Dabeli Recipe

Street food has always been my first love. Be it lip-smacking golgapps or vada pav or bhajia pav in Bombay back in the student life days. But my first rendezvous with Dabeli was when I visited Bombay for the first time as a child with a retention power.  That’s when I first tasted Dabeli. I remember, I’d gone to relish my favourite Dahi Batata Puri at Sadguru in Chembur, but since that wasn’t available, my cousin coaxed me to try Dabeli, and I agreed.

The sweet, sour flavours, the burst of spices and the pav acting as a neutralizing agent made this a real winning dish in my eyes. I was happy and it became my go-to food when I moved to Bombay for my post-grad. But I have been back in Delhi for over two years and I missed eating this a lot. So I decided to try it at home. Of course, there’s no competeing Bombay pav, but the filling came out more or less similar. Unlike the Pav Bhaji, Dabeli is light yet filling and not lathered in butter. Have a look at the recipe, give it a try and do tell me how you liked it!

Recipe:

For the Dabeli masala-

1. 1 red chilli powder
2. A pinch of dalchini (cinnamon) powder
3. 3/4th tsp of coriander seeds
4. 2-3 cloves
5. 3/4th – 1tsp jeera (cumin) seeds

For the Dabeli Filling:

1. Potatoes boiled and mashed 2 large
2. Salt to taste
3. 1 tsp Lemon juice
4. 1 cup sweet date and tamarind chutney
5. 1 cup Coriander plus mint chutney
6. Sugar 1 tablespoon
7. 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
8. 1/4 cup pomegranate
9. Nylon Sev 1 cup
10. Fresh coriander leaves chopped 2 tablespoons

How To Make:

Step 1

Dry roast all the ingredients needed for the Dabeli masala and grind them finely when mixture has cooled down. Now, heat oil in a pan. Add potatoes, salt and a little water. Mix well and add dabeli masala, lemon juice, half cup of sweet tamarind chutney and sugar. Mix and cook till the moisture is absorbed.

Step 2

Transfer the mixture into a plate and spread it and let it cool a little.

Step 3

Spread green chutney, a layer of the stuffing, sweet date and tamarind chutney, onion and sev in between the two halves.

Step 4

Place the stuffed pavs on a hot tawa. Press slightly and toast on both sides, with a little butter, till done. Serve hot.