Some flavours take me straight back to the food Mom and Amma made. Roasted Byadagi chillies, coriander and cumin are always part of that feeling for me. Like them, I keep these spices ready in my kitchen, so a familiar taste of home is never too far away.
The hand-pounded masala I make for Gudhudina Khaara Bajil finds its way into my homestyle charmuri too. I love it with roasted murmura, warm coconut oil, extra jaggery and plenty of sweet raw onions. That coarse masala brings so much flavour to something so simple.
This version has carrot, tomato, peanuts and raw mango as well. The mango adds a little tartness against the jaggery in the masala. Everything can be ready in the bowl, but the murmura goes in only when it is time to eat. Give it a quick toss and enjoy it while it still has that lovely crunch.
Homestyle Charmuri with My Hand-Pounded Masala
Ingredients
For the charmuri
- 3–4 cups crisp, fresh puffed rice (murmura or mandakki)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- ½ cup grated carrot
- 2–4 tbsp finely chopped or grated raw mango, when in season
- 3 tbsp Congress kadlebeeja or plain roasted peanuts
- 1–2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
- 1–2 tbsp coconut oil, warmed
- Juice of ½ lemon, reduced or omitted if the raw mango is very sour
- My prepared hand-pounded masala, to taste (batch recipe below)
- Extra jaggery, to taste
- Salt to taste, allowing for the salt already in the masala
For a batch of my masala
- 5–6 Byadagi chillies
- 1½ tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ cup jaggery
- ¼ tsp turmeric (haldi)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp oil, for roasting the chillies
Instructions
Method
- Start with the masala. Dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds, and roast the Byadagi chillies in 1 tsp oil. If, like me, these are already roasted and waiting in the masala dabba, skip this step.
- Pound the roasted spices in a mortar and pestle. Add the jaggery, turmeric and salt, then pound again. Keep the mixture coarse. A spice grinder works too.
- In a large bowl, mix the onion, carrot, raw mango, optional green chillies and coriander leaves.
- Add the warm coconut oil, lemon juice, some of the prepared masala and extra jaggery. Mix, taste and adjust the masala and salt to your liking. Use less lemon, or leave it out, if the mango is already very sour.
- When ready to serve, stir in the tomato and peanuts, followed immediately by the crisp murmura.
- Toss gently but quickly so the masala and vegetables coat the murmura. Serve straight away, while it is still crunchy.
Notes
- This uses my Gudhudina Khaara Bajil masala in place of plain red chilli powder.
- The masala quantities make a batch. Add only as much prepared masala as needed for the charmuri; the whole batch is not intended for one bowl.
- My original charmuri suggestion includes extra jaggery. Adjust it to taste, remembering that the masala already contains jaggery.
- Keep the murmura separate until serving. Add the tomato just before the murmura to help preserve the crunch.
For another way to enjoy this masala, try my Gudhudina Khaara Bajil.
