Dahi Bara - Ghuguni - Alu dum (Cuttack Style)

'Dahibara-Ghuguni-Aludum' is probably the most popular street food in Odisha after the ubiquitous Gupchup. Actually the two belong to different regions of the State, the Gupchup being a specialty in the Western parts while the former is more popular around the State capital. During my childhood years in Rourkela, we never saw this delicacy being sold on the streets. Visiting relatives from Bhubaneshwar would sometimes mention this and we would wonder why curries like alu dum and ghuguni need to be paired with dahi vadas. But as most of them had very high regards for the yummy 'Gupchup', we never bothered to find out.

It was only after I finished college  (or maybe sometime in the final year) that these cycle-wallahs with their big pots of dahibara and smaller pots of ghuguni/alu dum began to make their presence felt in my hometown. I have to admit that I was quite skeptical about it in those days. And maybe that's the reason I am not so nostalgic about it. My husband in comparison is completely nuts about it. He can have it for breakfast, lunch and also dinner. Nowadays you can find it in every nook and corner of Odisha and everyone keeps raving about it ( I guess the internet wave is behind its popularity to quite an extent. Check out FB.) . The potato crisis in recent times which had the cost of 'Gupchup' heading North came as another boon for this road side delicacy. With an affordable price tag starting at Rupees 5 per plate even the poor could afford it. An added advantage is that it packs in quite a good quantity for the price.

So, here is a very delayed post on Odisha's cult favorite( A big thanks to hubby for pointing out that it had been missing ). Schedule it on a weekend as this is quite an elaborate process. In order to save time, I would suggest doubling the quantity of masala being prepared for the alu dum and removing half of it before adding the potatoes. This masala can be used for preparing the ghuguni.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients -

For the Dahibara

•  1 cup Urad dal
•  1-2 green chillis (chopped),
•  1 1/2 cup curd (slightly sour preferably)
•  1/2 roasted cumin powder
•  1/3 red chilli powder
•  a pinch of baking powder
•  1 tbsp semolina
•  1/5 tsp black salt( kala namak )
•  salt to taste
•  oil ( for frying )
•  For tempering -
•  few curry leaves
•  1-2 dry red chillis
•  2 pinch asafoetida
•  few mustard-cumin seeds

For the Alu Dum

•  12-15 baby potatoes or 1 big potato
•  3 tsp grated onion
•  1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
•  4-5 cloves
•  1 small bay leaf
•  1 green cardamom
•  1/5 tsp cumin seeds
•  1 tbsp yogurt
•  1/2 tsp red chilli powder
•  1/3 tsp coriander powder
•  1/5 tsp garam masala (optional)
•  1 1/2 tbsp

For the Ghuguni

•   1 1/2 cup Yellow peas
•   1 medium sized potato
•   1 small tomato
•   1 medium sized onion
•   1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
•   1 tsp cumin seeds
•   1/3 tsp cumin powder
•   1/3 tsp coriander powder
•   1/2 tsp chilli powder
•   1/5 tsp garam masala powder
•   1 bay leaf
•   2 tsp oil
•   1-2 tsp chopped coriander stems
•   1/3 tsp turmeric powder
•   a pinch of baking powder (optional)
•   salt to taste

For sprinkling on top:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 5-6 green chillis, finely chopped
• 1 cup thin sev
• kala namak
• jeera lanka gunda (roasted cumin-chili powder)

Preparation -
For the Bara: Soak urad dal for 3-4 hours. Grind into a smooth paste. Add salt and allow to stand for 5-6 hours.Take the batter in a mixing bowl. Mix in the suji and baking powder into the batter. Whip it lightly to incorporate some air into the mix.

Add a little portion of the curd ( approx 2 tsp )to some warm water in a mixing bowl. Add a little salt and mix well.

For the Ghuguni: Soak the yellow peas overnight.
Cut the onion and tomato into small pieces. Peel the potato and cut into small sized cubes.

Cooking -

For the bara: Heat oil in a wok for frying baras. Take a spoonful of the batter and carefully add to the hot oil. Do this 6-7 times per batch. Fry on all sides till it turns brown . Remove the fried vadas and add to the curd water prepared earlier. Allow the vadas to rest in the warm mixture for 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, take the remaining curd in another bowl. Add salt, black salt, chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and chopped green chillis to it and beat gently to break any lumps. Add 2 1/2 cups water( you can add more if you like a thinner consistency ). Transfer the soaked baras into this curd mixture.

Heat 1 tsp oil in tempering pan. Add mustard seeds, broken red chilli, curry leaves and assfoetida. Pour this tempering over the dahi-baras. Keep aside for 3-4 hours.

