Sev Puri (Indian Street Food)

A popular Mumbai street food, Sev Puri is a sweet, spicy and tangy chaat. Sev Puri is made with crispy puri (whole wheat crackers) topped with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and a variety of chutneys, and finished with sev (thin gram flour noodles). This no-cook chaat recipe is a favorite snack to enjoy with your evening tea!

Sev Puri is also known as "Batata Puri" or "Sev Batata Puri". The word "Batata" in Marathi means potato.

Sev Puri takes me back to some fond memories of childhood. Growing up, Sev Puri used to be a go-to street snack. I would get 5 rupees (yes, it was that cheap) from mom, and go to the street vendor who came near our home every evening to buy Sev Puri. They would pack it in a newspaper, and it was the most delicious snack to enjoy. I am sure many of you who grew up in Mumbai might have had this same experience.

Now I make this sev puri often, as it is so easy to assemble once you have the chutneys ready. I always keep tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney ready in my refrigerator, so any chaat dishes become an easy fix.

Here are other favorite chaat and snack recipes that you might enjoy - Dahi Papdi Chaat, Mumbai Vada Pav, Dahi Bhalla and Kala Chana Chaat.

What is Chaat?

Typically served as hors d'oeuvre, Chaat is a sweet, savory, tangy and spicy snack.  In India, it is more than a snack, it serves as a cultural identity. Chaat is a symphony of exotic flavors and tangy spices with a distinctive crunch. It is an anytime snack and is the best way to satisfy your cravings.

Sev Puri is native to the streets of  Mumbai and is a very famous snack. Loaded with boiled spiced potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and sweet, spicy, tangy chutneys and heaps of sev, this Sev Puri is a medley of flavors you will love.

Traditionally the Sev puri has three main ingredients:

• Fried puri's - also called papdi, these are flat whole wheat crackers (not the puffed one's used for pan puri)
• Boiled potato 
• Sev - thin gram flour noodles
• Chutneys

While the puri gives the delicious crunch, these chutneys add mouthwatering flavors to the Sev Batata Puri.

What chutneys are needed for making this Sev Puri?

Green Mint Cilantro Chutney - It is chutney prepared with fresh mint leaves, coriander, lemon juice and salt.

Red Garlic Chutney - This is a spicy chutney made with red chilies and garlic. You can increase or decrease the number of chilies according to your spice preference.

Sweet Tamarind Chutney - This chutney combines the taste of sweet and tangy. The sweetness of dates and tanginess of the tamarind along with jaggery makes it a must addition for Sev Puri.

I prep these chutneys before hand over the weekend with my usual meal prep. The recipes for each is at the link above.

Also, buy the puri's and sev from the Indian grocery store. Then assembling the Sev Puri is very quick and easy.

How to make Sev Puri Chaat at home?

Once you have all the ingredients ready, making Sev Batata Puri is really easy.

Pre-Preparation

• Make the chutneys a day before and store them in the refrigerator.
• Boil potatoes. Let them cool, then peel and mash them. I usually mash the potatoes with my fingers. If you like, you can add some salt and mild chilli powder to the mashed potatoes.
• Chop onions, tomatoes and cilantro. You can also add some green chilli for a spicy zing. (Note: Cilantro is typically called coriander in India)
• Have the pomegranate seeds ready if using.
• Keep all the ingredients including the potatoes, onions, tomatoes along with the chutneys, nylon sev and chaat masala ready.

Assembling the Sev Puri

• Place 7 puri's on a plate.
• Take boiled potato and place a little of them on each puri.
• Then, top with the chopped onions and tomatoes.

• Then sprinkle some chaat masala over the puri.
• Top the puri with red chutney, green chutney, and sweet chutney in that order.

• Add the nylon sev generously on top of the each puri.
• Then finish off the process by topping the sev of with some cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Tips to make the best Mumbai Sev Puri

• Homemade chutneys add fresh flavors than store-bought ones. You can make them beforehand and store them in the refrigerator.
• Make sure you have all the ingredients ready before starting to assemble the sev puri as the chutneys can turn the puri soggy.
• Consume the prepared puri immediately to enjoy all the flavors of this mouthwatering Sev puri.

You can try another variation of this Sev Puri by adding a little bit of Dahi to the puri - Dahi Sev Puri. It becomes a whole new dish with awesome flavors.

You add some more flavor and make it more healthy by adding some chopped mango or steamed moong sprouts.

I recently served this Sev Puri when some friends had come for evening snacks. I ended up making 4 batch of 20 puri's each, way more than I had expected. So be ready with a bag full of Puri's if you are making this Sev Puri 🙂