Jhal Muri

The dish and how it is eaten

Jhal means hot and muri means puffed rice, and this is the snack of the Kolkata street, sold by vendors on footpaths, at bus stops and around railway stations across Bengal. The seller keeps a large tin with a row of small containers around it, mixes each portion to order and shakes the whole thing in a covered canister before tipping it into a paper cone. Part of the appeal is watching this done. It is an afternoon or evening snack, usually eaten standing up and always within minutes of being made. Unlike bhel puri, it has no sweet tamarind chutney; the flavour comes from the pungent mustard oil and sour lemon.

The case for raw mustard oil

Most Indian cooking heats mustard oil to mellow it, but here it goes in cold, and the sharp, nose-tingling heat is exactly what you want. Choose a fresh bottle labelled kachi ghani or cold pressed, since older oil tastes rancid when raw. Note that this strong oil can catch people out, so measure it the first time. A useful way to use it is to toss the dry muri with the oil before the wet ingredients go in. This thin coat keeps the grains from absorbing the moisture of the vegetables straight away, and it buys you those extra few minutes of crunch.

Keeping the crunch

There are two rules. First, the muri must be properly crisp, because any softness from the packet only gets worse when it meets lemon juice and cucumber. Toasting takes minutes and costs nothing. Second, the wet things should be dry to the touch and mixed in only when you are ready to eat. Seed the cucumber and tomato, chop them small rather than grating, and cool the potato. Mix one or two portions at a time for guests rather than a whole bowl in one go. Everything can be prepared an hour in advance and kept in separate piles.

Common mistakes and their rescues

If the muri has gone soft, it cannot be crisped again once it is wet, so fold in a fresh handful of toasted muri and eat straight away. If it tastes too hot, add more muri and a little more boiled potato, since both absorb chilli heat well. If the mustard oil tastes harsh, stir in more lemon and a small pinch of sugar. A bland bowl usually needs black salt and lemon rather than extra chilli. Too much lemon can be balanced with chanachur and extra toasted peanuts, though you then need to eat quickly.

Substitutions and a lighter version

Jhal muri masala is sold in Bengali stores, but a home mix of ground roasted cumin, roasted coriander, dried chilli, black pepper, a little amchur and black salt does the job. The same bhaja masala from the ghugni recipe will work too, with a small pinch of amchur. If you cannot find chanachur, a good sev mix or a Bombay mix can stand in, though many of these contain wheat or dairy, so read the label if you are avoiding either. For a lighter bowl, halve the chanachur and double the roasted peanuts, or use boiled black chana, as many Kolkata vendors do. A spoon of sprouted moong or grated raw mango is good here too. Mustard oil can be reduced to 2 teaspoons before the flavour fades away.

Serving it

Jhal muri needs little beside it, perhaps a cup of hot masala chai or plain tea. For a heartier evening, Bengali cooks often pair puffed rice with a bowl of ghugni, spooned over at the table. It can also be set out as a build-your-own snack, with the dry mix in one bowl and small bowls of vegetables so each guest mixes their own. That also suits children and anyone who wants less chilli.

Storing and preparing ahead

Mixed jhal muri does not store at all, so make only what you will eat. The dry base stays good: muri tossed with the masala and oil keeps for a day in a tightly closed tin, and plain toasted muri keeps for a couple of weeks if the tin is truly airtight. Peanuts and chanachur should stay in their own containers. Boiled potato and chopped vegetables can be refrigerated in closed boxes for a few hours, but pat them dry again before they go in.