Jhal Muri/Spicy Puffed Rice salad

Today I am posting  a recipe of one of my favorite street food from Calcutta /West Bengal . I spent about 3 1/2 years in Haldia and visited Calcutta once every month and spent 2 days out of a month in Calcutta. I can't think of a single trip  to Calcutta when I did not eat Jhal Muri. I wonder if Jhal Muri can ever taste the way it did in Calcutta , I did get the recipe from one of the street vendor who used to make and sell jhal muri by the river side in Haldia . Every evening going for a drive by the river side and buying a,"thonga of Jhal Muri" had become a ritual I looked forward to all day :) After a while the vendor  started to call me,"bhoudi" meaning Bhabi in hindi and sister-in-law in English. For those of you who are not aware with the customs and customary things in India,this is how married women are referred to mostly in small towns  (it is considered warm & respectful )

We left Haldia for a new city in a different state, and right after we resumed normalcy in the new city,I went and bought puffed rice and made myself a big bowl of jhal muri . Till this date there are days when I get a huge craving  for jhal Muri and  for that I always try and  stock  a packet of Puffed rice at home.Most of the other ingredients this recipe calls for are used in everyday cooking :)

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice : 1 bowl the size shown in the picture
Mustard oil: 1 tsp
onion: 1/2 medium sized
Green Chilly chopped: 2
patla Sev: 2 tbsp
Boiled potato: 1/2 small pieces
Jhal Muri Masala: 1 tsp corriander seeds,1 tsp Jeera,4 dired red chilly (roasted & ground)
coconut : 4-5 tiny pieces bite size
salt: To taste
Lime or tamarind pulp : 1tbsp ( if you want a little soggy jhal Muri add more lime juice or tamarind Pulp)

Take all these ingredients  except patla sev and give them a good shake. Add chopped coriander & patla sev & enjoy jhal moori :)

Note: Mustard oil is what gives Jhal Muri its distinct flavor,so do not substitute mustard oil for any other .