How to make Kutchi Dabeli at Home

Kutchi Dabeli is the sweet-spicy Gujarati street pav I first tried at 13, visiting family in Pune. We pulled into a stall in Camp because everyone in the car insisted it was the must-try snack of the trip. One bite in, way too spicy. I gave up on it that day and stuck to vada pav for the rest of the week. Years later, back in Mumbai with a milder version, the whole picture clicked. Sweet tamarind, spicy garlic, crunchy masala peanuts, soft potato, and that buttery toasted pav, all in one bite. Every bite tastes a little different. That's the magic.

Jump to:

• Why my version of Kutchi Dabeli works
• Ingredients for Kutchi Dabeli
• How to make Kutchi Dabeli
• Cook the potato filling and Setup the Dabeli Thali
• Soniya's Top Tip
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Substitutions
• Storage
• How to serve Kutchi Dabeli
• More Indian street food and chaat recipes
• Kutchi Dabeli

This recipe is the version I make at home in Virginia for my boys. Spiced mashed potato cooked with garlic chutney and tamarind chutney, stuffed into soft homemade ladi pav with masala peanuts, fresh onion, coconut, pomegranate, and a generous roll of fine sev around the edges. The pav gets a quick butter toast on the tawa. Ronav grabs them off the plate before I've even finished assembling. Rijak, who is 19 and pretends he's too cool for street food, will quietly eat three. If you've ever loved a good vada pav, this is the cousin you didn't know you needed.

Why my version of Kutchi Dabeli works

Most Kutchi Dabeli recipes online send you straight to a packet of store-bought dabeli masala. That's fine in a pinch. But the homemade quick-fix masala I use here, just chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and chaat masala, gives you full control over the heat. That matters because the spice level is exactly what threw me off at 13. Too much chili and the sweet-tangy balance collapses.

The other thing I do differently is build it like a thali. Potato filling, chutneys, masala peanuts, onion, coconut, pomegranate, sev, all laid out in small bowls before assembly starts. Everyone at the table can build their own, decide how much garlic chutney to add, how much sev to roll the edges in. It turns dinner into a project. Rijak and Ronav love it for exactly that reason.

Ingredients for Kutchi Dabeli

See the recipe card at the bottom for exact quantities. Here's what each piece is doing.

The base

• Ladi pav: soft, pull-apart dinner rolls. They have to be fresh and pillowy or the toast won't crisp up right. Day-old pav actually toasts better, just don't let it dry out.
• Potatoes: the body of the filling. I pressure cook them in the Instant Pot, then mash them slightly coarse so the filling has texture. Smooth mash makes it gluey.

Dabeli masala (the homemade quick-fix)

• Chili powder: the main heat. I use regular Indian red chili powder for color and bite.
• Turmeric: color and an earthy back note. A little goes a long way.
• Garam masala: the warm-spice depth. Use a fresh jar, not the one that's been sitting open since last Diwali.
• Chaat masala: the tangy black-salt kick that makes dabeli taste like dabeli, not just spiced potato. Don't skip it.

If you have store-bought dabeli masala on hand, you can swap it in directly. The homemade blend just lets you tune the heat.

Masala peanuts

• Raw peanuts: the crunch in every bite. Roast them in a little oil until they smell toasty.
• A splash of oil and a pinch of dabeli masala: coats the peanuts so they pick up flavor instead of sitting plain.

Garlic red chutney (lasun chutney)

• Dried red chilies: soaked first to soften, then blended. They give the chutney its red and most of its heat.
• Garlic cloves: the whole point of the chutney. Raw and sharp.
• Kashmiri red chili powder: color without extra heat. This is what makes the chutney glow red.
• Salt and the soaking water: blend everything to a thick spreadable paste.

Potato filling

• Oil: to bloom the dabeli masala on low heat without burning it.
• Garlic chutney and tamarind chutney: the sweet-spicy backbone. Both go straight into the potato.
• Salt and a little sugar: always salt first, then sugar. Sugar before salt makes the filling taste flat.
• A splash of water: to bring the filling to a soft, spreadable consistency. Not wet, just loose enough to scoop.
• Lime juice and chopped cilantro: finish the filling once the heat is off. Lime brightens the whole thing.

Toppings (the thali)

• Finely chopped onion: the fresh crunch.
• Fresh or desiccated coconut: the sweet, slightly chewy layer that surprises everyone the first time.
• Pomegranate seeds: juicy bursts of sweet-tart. If pomegranate isn't in season, chopped grapes work too.
• Fine sev: the crunchy outer roll. Don't skip rolling the edges in sev, that's the signature look.
• Fresh cilantro: color and a green herby note on top.

