Chanachur: A Review
(Or more like an ‘Honest Introduction to Quality Chanachur’)
Bangladeshis love chanachur. It’s THE snack food for us. In fact, as far as nationalism foodstuffs go, the popular opinion at Shadow's Desk is to establish chanachur as our national snack. And why not? Our chanachur is special. It isn’t the weird sweetened type you get in India (so much for Bombay Sweets), it’s exactly how we like it- spicy, crispy and nutty. Some people would think our love towards chanachur as off, but we can always point towards the English and their tea mania.
Or the Koreans and dogs.
While getting your chanachur has evolved from roadside jhalmuriwallahs to large and flashy convenience stores; there are only a few brands of chanachur that are worth talking about. They are:
• Ruchi Jhal Chanachur / Ruchi BBQ Style Chanachur:
Despite the horrible advertising, Ruchi is the face of modern chanachur everywhere (you read that right, ‘modern chanachur’). It’s easily available and cheap-a sizeable and appetite-whetting Mini Pack comes at only 6 taka. Spicing is proper- you don’t see people with eyes watering and holding Ruchi packets (unless, you believe their horrific advertisements). Probably the best thing to comment about Ruchi Jhal Chanachur is their generous amount of roasted peanuts. If you are the nutty kind, then this is your chanachur dream come true. Every handful of Ruchi Jhal Chanachur has a noticeable amount of peanuts and make munching away a whole lot better. However, this also means bad news for those who think that chanachur should be devoid of peanuts. This writer does wish to point out that those people aren’t true chanachur fans to boot.
A new flavor offered by Ruchi is their Barbeque flavor chanachur. It’s the same Ruchi chanachur, but with a whole new zing, or as Ruchi proclaims, “a brand new smoky, BBQ flavoring for the perfect BBQ party”. While most of this writer’s fans and fellow chanachur fans would disagree over Ruchi’s flavor choicing; but hey, you got to admit that the idea’s pretty smart.
• Pran Chanachur:
For people who are bored of Ruchi chanachur and looking for a break in flavor, opening Pran packets would not be a very bad idea. Pran’s just as easily available, but their flavor needs some serious work. You would think that chanachur from a food giant like Pran would be spectacular- sadly it misses the spot. The taste is very unique, but perhaps only a bit too much.
The spicing is amiss too. You are left with this flaky and hot feeling on your tongue after every mouthful, and this thing has a mixed opinion, so it’s risky to answer definitively for the populace.
Not to whip this off on such a negative note, Pran chanachur is not without its pros: as mentioned earlier, it offers a decent (if not too decent) break from Ruchi and so provides ample time to munch away and compare flavors for you to find whether Ruchi should really be there or not.
• Jamai Bou Chanachur:
If we ever have a Best Buy award for each of our forthcoming reviews, then yours truly would be inclined to give the very first one to Jamai Bou chanachur. The naming stands out to be very unconventional, but the marketing gimmick is great, what with Jamai Bou songs blaring from loudspeakers in a given area, minutes after the Maghrib azaan. Jamai Bou is the chanachur that every self-respecting jhalmuriwallah uses with his jhalmuri. It’s simple, but the very simplicity of the flavor and spicing complements the jhalmuri's other exciting components. What really is surprising is that hardly most people know how awesome Jamai Bou really is. This is simpley one of those brands that people make the mistake of classifying together with 'Ma-Baba'r Doa' buses or 'Bhai Bhai' stationery stores.
Spicing is great, and so is the generous amount of crunchies you get for your buck. Don't take our word for it. Take the experts'- the jhalmuriwallahs. Most jhalmuriwallahs are not very open about what chanachur they use, but Afsar, who sells jhalmuri at Dhanmondi Road No,. 8, right outside Dhanmondi Tutorial and Viquarrunisa School, helped us answer this question about their chanachur.
So there you have it, three of the best chanachur brands available, reviewed. You might think that what possibly could be the difference between any chanachur brand at all, but just don’t be caught saying that to an aficionado. You just will regret your decision.
