West Bengal

Chanachur

Bengal's hot and tangy mix of sev, dals, peanuts and poha. Jhalmuri's best friend.

80 minTime

8 gProtein each

hotSpice

3hPlan ahead. Soak for 3 hours first; the 80 minutes come after.

Make it your way

Grandma's wayThe original. Handle with reverence.

The original

223kcal

8 gprotein

4 gfibre

80minutes

Per serving, worked out from the ingredient table. Grandma's way is the starting point the other versions are compared with.

Besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)1¼ cups, for the sev

Waterabout 1/3 cup

Chana dal (split chickpeas)⅓ cup, soaked

Masoor dal (red lentils)¼ cup, soaked

Peanuts½ cup

Poha (flattened rice)¾ cup thick poha

Turmeric (ground turmeric)¼ tsp

Red chilli powder (indian red chili powder)1 tsp

Dry mango powder1 tsp

Black salt¾ tsp

Cumin powder (ground cumin)½ tsp, roasted

Sugar1 tsp

Salt¾ tsp

Cooking oil (vegetable oil)about 1 litre for deep frying, about 5 tbsp absorbed

7 steps

1Drain the soaked dals and dry them completely on a towel for 30 minutes.
2Mix the spice powders, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
3Knead besan, turmeric, a pinch of salt and water into a soft dough. Heat the oil in a deep kadai, no more than half full, to 170°C.
4Press the sev through a medium plate into the oil and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain. Repeat with all the dough.
5Fry the chana dal in a fine sieve lowered into the oil for 3 to 4 minutes, then the masoor dal for 2 to 3 minutes. Stand back.
6Fry the peanuts until they crackle and the poha until it puffs, a handful at a time. Never leave the oil.
7Break the sev into short pieces and toss everything with the masala while warm. Cool and store airtight.

Serve it like this

Serve in a bowl with tea, or toss with muri, onion and mustard oil.

Bloom picks tonight's dinner for your diet and allergies, then cooks it with you step by step.