SPROUT BHEL

The inspiration of this recipe comes from a visit to Chaat Paradise in Mountain View.

This was the 1st time I had a "healthy" (or atleast a perception of it being healthy :) version of the famous Bhel. Bhel, is one of the essential street foods of Maharashtra. Beaches and waterfronts of Bombay are lined with vendors competing with each other to sell Bhel puri to evening and weekend strollers. There is probably not a single person in Bombay who has not savored this super yummy snack at some point of time or the other.

Bhel literally translated means a mixture of stuff, and that’s exactly what it is! It’s a mixture of puffed rice, spicy farsan/sev, raw onions, tomatoes, green chilies, potatoes, mint and tamarind chutney, all brought together to pack a punch of spice and amazing flavor!

Sprout Bhel Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the Dry Mix
1 small packet of Puffed rice
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 cup tomato, finely chopped
1 cup coriander, finely chopped
3 green chilies chopped into tiny pieces
¼ cup sliced raw mango
1 packet of Bhel mix/Farsan (available in Indian grocery stores)
3 tsp thin sev
For the Sprouts
1 cup moon sprouts (available in Indian grocery stores). Alternatively, you can soak some whole moong daal overnight in warm water and let hang tied up in a cotton cloth for a day.
1 tsp dhania-jeera powder
1 tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Mint Chutney
I bought this from the Indian grocery store. Alternatively, you could find the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109654
Tamarind-Date Chutney
I bought this from the Indian grocery store. But you can find the recipe here: http://great-swad.tripod.com/indiancuisine/id110.html

Method
1. Mix the sprouts, salt, lemon juice, dhania-jeera powder and garam masala in a microwaveable bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of water and cook for 2 minutes in the microwave. Remove and let cool.
2. In a separate deep bottomed bowl, mix all the dry mix ingredients for the bhel, the mint and tamnarind-date chutney, and the sprouts mix.
3. Mix well
4. Garnish with thin sev and green chillies and serve immediately