Odacha Puri | Coimbatore Special Street Food Recipe

Coimbatore is known for its unique and delicious street foods like Kalan, Mutta Kalan, and Boli. Among these popular dishes, Odacha Puri holds a special place. Famous at a small shop in Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, this dish is a delightful combination of crispy puris and a flavorful pea curry. The curry is a bit slurry, with the peas mashed just right, giving it a comforting texture. Unlike other recipes that use whole peas, in Odacha Puri, the peas are almost fully mashed, adding to its creamy consistency while still retaining a bit of crunch.

Odacha Puri stands out for its simplicity, yet the explosion of flavors in each bite makes it a must-try. While the street vendors usually add gram flour to the curry for thickness, we are keeping it slightly lighter by skipping the gram flour and letting the natural flavors of the peas and spices shine through.

Video recipe:

Ingredients

For the Pea Curry:

• 1 cup dried peas (soaked overnight)
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp salt

For the Masala Paste:

• 5 cloves garlic
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 2 green chillies
• A few mint leaves
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced

For the Seasoning:

• 1 tsp oil
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ¾ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1/8 tsp cumin powder
• 1/8 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

For Serving:

• Small crispy puris (made with maida and gram flour)
• Chopped onions
• Grated carrots
• Chopped tomatoes
• Coriander leaves

Instructions

1. Cook the Peas:
   • Drain the water from the soaked peas.
   • In a pressure cooker, add the peas, 2 cups of water, and ½ tsp of salt.
   • Cook for 4-5 whistles until the peas are soft.
   • Once done, lightly mash the peas, leaving some chunks for texture.
2. Prepare the Masala Paste:
   • Grind garlic, ginger, green chillies, mint leaves, tomato, and onion into a smooth paste.
3. Cook the Masala:
   • Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the ground paste.
   • Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder, and 1/8 tsp salt.
   • Cook the mixture on low-medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Mix in the Peas:
   • Add the cooked peas to the masala, mixing well to combine the flavors.
   • Adjust salt if needed and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
5. Assemble the Odacha Puri:
   • Crush the small crispy puris on a serving plate.
   • Pour the pea curry on top of the crushed puris.
   • Garnish with chopped onions, grated carrots, chopped tomatoes, and fresh coriander leaves.
   • Serve hot and enjoy this street food classic at home!

Step pics

soak the white peas in water overnight

drain the water from the soaked peas

take it in a cooker

add 2 cups water

salt required

pressure cook for 4-5 whistles

open once pressure settles, mash it well

our sundal masala is ready. keep it aside until use.

in a blender, take ginger, garlic, green chilli

mint leaves

chopped tomato

sliced onions and grind them all to a fine paste

heat oil in a kadai

pour the onion tomato paste

add all the masalas required. check the ingredients section for the details.

add salt for the curry

close partially and cook until oil leaves out the masala

stir in between if required. keep the flame low to avoid scorching to the bottom.

mix once and our base masala is cooked

pour in the cooked and mashed peas

mix well and boil it for 5-10 minutes.

in a serving plate, crush the small puris.

add chopped onions

pour in the peas curry

add grated carrots, onions and chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves.

serve it hot and enjoy!

Expert Tips:

1. Texture Matters: For the authentic street food experience, mash the peas well but leave some small chunks for texture, similar to how ragda is prepared.
2. No Gram Flour Needed: While street vendors add gram flour to thicken the curry, this recipe skips it, making it lighter with just the natural thickness of the mashed peas.
3. Crispy Puri Tip: The puris used in Odacha Puri are not puffy. They are crispy, similar to thattai, and made with a mix of maida and gram flour, giving them their signature crunch.