My Father's Sunday Charmure

This recipe is a community pick, part of our Fathers’ Day recipe contest in partnership with Nivaala, a brand that like Goya, believes your family recipes are your legacy. Nivaala is an heirloom recipe journal in which you can record all your family recipes. It’s unlike any other recipe journal, and can be passed down your family as heirlooms, just like saris, and jewellery. Aaryama Somayaji shares her father’s Sunday ritual of making charmure for the family.

The smell of freshly chopped onion and green coriander stalks on a Sunday evening can only mean one thing in our house — charmure.

Appa would take the biggest cooker in the kitchen and begin assembling ingredients — over a heaping of puffed rice goes tomatoes, onions, and chillies. Then the namkeen, whatever he could find in the biscuit-box. Next, the sauces — ketchup, soy, and green chilli. After a bit of intense mixing and shaking, and the juice of one fat lime, the signature smell of bhelpuri would fill the house. Appa would carry the cooker, and ceremoniously serve everyone a plate.

Ma would sit up straight on the sofa and I’d take a seat on the floor next to Appa, inching for a spot closest to the cooker. The first plate was always served to Ma, and he’d watch her eagerly, waiting for a compliment.

A second round of compliments was followed by a second helping all around. But as was tradition, the heartiest compliments always came from Appa himself.

RECIPE: MY FATHER’S CHARMURE

(Serves 4)
Note: The quantities should ideally be in the ratio of 3:1, 3 being the puffed rice and 1 being the rest of the ‘wet’ ingredients

Ingredients
200 g puffed rice
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp coriander stalks, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 cup sev/bhujia
1 tsp salt  

Seasoning
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp green chilly sauce
1 tbsp coconut oil OR oil from a (spicy) pickle (any pickle works here, except a lemon pickle) 

Garnish
Coriander leaves
Handful of roasted, unsalted peanuts (optional) 

Method
Add all ingredients (except the puffed rice and lime juice) and mix thoroughly.
To this add the seasoning, and do a taste test. Should be on the salty side.
Now, add the puffed rice and toss together well
Add lime juice and toss again.
Garnish with roasted peanuts (optional) and coriander.

Banner image: farmtofork.com

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