Chanachur
Many of us get confused by the name Chanachur as it sounds similar to Chana Jor. Chanachur is nothing but a traditional Indian food that can be eaten as part of a meal, as a snack and with tea and drinks. Chanachur is also known as Bombay Mix, Mixture, or Chiwda Namkeen depending on the region. This delicious snack consists of a variable mixture of spicy dried ingredients, such as fried lentils, peanuts, chickpea flour Gathiya (sev), corn, vegetable oil, chickpeas, flaked rice, fried onion, curry leaves, moong dal, cinnamon powder, Lavangi Mirchi, ginger powder, Jaljeera masala and so much more.
Crunchy, salty, and totally addictive, it has become a staple in any Indian family. Apart from India, Chanachur can also be found in many other countries like Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, USA, UK and so on. The Idea of a snack is to have a salty, sour, sweet and savoury flavour. Red toasted high-quality peanuts and sultanas are added along with sweetness and authentic Indian spices to create heat and pack a punch with deep fried chillies. The fried curry leaves and fried onions are a great addition to create an unforgettable texture to go with tea, or alcoholic beverage such as beer.
In Kolkata, Chanachur is sold and served in the streets, inside a rolled-up paper cone. People walking or commuting, enjoy Chanachur with their friends, colleagues, family or loved ones. In the early days, Chanachur or Mixture was prepared in the homes, whereas today hundreds if not thousands of manufacturers have popped up preparing Chanachur for commercial purposes. Famously there are two kinds of Chanachur, one which is original (mild spicy) and the second is Jhaal Chanachur (Very spicy). The Jhaal Chanachur is used in the preparation of another Bengali street specialty, Jhaalmoori. Chanachur not to be confused with Chana Jor is an integral part of not just Bengali culture, but people across India seems to love it.