Let's make some Bhadang!

Have you ever come across times when you are slightly bored, slightly hungry, want some munchies but there is simply nothing in your kitchen. You crave for something that tingels your taste buds and opens all your senses. Well, I was having this kind of craving today.So, I went into the kitchen and thought to myself "Let's make some bhadang!!"

Well, bhadang is the marathi name to the dry snack that is made out of puffed rice or murmura//mamara/moodi (all possible names I knew in our Indian languages). A very quick to make snack and quite mouth-watering. Its the kind of a snack that ones you start eating, you can eat a huge portion of it without even realizing how much you have already eaten. I think its a much healthier option than chips, pop corn, cookies or the likes.

For bhadang, you will need:

1 big bowlful of puffed rice (salad bowl size)
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup roasted split chana dal or dalwa (usually used in chiwda - optional)
8 to 10 curry leaves
2to 3 chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

In a wok or deep pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds are tempered, on a medium flame, put in the curry leaves and green chillies.  Add in the groundnuts and roasted chana dal. Cook it for a minute or two till it slightly changes color. Now add in the condiments turmeric and red chilly powder and immediately put in the puffed rice. Mix it all well. You may need 2 spoons to do that. Switch off the flame. Add in the sugar  and again mix it all well till the puffed rice is coated with the mixture and gets the nice turmeric color. Do not add the sugar in the oil itself otherwise it will get caramelized immediately. You may skip the green chillies if you don't like hot flavors. For me, the hotter it is, the better. Thus, our mouth watering snack is ready!

Keep your ingredients ready and handy or else the mixture gets burnt easily. Especially the peanuts. You may simply have it as is or to raise its taste value, temper it with a squeeze full of lemon juice and a little fresh chopped coriander. Like the way I had it -

Isn't it mouth watering!! It doesn't take more than ten minutes to make and you can store it in an air tight container for days together.  Enjoy this snack with a cup of masala chai. Perfect for an evening snack :)

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