Jhal Muri is a tasty and popular street food snack from Kolkata. It is made with puffed rice, roasted peanuts, onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, spice powders, and fresh herbs. Mustard oil adds a bold, pungent kick. This crunchy and chatpata Jhalmuri recipe is quick to make and best served fresh.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: Bengali, Indian Street Food

Ingredients

  • 2 cups puffed rice ((murmura, muri))
  • ¼ cup onions (- finely chopped)
  • ¼ cup cucumber (- finely chopped)
  • ¼ cup tomato (- finely chopped)
  • ½ cup boiled potatoes (- chopped or 1 medium potato, boiled)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (- finely chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped (or minced ginger)
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sev (or chana chur)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard oil (- chopped)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves (- chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or add as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut (- fresh, chopped - optional)
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (or white pepper powder)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon dry mango powder
  • ½ teaspoon black salt
  • ½ teaspoon rock salt ((edible and food grade) or pink salt or regular salt, add as per taste)

Method

Preparation

  1. First finely chop veggies like onion, tomato, boiled potato, cucumber, ginger and green chilies. You can even mince the onions and ginger.
  2. Keep them aside.

Making jhal muri

  1. Heat a kadai and keep flame to a low or medium-low. Add 2 cups of puffed rice (murmura).
  2. Stirring often roast for 2 to 3 minutes or more till they become crisp and crunchy.
  3. Check a few puffed rice and they should be crunchy and not soft or chewy.
  4. Switch off the flame and keep the pan down. One by one add all the spice powders from the above list of "Spice powders". Also add black salt and rock salt or regular salt as per taste.
  5. The heat from the pan will roast the spice powders and make them aromatic. If the puffed rice you are using are already crisp and crunchy then just roast them for some seconds or a minute. Keep the pan on the countertop and then add the spice powders.
  6. Mix puffed rice with the spice powders. Let this puffed rice cool at room temperature before you begin with the next step.
  7. Add the roasted peanuts.
  8. Next add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, green chilies and ginger.
  9. Drizzle mustard oil all over.
  10. Next drizzle lemon juice all over.
  11. Gently mix again.
  12. Add sev. Instead of sev you can also add chana chur (savory mixture like chiwda).
  13. Add coriander leaves. Mix quickly. Check taste and add more salt, lemon juice or any of the spice powders if you want.
  14. Serve jhal muri straight away.

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.