Dabeli mainly originated in Kutch region of Gujrat. It is popularly known as “Kacchi Dabeli” or “Katchi Dabeli”. It is a famous street food of India specially in Gujrat and Maharashtra. Basically Dabeli is spicy ,sweet and tangy bun ( called “Ladi Paav” ) stuffed with boiled potato mixture made by using special dabeli masala and served with red chilli-garlic and sweet tamarind chutney followed by finely diced onion and masala peanuts. Assemble all the ingredients into the bun and roast it nicely with some butter and garnished with sev( Indian snack made with gram-flour vermicelli) and pomegranate.

This recipe is a little bit lengthy as I have prepared all ingredients at home except ” Buns and Sev ” .If you want you can buy readymade dabeli masala ,masala peanuts from market.

Let’s have a look at Ingredients :

Dabeli consits of these ingrediants:

• Red Chilli-Garlic Chutney
• Sweet Tamarind Chutney
• Special Dabeli Masala
• Spicy potato filling
• Masala Peanuts
• Finely chopped onion
• Some coriander leaves
• Sev
• Bun (Ladi Paav)

Let’s start by making Red Chilli-Garlic Chutney :

• Soak 10- 12 Dry red chillies into the water at least half an hour.
• After half an hour remove all water.
• Add 12 to 14 garlic cloves into it.Add 1tsp of cumin powder.
• Add some salt.
• Put all the above ingredients into the mixture jar and grind it in a fine paste .Add very little water if required .If you do not want chutney more spicy remove the chilly seeds before soaking into the water.

Let’s make sweet Tamarind Chutney :

• Soak 1small size of bowl (as shown in the picture) of tamarind into a hot water at list for 20 -30 mins.
• After 30 mins. remove the water and grind a soaked tamarind and make a fine paste.
• Strain the pulp so that hard part of tamarind will be out and you will get a smooth paste. We want only this part which easily gets strained through strainer. While straining keep on adding some water slowly.
• The final product after grinding and straining the tamarind paste is ready (see above picture).

• Now put the tamarind mixture on gas . Switch on the flame.Add 1 cup Jaggery into this.
• Add 1/2 tsp cumin powder.
• Add 1 tsp red cilli powder.
• Add some pink salt or “sendha namak” as per Taste.
• Mix all the ingredients.and allow it to boil for 8-10 mins.
• When mixture gets boiled slow down the flame and keep stirring in between and keep boiling until mixture get little thicken.
• Once the chutney is ready you can see the smooth velvety glaze on top of mixture, this is the sign of chutney is ready or you can check with the one string consistency (take small amount of mixture on spoon let it cool down for a second then deep tip of finger into it and press with thumb 2-3 times if string is formed then mixture has reached to one string consistency.)

Let it cool down and enjoy this tangy chutney with your favourite snack.

Let’s make Dabeli Masala :

To make Dabeli masala we need the below ingredients:

• 1tbsp -Coriander seeds
• 1 – bay leaf
• 1/2tbsp – cumin seeds
• 1/2tbsp- fennel seeds
• 2tbsp – dry coconut
• 4 – cloves
• 1tsp – black pepper corn
• 1 – black cardamom
• 1 small – cinnamon stick
• 1/2tsp – aamchur powder
• 1tsp – black salt
• 1tbsp – red chilli powder
• 4-5 – dry red chilli
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp – powder sugar
• 1tbsp – sesame seeds

we can dry roast all the above ingredients except powdered sugar and coarsely grind it in a mixi jar.Roast sesame seeds separately as it gets burnt easily.

Dabeli masala is ready.

Let’s Make Spicy Potato Mixture for Dabeli :

• Take 4 medium size potatoes.Boil and peal them.
• Grate these potatoes so mixture doesn’t have any lumps.Mixture should be creamy
• Add 1 tbsp oil in a pan or Kadhai.
• Add 1 tbsp of the dabeli masala we preprared before (or depending on your spicy level you can adjust the quantity of dabeli masala ).
• Add mashed potato into it. Add little salt and mix well.
• Mixture is ready .

Just transfer it into a another bowl and lets garnish with some Dry coconut,Fresh coriander and pomegranate. As shown in the picture above.

Let’s Make Masala Peanuts:

To make masala peanuts :

• Take some roasted and pealed peanuts.
• Add 1/2 tsp of dabeli masala or if you want you can add regular red chilli powder.
• Add 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar.
• Pinch of salt.
• Drizzle some oil on it.
• Mix well and you are ready to go.

Now everything is ready.It’s time to assemble Dabeli :

Let’s fill all the ingredients into the bun :

• Take Fresh Buns “Laadi Pav” as per quantity you need.
• Cut them from inside .Do not make two parts of bun.Just make a little slice on white side of bun and make a small well into which we can fill all the masala.
• First apply Sweet Tamarind Chutney which we have prepared earlier on the bun’s inside.
• Apply Chilli-Garlic Chutney.(Add less or more as per your taste).
• Add spoonful of potato mixture.
• Add some finely chopped onion.
• Add some masala peanuts. Use the above ingredients such that the bun is filled to half size only.
• Again repeat the procedure to fill the remaining half part of the bun.
• Final layer should be potato mixture so that it helps to seal all the ingredients into the bun and doest’t come-out while roasting.

Let’s Roast the Dabelies:

• Heat the pan
• Add some butter.
• Put the buns filled with ingredients (done in previous step) in the pan.
• Roast on a low to medium flame till it gets nice golden brown colours on both the sides and becomes crispy.(flame should not be very high otherwise buns get burnt and you will not get the proper crunchiness).
• Press gently while roasting with the help of spatula.

When it turn into golden brown and get proper crunch then remove from the pan and deep into the “Sev” (gram-flour vermicelli’s). It will enhance the look as well as taste of dabeli and garnish with some pomeogranate .

Do try this recipe and if you like let me know

Your comments and suggestions are welcome!!!

Note:

tsp = Tea Spoon

tbsp = Table Spoon