Crunchy Cucumber Bhel with Coriander-Lime Chutney

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A five-minute Mumbai-style street snack you assemble entirely at the chopping board — puffed rice tossed with cool cucumber, sharp red onion, a bright blender chutney of coriander and green chilli, sweet-sour tamarind and a shower of crisp sev. Nothing is heated at any point, so it's the perfect thing for a hot evening when you want something loud and fresh without switching anything on.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch fresh coriander, leaves and tender stems (about 60g)
• 1 green chilli, stem removed
• 2 tbsp lime juice, plus wedges to serve
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 6 cups puffed rice (murmura)
• 1 cucumber, seeds scraped out
• 1 small red onion
• 1 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 5 tbsp shop-bought tamarind chutney (imli chutney)
• 1 cup sev (crisp chickpea noodles)

Instructions

1. Make the chutney first: put the coriander (leaves and tender stems), the whole green chilli, lime juice and salt into a blender or small food processor with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Blitz for 30–45 seconds, scraping down once, until you have a loose, spoonable green sauce. Taste and add a little more lime or salt — it should be sharp and salty, as it has to season the whole bowl.
2. Cut the cucumber into 5mm dice and finely dice the red onion. Tip both onto a piece of kitchen paper and pat dry — wet vegetables are what turn bhel soggy. Roughly chop a small handful of extra coriander leaves for the top if you have any left.
3. In a very large dry bowl, toss the puffed rice with the cucumber, onion and chaat masala until the vegetables are evenly distributed through the rice.
4. Just before serving, drizzle over the tamarind chutney and about 4 tablespoons of the green chutney. Toss quickly with two spoons for no more than 15–20 seconds, so everything is streaked with sauce but the puffed rice is still crisp.
5. Divide between four bowls, scatter generously with sev and the reserved coriander, and serve straight away with lime wedges and the remaining green chutney on the side. Bhel waits for no one — it softens within about 5 minutes.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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