Healthy Bhel

EVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #28
Updated on 25/06/2020
Though I’ve made healthy bhel several times over the years, I didn’t get the opportunity to take some decent clicks. However, as the saying goes, there is a right time for everything. The Foodies_Redoing Old Posts Event gave me the opportunity to redo Healthy Bhel as my 28th recipe updated. The recipe remains the same, only the photos have changed.
My Thoughts
My blog is just not a place where you’ll find recipes but also a place where I can give words to my thoughts, share important events and share memorable journey. Many have pointed out that usually personal experience or narration of events may not be good for my website SEO but really, I didn’t start blogging so that I can run my blog like a business.
Easy Communication
WhatsApp has improved communication tremendously. You just need to be connected to an internet or wifi and voila… you’re good to go. Its become easier to communicate with friends and family who are far from us or when we are travelling. So the typical messages sent are ‘leaving for the airport’, ‘reached the airport’, ‘done with security and immigration’, ‘having coffee’, ‘boarding plane’, ‘boarded’. Then for a while its peace and quiet. As soon as one lands, the first task is to find out if there is free wifi at the airport. If there is messaging begins again. ‘Lovely airport’, ‘immigration line very long’, ‘waiting for baggage’, ‘reached our destination’, etc etc.
While for most of us this is really good because we can keep in touch with family and friends, sometimes Whatsapp can turn out to a be a huge nuisance. If you are part of several groups, then your mobile is certainly very busy. Sometimes we have a situation where the same message is forwarded to the same group umpteen of times by the members. Wrong messages have gone to the wrong group. When members of the group are in different time zones, then the messages start pouring in early morning and continue till late night. The best one is the herd mentality in a group. Spreading of fake news has become the norm. I always tell my hubby that people are not ‘trigger happy’ but keypad happy… no thought given to the info whether its true or false and before you know it, it appears in several groups.
What is Bhel?
More popularly known as bhel puri, its a savory snack enjoyed as Chaat in the Indian Sub Continent. The basic ingredient is roasted puff rice or mamra with sev and a bit of deep fried papdi. There are so many variations of bhel or bhel puri depending on which part of the Indian Sub Continent you are in. Usually, I make bhel puri at home but occasionally have had some from Juhu Beach which has a bit of boiled potatoes, brown chickpeas and lots of chopped onion.
Different Bhel/ Bhel Puri Recipes:
- Try Chinese Bhel that is served with fried noodles, bean sprouts, bell pepper, spring onion, sweet corn and schezwan sauce.
- Have you tried Mexican Bhel? A fusion of Indian and Mexican flavors, its one of my favourite dishes. While I used homemade tortilla chips you can easily use ready made ones.
- Ponk Bhel – Ponk is tender sorghum when still young and fresh. Priya makes a tasty bhel using ponk.
- Enjoy a traditional Bengali style bhel with some mustard oil and Chanachur added to it. Chanachur(Bombay mix) is like mixture of two to three fried savory snack items. If you don’t have chanachur then add sev like Poonam does to make Jhal Muri.
- Cheeslings Bhel – I love cheeslings and have never thought of using them to make Bhel the way Priya has.
- Archana makes a delish Barley Bhel. She soaks and cooks the barley and then uses it to make bhel. Healthy and tasty.
- Looking for a traditional bhel puri recipe? Then you’ve got to check out Priya VJ’s Bhel Puri.
- Kalyani’s Corn Choliya Bhel is healthy as she uses roasted choliya or chickpeas.
- If you’re a big fan of raw mango like me then you’ve got to make Sasmita’s Mango Bhel Puri. With just few spices added you don’t even need any chutneys.
Healthy Bhel
Okay, now that I’m over and done with my thoughts on WhatsApp, lets get down to today’s recipe – a Healthy Bhel. Healthy because I have added different yummy and healthy ingredients to it. Don’t get me wrong, the usual boiled potatoes and chickpeas are healthy, but this bhel is different. You can actually add whatever you want. Also I’ve tried to use less of the fried sev, baked leftover roti to replace the fried chaat puri and roasted the puff rice or mamra in the oven instead of frying them. Yes, some people fry them. The date and tamarind chutney I use has no added sugar or jaggery.
When can you enjoy this healthy bhel?
Well, as a healthy snack in between meals, as a light meal, or even serve it as a starter. Hubby and I love to have healthy bhel when we plan a movie night. Its either popcorn or Healthy Bhel. With healthy bhel we can add as much vegetables and fruits to it.
Ingredients required for Healthy Bhel
- Puffed Rice – also known as Mamra, mumra. Its easily available in any Indian Grocery Store. Usually its not crunchy or crispy and you need to make it crunchy.
- Thin Sev – thin sev which is available in any Indian Grocery Store in the snack section. Sev is a fried thin noodle like snack which is made with chickpea flour.
- Sweet Corn and/or Sprouted Moong – I sometimes add both or whatever I have at hand. If I use sprouted moong, I usually steam them a bit to take that raw taste away.
