You probably have tried many different dishes while traveling abroad or even at home.
Dabeli (or daboli) is one such dish that is quite unique to Indian cuisine.
If you’re an avid traveler, then this recipe will be right up your alley!
What Is The Dabeli Recipe?
The dabeli recipe is extremely simple, but it requires some preparation before you can cook it.
The first step of the process involves boiling cubed potatoes for about 15-20 minutes until they become soft and tender.
You don’t want them mushy, so make sure to check on them every few minutes.
Once the potatoes are done, drain off most of their water using a colander or strainer as the excess liquid could ruin the taste of the final product.
Next, grate the cooked potato cubes into a mixing bowl and add all other ingredients except salt and pepper.
Now comes the fun part — adding the spice mixture to the grated potatoes.
First, mix together the red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black peppercorn, and dry fenugreek leaves.
Then, pour this mixture over the shredded potatoes and stir well to ensure that all pieces of potato get coated by the spice blend.
Next, sprinkle some salt and pepper onto the dabeli mixture and set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and infuse into the finished product.
Finally, serve the dabeli immediately after cooking it because it tends to lose its crunchiness if left undisturbed for too long.
How Do You Make Dabeli?
The traditional recipe of dabeli consists of boiled potatoes, which can also be steamed, mashed, or grated depending on your preference.
The potato pieces should be small enough so they don’t turn into mush when cooked.
You can use either white or red potatoes as long as it is not too starchy.
To give some texture to the boiled potato chunks, add 1 tablespoon oil along with 2 tablespoons flour.
Mix well and set aside.
This helps keep the dabeli from turning to mush.
Next, sautee onions until translucent, followed by adding ginger paste and green chili powder.
Stir-fry these two together for about 3 minutes before adding salt and turmeric powder.
Add water if needed and allow them to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Once done, remove from heat and let cool down completely.
Now add the chopped tomato and mix well. Keep aside.
For the chutney, combine all the required ingredients, except tomatoes, in a medium sized pan.
Boil the mixture over high heat for 10 minutes.
Allow it to boil for another 15 minutes after removing the flame.
Pour everything through a sieve into a bowl, discard any remaining liquid, and return the pulp back to the same pan.
Simmer again for another half hour.
Remove from fire once it has cooled down completely and refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, cut the chutney into smaller pieces.
Next, pour hot water into a deep frying pan to prepare the batter.
Heat oil in the pan and fry the sliced onion until golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Next, coat each piece of potato with the prepared batter and put them in the hot oil.
Fry till golden brown and crisp.
Remove onto paper towels and serve immediately with a dollop of the chutney on top.
Serve with flatbreads like rotis or paratha (Indian wheat pancakes), and enjoy.
What Are The Ingredients For Dabeli?
Dabeli consists of three main components – potato, spice mix, and chutney.
- The first ingredient is always potatoes which can be either roasted or boiled depending on how they’re being used for the rest of the preparation process.
- Next comes the spice mix which includes mustard seeds, cumin seed, coriander seeds, fenugreek leaves, garlic cloves, ginger root, red chili powder, and turmeric.
- Finally, there’s the chutney which has as its base lemon juice along with other ingredients like tamarind paste, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garam masala.
Roasted dabeli
This method uses raw potatoes cut into small pieces.
The best way to roast these potatoes is by placing them directly onto a hot tava or pan.
The tava should also be kept well greased so that no oil leaks out during roasting.
Once the potatoes are done, remove from heat and set aside.
Next add all dry seasoning to the spiced mixture and combine thoroughly.
Once the whole thing is mixed together, you may use the spices immediately.
Otherwise, store them separately until needed.
To prepare the chutney, place all the ingredients except the tomatoes into a bowl and stir well.
Then pour in some water and cook over medium-high heat until thickened slightly but not too much.
If cooked properly, the consistency of the chutney should resemble thin yogurt.
Add more water if necessary.
Lastly, once everything else is ready, put the potatoes back into the pan and let them get heated through.
You want them to get warm throughout without getting burnt.
Now, transfer the potatoes to a serving plate, top with the chutney, and serve piping hot.
Boiled dabeli
For this type of dabeli, you need to boil the potatoes before making the chutney and spice mix.
Boil the potatoes till soft enough to mash easily, about 10 minutes.
Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.
Now, grind the remaining spices in a blender.
Mix with the mashed potatoes and keep stirring vigorously to prevent lumps forming.
At this point, you don’t need any additional water.
Just add the tomato puree and continue mixing till everything is combined.
Transfer the mixture to a serving tray and allow it to cool down completely.
When cold, sprinkle some extra lime or lemon juice on top and serve chilled with rice or rotis.
How Long Does It Take To Make Dabeli?
Daboli takes around 45 minutes to prepare.
The preparation time includes boiling the potato, preparing the spice blend, and making the chutney.
