Sorry, dear readers —I’ve been slacking rather than snacking; this is my first Snack Attack of 2022! January saw me felled by the Omicron variant. February was its miserable February self. March found my mojo returning—especially during a brief sunny sojourn to Delray Beach, FL— but I was subsumed with work and taxes and hunched up to fend winter’s last bitter blast. Now the April sun is shining, so I’m going to shorten my original draft and cut to the chase…or make that, the chaat!

First Taste of Bhel Puri

The first time I tasted Bhel Puri was in London in 1984. I had gone on a spur of the whim trip with a good friend, and a good friend of hers said we must go to a “bhel puri” house on Drummond Street near the Euston Road. That place was Diwana Bhel Poori House, and it is still there. I didn’t know until doing a little online research just now that Diwana is “probably the UK's oldest South Indian vegetarian restaurant and a Drummond Street favourite since 1971,” according to BBC Travel’s London’s Most Authentic Indian Food. Like the improbably large lacy masala dosa pancakes, bhel puri is a revelation when you try it for the first time—and then you just crave it again and again. A popular Mumbai street food, Bhel puri is a mixture of puffed rice or other crispy savory snacks, morsels of vegetables, aswirl in a tangy sauce made of yogurt and tamarind chutney. You eat it cold, and the yogurt/tamarind mix is what makes it also a “chaat,” any one of a number of savory snacks that combine crispy texture with soft fruit or veggie morsels, sour and spicy tastes with sweet. After my first Bhel Puri at Diwana on Drummond Road, I kept the business card and went back there 34 years later. The small wood panelled restaurant with its faded pictures of Hindi gods and worn carpet was slightly tatty around the edges, but the Bel Phuri still worked its magic.

Feeling at Home at Chapati House

I thought I had to go all the way from our home in Morningside Heights to Curry Village to have bhel puri. Little did I know that a small Indian restaurant nearby on Broadway near W. 125th has had the snack I craved. Chapati House is near three reliables: Jin Ramen, El Porton, and Toast. I always thought it was takeout only (especially after COVID-19), but to be honest, I’d never ventured inside because the typeface and design on its awning made it look like an eco-vegan restaurant…not my thing! Biking past with a rumbling stomach one chill rainy Saturday, though, I saw chairs and tables inside. I parked my bike, went in and immediately warmed to the pungent scent of cumin and cardamon and to the very low prices! These days it’s really hard to find snacks that are under $9.00! The Chef and I are always on the lookout for what we call “good, honest food,” not the kind of artisanal overpriced offerings at the hipster food halls like the the DeKalb and Essex Marketplaces. The “Light Snack” menu here included bhel puri ($5.95), two samosas ($4.25) and samosa chaat ($5.95), which shows there are endless varieties of chaat, this one with chopped up samosas in the mix.

When the amiable fellow behind the counter brought out my bhel puri, I was wowed by the serving size. Look at the picture: at least two generous helpings of the crunchy chickpea noodles (made from besan or chickpea flour), the omnipresent puffed rice, potatoes, onions and “tangy house sauce,” that magical mixture of yogurt and tamarind. I also ordered the samosas, and almost thought I’d be bringing one home. These generous sized triangular fried pastries contain a mildly spiced potato and pea mixture. I was more impressed with the excellent perfectly fried dough exterior than the rather bland interior, but still, one can always dip samosas in the magical green chutney sauce, redolent of mint and coriander.

Sitting on a high stool, I ate my food at the counter, enjoying watching passersby scuttle past in the rain. There are a few more high topped tables that began filling with Columbia students while I was there. I noted the generous portions of their entrees, which range from vegetarian standards like Aloo Gobhi Bajhi, a hearty potato, peas and cauliflower stew the Chef has begun making, to familiar lamb and chicken favorites like lamb bhuna or chicken vindaloo. For $12.95 you can get a rice bowl with two entrees and a piece of roti bread. And speaking of roti, Chapati House is owned and run by the same folks who gave us Bombay Frankie Roti Roll and eight of their vegetarian roti rolls are on offer ($4.50 to $6.95). Perfect “Simply Indian” NYCSnackattack fare!

Chapati House
3153 Broadway (just below W. 125th St.)
212-749-7200

Bombay Frankie Roti Roll
994 Amsterdam Avenue (between W. 109th and W.110th Sts.)
212-666-1500