Radhaballabhi & Choti Aloor Dum | Bengali Stuffed Poori with Urad Dhal & Baby Potatoes in Tomato Gravy

Festivals – The word energizes my nerves and brings back loads of memories – Flowers, garlands, scrumptious food, sweets, TV shows, lots of love and lots of laughter. My amma religiously follows one unwritten rule – If it is an auspicious day, then prepare hot fluffy pooris for breakfast with mashed potato masala. Who wouldn’t like pooris?

I love pooris , especially with my amma’s style potato masala – Potatoes with green chilies not the one with Spices. I used to help mom in rolling the dough for poori. This is my way of munching hot fluffy pooris straight from the pan. I and my brothers used to fight for fluffy ones and it gives so much joy to press the fluffy ones. When it is called ad Poori or Puri in South Indian, it is known as Luchis in other parts of the country. I prepare Poori very rarely as the process of preparation consumes time and not an ideal choice for weekdays. Always I reserve Pooris for weekends. I once tasted different version of poori at my friend’s place. She called it as Radha Balla Bhi and served it with spicy small potatoes. I shamelessly swallowed as much as I can. Being a foodie, how can I resist myself from such fluffy pooris and those delicious spicy potatoes? Hence, tried and tested in my kitchen.

Radhaballabhi

Radhaballabhi is a famous Bengali Cuisine commonly prepared for Breakfast. Radhaballavi is usually prepared with urad dhal and spices. It belongs to the family of pooris and slightly sweeter in taste than kachoris. When I was searching for some crispy breakfast, I stumbled upon this stuffed pooris. Prepare this Radhaballavi and pair it with Choti aloor dum for a fulfilling breakfast.

Ingredients:

For the filling
- Urad dhal – ½ cup
- Cumin seeds – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Fennel seeds – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Kashmiri chili – 2
- Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
- Ginger – 1 teaspoon
- Sugar – ½ teaspoon
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
- Oil – 1 tablespoon
For the dough:
- Maida/ All purpose flour – 2 cups
- Water as required to prepare the dough
- Oil for deep frying

Method:

In a bowl, add maida and water little by little and knead the flour into a dough.
Set it aside
In a frying pan, dry roast Kashmiri chili, ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds until they turn light brownish and fresh aroma emanates from it.
Allow it to cool down and grind them into a coarse powder. This is known as bhaja masala in Bengali households
Let’s prepare to stuff for the poori now.
- Wash urad dhal and soak in water for at least 4 hours.
- In a blender, added washed dhal, green chili, ginger, and salt. Grind them coarsely
- In a nonstick frying pan, add oil and heat over medium flame.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Fry them until they turn brownish and sizzle
- Now, add the urad dhal paste to the seeds and combine well
- Stir in the bhaja masala, garam masala, and sugar. Season it with the required salt.
- Cook until the spice powders are combined well with the urad dhal paste.
- Once the flavors are combined well, switch off the flame.
- Allow it to cool and make small balls out of the urad dhal paste.
Let’s do the stuffing now.
- Take a lemon sized dough and make them a small round without any cracks.
- Roll them into a small circle. Ensure the center of the circle is thick enough to hold the filling
- Place the urad dhal balls on the center of the rolled dough.
- Cover the lentil ball with the dough. Gently press it on the top and roll them into small rounds. Ensure that the filling is not oozing out of the rolled puri.
In a Kadai, add oil and heat over medium flame.
The oil should be smoking hot. Once the required temperature is reached, lower the flame to medium and maintain the constant temperature throughout the cooking .
Slide in the flattened balls to the oil.
Gently press the poori with the back of a ladle so that they puff evenly. Turn them only once and do not stir the oil. Fry one at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan with too many flattened balls.
Drain the excess oil from the puffed pooris and remove from the flame.
Serve Radhaballabhi with spicy choti aloor dum.

Choti Aloor Dum

Chotti Aloor Dum is a spicy gravy prepared with small baby potatoes and usually served with luchis or pooris. Potatoes are universal favorite and any dish prepared with them is a sure hit. This gravy is a versatile dish and can be served with puris, chapatti or even with rice. Baby potatoes are boiled and cooked with spices in a tomato base. Prepare this delicious dish once and you will prepare it often for its flavor and taste.

Ingredients:

15 Baby Potatoes
2 large Tomatoes
I teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 ½ teaspoon Chili powder
½ teaspoon Coriander powder
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 tablespoon Oil
!/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cloves
2 Cardamom pods
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 glass of water
Cilantro, handful for garnishing

Method:

In a pressure cooker, boil baby potatoes with a pinch of salt for about 2 whistles.
Once the pressure is released, remove the skin from the potatoes and set it aside
In a blender, add chopped tomatoes and grind them into a fine paste.
In a Kadai, add oil and heat over medium flame.
Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick to the oil and roast them for few seconds.
Now, add baby potatoes and toss them evenly in the oil
Gently add the tomato puree followed by the spices in the mentioned order.
Combine them well and add a glass of water to the mixture.
Cook them on a medium flame stirring them occasionally until the potatoes are blended well with the spices.
Season the gravy with the required amount of salt.
Remove the gravy from the flame and garnish with the coriander leaves.
Serve warmly with luchis or with kachoris