Eat With The Pandits

Bedmi puri is a very popular breakfast dish in North India, and is loved unconditionally in this household. This recipe makes it very simple to make this popular dish at home.

Sundays begin rather late, with the husband and child lazing around in bed, refusing to get up. By the time they finally decide to get going, we are hanging somewhere between breakfast and lunch and with a lovey dovey smile, I am asked to cook up a ‘special brunch’. It’s usually a full english platter, with eggs, sausages, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, warm toast and some strong coffee. But today I decided to do something different.

Married into a family that hails from Delhi, I have been exposed to a host of wonderful traditional North Indian recipes, that are not quite well known back home. My husband’s family love potatoes, like they really love potatoes. So it wasn’t surprising when Rassewale aloo and Bedmi Puri was probably one of the first things I learnt from my mother in law. She learnt this recipe from one of those hole in the wall shops, in a bustling market in Mathura. A very traditional dish of Uttar Pradesh, it has many names – Bedmi aur Bhandare wale aloo, Mathura ke doobki wale aloo, amongst others. But in the end a rose is a rose, is a rose.

So if you want to experience those crisp puris, dunked in that spicy, tangy gravy, that has the power to teleport you directly to the ghats of the mighty Ganga in Banaras, follow this very traditional recipe.

Ingredients for the Bedmi Puri

• 2 Cups whole wheat flour (atta) 
• ½ cup semolina (suji/ rava) 
• 1 cup split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal) soaked overnight and drained
• 3 tablespoons oil
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida ( Hing) 
• 2 tablespoons ginger-green chilli paste 
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 
• 1 tablespoon coriander ( dhania) powder 
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin ( jeera) powder 
• 2 teaspoons fennel (saunf) powder 
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder 
• ¼ teaspoon dried Mango powder ( Amchur) 
• Salt to taste 
• Coriander ( dhania) finely chopped
• Oil to deep fry

Ingredients for the Rassewale Aloo 

• 5-6 medium sized potatoes, boiled and cut into largeish cubes 
• 1 tablespoon ghee 
• 1 teaspoon mustard (rai ka tel) oil 
• 2 teaspoons cumin(jeera) seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
• 1 teaspoon ginger-green chilli paste  
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder 
• 2 teaspoons coriander (dhania) powder 
• 1.5 cups fresh tomato puree
• Salt to taste 
• 2 teaspoons dried mango powder (amchur) 
• 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) powder
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1 tablespoon 
• Fresh coriander sprigs for garnish

Making Of the Bedmi Puris

• Grind the drained black gram (urad dal) to a coarse paste with 2 tablespoons water. 
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan.
• Then add the  asafoetida and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add the dal paste and mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes. 
• Next , put the ginger-green chili paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel powder, garam masala powder, dried mango powder and salt and mix well.
• Add coriander leaves and mix.
• Remove from heat, transfer into a large plate and set aside to cool.
• Once this mixture has cooled down ,add the wheat flour, semolina and 1tablespoon oil to the cooked mixture and knead into a semi-stiff dough.
• Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. 
• Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll them into thick puris of 3 inch diameter. 
• Deep-fry the puris till golden brown. 
• Place them on tissue papers to drain off the excess oil

The Making Of the Rassewale Aloo 

• Heat ghee and mustard oil in a non-stick pan
• Once the oil is smoking ,add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and ginger-green chilli paste and saute
• Then add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute well
• Add the tomato puree and mix well
• Add salt, mix and cook till the oil separates. 
• Add ½ cup water, mix and bring to boil. 
• Cut up the boiled potatoes , mashing a few of those cubes with your fingers.
• Add them to the gravy  along with dried mango powder, dried fenugreek leaves powder and coriander leaves.
• This gravy is a thin one, so add some more water, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. 
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves