Bhubaneswar: Food is not just a necessity but a passion that brings people together in Odisha. The Odia people are known for their love of delicious cuisine and their enthusiasm for celebrating special days dedicated to their favourite dishes. One such occasion is the Dahibara Aloodum Diwas, a day that honours the iconic Odia street food, Dahibara Aloodum.
Observed annually on March 1, Dahibara Aloodum Diwas is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of Odisha. This popular street food, a delectable combination of curd, potatoes, and spices, has been a staple in Odia cuisine for centuries. The dish is often served as a snack or light meal, and its popularity transcends age groups and geographical boundaries.
Over time, the dish has become an integral part of Odia culture, with street vendors and restaurants across the state serving their own versions of Dahibara Aloodum.
There are many famous Dahibara Aloodum stalls in Cuttack, but the Raghu Dahibara Aloodum and Babula Dahibara Aloodum are the oldest and most famous stalls in Silver City. Raghu and Babula have become brand names when it comes to Dahibara Aloodum. They are popular Dahibara sellers among Katakias.
Babula has won national accolades for his culinary excellence. He won the National Street Food Festival award in 2019. He also participated in the 2023 edition of the same festival. Apart from that, he also participated in the Odisha Parva held in New Delhi.
As Odisha celebrates Dahibara Aloodum Diwas, we bring you the recipe for this mouth-watering snack. Now, you can recreate the magic of Dahibara Aloodum at home and enjoy it with your loved ones. Here’s the authentic recipe to get you started.
Ingredients For Bara
• Urad dal / skinned black gram dal – 1 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
Ingredients For Aloodum
• Potatoes – 2 no medium sized
• Onion- 1 no medium ( finely chopped)
• Tomatoes – 1 no medium ( finely chopped)
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
• Green chillies – 2 no ( finely chopped)
• Red chilli pd – 1 tsp
• Coriander pd – 2 tsp
• Turmeric pd – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin pd – 1/2 tsp
• Garama masala – 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaves – 1 no
• Cloves – 2 no
• Cardamom ( whole) – 2 no
• Cinnamon – 1-inch size
• Oil – Needed to shallow fry
• Coriander leaves – few finely chopped
• Salt to taste
For Toppings
• Onion – 1 no Medium ( chopped)
• Coriander leaves – Few ( finely chopped)
• Ompodi
• Green chillies – Thinly chopped
• Black salt to sprinkle
• Red chilli to sprinkle
• Cumin to sprinkle
Method Prepare To Bara
• Soak urad dhal in water for 5-6 hours. After they get soaked, wash them a couple of times till you see clear water.
• Grind the dal well to a fine paste-like consistency, and it should look like a fluffy white batter. Don’t let the Mixie heat up; otherwise, your vada will turn hard.
• Grind the rest of the dal and transfer the batter to a bowl.
• Now add salt and whip the batter well with your hands to incorporate air. The more you mix, the softer and fluffier your vada will turn soft and fluffy from the inside.
• To check if your batter is perfect, in a bowl of water, drop a little batter. if it floats, then the matter is perfect if it sinks then you need to whip it more.
• In a bowl fill some warm water and keep it ready.
• Heat oil in a kadai and let it reach frying temperature.
• Keep a bowl of water nearby to dip your hands. Wet your hands well before shaping the vada
• Take a small portion of the batter and make a ball with your wet hand, then make a cavity or a hole using your thumb.
• Drop this into the hot oil. Just turn your hands, and the shaped vada will fall in the oil. If you feel this is not working, then wet a plastic or ziplock, drop a ball of batter and try to shape them and drop the shaped vada to the oil.
• Do the same with the rest of the batter.
Method To Make Aloodum
• In the pressure cooker, boil the potatoes for 3 whistles. After the pressure subsides, remove the potatoes and peel them.
• Heat some oil to shallow fry. Cut potatoes into medium-sized pieces and fry them till slightly browning here and there.
• Transfer the shallow-fried potatoes to a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.
• In a saucepan, heat oil and add bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
• Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent,
• Add the ginger garlic and green chilli paste and saute.
• Add the tomatoes and cook until mushy.
• Add allspice pd’s and saute them well till you can smell the nice aroma of the sauteed spice.
• Add the shallow fried potatoes and salt and mix them well.
• Add some water to dilute the gravy and let it boil for 10 -15 minutes.
And, now your Dahibara Aloodum is ready to serve.
