Masala puri chaat – A Indian snack/chaat recipe popular in Karnataka and south Indian states.
Delicious peas, masala, and spicy, tangy condiments topped over crushed puris! Learn how to make the peas masala in Instant Pot and how to assemble and serve masala puri with detailed step-wise pictures.
As I mentioned on my tortilla bhel cups recipe, this Diwali, I have planned to share more chaat recipes instead of traditional savory snacks. So after tortilla bhel cups, here I am with masala puri.
India is known for its street food, and it is popularly known as chaat recipes. You can find a variety of street food in India and this masala puri is one of them. It’s a popular snack from Karnataka, which became quite famous in the neighboring states as well.
I relished a similar version of this masala puri in Chennai and started exploring this recipe. It’s been on my to-do list for quite some time. I tried with white and green peas but settled with the green peas masala made in Instant Pot for the puri.
Initially, I tried it with white peas, and I kept the spices simple. I made it more like gravy they make for beach sundal, yet another street food recipe from Chennai. (I will share that soon)
Peas gravy for chaat is quite common. You can a similar chaat recipe with peas gravy called ragada pattice in North India.
But then I came across Kalyani’s masala puri recipe and Swayampaaka’s masala puri and adapted mine from both their recipes, predominantly from Swayampaaka. I liked the oil-free and one-pot gravy version of Swayampaaka, and I made a similar version in Instant Pot; of course, I adjusted the spices as per our preference. I added some extra spices as well.
The ingredient list might sound lengthy, but the recipe is straightforward. You can use both white or green peas for this peas gravy. Masala puri is a perfect tea-time snack and excellent party appetizer. You can make the gravy well-ahead and then assemble when needed.
Semi-homemade masala puri
I used store-bought pani puri/golgappa puri and sev for this recipe and made it a semihomemade one. But you can use homemade papdi or homemade puri. The same goes for the chutneys and sev; you can use either store-bought or homemade. Check my dates and tamarind chutney or the raisin chutney for the toppings. Both work well.
The semi-homemade recipe involves two main steps.
- Making the peas gravy
- Assembling the masala puri
The peas gravy for this masala puri is
- oil-free
- made in Instant Pot
- One-pot recipe. We grind the spices and onions and tomatoes raw and then simmer it along with the cooked peas for a longer time.
- can be made well-ahead
Assembling the masala puri
Once you have the peas gravy ready, you can quickly assemble the masala puri chaat. You need some golgappa or pani puri, some sweet chutney, finely chopped onion, cilantro, carrots, and sev. (Sev is a deep-fried chickpea flour snack which is more like crushed noodles) You can customize the toppings as per your preference.
We first crush the puri and add the peas gravy. Then add the toppings one by one – the chutney, finely chopped veggies, and sev. I sprinkled some more chaat masala and red chili powder, which is entirely optional.
Now let’s see how to make this masala puri and serve with detailed step-wise pictures:
How to prepare the peas gravy for the masala puri in Instant Pot?
Soak the dried green peas
- I used one cup of dried green peas for this recipe. Rinse the dried green peas and soak for 4 to 6 hours. Overnight soaking is also ok.
Pressure cook the dried green peas
- Drain the water from the green peas and add it to the inner pot. Now add 2 cups of water, ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt, two potatoes peeled and chopped, and 50 grams or ¼ of one medium-sized onion. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 12-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and reserve ¼ cup of cooked green peas.
- Mash the potatoes, cooked green peas, and onion thoroughly.
Prepare the spice paste.
- In a mixer jar or blender, grind all the ingredients given under “to grind” in the recipe card along with the reserved ¼ cup of cooked green peas by adding ½ cup of water.
Prepare the gravy.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Now add the ground spice paste to the cooked green peas mix. Rinse the mixer jar with ½ more cup of water and add it to the green peas. Mix well.
- Partially cover the Instant Pot with a lid and let the gravy simmer at saute “normal” mode for 10 to 12 minutes. Keep stirring the gravy every 2 to 3 minutes and do not leave it unattended.
- Now adjust the saute mode to “less” mode. To do this – you can first press “cancel” and then press “saute” again. Now using the adjust button, change the saute-setting to “less.”
- Add the jaggery (if using) and one more cup of water, let it simmer for 12 to 15 minutes in the saute mode but in the less setting. Partially cover the IP with a lid; if not, the gravy will splutter. As we add the raw masala paste, we simmer it for 25 to 30 minutes until the spices’ raw smell is gone.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and add the chaat masala and the garam masala. Mix well, and the gravy is now ready.
