements of this dish like cooked white peas, masala paste, the peas gravy and later assemble to make the chaat.
• Serve immediately while the gravy is hot and toppings are fresh.
• Keep extra sev, puris, and toppings on the side so everyone can customize as they eat.
• The white peas gravy can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Warm it up before assembling.
• Leftover gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Do not freeze as the texture of peas changes.

Expert Tips

Cooking Masala Puri at home is simple once you understand a few basics. The key lies in properly cooking the peas, balancing the spices, and assembling the chaat just before serving.

Don’t worry about the long list of ingredients. Most of them are pantry staples or easily available at Indian grocery stores. Once you prepare the gravy, the rest is just about layering flavors and textures.

The best part is that Masala Puri is a flexible recipe. You can keep it authentic or tweak it slightly to suit your family’s taste.

Whether you prefer it spicy, tangy, or even with a touch of sweetness, there’s room to play.

Let’s see the variations, then move to how to cook the peas correctly, and finally talk about adjusting the flavor and spice levels.

Variations

• You can use dried green peas or fresh green peas instead of dried white peas. If using dried green peas, soak them overnight and cook the same way as white peas.
• When raw mangoes are in season, add finely chopped mango for extra tang.
• Grated beetroot, carrot, or cucumber make great toppings for added freshness and crunch.
• If you like a sweeter chaat, drizzle some tamarind chutney before serving.

Cooking Peas

• Always soak dried white or green peas overnight (atleast for 8 hours).
• Pressure cook in a stovetop cooker or Instant Pot, but avoid cooking in a regular pan as it takes much longer.
• In Instant Pot: cook soaked peas with 3 cups water at high pressure for 30 minutes.
• Make sure peas are soft and mashable. Undercooked peas can cause indigestion or stomach ache.
• Old stock of peas takes longer to cook. If peas are not soft after pressure cooking, cook for a few more whistles/minutes.

Flavor and Spice

• The gravy should be slightly thick, not watery. If it looks thin, simmer uncovered or mash some peas to thicken.
• Adjust green chillies or chilli powder according to taste. Masala Puri is usually spicy, but you can make it milder for kids or elderly.
• Marathi moggu (kapok buds) adds authentic flavor but the recipe tastes good even without it.
• Don’t skip fresh coriander leaves as garnish as they add brightness and balance to the flavors.

Scaling the Recipe

• This recipe can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled to suit the number of servings.
• If making for a small family, halve the recipe to avoid leftovers.
• For larger gatherings, double or triple the recipe and keep the cooked peas gravy ready in advance. Assemble the chaat just before serving so the puris and sev stay crisp.
• When scaling up, prepare the toppings (onions, tomatoes, sev, coriander, chutneys) in bulk and store them in separate bowls. This makes assembling much quicker.
• You can even set up a small chaat counter at parties where guests assemble their own Masala Puri.

FAQs

Masala Puri recipe from the blog archives was first published on October 2017.