Haldiram snacks: a guide to bhujia, mixtures, sweets and ready meals

Haldiram's is an Indian brand of savoury snacks (namkeen), sweets and ready meals, with its roots in Bikaner in Rajasthan, the town known for bhujia. In Poland the packs most people look for are the crunchy mixtures, bhujia and sev for tea time, soan papdi and the heat-and-eat curries. This guide explains what each name on the pack means, so you can pick the right one.

What namkeen is

Namkeen means "salty" in Hindi. In India it is the word for dry, crunchy snacks fried in oil. Most are made from gram flour (besan), lentils, peanuts, puffed or flattened rice and spices. People eat them with tea, put them out for guests and sprinkle them over salads and chaat.

Haldiram's snacks fall into a few families. Once you know the names, the shelf is easy to read. On a Polish shelf or in a Polish online listing the packs are often labelled "indyjska przekąska" (Indian snack) in front of the English name, so "Indyjska przekąska Bhujia Haldirams" is the same bhujia you know from home.

Bhujia and sev: crunchy gram flour strands

• Bhujia: thin, brittle strands of spiced gram flour dough, fried in oil. Classic Bikaneri bhujia has a clear black pepper and spice taste. It is a good first pack.
• Aloo bhujia: the same idea with potato in the dough, softer in taste.
• Long sev: longer, thicker gram flour strands with a milder flavour.
• Methi sev: sev with fenugreek leaves, slightly bitter.

Sev and bhujia are also a topping. Sprinkle them over bhel puri, sev puri, poha and onion and tomato salads.

Mixtures: navrattan, khatta meetha and others

A mixture combines several crunchy things: sev, fried lentils, peanuts, rice flakes, corn puffs and sometimes raisins.

• Navrattan: the name means "nine jewels". A rich mix of many ingredients, mildly spicy.
• Khatta meetha: "sour-sweet". Clearly sweet with a tangy note and little heat. A good choice if you do not like spicy food.
• Ratlami mixture and Spicy Bombay mix: noticeably hotter.
• Cornflakes mixture: with corn flakes, crisp and light.
• Boondi masala: small fried balls of gram flour batter with spices. Plain boondi without spices goes into raita.

Many people search for Haldiram Kashmiri mixture. The range of Haldiram's flavours at Little India changes, so check the brand page for what is listed now.

Other snacks: dal, kachori, mathri, khari

• Chana dal: fried, salted split chickpeas. Crunchy and simple.
• Kachori: small, round fried pastries with a spicy filling.
• Mathri: flat, flaky wheat crackers, often with ajwain or black pepper.
• Khari: salty puff pastry biscuits for dipping in tea. Plain, with fenugreek (methi khari) or with cumin.
• Bhel puri: a kit for home-made bhel puri, with chutney sachets.

Haldiram's sweets and ready meals

Haldiram's also makes sweets, such as soan papdi, a flaky, thread-like sweet of sugar, flour and ghee, and habshi halwa. The other large group is ready meals in pouches: dal makhani, dal tadka, palak paneer, paneer makhani, rajma and choley. Heat them and serve with rice or naan. There are also instant cup meals, such as poha, upma and dal khichdi.

How to serve and store Haldiram snacks

• Put namkeen in a bowl next to masala chai or coffee when guests come.
• Sprinkle bhujia over chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and coriander and squeeze over lemon juice. That is a quick chaat.
• After opening, close the bag with a clip or tip the snack into a jar. Namkeen goes soft quickly in open air.
• Read the label. Many snacks contain peanuts, gluten or milk. If you avoid onion and garlic, check the ingredients list on the pack, because recipes differ between products.

Where to buy Haldiram snacks in Poland

All the brand's products are on the Haldiram's page at Little India. Good first picks are classic Haldiram's bhujia 200 g, the Navrattan mixture and soan papdi. Other Indian savoury snacks are in the namkeens category. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships orders from the online shop.