Life Without Alu?: Chutney and Spices)

Showing posts with label Chutney and Spices). Show all posts

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Mamma’s Dahi Bara (Lentil Fritters with creamy Yogurt, Chutney and Spices)

Holi – the Indian festival of Love/ Colors/ Spring. In India this festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm and fun. People visit their friends and relatives and put colors on each other. It is also customary to offer everyone refreshments/ meals and Gujiya (a special sweet prepared only during Holi). As I have shared before, Holi is pretty much like Thanksgiving. You cook a ton of food, then relatives and friends come to visit you and vice versa and every one eats and enjoys homemade food. My mom used to cook till she wasn’t able to fit anything more on our huge dining table! Yes, it was almost like watching a cooking show and even I have participated in it! Now that I am a mom myself, I feel that it is important to carry on and celebrate these special days through food. Dahi Bara comes on top of my list because for some reason, it was a must have at our home. Holi without Dahi Bara was unimaginable! If you have never had this yummy dish before, let me share a few facts about it.

Dahi Bara is a very popular Indian street food. White Lentil (Urad Dal) paste is deep fried to prepare fritters. They are served with whipped yogurt, cilantro and tamarind chutneys and spices. It is also a must have at all weddings as an appetizer and is served at almost all restaurants (big and small) and also at local street vendors. Once the fritters are fried, they are immediately dipped in salted water to make them melt in the mouth delicious.

Growing up, these Baras used to be a must have at every family gathering. Reason? Who can resist the freshly prepared juicy, fluffy, tender, sweet and tangy, perfectly spiced yet mild fritters? My mom used to keep a bowl of crispy fritters as well (for those who don’t prefer having it with yogurt).

If you have tried the store-bought Dahi Baras before and didn’t like them then please don’t be discouraged. These homemade fritters in fresh yogurt are a game changer. With the flavor and aroma of ginger, asafoetida and cumin seeds who can say no to these mouth watering Dahi Baras?

Try to prepare the cilantro and tamarind chutneys at home for maximum flavor. You can also buy them at any Indian store. Preparing a homemade spice mix is very easy (also I doubt this particular combination will be available readymade). It adds a lot of flavor to the mild Baras with some heat and aroma.

Making these delicious Baras is easy but it does take some planning, so do plan ahead. We start by soaking the lentils overnight in water, then next day, grind and fry them into fritters. Soak them in some salted water. Then we prepare the sauce by whipping the yogurt, preparing the chutneys and the spice mix. Finally, it is time to sit on a comfortable couch, put your feet up, grab a plate of cold Dahi Bara and enjoy!

This is my mom’s recipe, if you would like to share a recipe that has been passed down to you, please post in the comments. The recipe will be tried and tasted by me then uploaded on the blog with your name. Share the love of food!

Ingredients:

For the Bara (Fritters):

White Lentils (Urad or Biulir Dal) - 1 cup
Ginger – 1 inch
Asafoetida – ¼ teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 2 teaspoons
Canola or Vegetable Oil – 2 cups (for deep frying)

To serve:

Cilantro Chutney – 1 cup
Tamarind Chutney – 1 cup
Cumin Powder – 2 teaspoons
Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon
Black Salt – 1 teaspoon
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Yogurt – 1 tub (about 32 oz.)
Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Directions:

Preparation for the Baras (Fritters):

Plan ahead this dish so that the lentils get enough time to soak in water.
Rinse the lentils in water a couple of times or until the water runs clear.
Soak them in enough water for at least 7-8 hours (overnight is best).
Rinse them again.
Add the Ginger and the lentils in your blender/ mixer grinder/ Nutri Bullet (extractor blade).
Grind to a smooth and thick paste, adding a tablespoon of water at a time.
Transfer the paste to a bowl, cover and let it cool in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

To fry the fritters:

Take out the paste from the fridge and keep it on your kitchen counter for 10-15 minutes.
Add the Asafoetida, Salt (to taste or about ½ teaspoon) and Cumin Seeds and use a hand whisk to mix everything.
Heat a wok over medium heat and add the oil in it.
Take a big bowl and add a teaspoon of Salt in it. Add about 2 cups of normal tap water in it. Stir to dissolve the salt.
Take a plate (for keeping the soaked fritters).
Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small ball of lentil paste in it. If the temperature is perfect the paste will take a dip and immediately float on the oil.
Start dropping spoonfuls of paste in the oil. Do not overcrowd the wok. Fry in a single layer.
Fry till the fritters turn golden brown on both sides then transfer them to the salted water.
Let them dip for 5-10 minutes then press each of them lightly between your palms to drain the excess water and transfer to the plate. The soaked fritters will be soft and spongy.

Tip: If you do not want to use all the paste for Dahi Bara you can also make crispy fritters and serve them with a cilantro chutney. Instead of transferring the fried fritters to the salted water, simply transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel (to absorb the extra oil). Serve these hot!

To serve the Dahi Bara:

Once the fritter part is done serving is quite easy. You can either make the green (Cilantro) and brown (Tamarind) chutneys at home or buy them readymade.
Make the spice mix: Combine Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Black and White Salts. Transfer the mix to a spice shaker for easy and even sprinkling of spices over the Dahi Bara.

