1. Sometimes, chaat masala does not have enough salt or heat and that is why we add extra salt (to taste) and chili powder. It is a personal preference so you can taste it and see if you want to add any additional amounts. We don’t usually use pani puri masala in bhel but sounds feasible as many of the ingredients are common in both.
2. If you want to add potatoes, you can boil them in water in a pot, pressure cook them or cook them in the microwave. Just make sure they are not too mushy and that you can make tiny little pieces out of them. You can add them in at any point before you add the chutneys.
3. We usually put the bhel mix first, then all the onions/tomatoes/potatoes, etc, then all the dry powders, then the chutneys — finish with a good (and quick) mix and serve IMMEDIATELY. If you put the chutneys in after serving, they tend not to mix well.

Hope that helps!

1. I have the store bought Bhel mix that’s not seasoned. I’ve been using a chaat masala, do you recommend still doing the salt and chilli powder? The owner of the indian store said I could do a little bit of both the chat masala and pani puri masala but wanted to get your opinion on that.
2. Bhel puri’s that we’ve had in the past had potatoes in them. Any tips on how to prepare them or when to incorporate them to the recipe? Good mangoes are hard to find in this area.
3. Lastly, When do you add the dry seasonings to the bhel? We do the green and tamarid chutneys after we put them in the serving bowls so it doesn’t get too soft but not sure at what point to add the other seasonings.

You both are made for each other nobody can beat you. You are the best in online recipes. I appreciate your patience in showing the recipes and 100% perfection.
Bhel Puri came out very well.