Traditional Odia Food Item : Aloo Dum Dahi Bara!

Cuttack, the silver city is famous for various things. One of them is the delectable “Aloo dum Dahi bara”, said to be the staple food of Cutkis. People love to have it for breakfast, lunch and it is considered an all- day snacks item. It provides timely carb in the form of potatoes, which replenish energy and the butter-milk given at the end of the snacks is a relishing drink to beat the scorching summer. While the tangy flavor of the dahi bara revives the taste buds! Typically, it is served with ghoogni (A spicey Curry made of chick peas) and garnished with sev, onion and coriander and pudina chutney. A wholesome meal in itself. You will see vendors selling the snacks in cycle, carrying the huge aluminum pots. The other kind of vendors (A bit more prosperous) have fixed stalls for selling the same. At Cuttack, I have tried it at almost all the places, and as per me, the ranking would be as follows… 1. Barabati field 2. Satichaura 3. Near Reliance Fresh (CDA) 4. Gauri Shankar Park 5. All the rest… Is it possible to prepare this dish at home? The answer to this question is, of course Yes! While the taste may not be exactly the same, because, sometimes the road dust and unhygienic conditions render their own flavor! (Which though tasty, is difficult to replicate :P) So here goes the dummy’s guide to prepare Cuttack’s Famous Aloo dum dahi bara. Prepare the mixture for Dahibara. (Rice paste + Black Gram paste in the ratio of 1:3). Add a pinch of Soda and salt to taste. Make small balls of the mixture in the palm of your hand and drop it in hot oil. Fry it till its golden brown, and remove and put it in a bowl of water for 5 seconds, and then into curd which has been lightly tempered earlier with curry leaves, chillies and mustard. Garnish with Jeera powder and Chilly powder. Add a big teaspoon of Ghoogni and aloo dum to about 4 dahi baras! And here you have half plate of Dahibara ready! Worth 20 bucks! 