Next whisk the Yogurt (you may have to add some water to make it more like a sauce).
Season it with Sugar (optional, but recommended) and about a teaspoon of the spice mix. Whisk to mix and transfer to the fridge till you are ready to serve.
To serve, take an appetizer plate and place 2-3 Baras on it. Pour a couple tablespoons of the yogurt on it (till the Baras are covered with it). You can also do this step beforehand if you are planning to serve this to guests. Keep the Dahi Baras refrigerated till you are ready to serve.
Drizzle both the chutneys on top and sprinkle some spice mix.
Enjoy!

Recommended Reading:

Love North Indian Chaat (Street Food)? Try these recipes as well:

Debjani Moitra

I am a daughter, wife and now a mom! I love cooking and baking and the idea behind this blog is simple. To share all those food recipes I know. Our mom's and grandma's are excellent cooks right? We love the food prepared by them, it's as if their cooking makes our DNA. So, why cook and remember only special gourmet recipes? Life Without Alu? is a celebration of their lives and their love for us by the one medium they knew best - Food! and of course no food is complete without the starch - the star of the show - Potatoes!

Friday, 11 August 2017

Alu Tikiya ki Chaat (Crispy Fried Potato Patties with Dried Peas, Yogurt, Chutney and Spices)

Photo courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Recipe Courtesy: Mamma (Sumita Moitra)

As I wrote in my previous article (Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki), I decided to prepare some yummy Chaat at home from scratch. The idea was to have a fun evening with our favorite Indian street foods.

Every Chaat lover knows that Phulki is just a start, you have to continue the lip smacking journey with some delicious Tikiya and who else can give me a perfect Tikiya recipe other than my mom? For those who don’t know, enjoying a plate of hot steaming Chaat with your mom, sister or girl friends is another heavenly experience. Those few minutes when no one talks, other than the occasional requests to the Chaat wala, ‘bhaiya thoda aur chutney de do’ (brother, can you please add some more chutney in my Chaat?) and once everyone finishes eating, the planning for the next Chaat meeting starts. I think it’s amazing how our heart can feel so content just by eating a few plates of street food which are normally the most inexpensive foods you can ever find.

Now, I have tried other recipes of Alu Tikiya before but my mom’s recipe is easy and quick. All you need to do is boil and grate the potatoes and mix it with a little flour which will help to bind together the potatoes and make a nice round patty. The flour will also absorb the extra moisture of the potatoes. The patty will be prepared by shaping the potatoes in a round shape and patting them down a bit to flatten them. After that they are fried twice and served hot.

When ready to serve, arrange all the ingredients (Chutney, Yogurt, Onion, Masala and Alu Tikiya) in different bowls on the table so that everyone can assemble the final dish themselves as per their liking. I do hope that you will also enjoy this dish as much as we did.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2, cut into halves, washed, boiled, drained and peeled
Salt - to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
Oil – to fry (about 2 ½ cups)
Green Chilli - 2, chopped
All Purpose Flour – about 2-3 tablespoons, or as required

Serve with:

Plain non-fat Yogurt – 2-3 cups, whipped
Chutney – Hot Mango or Tamarind, ½ cup
Onion – ½ cup, chopped finely
Masala – Recipe in the Phulki article
Matar – Recipe in the Phulki article

Directions:

Let the potatoes cool down completely.
Grate the potatoes using a grater.
Mix the Salt and Green Chilies in it.
Mix a tablespoon of Flour in it. If the mixture feels sticky, add some more flour. You will see the texture changing. The flour will start absorbing the extra moisture.
Start rolling the balls. Apply a little oil on your palms, this will help you to roll the balls easily without sticking the potatoes all over your fingers.
Once you have rolled all the balls, start flattening them and smooth the sides so that they don’t crack. The flour will make the patty look smooth.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of Oil in it.
After a minute, start adding the patties in it in a single layer. Do not over crowd the skillet, add only 5-6 patties at a time.

Carefully turn each patty over with a spatula and cook the other side until they look reddish golden in color then transfer them on a paper towel.
We will fry them again later, 5-10 minutes before serving so that they are hot and taste crispy and not greasy. Heat a wok over high heat. Add about 2 cups of oil in it.
Press the patties lightly with your palm so that they flatten even more. Be careful not to break them.
Drop the patties (carefully) in the oil and fry them till they are reddish brown in color and crisp up.
Serve them with Yogurt, Matar, Onion, Chutney and Masala.

Tips:

Use the leftover Alu Tikki (if any) to prepare delicious sandwiches or burgers. Use Cilantro Chutney or ketchup with onion rings to add more flavor.
Check my article on Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki for the recipe of Matar and Masala.
Once you drain the potatoes and peel them, you can leave them in the colander on your kitchen counter for a while. This will dry them up automatically.
Different potatoes develop different textures when boiled. Increase or decrease the amount of flour accordingly. The purpose of adding the flour is to reduce the stickiness of the grated potatoes.
Use russet potatoes.
Use a grater.
You can use the same skillet to re-fry the Tikiyas, no need to use the wok and less to wash!
When serving to guests, fry the Tikiyas before hand and keep them warm and crisp by placing them in an oven safe dish. Heat the oven to the lowest temperature (170 degrees F) and place the Tikiyas inside the oven. When ready to serve, they will be just as warm and crisp as if they have been freshly fried.