THE NAMESAKE’S KOLKATA-STYLE JHAL MURI
In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake, the pregnant and deeply homesick protagonist, Ashima, craves a taste of Kolkata, known for its street food, but cannot find the main ingredient: puffed rice. Instead, she recreates the snack using Rice Krispies cereal, a culinary translation of what it’s like to live in between cultures. Years ago, Isha’s (Robinson Street's co-founder) mother read this recipe and made her own changes when she, too, missed the same home city as Ashima, Kolkata. Isha grew up eating this version of jhal muri as her favorite snack and would argue that she prefers it with Rice Krispies instead of the traditional puffed rice. Yes, she knows it's a controversial take.
ADAPTED VERSION OF ASHIMA’S JHAL MURI
Ingredients
1 cup Rice Krispies
¼ cup Planters peanuts
¼ cup Khaata Meeta
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
½ cucumber, chopped
1 small boiled potato, chopped
1–2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped
Small handful of cilantro, chopped
Juice of ½ fresh lemon
½ tsp chaat masala
¼ tsp black salt (kala namak)
1 tsp mustard oil (optional)
Instructions
Combine the Rice Krispies, potato, onion, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and green chili in a large bowl.
Add the peanuts and khaata meeta* and toss to combine.
Drizzle with mustard oil.
Season with chaat masala* and black salt.
Squeeze over the lemon juice. Add a bit more Rice Krispies, if looking soggy.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, before the Rice Krispies lose their crunch.
Khaata Meeta (meaning Sour Sweet) is not required but a nice addition to add a bit of crunch. A common go-to, which can easily be found in any South Asian grocery store, is the Haldiram’s Khaata Meeta.
Chaat Masala can be found in any South Asian shop near you or, alternatively, combine equal parts ground cumin, black salt, and dry mango powder (amchoor), if you absolutely must. Our favorite brand is Catch Chat Masala.
For more RECS like this one, check out the rest of vol. 007:
