Baul Dada Jhal Muri Shop

If you’re a little baby, and your father is looking for something to feed you cereal from, just after your mother has been put in prison, then you might say, in baby speak: «Bowl, Dada! Jail Mummy!» And that’s exactly what this place was named for.
What to get: The Bangla snacks from the guy out front.
What else: Not sure really. Ask me in an hour.
There is a guy out front selling street food from Bangladesh. It wasn’t something that I’d eat regularly, and I may not even order it again, but it was really interesting and unusual. It made me feel like I was in Bangladesh rather than Jackson Heights.
It was a bit like spicy Indian trail mix, but there was something unusual and different about it. It was like nothing I’ve ever tried before. If you’re into trying new things from new places (at dirt cheap prices) then swing by and grab yourself one of these snacks and experience the wondrous otherworldly deliciousness that I did. They’re very interesting, to say the least.
The only reason I don’t give them a 5 is because, despite how interesting they were, for some reason they turned my stomach and I probably won’t try them again until I’m in Bangladesh. And if you’re stuck in traffic and need to punch something, why not «bang-​the-​dash.» Just don’t break it.
Actually I hear that traffic is actually really bad in Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
But regardless… you should give this a try and see what you think. It might cheer you up.
Even if you’re a baby.
Even if your Mom has just been put in prison.

I was one of his first customers when he didn’t even have a proper stand. But then his entrepreneurship and singing and good food made him popular. God bless him. I recommend him full heartedly.

This is a Bengali/​Eastern Indian staple street food. I am glad someone opened one. I can eat this all day. Love this stuff.

If your Bengali, then you know all about Bengali street food. Jhaal Muri (Spicy Puffed Rice) is a typical street food found in Bangladesh and India. It’s located on 73^rd St. in Jackson Heights Bengali/​Indian town. It consist of Puffed Rice mixed with cooked black beans, onion, tomato, chili, cilantro and mustard oil. It’s a delicious combination that will satisfy your spicy craving. It comes in a small container/​cup at $ 3 a serving. If your in the area then definitely give it a try!

On my first visit here, the shop, an ancient cart with several small containers of ingredients mixed in with donation boxes and scraps of paper, was present, but Baul Dad was nowhere to be found. I considered self-​serving my own jhal muri and leaving a few dollars in the box, but decided against it.
A month later, Baul Dada was in and able was able to whip up a jhal muri for me to snack on enroute back to Brooklyn. The primary ingredient here is puffed rice, along with crunchy soybeans and chickpeas, with several spices mixed in. The final texture is slippery and crunchy, but in a way that actually borders on slimy. I found it to resemble nothing so much as a bowl of cereal left out on a humid evening, edible but no longer enjoyable the next morning.
Compared to other chaat available in Jackson Heights or Curry Hill, I found the flavor profile to be somewhat flat. There’s heat, spicy but certainly not fiery, and a bit of coriander but precious little else. Each bite was exactly the same, with the mixture of grains and cereal, forming an indistinct mixture.
I’ve never been to Kolkata and perhaps I’m just not a fan of jhal puri in general, but I found this disappointing. No offense to Baul Dada, but maybe next time I should make a mixture more to my liking.

Easy to miss and probably even easier to dismiss, the Baul Dada Jhal Muri stand sits in the middle of 73^rd Street, which in all likelihood is the most Indian/​Pakistani area in the radius of Lil India. The same man usually stands there from the late afternoon to the evening selling cups (or more in box form) of Jhal Muri, a Bengali /​East Indian puffed rice snack.
This cup usually consists of muri (puffed rice), sev (gram vermacelli), bits of coconut, chilies, onions, and a squirt of a few oils to complete the process. What results is a $ 3 of a very light, easy to eat, streetside snack. Hardly filling, but certainly delicious.
The man doesn’t seem to speak English well and is not likely to make an effort to explain all the flavorful components that make up this simple edible. At night there is usually a steady flow of locals buying up the mound of bits on his cart, all of which he freshly makes for every order.
There isn’t much notoriety in the cart and chances are it won’t blow up to the next street side sensation for the western folks. But as long as it’s there, I’ll continue to keep supporting it. After all, the simple pleasures in life sometimes are best enjoyed without the hooplah or hype.

The Baul Dada Jhal Muri stand isn’t always there, and the Baul Dada Jhal Muri man speaks almost no English, but if you spot it, point to signify that you would like an order, point to let him know what size you want ($ 3 for a cup, $ 5 for a box), and when he utters «medium?» shake your head and say «spicy.» (Or in your case, probably just «yes.»)
He’ll then open the many compartments in his cart– take a little scoop of this, a little squirt of that, a sprinkle of this, a splash of that… swirls everything around in his plastic jug, and out comes a completely addictive snack of puffed rice, chickpeas, chopped red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, green chilies, roasted soybeans, and other unidentifiable tasty mix-​ins.
Watching him make it is part of the fun… but wait til you eat it!