Once everything has been cooked and mixed together, there is another 20-30 minutes needed before serving.
The whole process from start to finish can easily take around 1 hour if you don’t want to rush through it like I did when making this video.
So enjoy the moment and slow down as much as you need to so that you get the most out of the experience.
For more recipes on how to cook Indian food, check out our guide to cooking authentic Indian curries, which covers all kinds of dishes including appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts, snacks, and drinks.
What Is The History Of Dabeli?
Dabeli or daboli is prepared by boiling sliced potato pieces along with other ingredients including onions, tomatoes, and green chili peppers, which makes for a delicious spicy snack.
The dish was originally from Hyderabad, but has since become very popular across the country.
The name “daboli” comes from Telugu language where it means “to slice something into tiny bits using a knife.”
While the original recipe came out of Hyderabad, today there are numerous versions of the dabeli recipe in various parts of India.
Here we go over all those variations so you can try them yourself.
1. Dabeli Recipe #1 – Mumbai Style Dabeli
In Mumbai, this version uses fresh paneer instead of potatoes and adds mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, asafoetida, and black salt.
This is especially good when paired with pav bhaji or simply eaten on its own.
2. Dabeli Recipe #2 – Lucknow Style Dabeli
This variation from Lucknow includes boiled potatoes, onion, tomato, chillies, and garam masala among other things.
You may find these flavors too strong if not used sparingly.
3. Dabeli Recipe #4 – Delhi Style Dabeli
Delhi style dabeli is much simpler and lighter than others. Instead of adding lots of extra spice and flavorings, the only thing added here are coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and oil.
These spices give off a nice aroma without overwhelming the taste buds.
4. Dabeli Recipe #5 – Mysore Style Dabeli
Mysore style dabeli also uses boiled potatoes instead of raw ones.
Other ingredients include onions, tomatoes, green pepper, red chili peppers, and ginger powder.
Garlic powder, green gram flour, and fenugreek seeds provide additional flavor to this tasty treat.
5. Dabeli Recipe #6 – Kolkata Style Dabeli
Kolkata style dabeli is another simple version of the snack.
Ingredients like boiled potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and green chili peppers work well together in this recipe.
A dash of sugar gives the dish a slight sweetness.
What Are Some Variations Of The Dabeli Recipe?
Daboli has been around for centuries as it was first cooked by the Mughal emperor Akbar II who loved it so much he kept asking his cooks to prepare more.
The original recipe used only raw potatoes but later on they included boiling them too.
The ingredients were also changed over time. In earlier days, they would use raisins, almonds, sugar, currants, cinnamon powder, cardamom, saffron, cloves, dried mangoes, ginger powder, fenugreek seeds, coriander leaves, rose water, oil, and vinegar.
Nowadays, we can find these traditional ingredients replaced with other ones like cashews, pistachios, green chillies, curry leaves, garlic, onion, tomatoes, salt, pepper, mustard seed, garam masala, poppy seeds, and cumin.
This variation is known as “Bengali style dabeli” which is very popular among Bengalis.
In addition to this, they also serve it with pav bhatu, a crispy fried flatbread.
These were usually eaten along with tea or coffee during breakfast hours.
Is There A Vegan Dabeli Recipe?
Daboli can be prepared as a vegetarian meal by using vegetable masala instead of meat masala.
The only difference between the two recipes would be that the latter uses beef stock for flavoring.
As far as veganism goes, it should not pose any problems since there isn’t much use of animal products in the preparation of this dish.
However, if you want to make sure that all ingredients are completely free from animal products, then this may not work out well for you.
The best way to prepare vegan dabeli is to simply remove the chicken pieces before boiling them.
You could also substitute the paneer cheese for tofu cubes so that the dish has more protein content.
How do I find vegan dabeli recipes online?
Vegetarian dabeli recipes are easy to come across on the internet.
Just type “vegan dabeli recipe” into Google search bar and click on the first result.
There are several websites that offer step-by-step instructions on how to cook vegan dabeli.
For example, here is a link to a simple yet delicious recipe that involves baking the potato chunks along with the spices.
Can I add other things to my dabeli recipe?
Depending on what kind of flavor profile you like, you can experiment with different kinds of vegetables like carrots, spinach leaves, etc., and mix them with the traditional masalas.
These veggies can either be added raw or cooked before they are used.
Another thing you can try is adding coconut milk to your dabeli recipe.
Coconut milk adds richness to the taste of the dabeli, but it does change the texture slightly.
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Dabeli?
Dabeli is made from boiled potatoes that are spiced up with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chili flakes, and some other ingredients like oil, sugar, vinegar, etc.
These ingredients give it its distinctive taste and texture.
The main ingredient is roasted potato which gives dabeli its rich flavor.
The starch found in the potato helps to thicken the mixture into a dough, giving it a chewy consistency.
