Puffed Rice Salad

Thursday, October 22, 2009

This is a fusion dish that literally takes 15 minutes to make.

Puffed rice is called "pori" in Tamil and also "muri" or "moodi" in some parts of North India.  The most popular dish made with puffed rice as a primary ingredient is the bhel puri.  It is a popular Indian snack or "chaat" available in Indian restaurants.  The typical bhel puri is extremely spicy and cannot be substituted for a meal.  It is an appetizer.  I have concoted a recipe that borrows its roots from bhel puri but deviates significantly to provide a healthier alternative that can easily be incorporated for a quick lunch or dinner.

Puffed rice is made by heating rice kernels under high pressure.  It is essentially to rice what popcorn is to corn.

Ingredients
4 cups of puffed rice
1 cup of diced tomato
1/3 cup of diced onions
1 cup of chick peas (either from a can or already cooked)
1/3 cup of boiled peas
2 cups of diced boiled potatoes
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro leaves (coriander leaves)
1 Tbl spoon seasame oil or mustard oil
1/2 spoon of turmeric powder
2 Tbl spoons of tamarind paste
1/3 spoon of paprika or red chilli powder (less or more as desired by your taste)
a tinge of salt (to taste)
a tinge of black pepper (to taste)
1 spoon of lime juice (or squeeze one fresh lime)
1 Tbl spoon peanuts
1/2 cup of sev or madras mixture (spicy)

Add all the ingredients into a large salad mixing bowl.  Mix it really well with a ladle.  Serves 2 people.