Odia Piaji is famous street food from Odisha. The word 'Piaji' is a derivative of 'Piaja' (onion in Odia). This is quite similar to chana dal vada in texture but tastes wise it is different. This Piaji is prepared same like chana dal vada but they add baking soda here. It is so soft inside and crispy from outside.
By now my regular readers would have understood that I came again with another regional recipe for the Facebook group Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge. My partner for this month for Odia cuisine Challenge is Poonam Bachhav who blogs at Annapurna. Do check her beautiful blog for delicious and mouthwatering recipes. She gave garlic and Ajawin seeds as my secret ingredients and I gave her ginger and panch phoran as her secret ingredients and she came up with a delicious Odia Dalma recipe.
STEP BY STEP PICTURES OF MAKING ODIA PIAJI RECIPE
Ingredients:
Recipe Adapted from here
- Chana dal /Bengal gram – 1cup
- Finely chopped onion -1 medium
- Garlic cloves – 4
- Dry red chillies – 2 or 3
- Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
- Baking Soda- ¼ tsp
- Ajwain seeds/caraway seeds – ¼ tsp
- Chopped green chillies – 2or 3
- Mint leaves – ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder -¼ tsp
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
Wash and soak Chana dal in enough water for 1-2 hours.
After 1-2 hours drain the water from the dal using the colander and keep aside.
Take a blender jar, add the soaked dal, garlic cloves, dry red chillies and grind them into a coarse paste without adding any water.
Transfer the dal mixture into a bowl.
Add baking soda, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and mix well.
Now add the chopped onions, mint leaves, green chillies along with required salt.
Heat a frying pan with enough oil for deep frying the fritters.
Once the oil is hot, take a small mixture into your palm and press slightly to form a disc shape.
Drop carefully into the oil and fry on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes turning both sides or until they turn into golden brown colour.
Transfer the cooked fritters on to a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.
Repeat the same process with the remaining batter, drop only 3-4 at a time don’t overcrowd the pan.
Enjoy this crispy and delicious Piaji with your favourite chutney or sauce.
FEW MORE DELICIOUS SNACK RECIPES
Odia Piaji Recipe | Easy Snack From Odisha
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- Chana dal /Bengal gram – 1cup
- Finely chopped onion -1 medium
- Garlic cloves – 4
- Dry red chillies – 2 or 3
- Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
- Baking Soda- ¼ tsp
- Ajwain seeds/caraway seeds – ¼ tsp
- Chopped green chillies – 2or 3
- Mint leaves – ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder -¼ tsp
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and soak Chana dal in enough water for 1-2 hours.
- After 1-2 hours drain the water from the dal using the colander and keep aside.
- Take a blender jar, add the soaked dal, garlic cloves, dry red chillies and grind them into a coarse paste without adding any water.
- Transfer the dal mixture into a bowl.
- Add baking soda, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and mix well.
- Now add the chopped onions, mint leaves, green chillies along with required salt.
- Heat a frying pan with enough oil for deep frying the fritters.
- Once the oil is hot, take a small mixture into your palm and press slightly to form a disc shape.
- Drop carefully into the oil and fry on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes turning both sides or until they turn into golden brown colour.
- Transfer the cooked fritters on to a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining batter, drop only 3-4 at a time don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Enjoy this crispy and delicious Piaji with your favourite chutney or sauce.
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This does look quite similar to our masala vada! 🙂
Love the look and sound of the Odia Piaji. Crispy and crunchy and delicious, it would make for just the perfect evening snack!
Crispy from outside and soft from within, these Odia Piaji sounds like a perfect tea time snack.
Wow.. love this snack. Feel like having with hot filter coffee now 🙂 and yeah, this recipe is similar to Masala vada.
I am amazed at how we have different variations of one recipe. I would say this another version of the vada, but yet so different. Awesome preparation and delicious presentation.
Nice crispy and crunchy starter.. perfect for the rainy season.
This looks just so good! I can imagine biting into the crisp crunchiness of the vada, with the flavours of fried onion, ajwain and mint! Delicious!
ooh such a nice twist to our masala vadai...the garlic and ajwain would give such a beautiful taste..very nice. The picture looks so inviting.
it looks so similar to the south Indian vadai. So tempted to try this right now so that I can feel the difference in the recipe.
Odia piaji looks so crispy and delicious. We make besan piaji but chana dal piaji with garlic, ajwain and mint leaves sounds more delicious and flavourful. Lovely share.
Odia Piaji remind me of the vadas I use to have in Bangalore with my daughter. They look so crispy and crunchy. Adding ajawain adds a distinct flavour to any bajji.
ahaaaa i just had this snack today 🙂 its a hit at my place and you have prepared so perfectly dear