Dahi Barey

A very very popular street food. Eating this from the street is almost always on the to-do list when people visit home.

It seems like a lot of work. Of course back home no body usually goes through the trouble of making it. Around here is a different story we haven't found a place that truly catches the flavor.

Me and my sweetheart LOVE this stuff... I think our mutual liking for it is one of the reasons we got married :-)

(I make this much for just the 2 of us :-) but this should be enough for 6-8 normal ppl)
(Prep time: 1 hour + overnight soaking)
For the dumplings (Barey)

Soak 1/2 cup Maash daal overnight
(Black gram, urad dal, udad dal)
(The daal should be the washed variety. The one that's all pale yellow and without the husk. )
In a blender add the following
Garlic 1/4 clove
Salt 1/2 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp
Pepper 1/4 tsp
Baking powder 2/3 tsp
The soaked daal
Water 1/4 cup

Blend blend blend until very smooth. Should take about 3 mins.
To this mixture add
Cumin 1/4 tsp
Besan 2 Tbs
(Gram flour)Mix this vigorously.
The consistency should be fairly thick... must drop like a dollop of cottage cheese.
Let this sit for about 10-15 mins.
Heat some oil for deep frying.
Now drop small amounts of the mixture into the oil.
To avoid big oil splashes, I normally take a table spoonful, bring it very near the oil and slide the mixture down with the help of another spoon.
The daal mixture should form a ball shape and rise to the surface of the oil in just two seconds. If this doesn't happen, your oil isn't hot enough.
And if it starts to break and doesn't hold the shape the mixture is too thin. To fix this just add more besan to the mixture and thicken it.

Once you have dropped the mixture into the oil. And they look round and are floating happily, lower the heat a bit. Cook for about 6-7 mins. Turn the dumplings while cooking to ensure they cook through. Take them out when they are light golden brown and dunk them in a pot full of cold water. They should soak up water for no longer that 20 mins to be just right. Soaking more than that would make them too soft and they will break. After 20 mins, take them out of the water, give them a gentle squeeze to remove water. The barey are done and ready to be arranged in a dish.

Papri

For those who are unfamiliar with this food, the papri are the crispy bits that are sprinkled on top just before serving. You can certainly omit this altogether but its addition will make everything more yummy!

It's simple enough.

Take about 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
Add a generous pinch of salt and cumin
1 Tbs of cooking oil
Enough water so that after kneading the dough should be stiff like pasta dough.

Roll out the dough as thin as you can.
Cut into strips and drop them in hot oil.
Cook until golden brown.
Cool fully on some tissue paper.
Take them in your hand and crush slightly and they are ready to be sprinkled over the dahi barey.

If you want to cheat, you can fry some spring rolls wrappers or wontons, not the same but close enough :-)

Yogurt sauce

Plain whole yogurt about 1 1/2 cups
Water 2/3 cup

Spices
Cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala 1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder 1/2 tsp
A touch of sugar
Salt
Pepper

Chutneys
Tamarind chutney 2-3 Tbs
Mint chutney 2-3 Tbs

Vegetables
Red onions sliced thinly 2-3 Tbs
Tomatoes diced 1 small
Green chilies diced very fine 2-3 tsp
Boiled potatoes diced 1 small
Garbanzo beans 3-4 Tbs
Cilantro leaves chopped 1 Tbs
You will also need boondi about 1/4 cup. I like to soak it in water and add it when its soft

Add a 2/3 cup of water to the yogurt to make it thin.
Mix in the spices well.
Add the veggies and mix gently taking care not to break the boondi or the potatoes.
Arrange the barey in the bottom of a deep flat dish.
Pour the yogurt mixture over the top.
Drizzle the chutneys.
Cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Sprinkle the papri just before eating.

There is no rule about the veggies, the spices or any of the condiments.
You can add more or less or omit anything according to your liking.
Just be sure it doesn't get too crowded in the serving dish and you have enough room to for the barey to feel snug.
It makes sense to serve the add-ons in separate bowls so people can add what they want.
And to keep things very basic and fuss free just use yogurt and store bought chaat masala.
:-)