Wacky Snacks: Poonjiaji's Chaat House Bhel Puri
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| Edwin Goei |
Origin: India
Found at: Radhika Sweets and Spices, Tustin
Cost: $2.99
Ingredients:
Puris: Refined Wheat Flour, Water, Vegetable Oil (Palmolein) and Salt
Bhel Mix: Puffed Rice, Sev, Puri, Bengal Gram Split, Vegetable Oil (Palmolein), Salt, Spices, Dry Mango, Curry Leaves and Sugar
Sev: Gram Flour, Water, Vegetable Oil (Palmolein) and Salt
Khatti Meethi Chutney: Water, Dates, Sugar, Dry Mango, Green Chilli, Salt, Spices, Corn Starch, Acetic Acid as acidifying agent and Sodium Benzoate to retard spoilage
Teekhi Chutney: Water, Coriander Leaves, Green Chilli, Salt, Corn Starch, Cumin, Acetic Acid as acidifying agent, Sodium Benzoate to retard spoilage and Copper Cholorophyll as color
Chilli Garlic Chutney: Water, Garlic, Sugar, Chilli, Salt, Corn Starch, Acetic Acid as acidying agent and Sodium Benzoate to retard spoilage
Edwin Goei
Why I Bought It:
The picture on the box suggested that inside was behl puri, a common street food snack that, for lack of a better description, is like Indian nachos. But I was just expecting maybe some chips that were an approximation of behl puri. When you tear into a bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese, you don't expect there to be sauce packets and a bonafide kit to make actual nachos. But that's what this is: it has everything you need for your very own behl puri snack plate...with some assembly required.
Edwin Goei
Tasting Notes:
There were three dry components and three wet ones.
The thick, crispy fried flour tortilla-like discs had a substantial bite, the puffed rice were similar to curry-flavored Rice Krispies, and the sev, a shredded wheat doppelganger, ate like instant ramen noodles. Then there were the chutney satchels that one is to dribble over the whole thing. Most reminded me of Cholula or Tapatio sauce, with the same acidic bite and a peppery after burn.
After putting it all together, I sat down to eat my proper Indian snack with a glass of mango Gatorade as a beverage pairing. Though it satisfied the munchies, now I'm exhausted. Junk food shouldn't take this much effort. Or perhaps, maybe it should?
Edwin Goei
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