Girmit is a very popular street food from north Karnataka. This snack recipe is extremely popular in Hubli-dharwad region of Karnataka.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Appetizer, Snack
  • Cuisine: Indian, North Karnataka

Ingredients

  • 4 cups puffed rice/mandakki/churmuri/murmura
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon jeera seeds
  • 1 stalk curry leaves
  • 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 3 green chilies (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 big pinch hing (asafoetida)
  • 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup tamarind pulp ((1 lemon sized tamarind soaked in water))
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar ((optional))
  • salt (to taste)

For Garnish:

  • 2 tablespoons onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato (finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fried gram powder/putani powder
  • 1/4 cup sev mixture
  • 2 tablespoons fried peanuts
  • 2-4 fried green chilies ((optional))

Method

  1. Soak 1 lemon-sized tamarind in warm water for about 15 minutes. Once softened, remove the seeds, and extract the tamarind pulp. Keep it aside until ready to use.
  2. Heat oil in a Kadai. Make a small slit, fry two green chilies, sprinkle some salt, and keep it aside.
  3. Add in mustard seeds, jeera (cumin), and let them splutter in the same oil.
  4. Then add crushed garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, hing, and saute for a few seconds.
  5. Next, add onions, salt and cook until onions turn soft.
  6. Add tamarind pulp, sugar, and saute for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind disappears. Girmit masala is ready. Cool it and keep it aside.
  7. Take mandakki in a deep vessel, add onions, tomato, coriander leaves, fried gram powder, and girmit mixture (oggarane) and mix it all in a rotating motion so that puffed rice doesn't fly around and is well coated.
  8. On a serving plate, put the prepared mixture and top it with some more coriander leaves, sev, fried peanuts, and fried chilies.
  9. Girmit or north Karnataka mandakki upkari is ready. Serve it immediately else puffed rice becomes soggy.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.