Name: Radhaballavi
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 300 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¼ cup Split Black Gram (Skinless), urad dal, soaked for 4 hours; 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, maida, for the outer cover; ½ tsp Fennel Seeds, dry roasted and crushed; ½ inch Ginger, to be ground with the dal; 1 Green Chili Pepper, to be ground with the dal; ⅛ tsp Asafoetida, hing, for the signature flavor; ½ tsp Sugar, divided (for dal and dough); ½ tsp Salt, divided; 1 cup Cooking Oil, for deep frying and preparing the filling; ¼ cup Water, warm, as needed for dough

5 hrtotal

1 hr hands-on4 hr hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Mild

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Method

Drain the soaked urad dal well. Grind it with ginger and green chillies into a fine paste, using as little extra water as possible.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the asafoetida briefly, then add the dal paste with salt and sugar.
Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until the wet paste dries, leaves the pan, and forms a fragrant mass. Stir in roasted fennel powder, then cool completely.
Make the outer dough: Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, remaining sugar, and oil. Rub the oil in, then add warm water and knead into a smooth, slightly soft dough. Rest for 20 minutes.
20 min
Divide the dough into small balls and make a hollow in each. Add a compact ball of the cooled dal filling and seal well.
Oil the board lightly and roll each stuffed ball gently into a 4-inch circle without tearing the sides.
Heat oil to medium-high. Fry one radhaballavi at a time, pressing gently with a skimmer so it puffs, then remove when pale golden brown.

How to tell it's done

Radhaballavi should puff well, stay pale golden, and have a thin layer of aromatic dal filling inside.

Getting it right

Tip

Cook the dal paste until dry before stuffing. Hing and roasted fennel give radhaballavi its classic Bengali aroma.

What to serve it with

Serve with Bengali cholar dal, niramish aloo dum, or alur dom.

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Ingredients