Jhalmuri

Dassana Amit’s jhalmuri is her home version of Kolkata’s spicy puffed-rice street snack. She describes variations in India and Bangladesh, while this selected recipe uses puffed rice, peanuts, vegetables and sev.

Puffed rice and roasted peanuts provide crunch, with onion and cucumber adding another crisp texture. Tomato and lemon juice bring tang, while green chilli and spice powders add heat and mustard oil supplies its distinctive pungency.

Puffed rice is dry-roasted until crisp, then mixed off the heat with coriander, cumin, pepper, chilli, garam masala, dry mango powder and salts. The rice cools before the remaining ingredients are added.

The finely chopped onion, cucumber, tomato, boiled potato, ginger and green chilli join the rice with roasted peanuts and the selected optional fresh coconut. Mustard oil and lemon juice are drizzled through before a gentle mix.

Sev and coriander finish the mixture, with more offered as optional garnishes. The author calls for quick mixing and immediate serving so the puffed rice keeps its crunch.