Masala Puri Chaat

To make green coriander chutney: Blend all ingredients needed for green chutney (coriander leaves, mint leaves, garlic, green chillies/jalapenos, grated coconut and salt) to a fine thick, smooth paste adding very little water

Remove to a bowl, stir in fresh lemon juice and keep in refrigerator.

To make sweet tamarind chutney: Boil tamarind and dates in 2 cups of water and once it comes to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes.

Let the mixture cool down and strain over a sieve into another bowl. Keep adding water to the thick mixture in the sieve and continue to press through the sieve to get a thick pulp in the bowl below and until the strained mixture turns almost clear.

To the strained tamarind dates mixture, add jaggery or sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly thick. Add roasted cumin powder and black salt according to your taste and remove from heat and let cool.

To make the green peas masala: Wash and soak dry green peas in water for 8 hours or overnight. Next day, drain and pressure cook with salt and water until fully cooked, tender and soft.

Make a fine paste of coconut, ginger, garlic, mint leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, star anise, Marathi moggu (Kapok Buds), cloves and cinnamon along with the dry red chillies and fresh green chillies or jalapenos. Keep aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil and once hot, add the chopped onions. Saute on medium high heat until soft and translucent.

Stir in the ground coconut masala paste. Fry again on medium heat for a few minutes until the paste is almost dry.

Add the cooked green peas and required amount of water to make a fairly medium thick gravy. Tip in chaat masala powder (available in all Indian stores) or amchur powder (raw mango powder) and salt to taste along with water and mix well.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust consistency by adding more water if necessary but the green peas masala should have a thick gravy consistency.

To make the masala puri chaat: On a plate, break papdis (homemade or store bought) into pieces and place on a serving plate.

Pour the hot green peas masala on the crushed puris evenly. Drizzle sweet tamarind chutney and fresh green chutney (optional) over the peas curry. Sprinkle with finely chopped onions and/or coriander leaves.

Top with generous amounts of crispy sev and serve hot chatpata Karnataka style masala puri chaat immediately along with a hot cup of chai or coffee!