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This is my second recipe collaboration with Sanskar Teaching! This recipe is for dabeli, an Indian street food, that is famous in Gujarat. It consists of a spicy mashed potato mixture stuffed into a soft roll which is slathered with chutney, topped with pomegranate seeds and peanuts and then toasted! It’s spicy, sweet, with a hint of garlic! Growing up, my best friend’s mom made the best dabeli, so this was my attempt to get as close as possible to her version!
Vaishali, from Sanskar Teaching, did some research and learned that dabeli comes from the Kutch region of Gujarat. Kutchh is in the western region of the state of Gujarat which neighbors the Sindh region of Pakistan. Also, fun fact, both the Sindhi and Kutchhi languages are similar! Dabeli comes from the town of Mandavi from the Kutchh region but nowadays you can find dabeli all over India!
Dabeli means “to be pressed”. I used premade Dabeli masala in my recipe, however here is a great recipe for the masala if you want to make fresh at home. The. masala is made with tons of warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, mace, and cardamom. Quick warning, this dish is spicy and it will definitely get you to break a sweat! If you want to make it milder, just add less masala to the potato mixture.
Check out my Instagram highlights for the full step-by-step video and be sure to tag me in your photos!
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Dabeli
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Dabeli is a delicious Indian Street food from Gujarat! Soft pillow buns filled with spicy mashed potato, chutney, peanuts and pomegranate seeds.
Ingredients
GARLIC CHUTNEY
- 15 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 cup water
DABELI
- 3 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp sweet chutney
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dabeli masala
- 1 cup water
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup nylon sev
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds,divided
- 3 tbsp chopped cilantro, divided
- 12 hamburger buns (I used Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls)
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 tsp butter or ghee
Instructions
GARLIC CHUTNEY 
- Add garlic, peanuts, red chili powder, lime juice and water to a small blender. Blend until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.
DABELI
- Add cubed potatoes to a large sauce pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain, mash and set aside. You should have about 2 cups of mashed potatoes.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot add the onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add sweet chutney (I used my apple butter chutney) and Dabeli masala and saute for an additional 1 minute. Add mashed potatoes and add 1/4 cup of water. Mix well over 3 minutes, adding an additional 3/4 cup of water to the mixture. Cook for 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Spoon the potato masala into a plate and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of nylon sev, pomegranate seeds, and a tablespoon of chopped cilantro. Set aside until ready to assemble the dabeli.
ASSEMBLE
- Slice a roll in half (but not all the way so that you have a little pocket) and slather one side with garlic chutney (this is spicy so be careful!) and one side with sweet chutney. Stuff with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mashed potato mixture. Press a couple of peanuts and pomegranate seeds into the potato and press the bun closed.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add ghee or butter and let it melt. Place the stuffed dabeli onto the skillet and toast all the sides of the bun. When done press sev into the sides and serve!
Notes
Check out my Instagram Highlights/IGTV to see a step by step recipe video!
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Indian