- Roasted Peanuts – optional.
- Pomegranate Arils – they add a bit of crunch and tang.
- Fruits – can use grapes, chopped apple, ripe mango, passion fruit. Whatever you fancy. I personally love ummmm all!
- Cucumber – yes I sneak in chopped cucumber as hubby doesn’t like to have it on its own.
- Chopped Onion – no bhel is complete without onion. Can use red or white.
- Raw Mango – chopped definitely adds the required sourness.
- Date Tamarind Chutney – its easily available in Indian Stores but its also easy to make it at home. I usually make a big batch and freeze the chutney in small containers. Click on the name of the chutney for the recipe.
- Green Chutney – Easy to make at home. Click on the name of the chutney for the recipe.
- Salt – as per your taste
- Turmeric Powder – haldi or hardar to add to mamra before roasting them.
- Red Chilli Powder – lal mirch to add to the mamra.
- Oil – to help mix in the turmeric and red chilli powder. Also helps to make the mamra crunchy.
- Chaat Masala – easily available ready made. If you don’t have it omit it.
- Baked leftover roti or khakra pieces – I like to brush leftover home made roti with some oil and bake it at 100°C till crispy. If you don’t have roti can use ready khakhra or just omit this altogether.
Dietary Tips:
- Vegetarian
- Healthy
- For Gluten Free version omit adding khakra or baked roti
- Vegan
- For Satvik friendly bhel, omit onion

HEALTHY BHEL
Ingredients
For Mamra/Puffed Rice:
- 2-3 cups mamra, puffed rice
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ -1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp chaat masala powder
For the Healthy Bhel:
- ½ cup thin sev optional
- ½ cup sweet corn cooked
- ½ cup bean sprouts cooked
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup fresh fruit or fruits of your choice chopped
- ½ cup cucumber finely cubed
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup raw mango peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cup baked roti or khakra pieces optional
To Serve:
- 1 cup date tamarind chutney
- ½ -1 cup green chutney
Instructions
- Preparation of Roasted Mamra/puffed Rice:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Put mamra (puffed rice) in a big bowl.
- Add turmeric powder, oil and salt to it. Mix it well.
- Put the mamra in a baking tray. Spread it out into a thin layer.
- Roast the mamra for 20 minutes in the oven or till they become crunchy.
- Remove the mamra from the oven and add chaat masala and chilli powder. Mix well. Let the mamra cool down a bit.
To Serve Healthy Bhel:
- Add cucumber, bean sprouts, corn, fruits, onion, raw mango, baked roti or khakhra pieces, and sev is using any to the roasted mamra.
- Mix well.
- Serve with the date tamarind and green chutney.
Tips:
- Add boiled potatoes, cooked chickpea, raw carrot diced etc. In fact add whatever you wish.
- I sometimes add boiled peanuts instead of the roasted ones.
- Add more fruits and vegetables to make it more healthier.
Pin for later:
A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
43 Comments
Priyanka Srivastava
April 14, 2015 at 8:20 pm
Can eat this anytime looks yum
Delectable Flavours
April 15, 2015 at 5:03 am
Love Bhel anytime…! Looks yum!
Sangeeta Sethi
June 26, 2020 at 6:34 pm
Loved the detailed info about the bhel .
Truly liked the healthy n delicious preparation
mayurisjikoni
June 27, 2020 at 12:35 am
Thank you so much Sangeeta.
Linsy Patel
April 15, 2015 at 10:42 am
love this combination of fruits and delicious bhel with twist
Shobha
April 15, 2015 at 6:13 pm
I love this bhel. but we don't get puffed rice in Brazil.
marudhus kitchen
April 16, 2015 at 9:25 am
For me bhel is one the tempting food that I can't resist
FoodTrails
February 23, 2019 at 4:22 am
True Mayruiji, whatsapp is a kind of blessing for those who are farway from their loved ones, it has made the communication so easy.Bhel is one of our favourite snacks, my kids just love it, next time will make this healthy version for them with cucumbers. I think finely chopped apples would also be a nice addition to it.
mayurisjikoni
March 6, 2019 at 7:17 pm
That’s a great idea Swaty, adding apples. Will have to try that. And yes don’t know what I’d do without WhatsApp.
Priya Vj
June 26, 2020 at 4:22 pm
this is so very healthy . Thanks for mentioning my recipe too.
Addition of sprouted moong and pomo pearls will give a nice crunch and a refreshing after taste .
mayurisjikoni
June 26, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Thanks Priya and my pleasure to add your bhel link.
Archana
June 27, 2020 at 2:53 pm
True I am happy to be connected to friends n family through WhatsApp it is a nuisance too.
But now I can’t do without it.
This is one bhel I can enjoy. Thanks to my issues I was thinking I would have to give up bhel. But now I can enjoy chat with this delicious healthy way.
