Dahi Bara Aloo Dumଦହି ବରା ଆଳୁ ଦମ
⏱ Prep 30m🍳 Cook 40m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegetarian
Video: Masterchef Abinas Nayak (YouTube)
Dahi Bara Aloo Dum is Odisha's most beloved street snack — soft urad dal fritters soaked in sweetened spiced yogurt, served alongside a hot, sharp potato curry. It is sold outside temples, at bus stands, and at every big sporting event across the state, assembled in clay bowls and eaten standing up. The contrast of cool creamy yogurt against fiery aloo dum is the entire appeal; the two components must be served together and at temperature, one cold, one hot.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪split black lentils (urad dal), soaked 5–6 hours200 g
- ▪saltto taste
- ▪oil for deep-fryingfor frying
- For the yogurt (dahi)
- ▪full-fat plain yogurt, whisked smooth400 g
- ▪sugar1½ tbsp
- ▪roasted cumin powder½ tsp
- ▪chaat masala½ tsp
- For the aloo dum
- ▪baby potatoes or small potatoes, boiled and peeled400 g
- ▪mustard oil2 tbsp
- ▪panch phoron (Odia five-spice blend)½ tsp
- ▪dried red chillies2
- ▪turmeric powder½ tsp
- ▪red chilli powder1 tsp
- ▪coriander powder1 tsp
- ▪tamarind chutney (for serving)2 tbsp
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Panch phoron is an Odia and Bengali whole-spice blend of fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard, and fennel seeds in equal parts. It is sold pre-mixed at Indian grocery stores; if unavailable, substitute with cumin seeds and a small pinch of fennel seeds.
- Mustard oil gives the aloo dum its characteristic sharpness. Outside India, good-quality rapeseed (canola) oil with a pinch of dry mustard powder stirred in approximates its edge.
- If urad dal fritters seem laborious, canned black lentils (drained, blended smooth with minimal water) make a workable batter at short notice. The texture is slightly denser but the flavour holds.
Method
- 1Drain the soaked urad dal and grind with just 2–3 tablespoons of water to a thick, airy batter. Pulse in short bursts to work air into it — the batter should be light and hold its shape on a spoon. Add salt and whisk vigorously by hand for 2 minutes to further incorporate air; this is what makes the baras soft inside.
- 2Heat oil to 160°C in a kadai. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter into the oil and fry on medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes per side until pale golden all over. Do not fry on high heat — the outside browns before the inside cooks through. Drain on paper towels.
- 3Soak the fried baras in a wide bowl of warm salted water for 8–10 minutes; they will swell and soften. Lift each one and gently press between your palms to squeeze out the water. Arrange in a shallow serving dish.
- 4For the aloo dum: prick the boiled potatoes all over with a fork. Heat mustard oil in a pan until it just begins to smoke — this removes the raw pungency. Add panch phoron and dried red chillies; let them splutter 30 seconds.
- 5Add turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder; stir 20 seconds. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Fry on medium heat for 6–8 minutes, pressing lightly, until the skin crisps and the spices caramelise onto the surface.
- 6Add 5 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes (the dum). The potatoes should be hot through and coated in a dry, clingy masala.
- 7To serve: whisk the yogurt with sugar, cumin powder, chaat masala, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable. Spoon liberally over the baras. Place the hot aloo dum alongside in the same bowl. Drizzle tamarind chutney over both and serve immediately — the contrast of hot and cold is the point.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.