Masala Puffed Rice, also known as Spicy Garlic Puffed Rice or Bellulli Mandakki (Bellulli = Garlic, Mandakki = Puffed Rice), is a favorite tea-time snack among North Kannadigas. Made with thin puffed rice, peanuts, roasted gram, green chili, curry leaves, garlic, and aromatic spices, it's light, crunchy, and packed with flavor!
Spicy Garlic Puffed Rice (Khara Mandakki) is a very popular snack in the North Karnataka region, along with mandakki usli, and girmit. It is topped with finely chopped onion, coriander leaves, and mixture (sev) before serving and is best enjoyed with a cup of masala chai.
Spicy Masala Puffed Rice is also known by different names like bellulli mandakki, khara puri, khara mandakki, khara kadlepuri, spicy garlic puffed rice, spicy murmura, mandakki mixture, spicy churmuri, etc.
Preparing this tasty garlic puffed rice recipe is easy, and I learned it from my mother. It stays fresh and crisp for up to 15 days when stored in an air-tight container.
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What is Mandakki?
Mandakki or puffed rice (also known as murmura, mamra, puri, porri or arsi porri) is a type of puffed grain from the Indian subcontinent, made from rice, commonly used in breakfast cereal or snack foods, and served as a popular street food like bhel puri, masala mandakki in South India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Ingredients for Spicy Puffed Rice
- Puffed rice: Also known as 'Murmura', 'Mamra', 'Kurmura' is the key ingredient. Buy the regular variety. It is easily available in any Indian grocery store.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor. Roughly crush them with or without the skin.
- Peanuts: Add roasted peanuts for the crunch.
- Spices: red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
- Tempering: oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves.
How to Make Masala Puffed Rice
Roasting Puffed Rice
Firstly, dry roast 5-6 cups puffed rice in a pan on low heat until it becomes crispy and crunchy (It takes about 2-3 minutes). Cool them completely.
Roasting the murmura, helps them to keep fresh and crispy for a longer time.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a pan on medium flame. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, and ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds, and let them splutter. Then add ¼ cup raw peanuts and roast until peanuts are slightly brown and roasted.
Add ¼ cup fried gram (roasted chana dal), 1-2 stalks curry leaves, and 2-3 crushed garlic one by one, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon sugar, and salt. Mix it well.
Next, add the roasted puffed rice and toss until well combined
Mouthwatering masala puffed rice is ready. Serve spicy murmura with onion, sev, and Mirchi/bonda. Allow it to cool and store in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
Serve masala puffed rice with onion pakoda, potato bajji, or mirchi bajji along with masala tea or coffee.
You can also add some chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves, and sev on top of this spicy murmura and serve as well.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the spicy puffed rice in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
Tips & Variations
- Extra Garlic: If you like garlic, you can add some extra.
- Crispy Puffed Rice: Puffed rice must be fresh and crisp for this recipe. If your puffed rice is soggy, microwave for 1 minute. Alternatively, you can dry roast them in a wide Kadai on a low flame for 2-3 minutes until crisp.
- Dry Coconut & Nuts: You can also add thinly sliced dry coconut and nuts like cashews, and almonds while roasting peanuts.
More Indian Snack Recipes
Masala Puffed Rice (Spicy Garlic Puffed Rice)
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups puffed rice/mandakki (Appx 1 liter)
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds) optional
- 1-2 stalk curry leaves
- 2-3 garlic cloves crushed
- ¼ cup peanut/groundnut/shenga
- ¼ cup daliya/putani/hurigadale/fried gram
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
Roasting Puffed Rice
- Firstly dry roast the puffed rice in a pan on low heat until they become crispy and crunchy (It takes about 2-3 minutes). Cool them completely. Roasting the murmura, helps them to keep fresh and crispy for a longer time.
Masala Puffed Rice
- Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin (jeera) seeds, and let them splutter. Then add raw peanuts and roast until peanuts are slightly brown and roasted.
- Add fried gram, curry leaves, and crushed garlic one by one, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, sugar, and salt. Mix it well.
- Next, add puffed rice and Mix well until well-coated.
- Masala puffed rice is ready. Serve spicy murmura with onion, sev, and Mirchi / bonda. Allow it to cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Extra Garlic: If you like garlic, you can add some extra.
- Crispy Puffed Rice: Puffed rice / Mandakki must be fresh and crisp for this recipe. If your puffed rice is soggy, microwave for 1 minute. Alternatively, you can dry roast them in a wide Kadai on a low flame for 2-3 minutes until crisp.
- Dry Coconut & Nuts: You can also add thinly sliced dry coconut and nuts like cashews, and almonds while roasting peanuts.
Nutrition
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Arch
Perfect snack !! Thank you ,recipe was super simple, quick & tasty. . .
Arch
Perfect snack !! Thank you ,recipe was super simple, quick & tasty. . .
Bhavana Patil
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, glad you liked it.
Elissa
This seems like a great recipe. I tried it today for the first time, but unfortunately, the Chana dal I purchased was raw, not fried, so even though I tried to fry it in oil longer than the peanuts, it just ended up blackened, but still hard/raw. Is there any way that I could fry these Chana dal myself, without using a lot of oil? Either way, do you have any suggestions on how to prepare the dal so I can use it in this recipe? Thank you.
Bhavana Patil
Hi Elissa, First of all, Thanks for trying my recipe.
I did not use chana dal in this recipe...Chana dal is generally added in Indian Tempering or making dal (lentil curry), it does not work in this recipe. I have used fried gram also known as split chickpeas that is generally available in any Indian grocery store. Link is in the recipe itself in the recipe card. You may skip this ingredient as well and add other roasted nuts like almonds or cashews. Hope this helps.
Sony Mrudula
Minute made ...loved it
Bhavana Patil
Hi Mrudula, so glad you liked it. 🙂
NEHA JAIN
really awesome
I tried and turned out to be very tasty
bhavana
Thank you Neha..
Nadha
It tastes great! ?
bhavana
Thats cool Nadha ? Thank you trying & sharing your feedback ? Do try other recipes on the blog, happy cooking ?
Manish
Good
bhavana
thank you..
Swetha
Tasted delicious! Thank you for sharing!
bhavana
Thank you Swetha 🙂