Dabeli Pita Bread Pizza is an Indian fusion recipe. It's made with Dabeli masala, spiced peanuts, pomegranate, sev, cheese & mini pita bread! It's delicious to taste and very easy to make. Add this vegetarian snack to your holiday menu this year! It can easily be made vegan!
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What is Dabeli
Also known as Kutchi Dabeli or double roti, it's a popular snack food of India, originating in the Kutch or Kachchh region of Gujarat. It's a spiced mashed potato dish that's seasoned with a special Dabeli masala, peanuts, sev, and pomegranate. It's then sandwiched between a buttered pav and served. Besides the butter, this recipe is naturally vegan-friendly!
This snack is so popular that it's served across India and also around the world. All the ingredients used to make Kutchi Dabeli give it a very unique flavor. I have tried many Dabeli recipes over the years and have now finally settled on this one. My Dabeli recipe is easy, simple, and still delicious to taste.
Pita bread pizza
I have created a fusion recipe by combining the flavors of Dabeli and Pizza! It's a great infusion! You get to enjoy two different dishes in one. If you love such fusions, then also check out Paneer Naan Pizza and Pizza Bruschetta! But this time, I used pita bread as a pizza base. Why? Because it's a healthier choice! Plus it's easily available and quick to use, and the mini ones make perfect bite-sized snacks. I love using mini pita bread in my kitchen a lot.
Indian street food
I have a separate category dedicated to Indian street food! We Indians love our street food and every town, city, and state has its own range of dishes that they love. In the last couple of years, lots of fusion recipes have entered the street food scene in India. Lots of international dishes have been fused with Indian flavors to suit our palate. These two are my favorite categories to create new recipes!
Why make this
- This recipe can be made vegan or non-vegan
- Very delicious because it's loaded with sweet, spicy, sour, and salty flavors
- A new way of presenting a classic dish
- Quick, easy, and simple to make
- Crowd-pleaser
Ingredients needed 🧾
Pizza base - I have used mini pita bread for this recipe. Read my notes below for substitutions.
Potatoes - Russet potatoes or any potatoes you would use to make mashed potatoes will work for this recipe.
Other fruits and veggies - Onion and pomegranate arils give this snack a mildly sweet and tart flavor.
Dabeli masala - This is a specific spice blend that's used to make Dabeli. It's easily found at Indian grocery stores or on Amazon. You can also use this spice mix in other recipes. I have shared a quick fix recipe to make this masala at home if needed, in the notes section below.
Other spices and herbs - cilantro, ginger paste, garlic paste, green chillies/serrano peppers, chilly powder, asafoetida, cumin powder, and amchur powder are needed. You can also add chaat masala to give it more flavor.
Peanuts, sev, green chutney, meetha chutney, and cheese are added as toppings to make this desi pizza lip-smacking!
How to make it 🔪
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Chef Tip - Cook the potatoes first. Then peel and grate or simply mash them using a potato masher.
- Heat oil in a pan, add chilly powder, salt, and chaat masala (if using). Fry for 10 seconds and then add the peanuts. Fry for 30 seconds till they turn crispy. Transfer them to a bowl.
- Heat oil in the same pan and saute onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, and minced green chillies. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Then add all the spice mixes like Dabeli masala, amchur powder, chilly powder, asafoetida, and cumin powder. Mix and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Now add the grated potatoes, sweet/meetha chutney, cilantro (reserve some for garnish), and pomegranate arils.
- Then add part of the masala peanuts, and salt.
- Lastly, add the grated or mashed potatoes and mix it all together. Cook it for 1-2 minutes and take it off the flame. Stuffing is ready.
- Toast or grill the mini pita breads.
- Smear green chutney all over it.
- Layer it with a generous helping of Dabeli mixture.
- Arrange onion slices and pomegranate arils over them.
- Top it with grated cheese and chopped cilantro.
- Garnish it with sev, masala peanuts and pomegranate arils.
