George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Are you in need of a new appetizer for the holidays? Chef Alvares has got you covered with his mouth-watering Dahi Batata Puri. These crispy snacks are a popular sweet and sour Indian street food topped with yogurt, chutneys, and sev (fried noodles). They make a great addition to your recipe book — and not just for the holidays!
One of the best things about this dish is you can scale up or down the effort it takes to make it by using pre-made ingredients or preparing everything fresh, which we can confirm makes it even tastier! Puri and sev are available at Indian grocers. The puri are best filled right before service to keep them as crispy as possible.
Dahi Batata Puri
Ingredients:
Potatoes, boiled, diced:100g (¾ cup)
Green lentils, soaked, cooked: 50g (¼ cup)
Onions: 30g (½ cup)
Tomatoes, diced: 30g (¼ cup)
Green mango, peeled, diced: 30g (¼ cup)
Lemon juice: 5ml (1 tsp)
Coriander leaves, chopped: 10g (½ cup)
Puris or papdis – see recipe: 8 to 10pcs
Tamarind Sauce – see recipe: 30ml (2 tbsp)
Green Chutney – see recipe: 15ml (1 tbsp)
Chaat masala: 3g (½ tsp)
Kashmir chili powder: 1g (¼ tsp)
(Dahi) Yogurt, sweetened – see recipe below: 100ml (½ cup)
Fine sev (fried noodles): 40g (½ cup)
Salt/pepper: To taste
Preparation:
- In a stainless bowl, place potatoes, green lentil, onions, tomatoes, and green mango.
- Season this with lemon juice, chaat masala, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Using your fingertips, create a hole in the center of the puri.
- Stuff the potato mixture into the puris.
- Top the stuffed puris with green chutney, tamarind sauce and dahi (Sweetened yogurt)
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fine sev.
Note: Pre-made puri (deep-fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour), fine sev (fried noodles) and chutneys are widely available at Indian grocers (and other markets). Although the chutney recipes pack a particularly flavourful punch when made fresh.
Dahi and Chutney Recipes
Dahi (Sweetened Yogurt)
Ingredients:
Yogurt:100ml
Sugar: 30g
Cumin seeds, toasted and powdered: 5g
Kashmir chili powder: 3g
Salt and black pepper: To taste
Coriander Chutney
Ingredients:
Mint leaves: 25g
Coriander leaves: 100g
Garlic: 5g
Ginger: 7g
Green chili (optional): 1pc
Cumin powder: 5g
Salt/pepper: To taste
Sugar: 5g
Lime juice: 5ml
Preparation:
- Place all ingredients in a bar blender, grind to a paste.
Note: Consistency can be adjusted with the addition of a small quantity of water.
Tamarind Chutney
Ingredients:
Tamarind:100g
Water: 2.5 cups (625ml)
Jaggery:150g
Cumin powder: 5g
Red chilli powder: 5g
Salt: To taste
Black salt: 2g
Garam masala: 2g
Preparation:
- In a pot place 2.5 cups of water along with the tamarind and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
- Once done, strain the liquid. To this and add jaggery, ground spices and cook till dissolved (approximately 10 minutes).
- Puree in a blender and pass it through a fine sieve.
Homemade Puri (Optional)
Ingredients:
Semolina, fine: 1½ cups
Flou: 2 tbsp
Baking soda: ½ tsp
Vegetable oil: 2 tsp
Water: 4 tbsp and 1 tsp
Salt: To taste
Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
- In a steel bowl place the semolina and flour.
- To this add salt, baking soda and 1 tsp oil.
- Combine all the ingredients together, add water and knead into a smooth soft dough.(adjust the water accordingly)
- Grease the dough with oil and rest for 20 minutes, or until the semolina absorbs all the moisture
- Portion the dough into half. Using a rolling pin roll the dough into a thin sheet.
- Using a small cutter, cut the dough into small disks.
- Heat the vegetable oil, drop the prepared puri into the hot oil, fry puri till puffed and crisp.
- Cool prior to serving.