Description
Description
Bhel is a beloved Indian street food, perfect for snacking any time between meals—and it's super healthy too!
If you're on the hunt for a tasty and nutritious appetizer for your next gathering, this recipe is a must-try. The mix of crispy puffed grains like buckwheat, millet, and quinoa, combined with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and potatoes, all tossed in tangy, sweet, and spicy sauces, creates a perfectly balanced snack that's great any time of day.
Bhel is traditionally made with puffed rice but we decided to use our puffed buckwheat, Organic Crispy Puffed Quinoa and puffed millet instead. These ingredients contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals and will definitely keep you full longer. We simply toasted them in the oven to make sure they were crispy. You could have this mixture on its own without adding the salad or sauces. Simply toast the puffed grains on the stove in oil with turmeric, paprika, and salt and it’s a great and flavorful snack.
Both the cilantro and tamarind sauces are very important for this recipe, they provide an herby freshness as well as a sweet and tangy flavor that is distinct to bhel. Both are really easy to make, for the cilantro sauce just add cilantro, lime, jalapeño, Extra Fine Himalayan Salt, Organic Pumpkin Seed Kernels and water to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. The tamarind sauce is made with tamarind paste (which is easily found in most asian markets) with a couple other ingredients like Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, ground cumin, Extra Fine Himalayan Salt and it’ll be ready in just a few minutes.Â
Once you mix all of the ingredients together for bhel, it’ll lose it’s crispness if not eaten quickly. It’s best to eat bhel as soon as the sauces are added to the crispy puffed quinoa, buckwheat and millet mixture. If you need to make it in advance, set aside the chopped vegetables and sauce in the refrigerator and simply add the puffed grains mixture and sauces just prior to serving.Â
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IngredientsÂ
- 4 cups organic puffed buckwheat
- 3 cups puffed millet
- 1 cup organic crispy puffed quinoa
- ¼ cup organic raw whole cashews
- 2 tsp organic turmeric powder
- 1 tsp organic paprika - ground
- Himalayan salt - to taste
- 2 cups mix fresh chopped salad (tomatoes, boiled potatoes, cucumbers, red onion, sprouts, jalapeños, cilantro)Â
For Cilantro Sauce:
- 1 bunch fresh cilantroÂ
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 jalapeño pepper (or to desired spice level)
- Himalayan salt - to taste
- ¼ cup Organic Pumpkin Seed KernelsÂ
- ¼ cup waterÂ
For Tamarind Sauce:
- 6 tbsp. Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
- 3 tbsp. tamarind pasteÂ
- 1 tsp cumin seed
- Himalayan salt - to taste
- 4 tbsp. water
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread 4 cups of the puffed buckwheat on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally (especially toward the end) to brown evenly. Add 3 cups of puffed millet to a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes.
- Evenly dice the tomatoes, and jalapeños, boiled potatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, add them to a bowl. Add sprouts and chopped cilantro, mix well to combine.
- Add 3 to 4 tbsp of oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil gets hot, add cashews or peanuts. Fry until they start taking on some color.
- Add the turmeric powder and paprika to the oil, stir once to combine, then immediately add the toasted buckwheat. Stir frequently until the buckwheat is evenly coated with the spices for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Next, add the millet and salt to taste, stir and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture onto a large plate or baking sheet.
- Once the mixture comes to room temperature, add 1 cup of the puffed quinoa and mix well. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container.
- For the tamarind sauce, add palm sugar, water, tamarind paste, and whisk together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then, add salt and cumin seed powder, mix well. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To make the cilantro sauce, add one bunch of cilantro to a blender, then add jalapeño pepper, lime juice, salt, pumpkin seeds, and water. Blend until you have a smooth sauce.
- For each serving, add ½ cup of the crunchy puffed grain mixture, 3 spoonfuls of the salad, 3 spoonfuls of the cilantro sauce, and 2 spoonfuls of tamarind sauce. Mix well and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Enjoy!!Â
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