Masala puri is an awesome street food snack made with layers of crunchy puri, creamy and spicy white peas gravy, rich spices and fresh veggies. Our easy Bangalore masala puri is great to make whenever you a craving a fun and flavorful chaat! Here you’ll find step-by-step instructions and photos to make this tasty snack at home.
About Masala Puri Chaat
Masala puri is a popular street food snack that originated in Bangalore, India. Typically masala puri is served in bowls with several layers of deliciousness.
It features crispy puri loaded with a spiced white peas gravy, then topped with fresh veggies, vibrant ground spices, sev (fried gram flour vermicelli) or crunchy pieces of pani puri, and cilantro. The result is a satisfying snack that has a great combination of textures and deep, slightly sour and tangy bold flavors.
This masala puri is inspired by a recipe from Aayis Recipes and also without the inclusion of sweet tamarind chutney. It’s also similar to Ragda Chaat as a layered street food snack, but has a completely different taste and flavor profile. (And be sure to try my Ragda Patties recipe, too!)
Note that to properly make Bangalore masala puri at home, you do need to have crispy Pani puri or Golgappa. These can be made at home or purchased from a sweet shop or online grocery stores.
Preparing these crispy puri at home is not difficult and can be made in a large batch a day or so ahead of time. That way you’re ready to go when you want to make masala puri.
Enjoy this tangy, spicy masala puri chaat snack right away as soon as you assemble and make it!
How to make Masala Puri
Pressure cooking white peas
1. Rinse and then soak 1 cup of dried white peas in enough 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 them for 2 to 3 whistles or boil/steam them in a pan until softened.
2. Drain all the water and add the soaked white peas to a stovetop pressure cooker. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (about 2 to 3 pinches ground turmeric).
3. Then add 2 cups of water.
4. Pressure cook for 15 to 20 minutes or for 10 to 12 whistle on medium heat. Once the pressure falls on its own in the cooker, 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 more minutes.
5. The peas should be quite soft and mashable. They should not be al dente or undercooked from the center as this can give you digestion problems or stomach aches.
Making Masala Paste
6. Once the dried white peas are cooked, it’s time to make the flavorful masala paste.
To a spice grinder jar add the following ingredients:
- 1 to 2 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. Now 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. Then 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. Set aside.
Making Peas 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 saute 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 green masala paste.
15. Mix well and saute for a minute.
16. Then add the remaining cooked white peas.
17. Add 1 cup of 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 turn off the heat. Cover and set aside.
21. Meanwhile, while the peas gravy is cooking, finely chop 1 medium-sized onion, 1 medium-sized tomato, 1 small lime or lemon and coriander leaves. Set aside.
Assembling and making masala puri
22. On a plate, crush 4 to 5 Puri which we use for Pani puri.
23. Pour on a generous amount of the 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 unripe green mangoes when in season.
25. Sprinkle on chaat masala, 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 pooris, 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 masala puri chaat with more of the crushed puris.
27. Lastly, add some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) on top.
28. Serve Bangalore style masala puri right away. It makes for a filling and healthy snack. You can enjoy as a brunch or as an evening snack.
Assemble and prepare this chaat snack when you want to eat it. Don’t assemble and prepare it earlier as the puri and sev will become soggy.
But you can make ahead the individual elements of this dish like cooked white peas, masala paste, the peas gravy and later assemble them to make the chaat.
FAQs
This dish is rather filling, so as-is my recipe makes 4 large or 6 small servings. Feel free to cut the recipe in half or double the ingredients to make the right number of servings you need.
Enjoy with crushed pieces of puri on top and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and sev. If you like you can also add sweet tamarind chutney to the dish.
It is not recommended that you prepare this full dish in advance. The crunchy puri will start to get soggy soon after it is made, so for the best taste, you should enjoy right away.
However, you can make and prep the ingredients – like the cooked peas, masala paste and peas curry – ahead of time. Keep separate until ready to assemble and serve the masala puri.
