DIY Kitchen: Kricket’s Bhel Puri

Kricket’s Will Bowlby says: This is another signature Kricket dish that has been on the menu since day one. Each street vendor in Mumbai has their own version and we have kept this recipe fairly traditional. It’s incredibly quick to make and virtually all raw, so it’s healthy to boot! You will find both bhel mix and sev in most Indian stores. Bhel mix is made from puffed rice and vegetables while sev is a deep-fried chickpea-noodle snack seasoned with turmeric. Serves 4.

Ingredients
4 tbsp yoghurt Caster (superfine) sugar
100g (3½ oz) bhel mix
½ red onion, finely diced
1 green raw mango, finely diced
4 tbsp coriander chutney (see below)
4 tbsp tamarind & date chutney (see below)
4 pinches of chaat masala 80g
(3oz) store-bought Sev
Small handful of coriander cress or finely chopped coriander leaves

Method
Beat the yoghurt in a bowl and sweeten to taste with sugar and set aside
Put the bhel mix in a bowl, add the onion, mango, coriander chutney and chaat masala and mix well
Spoon the mixture into mounds on four serving plates
Spoon over the yoghurt and tamarind and date chutney, leaving some yoghurt visible.
Sprinkle the Sev, and top with the fresh coriander.
Serve immediately as it will become soggy very quickly.

TAMARIND & DATE CHUTNEY (approx. 900g)

Ingredients
500g tamarind paste
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 fresh Indian bay leaves
300ml water
2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
4 tbsp date puree or a handful of fresh dates (6-7 dates)
200g jaggery or caster (superfine) sugar

Method
Boil all the ingredients in a large heavy-based saucepan over a low heat for about 1 hour until well blended and thick. Set aside to cool. If you have used fresh dates, you may need to blitz the chutney in a blender until smooth. Once cool, store in sterilised jars in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This chutney will also freeze well if you wanted to keep it for longer.

CORIANDER CHUTNEY (approx. 400g)

Ingredients
500g fresh coriander, stems and leaves
200ml vegetable oil
Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger root
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 green chillies
6 tbsp lemon juice
Caster (superfine) sugar and sea salt, to taste.

Method
Blitz the coriander in a food processor with the oil, ginger, garlic and green chillies until it forms a fine paste. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with sugar and salt. Store in sterilised jars in the refrigeratorfor up to 1 week. This chutney will also freeze well.

KRICKET: An Indian-inspired Cookbook by Will Bowlby (Hardie Grant, £26.00)
Photography: Hugh Johnson