a melange of recipes, cuisines and food stories and my adventures in the culinary world
October 3, 2016
Dahi Bara Aloo Dum…a Odia Street Chaat
In a country where there is a plethora of regional cuisines, Chaat remains a common sweet, sour, tangy, spicy snack in every region. Here in India Chaat is a way of life and no Indian can resist this savoury temptation. It’s a common and favourite street food in India available in roadside carts and food stalls. Though the ingredients are mostly same in all regions the name differs from region to region like Panipuri in Mumbai , phuchka in Bengal , golgappe in Delhi and Gupchup in Odisha.
It’s Monday again and it’s our 60 th Foodie Monday Bloghop and the theme is ChatakedaarChaats. I am posting a popular, quintessential Odia street food which is mostly famous in the Cuttack Bhubaneshwar region of Odisha….the most famous and tasty Dahi Bara Aloo Dum. Dahi Bara is fried lentil dumplings in a spicy yoghurt and Aloo dum is a spicy potato curry. The Chaat is a spicy concoction of these two generously topped with some cut onions, a sprinkling of crunchy shev, coriander and spices. In most of the stalls they serve Ghuguni or white peas curry with it too.
Cuttack people swear by this street food, their fondness shows in their willingness to have a plate of Dahi Bara aludum anytime of the day. As for the vendors selling them, you find them in every nook and corner of the city specially on cycles with a huge aluminium container behind sitting under a tree.
I have fond memories of gorging on those soft dahi baras dunked in a spicy Aloo Dum during the Durga Puja Pandal hopping in my Bada Bappa ‘s (fathers elder brother)place. Street food was a strict no-no in our household but Durga Puja was an exception with all cousins flocking together, enjoying the mela and the Pandal hopping and thankfully none of the elders behaved like a spoil sport those few days as we had full support of Badabappa. Can’t put across in words the nostalgia that envelopes me remembering those get togethers and Addas, those family bondings over midnight gupshups and traditional meals.
Dahi Bara Aloo Dum...a Odia Street Chaat
Print Recipe
A street food typical to my native state Odisha, a tongue tickler and a finger licking good chaat.
For the dahi baras , grind the urad dal ( soaked for 4-5 Hours)to a fine paste with very little water , the batter has to be thick.
Add the chopped ginger,cumin and salt to the paste and whisk it nicely for 5-10 minutes with your hand incorporating as much air as you can and till it becomes nice and fluffy. Drop some batter into a bowl of water and if it floats then the batter is ready to fry.
Heat oil for deep frying , wet your hands ,take some batter ,rest it on your fingers area above your palm, make a hole with your thumb and slide it slowly into the hot oil .Repeat the process with the rest of the batter and make sure you fry them on medium high flame.
Drain the baras once they are golden brown and slide them into a big bowl of warm water for 2-3 minutes.
Squeeze the water gently from the baras making sure they do not break and keep them aside in a bowl.
Now add the yoghurt with 1 1/4 Cups water, add salt and whisk it nicely so that no lumps remain, the yoghurt mixture has to be little thin In consistency like buttermilk.
In a small pan heat the oil and add the curry leaves, mustard seeds and asafoetida and add it to the yoghurt mix.
Now add the yoghurt to the bowl of baras making sure each Bara is dipped nicely in the yogurt. Keep it aside for 2-3 hours so that the baras soak the yoghurt nicely.
For the aloo dum heat oil in a wok, add the cloves, cinnamon, bayleaves and cardamom and the sugar.Once they splutter add chopped onion and fry till transparent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
Add the tomatoes and salt, fry till the tomatoes are mushy and the mix starts leaving oil and gets a nice dark colour.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the quartered boiled potatoes and sautxe9 for few minutes with the masala.
Now add the hot water to it and cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle the garam masala ,check for seasonings and switch off the flame.
For assembling the chaat take 2 dahi baras in a bowl, top it with some Aloo dum, add little curd from the dahi baras, sprinkle some chopped onions , chillies, rock salt and roasted cumin chilli powder.Finally generously sprinkle some crunchy shev and coriander. Serve.
Pari some are abroad, some in Odisha and some in different parts of India….but we never get to meet together the way we used to during Durga puja..I have some beautiful memories of family get togethers.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my web site =). We could have a link exchange agreement between us!
Welcome to my Blog! I am Saswati... a devoted stay at home mom, a proud military wife, a passionate cook and an avid food blogger. Cooking and baking is my adrenaline charger and I absolutely love my domain, the kitchen. The fragrance of spices, the crackle from the skillet and the sight of a perfectly baked cake gives me immense satisfaction. I fervently believe in the saying "Cooking is love made visible" and I have decided to spread the love by sharing my culinary adventures in the kitchen with you all!
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This classic odia recipe can never go wrong , i simply love having it any time of the day
Aww. So sweet. Where are all your cousins Sas?
Dahi bhara Aloo dum chaat!!! Naam hi kaafi he 😉 Suoerbbbb Saswati!!!
Yes Alka Dee you are so right..it can never go wrong.
Waagmi thanks dear😘
Pari some are abroad, some in Odisha and some in different parts of India….but we never get to meet together the way we used to during Durga puja..I have some beautiful memories of family get togethers.
Awesome recipe… I never heard about it before so definitely try it soon…:)
Thanks dear Rupal.
Awesome recipe Saswati, to make the humble dahi wada into a chaat. Mouthwatering recipe.
Dahi bara aloo dum chaat name itself is sufficient to mouthwatering. Yummy share dear.
Loved this interesting and traditional chaat with dahi Bara Sash! Equally tempting sight!👌👌
Superb Share Saswati!! The pics look so inviting.
Thank you so much Mayuri Dee and Sujata Dee 😊😊
Thanks Pushpita and Preethi 😊😊
Your plate looks so inviting and nice presentation too.
Loved reading the post.. Childhood memories with cousins are one of the best… 🙂 Lovely chat and amazing presentation! 🙂
Thanks Shibani and Kriti.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my web site =). We could have a link exchange agreement between us!