Another Indian street food specialty! A sandwich with spicy-sweet potato filling and other things!
I am sure everyone has had at least one person in their life, at some point, who, no mater how hard you try to impress, wont appreciate your effort. They irritate the hell out of you, I know. But theres one good thing about them :) Maybe they are just being honest! and when they THEY of all people give you a compliment, you know you were awesome! Well one such person, said "this is one of the best things I have ever eaten", with a mouthful of kacchi dabeli that I made :) SCORE
So if this Kachhi Dabeli isnt perfect enough for you, I dont know what is!
So, heres the recipe, I devised by my own genius :) And this recipe takes me straight to that rainy day in my old house, where we got home Kacchi Dabelis, wrapped in scrap newspaper, tied with thread, that had a hint of kerosene smell :P
Before we start, theres several components in a kacchi Dabeli. So I will break it up and explain, how you prepare each!
1. Pav: Buy Indian Pav (tastes ok with sandwich bread, but Pav is preferred).. I am still experimenting with Pav-making and havent gotten there yet :/
2. Green chutney: grind together, to a thin spreadable paste:
1 clove of garlic
3 small pieces of ginger
1-2 green chillies
a bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro)
a bunch of mint leaves
salt and water (as needed)
3. Tamarind chutney: Well this one is difficult to make, or too much work for small scale. So you can buy any sweet tamarind/tamarind-date chutney. I prefer 'joy' or 'deep' brands in the US. If you are enthusiastic enough to make it from scratch, heres my Mom's Tamarind Chutney Recipe
4. Spicy peanuts: A Kacchi Dabeli has to have these! Make these before hand, for them to be exactly like the ones you get on carts in India.
Mix together (no heat, cold mix):
1/2 cup of roasted, salted skinless peanuts
1 tsp oil
1 tsp kashmiri chillli powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
salt as needed
5. Sev: Well this you just buy thin sev :P I suggest 'Mirch Masala' brand. Their Sev is really good, like Indian sev.
6. Onion and cilantro: chopped fine!
7. Bhaji: (stuffing): Most important part! For this you will need:
2 large potatoes, boiled and peeled.
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp Tamarind chutney
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp goda masala (maharashtrian masala, omit this if you cant get hold of it)
1/4 tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
pinch of hing
pinch of turmeric
Pomegranate (I dint have that yesterday)
Mash the potatoes, like theres no tomorrow. You should end up with a smooth soft mashed potato.
Heat the oil in a pan, add tamarind chutney, lower the flame.
Add all the spices and powders, let simmer in oil for a while.
Add the potato in the pan and mix everything
Add salt and sugar to taste (this bhaji has to be super spicy and sweet, plus it goes inside bland bread, so add enough salt)
Remove from heat, when mixture is homogenous and let it cool
Once cooled, add Pomegranate on top!
Assembling the Kacchi Dabeli:
Cut open the pav at an angle (so that two sides are still attached)
Apply both the chutneys to each side
Add in a layer of the bhaji (stuffing)
Add the onion, cilantro, peanuts and sev
Close the dabeli, and roast it on a hot griddle with Amul butter on both sides!
Serve hot!
I am sure everyone has had at least one person in their life, at some point, who, no mater how hard you try to impress, wont appreciate your effort. They irritate the hell out of you, I know. But theres one good thing about them :) Maybe they are just being honest! and when they THEY of all people give you a compliment, you know you were awesome! Well one such person, said "this is one of the best things I have ever eaten", with a mouthful of kacchi dabeli that I made :) SCORE
So if this Kachhi Dabeli isnt perfect enough for you, I dont know what is!
So, heres the recipe, I devised by my own genius :) And this recipe takes me straight to that rainy day in my old house, where we got home Kacchi Dabelis, wrapped in scrap newspaper, tied with thread, that had a hint of kerosene smell :P
Before we start, theres several components in a kacchi Dabeli. So I will break it up and explain, how you prepare each!
1. Pav: Buy Indian Pav (tastes ok with sandwich bread, but Pav is preferred).. I am still experimenting with Pav-making and havent gotten there yet :/
2. Green chutney: grind together, to a thin spreadable paste:
1 clove of garlic
3 small pieces of ginger
1-2 green chillies
a bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro)
a bunch of mint leaves
salt and water (as needed)
3. Tamarind chutney: Well this one is difficult to make, or too much work for small scale. So you can buy any sweet tamarind/tamarind-date chutney. I prefer 'joy' or 'deep' brands in the US. If you are enthusiastic enough to make it from scratch, heres my Mom's Tamarind Chutney Recipe
4. Spicy peanuts: A Kacchi Dabeli has to have these! Make these before hand, for them to be exactly like the ones you get on carts in India.
Mix together (no heat, cold mix):
1/2 cup of roasted, salted skinless peanuts
1 tsp oil
1 tsp kashmiri chillli powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
salt as needed
5. Sev: Well this you just buy thin sev :P I suggest 'Mirch Masala' brand. Their Sev is really good, like Indian sev.
6. Onion and cilantro: chopped fine!
7. Bhaji: (stuffing): Most important part! For this you will need:
2 large potatoes, boiled and peeled.
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp Tamarind chutney
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp goda masala (maharashtrian masala, omit this if you cant get hold of it)
1/4 tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
pinch of hing
pinch of turmeric
Pomegranate (I dint have that yesterday)
Mash the potatoes, like theres no tomorrow. You should end up with a smooth soft mashed potato.
Heat the oil in a pan, add tamarind chutney, lower the flame.
Add all the spices and powders, let simmer in oil for a while.
Add the potato in the pan and mix everything
Add salt and sugar to taste (this bhaji has to be super spicy and sweet, plus it goes inside bland bread, so add enough salt)
Remove from heat, when mixture is homogenous and let it cool
Once cooled, add Pomegranate on top!
Assembling the Kacchi Dabeli:
Cut open the pav at an angle (so that two sides are still attached)
Apply both the chutneys to each side
Add in a layer of the bhaji (stuffing)
Add the onion, cilantro, peanuts and sev
Close the dabeli, and roast it on a hot griddle with Amul butter on both sides!
Serve hot!