Assembling and serving the masala puri
- In a wide bowl or plate, crush the golgappa or the puri. I used eight puris for one plate.
- Add a generous amount of peas gravy (approx ½ cup) on top of the puri. Then add the toppings one by one – the dates chutney (1 tbsp approx), finely chopped veggies (onion, cilantro, and carrot), and sev. Drizzle the chaat masala and red chili powder on top if using.
- Relish it with chai.
Recipe Notes:
- You can use dried white peas or green peas for this recipe. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen ones.
- Adjust the water amount of the gravy as per your thickness preference. While the gravy is simmer, add as required and keep stirring the gravy for every 3 minutes.
- As always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference.
- You can very well make this gravy on a stove-top pressure cooker. You can pressure cook the soaked peas directly in a pressure cooker or pan for four whistles and mash it. Then add the prepared masala and simmer the gravy in the pressure cooker for 25 to 30 minutes.
PS: If you try this masala puri, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it A.S.A.P. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
More chaat recipes to enjoy!
Masala Puri | Masala Puri Chaat Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
To Pressure Cook
- 1 cup dried green peas soaked for 4 to 6 hours
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 potatoes chopped, approx 150 grams
- ¼ medium-sized onion chopped ( I used 50 grams of the 150-gram onion)
To Grind:
- ¾ medium-sized onion roughly chopped (The remaining of the 150-gram onion)
- 1 tomato approx 90 grams
- 1 inch ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped tightly packed
- ¼ cup mint tightly packed
- 3 green chilis
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1- inch cinnamon pice
- 3 cloves
- 2.25 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp amchur powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp kalpaasi optional
- 1 cup water
To add while simmering:
- 1 tsp jaggery optional
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp chaat masala
To garnish while assembling the masala puri.
- ½ cup onion finely chopped or as needed
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped or as needed
- ¼ cup carrots finely chopped or as needed
- 1 tbsp sev for each plate or as needed
- 1 tbsp dates chutney for each plate as needed
- Pani puri as needed, I used 8 for each plate
- ⅛ tsp chaat masala to sprinkle or as needed optional
- ⅛ tsp red chili powder to sprinkle or as needed optional
Instructions
Soak the dried green peas
- I used one cup of dried green peas for this recipe. Rinse the dried green peas and soak for 4 to 6 hours. Overnight soaking is also ok.
Pressure cook the dried green peas
- Drain the water from the green peas and add it to the inner pot. Now add 2 cups of water, ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt, two potatoes peeled and chopped, and 50 grams or ¼ of one medium-sized onion. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 12-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and reserve ¼ cup of cooked green peas.
- Mash the potatoes, cooked green peas, and onion thoroughly.
Prepare the spice paste.
- In a mixer jar or blender, grind all the ingredients given under “to grind” in the recipe card along with the reserved ¼ cup of cooked green peas by adding ½ cup of water.
Prepare the gravy.
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Now add the ground spice paste to the cooked green peas mix. Rinse the mixer jar with ½ more cup of water and add it to the green peas. Mix well.
- Partially cover the Instant Pot with a lid and let the gravy simmer at saute “normal” mode for 10 to 12 minutes. Keep stirring the gravy every 2 to 3 minutes and do not leave it unattended.
- Now adjust the saute mode to “less” mode. To do this – you can first press “cancel” and then press “saute” again. Now using the adjust button, change the saute-setting to “less.”
- Add the jaggery (if using) and one more cup of water, let it simmer for 12 to 15 minutes in the saute mode but in the less setting. Partially cover the IP with a lid; if not, the gravy will splutter. As we add the raw masala paste, we simmer it for 25 to 30 minutes until the spices’ raw smell is gone.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and add the chaat masala and the garam masala. Mix well, and the gravy is now ready.
Assembling and serving the masala puri
- In a wide bowl or plate, crush the golgappa or the puri. I used eight puris for one plate. Add a generous amount of peas gravy (approx ½ cup) on top of the puri. Then add the toppings one by one – the dates chutney (1 tbsp approx), finely chopped veggies (onion, cilantro, and carrot), and sev. Drizzle the chaat masala and red chili powder on top if using.
- Relish it with chai.
Notes
- You can use dried white peas or green peas for this recipe. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen ones.
- Adjust the water amount of the gravy as per your thickness preference. While the gravy is simmer, add as required and keep stirring the gravy for every 3 minutes.
- As always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference.
- You can very well make this gravy on a stove-top pressure cooker. You can pressure cook the soaked peas directly in a pressure cooker or pan for four whistles and mash it. Then add the prepared masala and simmer the gravy in the pressure cooker for 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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