Masala Puri Recipe (Bangalore Style Chaat)

masala puri served in a white bowl with a spoon.

5 from 44 votes

Masala Puri Recipe (Bangalore Style Chaat)

Masala Puri is a popular street food chaat from Bangalore, Karnataka. It is made with crispy, crushed golgappa puris topped with a spicy dried white peas gravy, fresh onions, tomatoes, coriander, lemon juice, chutneys, and sev. This dish stands out as a South Indian twist on classic chaat with its crispy, creamy, tangy, and spicy flavors. Each bite brings a wonderful mix of textures and tastes.

Prep Time9

Cook Time20

Total Time9 20

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Karnataka, South Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 403kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For cooking white peas

1 cup or 250 grams dried white peas or dried green peas
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 onions - finely chopped
⅓ cup tomatoes - finely chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves - finely chopped
chaat masala - as required
lemon juice - as required
Tamarind Chutney - optional, as required
regular salt or black salt, as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pressure cooking white peas

Rinse and then soak dried white peas in 2.5 to 3 cups 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 the peas are undercooked, add ½ cup more water and pressure cook for some more minutes. The peas should be softened completely and cooked thoroughly.
Once the white peas are completed softened and cooked well, 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 ¼ cup of the cooked peas.
Add ⅓ cup 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

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.

Serving

Assemble Masala Puri just before eating so the puris stay crisp.
Serve hot or warm with extra sev, onions, tomatoes, chaat masala and puris on the side.

Storage

Store the white peas gravy in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.
Reheat before serving. Do not freeze. Assemble only when ready to eat.

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