Masala puri - A Indian chaat recipe popular in Karnataka and south Indian states. Delicious peas, masala, and spicy, tangy condiments topped over crushed puris!
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.