Jhaal Muri / Moshla Muri

(Updated photograph) 

One of Kolkata's very favourite street snack is the Jahl muri or the Moshla muri. You can see a man  standing every hundred feet or so ... with a stand that holds all the secrets to that beautiful thing that he hands you in a cone made from old newspapers.

One mouthful and you come across every kind of flavours dancing on your taste buds at one go. Crispness of the muri / puffed rice, moistness of the cucumbers and boiled potatoes, a few boiled chola or chickpeas thrown in, chopped coconut lending that required bite and of course green chillies for that eye watering spice.
Everything is coated with a generous amount of mustard oil ... no, most of them use oil from old achars , bhaja or roasted masala, red chilli powder and a mixed masala whose ingredients remain a secret as none of the moshla muri walas would talk about it.
Anyway, I suspect that is a way of creating intrigue and that masala has nothing more than rock salt+black pepper powder.

Anyway, every jhal muriwala has his own masala.

And so do I. :-)
Here is my recipe for the Kolkata Jhal muri.

Need :

Puffed rice,
chopped onion,
chopped green chilli,
chopped cucumber,
chopped fresh coconut,
finely sliced ginger,
moong sprouts,
boiled  kala chana,
roasted jeera + red chilli powder,
mustard oil or achar oil, some spicy namkeen
rock salt
lemon juice
black pepper powder
red chilli powder

How to :

I sometimes dry roast the muri/murmura in a kadhai ... for that extra crispiness .... and cool it and store.

In a big bowl, add everything .... the muri last .... or it will turn soggy.

Stir vigorously to mix well.

Serve quickly.

Goes great with a cup of hot tea.

It is healthy as well as filling too.
Doubles up as my lunch on most days ... especially during the rains.

Enjoy!!