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We have been covering some of the foods that are very typical of Mumbai. We last covered Vada Pav and the next item we are covering is Bhelpuri or Bhel. Bhelpuri is a puffed rice dish with potatoes and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is a type of chaat or small plates of savoury snacks, particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai (Bombay), such as Chowpatty.

Bhel Recipes typically consists of 3 parts
 - The Bhel is made using rice puffs, tomatoes, potatoes and onions.
 - Chutneys - There are two popular chutneys used, a dark purple sweet one made mainly of dates and tamarind, and a green spicy chutney made of coriander leaves and green chillies. Different chutneys impart a sweet or spicy flavour.
 - Puri and Sev - A Puri is fried piece of wheat dough just like a pringles chip only thicker. Sev is a fried snack shaped like thin noodles (see picture below).

These three groups of ingredients are mixed in a bowl as per the eater's preferences. Some prefer it more sweet while others prefer it spicy. Bhelpuri is best consumed as soon as it is made. If left for a while, the juices from the tomatoes, chutneys, etc. combine to render the sev and puffed rice soggy.

Another variation is to sprinkle the chat with chunks of diced sweet mango. The finished snack is often garnished with a combination of diced onions, coriander leaves and chopped green chilis. It is sometimes served with papri puris, a deep fried small round and crispy wheat bread. The result is a sour/pungent/sweet tasting evening snack that is a treat for the taste buds and a good source of carbohydrates and minerals.

There are many variants of Bhelpuri:

1. Sevpuri - a mixture of bhelpuri, chutney, papdi and sev
2. Dahi puri - a mixture of bhelpuri, chutney, papdi and savoured with lot of youghurt.
3. Sev papdi chaat - a lot like sevpuri but with 2-3 types of chutney, potatoes, chana masala
4. Bhelpuri is called Churu Muri in Bangalore and Jhaal Muri in Kolkata (meaning "hot puffed rice").
5. In Sangli, a dry variant of Bhelpuri popularly known as Bhadang is consumed after garnishing with onions, corriander and lemon juice. 

One of my favorite items growing up was the "Vada Pav". Vada Pav, sometimes spelled wada pav, is a popular vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. It consists of a batata vada (potato fritter) sandwiched between two slices of a pav (bread). Batata is potato in Marathi and Pav refers to bread (or bun).

Finely cut green chilies and ginger and a phodani (tempering) of mustard seeds and turmeric are added to a mash of boiled potatoes, and after dipping patties of the mash in an herb-seasoned batter of gram flour, the patties are deep-fried.

Vada pav is typically served with a chutney (sauce) which is commonly made out of shredded coconut âہmeatâ€Â, tamarind pulp, and garlic.

Vada Pav is typically sold on the street corners of Mumbai. Each vada pava vendor typically has a small cart with a large frying wok to make the vadas. The carts are similar to the hot-dog carts seen in New York. The Pav is typically sourced from local bakeries. Some of the vendors have bigger shops as well. The buyers normally eat their vada pavs near the cart (see image alongside). You typically find a lemonade or sugarcane juice stand near by. 

Vada pav was supposedly devised by snack vendor Ashok Vaidya outside Dadar station in 1971.