The Versatile Muri

The versatile yet humble puffed up rice. Have it with milk and chopped fruits and you have your very Indian breakfast cereal, spice it up with an array of spices and you have the spiced muri known as the jhalmuri, have it spiced with sauces and spices and there is the bhel-puri. Well its talent is mainly constricted to the snacking area - you can have it plain with chops or fritters. 

With the seductive weather of Calcutta, today it was dry roasted puffed rice with a wee bit mustard oil , very finely chopped onions and chilies and fried potatoes along with Darjeeling tea. It is as healthy as it is tasty, one always has the option to omit the potatoes completely but well that would just murder its taste, so why not exercise so that we have the fun of indulging in these delicious evening snacks. This is an old favourite of mine. As a moderately fussy eater I refused Horlicks as a child which my family anyways has no affinity for and so this was a frequent evening snack for me P.S. Dry roasting the puffed up rice on slow heat is a must for the delightful warmth it provides .


For this muri what one need sis 

4 cups of puffed up rice 
1 onion chopped finely 
1 to 2 chilies chopped finely (as per the level of hotness your palate likes) 
Pinch of salt 
2 teaspoonful of mustard oil 
Potatoes chopped thinly and fried (It should not be too crispy else it does not give the perfect balance with the crunchy puffed up rice so it is best to fry the potatoes an hour or so before preparing the muri) 
Pinch of cumin powder 

Start off my dry roasting the puffed up rice on low flame. This is essential for giving it the warmth which makes it even more delicious and gives it a touch of freshness. One mixes everything together and enjoys it with a cup of black tea. I have seen that somehow this mix becomes a bit too hot for coffee or milk tea but then each one of us have an unique palate. 

If not using fried potatoes one can simply have the mix with fritters of any kind or make a mix with peanuts ,coconuts and chanachur (a typical  hot salted spicy mix from Bengal)