I gave you the recipe for sweet chutney last week and now I need to give you something to eat it with. You can’t just eat plain sweet chutney. So, may I present bhel. Pronounced “bear” or “bare.” I don’t know why there’s an “L” in it. To confuse people probably.
**As numerous people have pointed out to me now, I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my entire life. The L isn’t silent! The world feels like it’s in much better balance now. Yay!**
***Update 2. I talked to my mom again and she pronounces it “bear.” It’s “bear” in Marathi and “behl” in Hindi.***
I think of this as a brunch or lunch food. A party food. Set it up on the counter and let people make their own. A bhel bar.
Bhel bar. That would make an excellent name for a granola bar. A fancy granola bar.
Ingredients
- yogurt
- green chutney
- brown chutney
- diced onions
- diced tomatoes
- chopped, boiled potatoes. (See steps #1-6 and step #17 of this recipe.)
- diced red peppers
- Bhel mix – you can get this at an ethnic grocery store.
Bhel mix. This is how I know there is a weird silent “L” in the name.
Directions
- Prepare everything in the ingredients list.
- Put in nice bowls on the counter.
- Oooh.
- Ahhh.
- Mix together.
- Eat.
Bhel at a tiny Indian restaurant behind a gas station in Muscat, Oman
Acceptable deviations
- It’s not a big deal if you don’t have red peppers.
- You can add corn. I guess.
- My mom put cilantro in the onions and tomatoes to make it look pretty. Also, because it tastes good.
Please link the website to buy behl. I can’t find behl. Google shows only a Indian name.
try amazon. “bhel mix”
Wow Amazon. It’s worldwide food. Thanks.
If the ‘L’ is silent, I’ve been lied to my whole life. I guess it goes silent after crossing India’s border.
It’s very possible I’m pronouncing it wrong.
Sigh.
I can’t bear it… (ok, more accurately, barely accepting.)
I was hoping for your Mom’s samosas. Bearing (pairing) chutneys with a platter of golden brown samosas is a beautiful image!
Nice bowls = nesting?!?
🙂
I’ll put samosas on the list. 🙂
You didn’t ‘bite’ @ my behly acceptable pun! (probably an indication of decorum.)
Since the content provider, aka, thrifty gal, does such excellent work, it seems fair to try to elicit a smile. Since I’m a guy, I will just assume the desired effect!
Looking forward to more…
The L in BHEL is not silent. The first 2 letters BH sounds as the first 2 letters in BHARAT the hindi name for INDIA. The last 2 letters EL sounds as EL in Elephant.
My marathi sucks! Thanks for the clarification. That makes a lot more sense. 🙂
Well, it was an instinctive reply. I didn’t want the Indianness to disappear from the recipe.😉
TG i immediately thought of you while listening to this. i thought this is love…his love. when you finally discover what it is you were meant to be, we as a society benefit and learn from the discovery. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/28/511884777/mississippi-masala-how-a-native-of-india-became-a-southern-cooking-star
How critical is the yogurt to this? Wonder if I could make a vegan version? Looks great!!!
It’s not critical at all. Especially with the sweet chutney and green chutney for moisture. 🙂
Looks delicious!