Churumuri Recipe (Puffed Rice Snack)

Masala Mandakki also known as Churumuri, is a popular puffed rice snack from Karnataka, a South Indian state. It is also a street food and is most commonly eaten as a time-pass Snack. There are many puffed rice snacks made across India with so many different variations. Jhal Muri & Bhel Puri are the 2 most commonly known variations. Churumuri is lesser known across India and more popular in Karnataka.

It is always a winner for its simplicity as it is made with basic pantry staples that most of us stock at home. It can be prepared very quickly by anyone. Even kids can easily make this if they have chopped veggies ready.

What is Churumuri?

Churumuri is a simple snack where crispy puffed rice is tossed with onions, tomatoes, chilies, salt and lemon juice. Garnished with plenty of roasted peanuts and coriander leaves, it is simply the best! Some times it is also topped with Sev or mixture. It is crispy, slightly spicy, sour & nutty. A dash of oil is also added while mixing. You will find different kinds of oil being used depending on the region.

Some regions use peanut oil while some use coconut oil. But we prefer hot Ghee as it adds better flavor. It is up to you and in fact you can also leave out the oil. It is usually eaten on its own or sometimes accompanied with Mirchi Bajji and Tea. At home we love these with Mysore Bonda or Goli baje.

We Indians across the globe love street foods. A plate full of tangy spicy chaat with a cup of masala tea is the strongest mesmerizer for most of us. But the hygiene that is maintained is very poor in many street food places. So it is always healthy to make these at home. To make Churumuri we don’t need any Tamarind Chutney or Green Chutney like the North Indian Bhel Puri.

So it is super quick to make. You can easily tweak this basic recipe to suit your taste. I like to go with the most basic veggies like onions, tomatoes & coriander leaves. However you can also add grated carrots or totapuri mango (sweet sour unripe mango). You will find this version in a lot of street stalls and chaat places in Bangalore.

More Similar Recipes
Masala Puri
Sev Puri
Maddur Vada
Aloo Chaat
Poha chivda

Photo Guide

How to make Churumuri (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. First roast peanuts on a medium flame until aromatic and golden. Set aside to cool. Once they cool down you can remove the skin if you prefer. For this recipe you will need 2 to 3 tablespoons peanuts.

2. Prepare the following:

• 1 small onion (fine chop)
• 1 medium Tomato (fine chop)
• 1 green chili (chopped, deseeded if required, leave out for kids)
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (fine chop)
• 2 tablespoons grated carrots or chopped cucumber (optional)
• 1 cut lemon

3. You need 3 cups muri/ puffed rice for this recipe. To make churumuri, you don’t need to dry roast the puffed rice unless they are soft. You can also pop them in the oven for a few mins at 50 to 60 C. I usually break open a new pack to make this so I don’t dry roast. But clean them. I sieve them to remove the powdery part. Add the puffed rice to a wide bowl.

Make Puffed Rice Snack

4. Add onions and tomatoes to the mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt (about ¼ tsp) and ¼ to ½ teaspoon chili powder over tomatoes. First check if your puffed rice is salted. Add salt accordingly.

5. Squeeze in very little lemon juice as tomatoes too will be tangy. I use about 1 tbsp. This will help the salt to dissolve.

6. Heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee. Pour it. This elevates the flavor of churumuri completely. Optional – We usually add some roasted and coarsely pound jeera then pour hot coconut oil or ghee to bring out the aroma of jeera.

8. Mix the chilli powder and salt well with tomatoes and onions. This helps the chilli powder to spread well.

9. Next mix in the puffed rice with the onion tomatoes. Check salt and sprinkle more if needed. Lastly add coriander leaves and peanuts. Give a gentle stir.

Serve Churumuri immediately as they begin to loose the crunch.

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