For the ghuguni: Wash and put the soaked yellow peas in a cooker along with chopped potato, salt and turmeric powder. Cook for 2 whistles. Remove and keep aside to cool.

Heat oil in a deep vessel. When it starts smoking, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Wait till it splutters, and then add onion pieces and chopped coriander stems. Fry the onion for about 2-3 mins and then add ginger-garlic paste. Cook till raw smell goes away.

Add the tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Fry for about 5 mins or till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Stir fry for 2 mins and then add the boiled peas. Fry on Medium High for 3-4 minutes.

Add 2 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes on Low flame. Add the garam masala, mix well and remove from flame.

For the Alu Dum: Wash and cook the potatoes for 1-2 whistles . Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Peel the potatoes and cut into two.

Heat the oil in wok. Add the potatoes and fry for a few minute till they turn light brown. Remove and keep aside.

Add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamom and cloves and fry for 20 seconds. Add the grated onion along with the GG paste. Fry till raw smell goes away. 

Add all the powdered masalas and fry for 1 minute. Add curd and fry till oil separates. Add the potatoes and fry along with masala for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup boiling water and bring to boil.

Simmer on low for 6-7 minutes before removing from flame. 

The toppings:

Getting your act together. Its showtime.

Place a few baras (4-5 nos) on a plate along with some of the watery curd. Pour about 5-6 tbsp ghuguni over it followed by 3-4 tbsp alu dum.

Sprinkle finely chopped onion, coriander leaves, green chillis, kala namak, jeera-lanka powder and crispy sev on the chat.

The final product :

What are you waiting for ????????????? Dig IN!!!!!

Garlic Chutney

Ever since dosa has become an integral part of our menu, I am always looking for easy chutney recipes to serve with it. As neither my husband nor my son likes the podi & ghee combination, I have to whip up something fresh every time I make dosa. This recipe caught my attention while leafing through a half torn ( :)...what can I expect with a kid running around ?) Tarla Dalal handbook. Since the recipe was half gone and only the ingredients section was remaining, I modified and improvised the preparation method.

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 7-8 minutes

Ingredients - 6-7 garlic flakes, 2 dry red chillis (medium spicy), 1/2 cup sliced coconut, 5-6 curry leaves, 1 pinch

asafoetida, a tiny bit of tamarind, 1 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic, asafoetida, curry leaves and broken red chilli. Fry till garlic

turns light brown in color.

Add the coconut slices and fry for another minute. Remove from flame and allow to cool down.

Once it is cool, take the fried ingredients in a mixer jar (use the small chutney jar), add salt and tamarind. Add a few

teaspoons of water and grind into a smooth paste. (Add a little more water if it is too dry)

Serve with idli/dosa or even with rice, rasam, papad and a little ghee.

Note - The original recipe called for Begdi or Reshampatti chillis which give a nice red color. But since I could not find those I used the normal ones lying in my kitchen.

Ambula Raee ( Mandira preparation )

If the aroma of steaming fragrant rice heaped on a plate made of sal leaf is firmly etched in the dingy of your memory, then you have truly witnessed the era before plastic took over everyone's imagination. These days I rarely come across the 'khali patra' and 'dana'/'chauti' made of sal leaves that we so popular during my early years. Infact on the last trip to Odisha, I scoured the markets hoping to rekindle those memories but could not get my hands on these 100 % bio-degradable, environment-friendly and cost effective serve-ware. It made we wonder why we are in such a mad rush to destroy our planet.

Coming back to the feasts of yore, there is a paradigm shift in the delicacies being served during these events nowadays. One would imagine that the temple preparations would be untouched by these seasonal shifts in the preferences of the general public but sadly that is not the case. The last event which I attended left me with an unsatiated craving for some good 'bhata, dali, pariba tarkari, tomatar khata au khiri'. The only saving grace being the Ambula Raee which is one of the most sought after dishes at any function in Odisha these days . This version one is specially prepared in the temples.

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 2 hours 10 mins ( 2 hours standby time )

Ingredients -

• 9-10 pieces Ambula
• 1 cup sliced coconut
• 3-4 green chillis
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp thick curd
• 1 inch mango ginger
• 1-2 dry red chillis
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 tsp sugar
• salt to taste.

For tempering -

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprig curry leaves.

Preparation - Soak the ambula in 1 cup of hot water for 2 hours or till tender. Add crushed green chillis and coriander to it.

Grind the coconut into a paste and add to the above mixture.

Cooking: Dry roast the cumin seeds. Grind into a smooth paste along with the mustard seeds and red chilli.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Add the mustard-cumin paste to the wok along with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Now add the ambula mixture along with sugar and salt. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from flame and stir in the yogurt/curd and crushed mango ginger.

Serve with rice and dalma/dal.