How to make Kutchi Dabeli

• Boil and mash the potatoes. Pressure cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot for 8 minutes with a natural release. Peel them while they're still warm, that's when the skins slip off easiest. Mash with a fork or potato masher, but keep it slightly coarse. You want the filling to have some texture, not turn into baby food.
• Roast the masala peanuts. Heat a splash of oil in a small pan on medium low. Add a pinch of turmeric, chili powder, and a little of the dabeli masala. Stir for about 10 seconds until you smell the spices wake up. Add the peanuts and roast for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they're coated and aromatic and just starting to deepen in color. Turn off the heat and let them keep crisping in the pan as they cool.
• Make the garlic red chutney. Soak the dried red chilies in hot water for about 15 minutes until they're soft and pliable. Drain and save the soaking water. Blend the chilies with the garlic cloves, Kashmiri chili powder, and salt, adding the soaking water a spoonful at a time, until you have a thick spreadable paste. Taste and adjust salt. This chutney keeps in the fridge for a week and gets sharper on day two.

Cook the potato filling and Setup the Dabeli Thali

• Cook the potato filling. Heat oil in a wide pan on low. Add the dabeli masala and stir for 30 seconds, just long enough to bloom it without burning. Add the mashed potatoes and mix until the masala coats every bit. Now add the garlic chutney, tamarind chutney, salt, then sugar (always salt first). Pour in a splash of water and stir until the filling comes together into a soft spreadable consistency. Take it off the heat. Finish with lime juice and chopped cilantro and stir gently. Taste and adjust salt or tamarind if it needs more sweet-tang balance.
• Set up the dabeli thali. Arrange everything on a big plate or board before you start assembling. Potato filling in the center. Small bowls around it for chopped onion, masala peanuts, coconut, pomegranate, sev, and fresh cilantro. Keep the garlic chutney and tamarind chutney in their own bowls with small spoons. This is the part that turns dinner into a build-your-own moment. Trust me on this one, kids love it.

Assemble and Serve

• Assemble the dabeli. Slice each pav in an "L" shape. Don't cut all the way through, you want the bun to stay hinged on one side. Spread garlic chutney on one inner face and tamarind chutney on the other. Spoon in a generous scoop of potato filling. Top with masala peanuts and a sprinkle of onion, coconut, and pomegranate. If you like extra heat or extra sweet, add another small dab of either chutney. Close the pav gently, don't squish it.
• Toast and roll in sev. Heat a tawa or wide flat pan on medium low and add butter. Place the assembled pav on the tawa and toast both sides for about a minute each, until the outside is warm and the butter has just kissed the bread. Don't press hard or the filling will squish out. Lift the pav and roll the open sides through fine sev so it sticks to the chutney peeking out. Serve right away while the bun is still warm.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake	What happens	How I fix it
Pressing the pav hard while toasting	Filling squishes out the sides and the bun goes flat	Toast on medium low with butter; let the bread crisp on its own weight
Using thick sev for the edges	Sev falls off and the dabeli looks bare	Use fine (nylon) sev or crush thick sev between your palms first
Skipping the ghee toast	Pav stays soft, no contrast against the cool toppings	Toast the assembled dabeli on a flat griddle in ghee for 2 minutes per side until golden. Butter or oil is OK too.

Substitutions

• Store-bought dabeli masala works in place of the homemade quick-fix blend. Use it 1:1 wherever the recipe calls for dabeli masala.
• Tamarind chutney can be swapped with date chutney or even sweet guava chutney if you want to play with the sweet element.
• Pomegranate isn't always in season. Chopped seedless grapes give you the same juicy sweet-tart pop.
• Vegan version: swap the butter on the toasting tawa with vegan butter or oil. Everything else is naturally vegan.
• Gluten-free: use gluten-free dinner rolls or sliders. The filling itself is gluten-free.

Storage

Component	How long?	How to store
Potato filling	3 days in the fridge	Airtight container; reheat with a splash of water on low
Garlic chutney	1 week in the fridge	Glass jar with lid; flavors deepen on day 2
Tamarind chutney	2 weeks in the fridge, 3 months frozen	Freeze in ice cube trays for single-use portions
Masala peanuts	2 weeks at room temperature	Airtight jar once fully cool; do not refrigerate (turns chewy)
Assembled dabeli	Don't store	Eat right after toasting; the bread goes soggy fast

How to serve Kutchi Dabeli

• Evening snack with chai: the original Gujarati teatime move. Two dabeli per person and a strong cup of cutting chai.
• Party appetizer: assemble small slider-size versions and pass them around on a tray. They disappear in minutes.
• Diwali snack spread: dabeli sits beautifully alongside other chaats at a get-together. Make extra.
• DIY thali board: set out the filling, chutneys, peanuts, sev, and toppings in bowls and let everyone build their own. This is how we do it at home.

More Indian street food and chaat recipes

If you love the sweet-spicy-crunchy chaat profile of dabeli, these recipes belong in your weekend rotation.