Charmuri (Rice Krispies) Upkari

Charmuri Upkari, is a typical Konkani evening snack which is nice and spicy with lemon juice, coconut oil drizzled and mixed in, and finished with a cilantro garnish. Along with a cup of hot chai, aah! Of course this can be eaten as a snack any time. I would say it is the Mangalore version of Bhel.

Most of my childhood vacations were spent in Mangalore with my dear Mamama (maternal grandmother), and uncle's family. Oh the fun we had all summer long. The late afternoon movies at the movie theaters, and trips to Ideal Cafe for the ever famous "GaDbaD Ice cream". Car street visits to the temple and shopping with my aunt. Of course, no trip to Car Street, Mangalore was ever complete, unless we ate "Sukrundeli charmuri" pachaDi. That's what he called it. He is no more, but his legacy lives on, and his son Raghuram Shenoy has now taken over his business, and runs his stall on Car Street. The recipe I use, is probably an improvisation of his recipe. These days, we also make sure we return home with a few packets of Nayak's "Charmuri Masala" which is a spice mix ready to use.

When I first came to the US in 1981, Indian spices and ingredients were not readily available, and we did not have Indian grocery stores like we do today. We learned to, no, we had to improvise and use local ingredients to make some of the preparations. This was one of them. So I started using the Rice Krispies instead of charmuri, and soon we were so used to it that we preferred to use Krispies instead. My children still prefer the taste of Krispies. although now we have a choice and can make it the authentic way too. My husband loves making this and now, the girls have also learned to make it themselves as well.

Charmuri Upkari/PachaDi Recipe

Ingredients:

•3 cups Churmuri or Rice Krispies

•1 large red onion finely chopped ( I prefer red onion as it is not as pungent)

•1 or 2 green chillies chopped ( depending on your spice level)

•1 tsp Nayak's Charmuri Masala ( or more depending on your spice level)

•2 tsps coconut oil

•1 cup fresh grated coconut

•1/2 small lemon juiced ( or more depending on your choice)

•1 tsp grated raw mango (optional)

•Salt to taste

•cilantro for garnish

Steps:

1. In a big bowl, add in the green chillies, Nayak masala, salt, and oil and mix together well.

2. Next add in the coconut and the finely chopped onions and mix well.

3. Make sure the charmuri is nice and crispy. You can just dry roast the churmuri on the stove or put it in a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 1 minute - 2 minutes at 30 second intervals, so you know when to stop heating it without burning the charmuri. Make sure it is completely cool, before you add it to the spicy mixture.

4. Skip step number 3 if you are using Rice Krispies.

5. Mix it into the bowl with the spice mixture and mix well. (You can also adjust the salt and spices at this time.

6. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Notes:

• If you don't have the Nayak's churmuri masala, you can use chilli powder or even sambhar powder instead.

• Optional mix ins - sev, finely chopped tomato. roasted peanuts, or even crushed potato chips.

• You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like.