Maximum city, maximum taste - Dabeli

"Where are you from? Searching for an answer, in Paris, in London, in Manhattan, I always fall back on Bombay. Somewhere buried beneath the wreck of its current condition, is a city that has a tight claim on my heart, a beautiful city by the sea, an island state of hope in a very old country. I went back to look for that city. In the looking I found the cities within me."
- Maximum City - Bombay lost and found by Suketu Mehta

I have been breathing, living this book since I picked it up. A love hate essay on my favorite city; Mehta unveils everything - the villagers who come to the city everyday to look for a living, the criminal underworld, the politics and yes, Bollywood.

Reading about the city I love (my home away from home) got me nostalgic about it's food. A typical Bombay snack could only mean vada-pav, but I opted out of deep frying and decided on Dabeli. Dabeli is originally a Kutchi/ Gujarati dish. Just as Bombay welcomes people from all over the country, so does it welcome their food, and Dabeli is now a common snack sold on Bombay's roads.
It is also called Double Roti or Kutchi Dabeli.

DABELI
(adapted from a recipe by Tarla Dalal)
(serves 2-3)
For dabeli masala:
1-2 red chillies (you can make it as spicy as you like)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2" stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
For the filling :
2 medium size potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
2 teaspoons dabeli masala
2 tablespoons peanuts
1 tablespoon oil
salt
For assembly:
5-6 ladi-pav/ burger buns
1 onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup sev
garlic chutney (optional) & tamarind date chutney
For garnish:
finely chopped cilantro
a handful of pomegranate seeds (optional)

Roast masala ingredients in a pan for a few minutes taking care not to burn them. Grind to a fine powder.

Heat oil in a pan and fry peanuts till they turn light brown. Remove and keep aside. Next add cumin seeds; when they splutter add asafoetida, dabeli masala, potatoes, salt and a little water. Toss in the peanuts and mix everything well. Remove from fire.

Slice buns into halves and toast them with a little butter on a griddle. Apply garlic chutney if using on one side, tamarind chutney on the other side of the bun. Place a portion of the potato filling in between.

Top with chopped onion, cilantro and sev. Press down, garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.

Tags: indian chaat snack dabeli double roti kutchi dabeli tarla dalal tea time snacks low calorie