Dabeli
Encyclopedia
Dabeli or Kutchi Dabeli or Kachchhi Dabeli is a snack of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, originating in the Kutch or Kachchh region of Gujarat. It is a spicy snack made by mixing boiled potatoes with a Dabeli Masala
Masala
Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...

, and putting the mixture between Ladi-Pav (Burger bun) and served with chutnies
Chutney
Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

 made from tamarind, date, garlic, red-chillies, etc. and garnished with pomegranate and roasted pea-nuts.

Origin

Dabeli literally means pressed in Gujarati language
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

.. It is said to be invented by one Keshavji Gabha Chudasama alias Kesha Malam, resident of Mandvi
Mandvi
Mandvi is a city and a Municipality in Kachchh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort, and remains of the fort wall can still be seen to this day...

, Kutch in decades of 1960. He had never imagined that the product would become popular one day. When he started business he sold a Dabeli at one anna
Indian anna
An Anna was a currency unit formerly used in India, equal to 1/16 rupee. It was subdivided into 4 Paise or 12 Pies . The term belonged to the Muslim monetary system...

 or six paisa
Paisa
The paisa is a monetary unit in several countries. Linguistic variants of paisa include poisha and baisa . In India, Nepal and Pakistan, the paisa currently equals of a rupee. In Bangladesh, the poisha equals of a Bangladeshi taka...

.
His shop is still there in Mandvi and business is now carried by his next generations.

Dabeli thus has its origin in Mandvi
Mandvi
Mandvi is a city and a Municipality in Kachchh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort, and remains of the fort wall can still be seen to this day...

, a city of the Kutch region and even today Dabeli Masala made in the city are said to be most authentic. The Dabeli is also, therefore, known as Kachchhi Dabeli or Kutchi Dabeli taking it's cue from the region of its origin. Bhuj
Bhuj
Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...

 and Nakhatrana
Nakhatrana
Nakhatrana is situated in the middle of Kutch, Gujarat, in India. A small town, it is famous for its spicy Dabeli, snack mainly of "Dilkhush" and "Jyoti"...

 towns of Kutch are also known for authentic Dabeli apart from Mandvi.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium size potatoes, boiled and mashed
  • a pinch of asafoetida
    Asafoetida
    Asafoetida , alternative spelling asafetida, is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb...

  • 2 teaspoons Dabeli Masala
  • a few green chillies
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
  • 2 tea-spoon of cooking oil
  • salt - to - taste
  • 5-6 Ladi-pav / Burger buns
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup Sev
  • Garlic
    Garlic
    Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

    -Red Chillies Chutney
    Chutney
    Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

  • Tamarind
    Tamarind
    Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

    -Date Chutney
    Chutney
    Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

  • finely chopped Coriander
    Coriander
    Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...

  • a handful of pomegranate
    Pomegranate
    The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...

     seeds
  • roasted pea-nuts
    Peanut
    The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...

  • Butter

Procedure

  • Put 2 teaspoon of oil, heat it slightly and add asafoetida, Dabeli Masala, potatoes, salt-to-taste and a sprinkle of water. Mix it very well so that masala
    Masala
    Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...

    , salt and boiled potato assimilate very well. Additionally (optional) you can put some finely chopped green chillies in this preparation.
  • Remove from fire.
  • Taste this mixture, if you want to make it more spicy, add some more of Dabeli Masala and again mix it using hands or masher.
  • Toss in the roasted peanuts and mix everything well
  • Slice pav/bun into halves and toast them with a little butter on a griddle.
  • Apply garlic chutney on one side (inner side), tamarind -date chutney on the other side (inner side) of the sliced pav/bun.
  • Place a portion of the potato filling in between
  • Top with chopped onion, coriander and sev
  • Press down the bun from both side and garnish with pomegranate seeds, roasted pea-nuts and serve, medium-hot, immediately with a extra dip of chutney on the plate. Fried green chillies, with a sprinkle of salt can be additionally given as an add-on.

Further notes

  • Dabeli Masala, which is the main ingredient of the dish, is readily available in most of the cities all over India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

    , sold under various brand names mainly manufactured and packed in Kutch. The Dabeli Masala made from Mandvi
    Mandvi
    Mandvi is a city and a Municipality in Kachchh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort, and remains of the fort wall can still be seen to this day...

     and Bhuj
    Bhuj
    Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...

     are preferred by people for their taste and ethnicity. This Dabeli Masala is a dry-paste made from dried red-chillies, black-pepper powder, dried coconut, salt, clove, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, elachi
    Cardamom
    Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...

    , badiyan, black-salt, tej-patta and other garam masalas is a specially prepared Masala
    Masala
    Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...

    . The Debeli Masala once made or purchased from shops can be stored and used for over a period of six to twelve months.
  • Chutney
    Chutney
    Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

     is an essential part of almost all type of Indian cuisine and these type of Chutneys can be prepared in advance and stored and used for at least a fortnight. Now-a-days specially preserved Chutneys packets are available also in shops in major cities of India and are as well exported to other countries by some Indian food companies.
  • Sev referred above is a type of Indian farsan
    Farsan (Food)
    Farsan is a collective term used for a type of snacks Gujarati cuisine, from the Indian state of Gujarat.Some are fried items which are then dried and can be stored, others fresh, fried or steamed.Some popular examples are:* Dhokla...

    , which is readily available in farsan shops in all over India and also in other countries, where it is being exported by companies like Haldiram's
    Haldiram's
    Haldiram's is one of India's largest sweets and snacks manufacturers, based in Nagpur And now in many City, India.-History:It was founded in 1937 by Shivkisan Agrawal, as retail sweets and namkeens shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.-Products:...

     and others.


Cooking time
  • With ready-made Dabeli Masala, Chutneys made-in-advance, Sev readily available, roasted pea-nuts, pomegranate and boiled potato, Dabeli hardly takes 5–8 minutes to be prepared and as such has become a popular Indian fast food.

Popularity

Dabeli today is famous not only in Kutch and Gujarat but also throughout Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, parts of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

 and many other States of India. Dabeli Stalls can be found in metropolitan cities like Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

, Aurangabad, Nizamabad, Nasik, Raipur, Bilaspur
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Bilaspur is a city in Bilaspur District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, situated 111 km north of state capital, Raipur. It is the second-largest city in the state. It is the administrative headquarter of Bilaspur district...

, Jabalpur, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

, Bhopal, Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...

, Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

, etc. besides all major cities, towns and tourist spots of Gujarat.

Other common names for Kutchi Dabeli are Kutchi Burger or Desi Burger and Kutchi Double Roti.

Other dishes of the Kutch or Kutchi cuisine like Kutchi Dabeli, Kutchi Samosa, Kutchi Khaja
Khaja
Khaja also Pheni is Oriya sweet made from Refined wheat flour, sugar and edible oils . It is made and eaten all throughout Indian subcontinent, though it is known by different names. It is prepared in the states of Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.-Legend:Khaja is one...

, Kutchi Pakwan, Kutchi Khichdi, etc. Dabeli is the most popular dish, popularity of which has not only spread over many parts of India but also overseas.

For photo / image of Dabeli see here
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