Bhel puri — 345 kcal, and where they actually are

The verdict

Puffed rice is nearly weightless. The sev and the sweet chutney are not.

Component by component

Per one standard plate. Estimates, not yet verified against IFCT 2017.

Puffed rice

~2 katori · ~30 g

110

Carbs25 g

Protein2 g

Fat0 g

Fibre1 g

Almost air. This is the part everyone assumes is the problem and it is not.

Sev and fried papdi

— · ~25 g

135

Carbs12 g

Protein3 g

Fat9 g

Fibre1 g

Deep-fried besan noodles. A small handful outweighs the entire bowl of puffed rice.

Where the damage is

Sweet chutney

~2 tbsp · ~35 g

Carbs18 g

Protein0 g

Fat0 g

Fibre1 g

Jaggery, dates, tamarind. Almost entirely sugar, and it is what makes bhel taste like bhel.

Where the damage is

Onion, tomato, coriander, raw mango

— · ~60 g

Carbs5 g

Protein1 g

Fat0 g

Fibre2 g

Free flavour and fibre. Ask for extra.

Worth eating

Three ways to fix it

Ordered by what you give up.

Option 1 · Light on sev, light on sweet−130

Ask for less sev and half the sweet chutney. Extra onion and raw mango.

Both are made to order. Bhel is one of the few street foods where you can genuinely customise it as it is being mixed.

Taste cost: Low

Option 2 · Sukha bhel−75

Dry bhel, chutney on the side.

You control how much goes on rather than the vendor.

Taste cost: Moderate

Option 3 · Add protein−0

Ask for sprouts or boiled chana in the mix.

Turns a snack that leaves you hungry into one that does not. Most carts have both.

Taste cost: None

← All thirty dishes