You can also add grated carrots, onions, tomato sauce, and egg as well for extra nutrition.
It may not seem like much but these ingredients do provide significant amounts of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, and fats.
This makes dabeli a healthy meal option for those who want to eat something delicious yet nutritious.
Nutritional breakdown of dabeli
- Energy: 100kcal/100g
- Protein: 3g/100g
- Fat: 1g/100g
- Carbohydrates: 23g/100g
- Fiber: 2g/100g
- Vitamins: Vitamin C: 0mg/100g
- Calcium: 0.1mg/100g
- Iron: 0.1mg/100g
- Potassium: 4.9mg/100g
- Phosphorus: 5.5mg/100g
Health Benefits of dabeli
Here are some interesting facts about dabeli:
Does dabeli contain gluten?
Yes, dabeli contains trace amounts of gluten, so if you are allergic to gluten, avoid consuming dabeli.
Can I make dabeli without eggs?
Eggs are used in making dabeli because they help to bind the ingredients together.
If you don’t use them, you should try adding more flour or cornstarch instead.
How long does dabeli last in the fridge?
As mentioned earlier, dabeli is prepared using raw ingredients, so it won’t spoil easily unless it gets exposed to air too quickly.
However, if you keep it refrigerated after preparing it, it will remain fresh for up to three days.
Can I freeze dabeli?
Freezing dabeli isn’t recommended because it might get mushier due to the moisture content in the potato.
So, we recommend freezing only when you plan on serving it within two weeks.
Are There Any Health Benefits To Eating Dabeli?
Dabeli is high in carbohydrates, so it is best consumed as part of a meal rather than on its own.
This means that it can be eaten alongside other foods like rice or rotis.
The carbohydrate content makes it a great option for people who are trying to lose weight.
It also has some protein and fat content.
However, the amount is very low compared to what we typically eat and therefore does not contribute much to our daily intake of these nutrients.
In addition, all the ingredients used for making dabeli are extremely nutritious and contain vitamins A, C, E, B1, B3, B6, K, and folic acid.
These nutrients help fight against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and various types of infections.
Lastly, dabeli contains antioxidants which protect us from free radicals, thus helping to prevent heart disease and strokes.
Antioxidants work by reducing the level of harmful chemicals inside our body that cause damage to cells.
However, if you want to avoid certain health risks, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before consuming dabeli.
They may advise you to take supplements instead since they contain more vitamin-rich compounds.
How Do You Store Dabeli?
Store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, but make sure not to use too much oil when frying the bread because storing the mixture may cause some of the moisture from the potato to evaporate into the air.
You can also freeze the leftovers, but keep in mind that once frozen, they become harder to eat due to their consistency.
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
for dabeli masala powder
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp fennel
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 1 cardamom
- 6 clove
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp sesame seed
- 2 tbsp coconut
- 3 red chilli
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp aamchur
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
for aloo mixture:
- 2 tbsp tamarind chutney
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 potato
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 2 tbsp sev
- 2 tbsp pomegranate
- 2 tbsp spiced peanut
for serving:
- 5 pav
- 5 tsp green chutney
- 5 tsp tamarind chutney
- 5 tsp onion
- butter
Instructions
- First, combine 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon fennel, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 black cardamom pod, and 6 cloves in a skillet.
- Add 3 dried red chillies, 1 dried star anise, 1 dried bay leaf, 1 tsp. sesame seed, 2 tbs. dry coconut, and 1 tsp.
- Dry roast the spices over a low flame until they become fragrant.
- Transfer to a little mixi jar after fully cooling.
- Add 12 tsp each of the following: 12 tsp salt, 12 tsp sugar, 12 tsp aamchur.
- Dabeli masala is completed by blending to a fine powder. put aside.
- To prepare the aloo combination, first heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a big kadai.
- Now combine 3 tsp of the prepared dabeli masala with 2 tbsp of the tamarind chutney and 1/4 cup of water in a small cup.
- Ensure there are no lumps by thoroughly mixing. The masala mixture should be poured into the boiling oil.
- Cook for 2 minutes, or until the food becomes fragrant.
- additionally, stir in 3 potatoes and 1/2 tsp. of salt.
- Make sure everything is thoroughly incorporated as you crush and mix.
- The mixture should be poured into a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon each of coconut, coriander, sev, pomegranate, and 2 tablespoons of spiced peanuts on the top.
- First, cut a slit down the middle of the pav. Then, spread 1 tsp of green chutney on one side of the pav and 1 tsp of tamarind chutney on the other.
- Fill the pav with the prepared aloo dabeli mixture.
- add 1 tsp of the onion and aloo dabeli mixture as well.
- Toast the pav in the butter immediately, making sure all sides are just beginning to become golden.
- Finally, sev the dabeli and serve right away.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.