Radhaballavi Recipe | Dal Puri | Radhaballabhi Recipe

If you love pooris and kachoris, then you should try the Radhaballavi – a Bengali specialty Dal Puri. Just like a Luchi, which is a quintessential breakfast dish in West Bengal and any Bengali would swear by it, at any given point in time, similar is the case with Radhaballabhi too. These soft and tasty puris are made of all-purpose flour (maida) are stuffed with a spiced urad dal (split black gram) filling. I have modified the recipe a bit. For instance, also added whole wheat flour (atta), to bring in the nutrition factor.

The dal used is either urad dal or chana dal. In weddings generally chana dal is used. It is a popular street food snack in Bengal and served with Dum aloor. During Durga Pooja also radhaballavi is made.

I had got a few recipe requests to prepare radhaballavi and I thought Durga pooja festival is the best time to make these lightly spiced dal puris. I referred to various cookbooks for the recipe. For the stuffing I have used urad dal.

These puris are similar to the Urad dal kachori i had shared some time back. Just that the stuffing is more on the milder side with a faint sweetness. Thus radhaballavi goes very well with a dum aloo or cholar dal. The recipe is also a no onion no garlic version.

For the dough I have used half-half of both all purpose flour (maida) and whole wheat flour (atta). Making radhaballavi does take time and some preparation work is required.

The preparation is similar to making a kachori or a samosa. Both kachoris and samosa are a favorite at home. So once in a blue moon, I do end up making Punjabi samosa and various types of kachoris.

So far I have shared some popular kachori and puri varieties:

• Dal kachori – crisp, flaky kachori made with moong dal stuffing. Video recipe.
• Koraishutir kochuri – crisp as well as soft kachoris made with fresh green peas stuffing.
• Matar kachori – North Indian style crisp and flaky kachori made with green peas filling.
• Luchi – Soft pooris made with all purpose flour and and deep-fried in ghee.
• Masala poori – made with healthy whole wheat flour, flavorful spices and seasonings.

Radhaballavi can be served with Bengali dum aloo or Cholar dal.

How to make Dal Puri or Radhaballavi Recipe

A) making puri dough:

1. Take 1 cup all purpose flour (maida) and 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta) in a large bowl or parat (wide plate). You can also use only all purpose flour or only whole wheat flour.

2. Add 2 tablespoons ghee and 1 teaspoon salt.

3. Mix the ghee and salt very well with the flour.

4. Then add ⅔ to ¾ cup water in parts.

5. Knead to a smooth pliable dough. Cover with a moist cloth and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Making spice mix:

6. Heat a pan or kadai. Keep the heat to a low and add 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.

7. Mix well.

8. Then add 1 to 2 dry red chilies (broken and seeds removed).

9. Stir often and roast the spices till they become aromatic. However take care not to burn them.

10. Switch off the heat and then add 2 thin strands of mace and stir. Then let the spices cool down.

11. Once the spices cool down, take them in a spice grinder or a small grinder jar.

12. Grind or blend to a fine powder. Keep aside.

C) Soaking and grinding urad dal:

13. Meanwhile, rinse ½ cup urad dal in a bowl. Add 1 cup water and soak urad dal for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.

Before you begin to knead the dough, you have to soak the urad dal for some hours or overnight. Later drain all the water and keep it aside.

14. Now take the urad dal in a grinder jar. Also add 1 inch ginger (roughly chopped). You can also add 1 chopped green chilli at this step.

15. Add 3 tablespoons of water and grind to a semi-coarse consistency. Do not make too coarse or too fine. Keep aside.

Making urad dal stuffing:

16. Heat ½ tablespoon ghee in a heavy kadai or pan.

17. Keep the heat to a low or switch off the heat. Then add a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir well.

18. Then using a spatula add the ground urad dal paste.

19. Mix very well on a low heat.

20. Then add 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt as required.

21. Saute with non-stop stirring for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat or till the mixture begins to gather around itself. The paste sticks to the pan and while stirring you need to use some force from your hands.

22. Then add the ground spice powder.

23. Mix very well and switch off the heat. Check the taste and if required you can add more salt and sugar. Let the mixture become warm or cool down.

24. Then form small to medium sized balls of the urad dal stuffing. Cover and keep aside. If the mixture feels sticky, then apply some oil or ghee on your palms and then make the balls.

The paste which is stuck at the bottom and sides of the pan can be scraped off and then added to the filling while making the balls.

Assembling, stuffing and preparing radhaballabhi:

25. After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 10 to 12 balls. Cover them with a moist cloth and keep them aside.

26. Take one ball and spread a bit of oil on both sides.

27. Flatten it with your fingers or with a rolling pin (belan).

28. Place the urad dal stuffing ball on the dough and flatten the urad dal stuffing ball slightly. Bring the edges of the dough together.

29. Then begin to join the edges at the center. Excess dough can be pinched off and removed.

30. Seal well and ensure that the puri does not have cracks.

31. Flatten the puri with your fingers.

32. Then gently roll the puri with a rolling pin to get a medium to slightly thin puri. You can stuff and prepare all puris this way. Keep them covered under a moist muslin or cotton cloth, so that they do not dry up.

Frying radhaballavi

33. Heat oil for frying and keep the heat to medium. To check the temperature while frying, add a small piece of dough to the oil. If it comes gradually & steadily to the surface, then the dal puris are ready to be fried. 

If the dough comes quickly, the oil is too hot. So lower the heat. If it does not come on the surface, then the oil is cold. So increase the heat.

34. Gently slid or place on dal puri in medium hot oil.

35. After a few seconds, the puri will come up and start puffing.

36. Gently nudge each puri with a spoon, so that it puffs up well.

37. Fry till the base becomes light golden.

38. Then gently turn the dal puri with a slotted spoon. Fry the second side also till it becomes light golden.

39. Gently press the sides with the slotted spoon while frying so that the edges are also fried well.

40. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil back in the kadai. Since the puri are stuffed with dal paste, a few puri may not puff up if they have not been sealed and rolled well.

41. Place radhaballavi on a kitchen paper towel so that excess oil is absorbed. Fry all the dal puri this way. If the filling has got over and some dough is still left, then you can make puri from it.

42. Serve radhaballavi hot or warm with Bengali dum aloo or Cholar dal.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Radhaballavi Recipe post from the archives first published on September 2017 has been republished and updated in January 2023.