By: Wahid T Khan
(Or more like an ‘Honest Introduction to Quality Chanachur’)
Bangladeshis love chanachur. It’s THE snack food for us. In fact, as far as nationalism foodstuffs go, the popular opinion at Shadow's Desk is to establish chanachur as our national snack. And why not? Our chanachur is special. It isn’t the weird sweetened type you get in India (so much for Bombay Sweets), it’s exactly how we like it- spicy, crispy and nutty. Some people would think our love towards chanachur as off, but we can always point towards the English and their tea mania.
Or the Koreans and dogs.
While getting your chanachur has evolved from roadside jhalmuriwallahs to large and flashy convenience stores; there are only a few brands of chanachur that are worth talking about. They are:
• Ruchi Jhal Chanachur / Ruchi BBQ Style Chanachur:
Despite the horrible advertising, Ruchi is the face of modern chanachur everywhere (you read that right, ‘modern chanachur’). It’s easily available and cheap-a sizeable and appetite-whetting Mini Pack comes at only 6 taka. Spicing is proper- you don’t see people with eyes watering and holding Ruchi packets (unless, you believe their horrific advertisements). Probably the best thing to comment about Ruchi Jhal Chanachur is their generous amount of roasted peanuts. If you are the nutty kind, then this is your chanachur dream come true. Every handful of Ruchi Jhal Chanachur has a noticeable amount of peanuts and make munching away a whole lot better. However, this also means bad news for those who think that chanachur should be devoid of peanuts. This writer does wish to point out that those people aren’t true chanachur fans to boot.
A new flavor offered by Ruchi is their Barbeque flavor chanachur. It’s the same Ruchi chanachur, but with a whole new zing, or as Ruchi proclaims, “a brand new smoky, BBQ flavoring for the perfect BBQ party”. While most of this writer’s fans and fellow chanachur fans would disagree over Ruchi’s flavor choicing; but hey, you got to admit that the idea’s pretty smart.
• Pran Chanachur:
For people who are bored of Ruchi chanachur and looking for a break in flavor, opening Pran packets would not be a very bad idea. Pran’s just as easily available, but their flavor needs some serious work. You would think that chanachur from a food giant like Pran would be spectacular- sadly it misses the spot. The taste is very unique, but perhaps only a bit too much.
The spicing is amiss too. You are left with this flaky and hot feeling on your tongue after every mouthful, and this thing has a mixed opinion, so it’s risky to answer definitively for the populace.
Not to whip this off on such a negative note, Pran chanachur is not without its pros: as mentioned earlier, it offers a decent (if not too decent) break from Ruchi and so provides ample time to munch away and compare flavors for you to find whether Ruchi should really be there or not.
• Jamai Bou Chanachur:
If we ever have a Best Buy award for each of our forthcoming reviews, then yours truly would be inclined to give the very first one to Jamai Bou chanachur. The naming stands out to be very unconventional, but the marketing gimmick is great, what with Jamai Bou songs blaring from loudspeakers in a given area, minutes after the Maghrib azaan. Jamai Bou is the chanachur that every self-respecting jhalmuriwallah uses with his jhalmuri. It’s simple, but the very simplicity of the flavor and spicing complements the jhalmuri's other exciting components. What really is surprising is that hardly most people know how awesome Jamai Bou really is. This is simpley one of those brands that people make the mistake of classifying together with 'Ma-Baba'r Doa' buses or 'Bhai Bhai' stationery stores.
Spicing is great, and so is the generous amount of crunchies you get for your buck. Don't take our word for it. Take the experts'- the jhalmuriwallahs. Most jhalmuriwallahs are not very open about what chanachur they use, but Afsar, who sells jhalmuri at Dhanmondi Road No,. 8, right outside Dhanmondi Tutorial and Viquarrunisa School, helped us answer this question about their chanachur.
So there you have it, three of the best chanachur brands available, reviewed. You might think that what possibly could be the difference between any chanachur brand at all, but just don’t be caught saying that to an aficionado. You just will regret your decision.
By: Wahid T Khan
Interesting post, Azmain.
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