Serving suggestions 🍽
You can serve them immediately if your potato mixture is hot or warm. The cheese will melt automatically. But if the potato mixture is cold, then quickly broil these Dabeli pita bread pizzas in the oven for 2-3 minutes or till the cheese melts. You can also warm it up in a skillet. Cover the skillet and cook till the cheese melts. Serve them warm with some Air Fried Garlic Bread.
Since these are mini pita bread, there is no need to slice them, but you can still slice and serve. Enjoy this as a snack or as a meal! Add this Dabeli pita bread pizza recipe to your holiday menu (Thanksgiving, Diwali, Christmas, or Holi). It's new and different and will make your holiday party a smashing hit! If you love hosting then save this recipe. It's a dish that will get you lots of compliments!
Top recipe tips 💭
Instead of pomegranate arils, you can also use red grapes. Chop them and add. Add a mix of beets and sweet potatoes along with potatoes to make it more nourishing. Feel free to add more cooked and mashed veggies and greens to the mix. Tone down the spice level if making for children. Add store-bought masala peanuts to save time making them. If you are not vegan, use Amul cheese. It tastes very good.
Recipe FAQs 📖
You can quickly make Dabei masala at home. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, dry red chilies, dry coconut, bay leaves, and sugar. Then grind this to a dry powder and store it in an airtight container. You can leave it in the pantry. Use this in any recipe that calls for Dabeli masala. It can be used in any other recipe as well. One close substitute of Dabeli masala is garam masala. However, the flavors will differ.
Mini Pita breads can be toasted in the oven. You can also microwave it for 30 seconds and use it. Alternatively, you can grill them to get an earthy flavor. Another way is to cook it in a skillet with little oil.
In place of mini pita bread, you can also use regular-sized pita bread. You can also use any store-bought or homemade pizza base. Another fusion way is to use naan bread like I used to make Paneer Pizza or any other Indian flatbread like roti, paratha, or kulcha. Even a regular bread slice will work. For a gluten-free and low-carb version, you can also use a cauliflower pizza base. Alternatively, you can also enjoy it as a stuffed sandwich or stuffed pav.
Make the Dabeli mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It stays well for 4-5 days. It can also be frozen. If you have some leftover pizza, cover and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat and enjoy! You can also freeze these pizzas for a couple of months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge. Add fresh toppings and then bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.
You can serve Dabeli the original way by following this recipe. Instead of pita bread, use a pav or a water roll. Stuffing and toppings remain the same.
More fusion recipes
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Recipe 📖
Dabeli Pita Bread Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
To make the masala peanuts
- ⅓ cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala optional
- salt
To make the potato stuffing
- 5 potatoes
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 3 green chillies
- 2 tablespoon Dabeli masala
- 2 teaspoon amchur powder
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 tp cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 tablespoon meetha chutney
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- salt
To make the pizza
- 8 mini pita breads
- 8 tablespoon green chutney
- ½ cup sliced onions
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup sev
Instructions
To cook the potatoes
- Cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot or in the Microwave.
- Then peel and grate or simply mash them using a potato masher.
To make the masala peanuts
- Heat oil in a pan, add chilly powder, salt, and chaat masala (if using).
- Fry for 10 seconds and then add the peanuts.
- Fry for 30 seconds till they turn crispy.
- Transfer them to a bowl.
To make the potato stuffing
- Heat oil in the same pan (without rinsing it) and saute onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, minced green chillies. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Now add the mashed potatoes.
- Then add all the spice mixes like Dabeli masala, amchur powder, chilly powder, asafoetida, and cumin powder. Mix and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Now add the meetha chutney, and half of chopped cilantro.
- Then add the pomegranate arils, and masala peanuts, along salt. Reserve some for garnish.
- Mix it all together. Cook it for 1-2 minutes and take it off the flame. Taste and add salt if needed.
To make the pizza
- Toast or grill the mini pita bread.
- Smear green chutney all over it.
- Layer it with a generous helping of Dabeli mixture.
- Arrange onion slices and pomegranate arils over them.
- Top it with grated cheese and chopped cilantro.
- Garnish it with sev, and masala peanuts. Serve.
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