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Masala Puri
Ingredients
For cooking white peas
- 250 grams dried white peas or dried green peas or 1 cup
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder or 2 to 3 pinches (ground turmeric)
For masala paste
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 2 marathi moggu (kapok buds)- optional
- 1 to 2 mace strands
- 2 pinches nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal (roasted husked bengal gram)
- 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves – chopped
- ½ inch ginger – chopped
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1 to 2 green chilies
- ¼ cup fresh coconut – tightly packed
- ¼ cup cooked white peas
- ⅓ cup water for grinding
For making peas gravy
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ⅓ cup chopped onions
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or hot paprika
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons sugar or as required
- salt as required
For assembling masala puri
- 16 to 20 pani puri or golgappa puris – crushed, as required
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions
- ⅓ cup finely chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves
- chaat masala – as required
- lemon juice – as required
- Tamarind Chutney – optional, as required
- regular salt or black salt, as required
Instructions
Pressure cooking white peas
- Rinse and then soak dried white peas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
- Drain all the water and add them in a stovetop pressure cooker. Also add salt and turmeric powder.
- Then add water.
- Pressure cook for 15 to 20 minutes or for 10 to 12 whistle on medium heat. When the pressure falls down on its own, then only open the lid and check if the white peas are cooked. In case they are not cooked, then add ½ cup more water and pressure cook for some more minutes. The peas should be cooked well.
- Once the white peas are cooked then proceed to the next step.
Making masala paste
- Now in a grinder jar, add the whole spices mentioned under the list 'For masala paste' in the ingredients section above.
- Also add roasted chana dal, garlic cloves (chopped), ginger (chopped), chopped coriander leaves, green chilies (chopped) and fresh coconut.
- Add cooked peas.
- Add water and grind to a smooth and fine paste. There should not be any small chunks of any ingredient in the paste. Keep aside.
Making white peas gravy
- Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.
- Mix and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then add red chili powder and mix well.
- Now add the green masala paste. Mix well and saute for a minute.
- Then add the cooked white peas and add water.
- Season with sugar as per your preference. Also add salt as per taste.
- Mix very well and simmer on a low to low-medium heat. Stir at intervals so that the mixture does not stick to the pan.
- Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or till you some oil specks on the top. The masala should get cooked and the rawness should go away. Once done switch off the heat. Cover and keep aside.
- Meanwhile when the peas gravy is cooking, you can finely chop onion, tomato, small lime or lemon and coriander leaves. Keep aside.
Making masala puri chaat
- On a plate, crush 4 to 5 puris which we use for pani puris.
- Pour the peas gravy. If you like some sweetness, then you can add sweet tamarind chutney at this step.
- Top with some finely chopped onions and tomatoes. You can also add grated carrot as this step.
- Sprinkle chaat masala, black salt or regular salt. Also drizzle some lemon juice all over.
- Sprinkle some sev on top. If you want the crunch of the pooris, then sprinkle crushed puris on top instead of placing puris in the plate.
- Lastly add some chopped coriander leaves on top.
- Serve bangalore style masala puri immediately. This way you can make various servings of masala puri and then serve them hot or warm.
Notes
- Instead of white peas you can use dried green peas or fresh green peas. For dried green peas soak them overnight in water and later cook them as we have cooked the white peas in this recipe.
- You can cook the soaked white peas in an Instant pot also. I would not recommend cooking them in a pan as they will take a very long time to cook. To cook in an Instant pot, pressure cook on high pressure with 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
- You can add grated or shredded veggies like carrots, beetroots, finely chopped cucumber as toppings for the chaat. For tanginess you can add raw unripe mangoes when they are in season.
- To add some sweetness to the chaat consider topping it with some tamarind chutney.
- Make sure you assemble the chaat when you want to eat it. Don’t assemble and prepare the chaat in advance as then some ingredients will become soggy.
- This recipe can be scaled to make a small or big batch.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Masala Puri post from the blog archives first published in October 2017 has been republished and updated on 29 August 2021.
Traditionally toor dal is also used in the gravy. That makes it healthier. The chat shop near our house makes it still more healthier by adding palak and other green leafy veggies to get the green color in the masala. It is like a full filling meal.
Thanks for sharing this info and healthier tips. It will help the readers as well.