Thanks for the shout.
mayurisjikoni
June 27, 2020 at 6:53 pm
Most welcome Archana and enjoy the healthy bhel and connections with friends which includes me too:)
Lata Lala
June 28, 2020 at 8:38 pm
A bowl full of this colour ful and full of nutrition filled bhel can make for a good and tummyful snack. It looks delicious and wanna have this right now.
mayurisjikoni
June 29, 2020 at 3:31 pm
Thank you so much Lata.
Poonam Bachhav
June 30, 2020 at 1:52 pm
Who can resist such colorful , delicious and healthy bhel loaded with raw veggies, fruits and sprouts. Using baked left-over roti as a replacement to deep fried chat puri is brilliant!
mayurisjikoni
June 30, 2020 at 5:35 pm
Thank you so much Poonam, before I use to deep fry the left over rotis as a snack but now just bake them or turn them into khakra.
Ruchi
July 8, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Such a healthy, tasty and mouth watering share dear. Definitely none can say NOfor this colorful and yummy ..Loved the idea of using rotis.
mayurisjikoni
July 8, 2020 at 7:37 pm
Thanks Ruchi.
Seema Sriram
July 1, 2020 at 7:10 am
The use of baked rotis is amazing. I am sure my kids will love to have this and I will be happy to make them as well.
mayurisjikoni
July 1, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Thanks Seema, baked rotis is also what we snack on sometimes. Instead of frying them I bake them.
Vandana
July 1, 2020 at 6:09 pm
I loved this healthy bhel recipe of yours. The photos are also very tempting. Thanks for sharing the collection of so many innovative bhel recipes. Can’t wait to try them all.
mayurisjikoni
July 1, 2020 at 6:14 pm
Thank you so much Vandana.
Uma Srinivas
July 1, 2020 at 6:14 pm
I love Bhel with colorful veggies and chutneys. Your recipe looks delicious. I liked your detailed post about bhel!
mayurisjikoni
July 1, 2020 at 6:16 pm
Thank you so much Uma. For my family now bhel always means lots of veggies and fruits instead of just chana and potato.
Jayashree T.Rao
July 3, 2020 at 7:32 pm
Regarding the what’s app, I agree to it. But definitely made connecting easier. Loved the healthy version of bhel. It looks tasty and ideal to eat anytime.
mayurisjikoni
July 3, 2020 at 9:29 pm
Thank you so much Jayashree. Makes a guilt free chaat to enjoy.
sapana
July 4, 2020 at 1:07 am
For me, Bhel is such a wonderful snack to enjoy whenever there are sudden hunger pangs. Love the idea of adding healthy sprouts, cucumber, and pomegranate too. Makes it one wholesome snack.
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:15 pm
Thanks Sapana, by the time I add all the fruits and veggies..it becomes into a healthy meal.
Padma Veeranki
July 4, 2020 at 1:50 am
Who can resist such a bowl of colourful bhel filled with nutrition…makes a filling and healthy snack. It looks delicious and such a guilt free snack to munch on.
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:14 pm
Thank you so much Padma.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
July 4, 2020 at 5:54 am
I am in love with this Bhel recipe. I live adding tons of fresh vegetables and sprouts to my Bhel as well. It not only makes it healthy but also very filling and flavorful. I also love the different texture that is there in this recipe.
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:14 pm
Thank you so much Sandhya, you’re so right its filling and love the different textures.
Sasmita
July 4, 2020 at 8:26 am
Love this healthier version of the traditional bhel puri 🙂
The whole platter looks so colorful after adding a lot of veggies and chutney. And thank you for including my Mango Bhel Puri here di !
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:13 pm
Thank you so much Sasmita.
Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey
July 4, 2020 at 10:37 am
I’m crazy fan of chaat or bhel, this colourful and nutritious bhel sounds so inviting. Perfect as a snack or starter if having a get-together.
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:08 pm
That’s so true or even as a light meal.. I too love chaats.
Priya Srinivasan
July 4, 2020 at 10:44 am
i love bhel anytime, i m so happy to see so many varieties of bhel listed here! Love the colorful bhel you have presented mayurji! Love all the ingredients gone into, nothing fancy all can be found in our pantry, i m definitely going to try this!!
mayurisjikoni
July 4, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Thanks Priya, and that is so true, not fancy but all healthy. It often our Sun or Sat dinner.
Renu
July 10, 2020 at 12:09 am
I liked the addition of using left over roti here. I too bake the leftover rotis in this way and also loved that you roasted the kurmura in oven, I always fo on stove too, next time will try this will save so much time. And the bhel is indeed yummy and healthy
mayurisjikoni
July 10, 2020 at 5:42 pm
Thanks Renu, I find stirring the kurmura on the stove too time consuming. Best to let it roast in the oven.
Seema Sriram
July 10, 2020 at 2:12 am
Looking for recipes that make a quick hunger pang quencher is every mother’s dream. You just made that search complete. This recipe is such a blessing as it is minimal work and on the table even faster than maggi. Love the idea
mayurisjikoni
July 10, 2020 at 5:39 pm
Thank you so much and perhaps even more healthier than Maggi.