DAHI BATATA SEV PURI

DAHI BATATA SEV PURI


Visitors to India are often struck by the fascination we Indians have for street food. In every town or city there are spots where vendors gather to sell their tasty wares of what can broadly be called, "Chaat" which include Pav Bhaji,, Ragda Patties, Corn Sev Puri, etc. These days we often make these at home with a higher standard of hygiene!

One such dish is Dahi Batata Sev Puri which as the name suggests has curds, (Dahi), potatoes, (Batata) and Sev ( crisp savoury made of gram flour). The taste of this dish is enhanced by the chutneys used. While there can be many chutneys to choose from, I have used from my blog the hot and spicy Green Chutney  (made with Mint and Coriander), complemented with the tangy sweetness of the Kajur Imli (Dates and Tamarind) Chutney.

The puris and nylon sev are store-bought, available as they are, in any departmental store. You can choose to make this as spicy or sweet as per your taste by adding the required amount of chutneys.

Ingredients:

• Puris, 24

• Medium -sized Potatoes, 2
• Small-sized Onion, 1
• Green Chutney, 1/2 cup
• Dates and Tamarind Chutney, 1/2 cup
• Chilled Fresh Curds, beaten, 3/4 cup
• Chilli Powder, 2 tsp
• Roasted Cumin Seeds Powder, 2 tsp
• Black Salt, 2 tsp
• Sugar, 1 tsp or as per taste
• Nylon Sev, 1/2 cup, or as required
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, for garnish,       

Method:

Wash and boil the potatoes. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel and chop them. Keep aside.
Chop the onion and keep aside
Whisk the chilled curds and the sugar. Keep aside.

Keep 6-7 puris in a plate. With the thumb, make a hole in the centre of each puri. 

Stuff each puri with a few pieces of potatoes, chopped onion, 1 tsp of green chutney, 1 tsp of sweet chutney, and 1 tbsp of curds

Sprinkle chilli powder, cumin powder, black salt, and nylon sev on top of each of the puris

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve immediately

Repeat with the rest of the ingredients for the other puris

CORN SEV PURI

CORN SEV PURI

Today's dish is a take off on the famous Mumbai snack of Sev Puri.  This version is healthier than the conventional Sev Puri that is commonly available as street food.  We loved the taste of the Corn Sev Puris and I am sure you will enjoy it too.

The recipe actually called for the use of papdi which are small, flat mini-puri like discs made of plain flour.  I have instead used store-bought Mathris from Haldiram as the base for the Corn Sev Puri. As you know mathris are made of wheat flour and are popular in Rajasthan

This is adapted from Corn Sev Puri by one of my favourite cookery experts the late Tarlaji Dalal. The ingredients listed are to make 4 plates. Both kids and adults will love this yummy snack which will virtually disappear in minutes.

Ingredients: ( for 4 plates)

• Mathris, 24
• Nylon Sev, 3/4 cup
• Fresh Pomegranate, 1/4 cup

For making the Tomato Chutney:

• Fresh Tomato Pulp, 1 and 1/2 cups  # see tip below
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Carom Seeds, (Ajwain) , 1/3 tsp
• Asafoetida, (Hing) a pinch
• Garlic Paste, 3/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 3/4 tsp
• Sugar, 3/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For making the Corn Topping:

• Boiled Sweet Corn Kernels, 3/4 cup
• Onions, finely chopped, 1/3 cup
• Tomatoes, finely chopped, 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies, finely chopped, 1 and 1/4 tsp
• Lemon Juice, 1 and 1/4 tsp
• Chaat Masala, 1 and 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For Garnish:

• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 4 tbsp

Method:

We first start with the Tomato Chutney:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and when it gets hot add the carom seeds. Once they crackle, add the asafoetida and garlic paste

Mix well and saute on medium flame for 30 seconds

Add the tomato pulp and mix well
Stirring occasionally cook on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes

Now add the chilli powder, sugar and salt

Mix well and cook on medium flame for 1 minute

Switch off the gas, transfer the tomato chutney to a bowl and keep aside.

We then prepare the Corn Topping:

In a large bowl, mix well together all the ingredients specified under this head, and keep aside.

Putting It Together:

Place the mathris - 6 at a time- on a serving plate

Top each mathri with 2 tsp of the corn topping and 1 and 1/2 tsp of the tomato chutney

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of pomegranate and 1 and 1/2 tsp of sev on each of the mathris

Repeat this for the remaining 3 more sets of mathris 

Serve garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves

# Tip :

Boil water in a pan and place 4 medium sized tomatoes in it for 2-3 minutes

Switch off the gas and drain the water
Once they cool, peel and de-seed the tomatoes
Blend them in a mixer to form a smooth pulp
This yields 1 and 1/2 cups of tomato pulp