Radhaballavi/Dal puri( Indian puffed bread with lentil stuffing)

In my school days we had a long vacation which starts from Durga puja festival and end after Bhai fhota /Bhatri ditiya. In this festive time in Sunday mornings my mom and aunt used to made Luchi, Kachoris or Radhaballavi with dry potato curry (alurdom) or cholar dal(Bengal gram lentil stew). Radhaballavi which is also known as Dal puri is very common in wedding feast or festivals in Bengal. Dough of all purpose flour kneaded with oil and salt then stuffed with cooked lentil paste and fried in oil or ghee. It is not only tasty but scrumptious, the smell of fried radhaballavi's instantly create cravings.

I born and brought up in a joint family, sitting in a big table with all family members in Sunday morning and having brunch with homemade Radhaballavi was not only a memory it's a treasure of my life. I can't remember now how long I didn't have that family brunch. As I am sharing my memory with my husband he said don't worry, let's make some Radhaballavi. So here it is crispy hot puffed Radhaballavi, which is related to a sweet memory of my life.

Yield - 8 - 10

Prepation time - 40 minutes

Cooking time - 20 minutes

Ingredients:-

For stuffing:-

1/2 cup of Cholar dal/chana dal(Bengal gram)

4/5 green chilies

1 tbsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp hing/ asafoetida

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel powder

1 dried red chili

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt for seasoning

Vegetable oil

For dough 

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp ghee/ oil

1 tsp salt

vegetable oil for frying

Method:-

Soak lentil/dal overnight in water. Next day make a fine paste with green chilies.

In a bowl add all purpose flour, ghee and salt. Mix it well until flour is slightly crumbly in texture. Add water slowly and knead a soft dough. Rest it for 30 minutes.

Dough

                       Stuffing

Meanwhile, in a frying pan heat oil. Add dried red chili and cumin seeds, after it starts crackling add hing powder, ginger paste, fennel powder and fry a bit, then add lentil paste. Mix it well then add coriander powder,turmeric powder,salt, sugar. Cook until oil separates from frying pan and form like a dough. Take it out and let it cool.

Dough Balls

Adding stuffing

Make golf size balls out of dough. Press dough balls by hand and make a disc like shape,add 1 tbsp of lentil stuffing in the middle of disc, close it by bringing side together. Flatten it by hand then roll it in round shape by using a rolling pin. Do same to all dough balls.

Close by bringing side together

Press it by hand

Pour enough oil in a deep frying pan. Heat the oil then simmer the flame, high flame will make radhaballavi cooked fast outside but raw from inside. Place one radhaballavi at a time and wait one side to be light brown then flip it over to cook another side. Generally it puffs but sometime not, that's fine.

Roll it

Frying

Crispy Radhaballavi

Take out in a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve hot with spicy alurdom or cholar dal.

Happy Cooking:)