Eid Recipe Series - Third Edition: Chatpati Dahi Phulki

Prep time: 15-20 minutes 

Let’s face it. From the eve of the chaand raat we begin thoosing so much that by the time it is the morning of Eid, we are swollen balloons. Going from one rishtaydaar ka ghar to another, we keep thoosing further and soon reach the verge of a violent ‘thaaaa!’. In such situations, dahi pulki tends to be an easy eat, ‘cause you gotta eat na, warna Farzana chachi may not like that you didn’t eat anything from her dastarkhawaan. Or, Najma phuppo may accuse you of dieting. Hence, this dahi phulki is a life saver.

I know that dahi phulki/barhey are an essential as well as acritical feature of the Pakistani iftar table. Yet, my family never tends to get sick of it. We all love it, and make it throughout the year. My mum’s been a champion of it, and even those who have never had the jigar to acknowledge her skill in the kitchen will not deny that when it comes to dahi phulki, she’s a master. I’ve learnt the art from her and have made a few of my personal modifications. Here my sisters, I pass the legacy down to you.

Ingredients:

500 grams plain yogurt (usually 1 dabba)

¾ cup milk

¼ cup water

1 medium sized potato

2 cups ready made phulki (or home made if you prefer)

2 tbsps chopped onion

1 tomato (chopped)

2 tbsps chopped coriander

1 small green chili (chopped)

½ boiled chickpeas

¼ tsp garlic paste

Paaprhi

Bhel (can skip if you don’t like it)

Imli chatni

¼ tsp sugar

Masalas: salt, pepper, cumin, red chili powder, chaat masala

Method:

• Boil some water and soak the phulki in a bowl. Keep aside for softening

• Boil a potato

• While it boils, begin preparing the yogurt. In a big bowl, dish out the yogurt and add the water and milk while whisking. If you want thinner consistency, add a some more milk. Make sure the consistency is creamy and not watery

• Now add the masalas (according to taste) and the garlic paste (gives the dahi a totally bazaari spin). Mix well

• Once the potato is done, peel and dice it into small cubes and add to the mixture

• Now, add onion, tomato, green chili and half the chopped coriander

• When the phulki is soft (in about 10 minutes), remove the excess water and add the phulki to the yogurt mixture. Mix gently to keep the phulki from breaking

• Remove the mixture into your serving dish. [Pro tip: Never do the mixing in the dish you intend to use for serving because it gets super messy during the prep and you want to serve in a gandi,mayli looking dish]

• Now sprinkle paprhi generously, along with the bhel

• Garnish with the remaining chopped coriander.

• Chill well and serve with imli chatni. [Pro tip: If your family is a fan of very chatpati cheezein, then add 2 tsps of imli chatni to your yogurt mixture for an extra tangy punch]

More pro tips:

You can prepare the dish a day in advance and add some milk if it gets too thick the next day. Make sure the you add the crunchy garnishing right before serving. Warna soggy scene.

You can prepare the yogurt mix with the phulki, garlic and masalas and then serve the rest of the additions as side condiments. That way the guests can build their own chaat plate, making the process fun and also a little different.