Dahi Vada is a popular chaat from India. It is dal vadas/fritters dunked and soaked in a flavoured or unflavoured yogurt. This is a popular coolant during Holi festival in India. Its famous by various names in India. Particularly Dahi Bhallas in northern India , Dahi Vada in western and so on.
Dahi Vadas are served as a scrumptious appetizer before many meals. It is either served with sweet yogurt or salty/sour. It’s different with each part it originates from.
Indians are crazy for chaat/ street food which is particularly served with coriander chutney/dip and Tamarind date chutney. These two dips are the life of any chaat being served. The links to these are here. I always have these handy as these go down well with my favorite samosa, papri chaat, Paani puri, dabeli, vada pav etc. you name it and they are like married to each other.
What goes in Dahi Bhalla
Dahi vada /bhalla is made by soaking Urad dal and moong dal vada or just urad dal vada in yogurt. The vada is made by soaking the dal for at least 2 hours and then grind thick to form a paste. This batter is then beaten well or whisked well to make it light. The more you beat the more porous and light the vada comes out.
These vadas are deep fried crispy and soaked in water to soften. The water is squeezed out and the vadas are then drenched in the thick yogurt and garnished with the flavored spices and dips.
The delicious dahi vada/bhalla is best when served chilled.
What can go wrong in the vada/bhalla
The vada can be a crucial part in this dish. lets check what are few things to remember.
- Wash and clean the dal/lentil well. Soak the dals in double the water. Keep room for the dal to rise. The well soaked dal can give softer vadas.
- While grinding remove all the water and grind less quantity dal in a high power grinder. Les dal can grind fine. If you add water the batter can become runny. It will be hard to hold the vada then.
- Once you grind the batter make sure to fry the vada as soon as possible. The more time you keep the batter idle the more oily your vada can be.
- The vada batter needs to be beaten / whisked well. The better you whisk the batter becomes light and fluffy. The vadas turn out pollen and soft. They come out very light.
- Soaking the vadas in water: You can use lukewarm water for hot vadas to soak. If the vads are light enough they soften quickly in hot/warm water.
- If the vads are cold you need to soak them in hot water to soften. It might take time this way.
- Squeeze out the vadas gently from water depending upon how soft they are they will soak in about 15-40 minutes. They might break, so be gentle.
- Refrigerate after squeezing, they will take a good shape.
- They are ready to serve with chilled dahi/yogurt on top!!
So ready for your next plating?? Check the video recipe for the same.
I used urad and moong dal but you can use only urad dal too.
Lets try the recipe for dahi vada and chill out the summers a bit. Let us know in comments how it was?
Dahi Bhallas/Dahi Vada
Equipment
- High speed grinder
- Deep wok(kadhai)for frying
Ingredients
- 3 cup Urad dal split black gram lentils
- 1 cup Moong dal petite yellow lentils
- Non flavoured yogurt
- Green chillies
- Curry leaves
- Ginger about 2 inches
- Coriander chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Red chilli powder
- Cumin powder
- Sev (thin crunchy snack noodle)
- Sugar
- Salt
Instructions
For the Vada/Bhalla
- Wash and soak 3 cups urad dal and 1 cup moong dal for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours remove the water and grind a thick paste of the dals. (No water)
- While you grind you can add green chillies, curry leaves, an inch ginger and salt to the mixture.
- The batter should be nice and thick. Now beat the batter with a hand whisk/electric whisk/ kitchenaid whisk attachment
- The more you beat the more fluffy and lighter the batter. The vada comes out soft and pollen if beaten properly.
- Now heat oil in a deep kadhai/pot
- With a scoop or hand drop lemon sized batter balls in hot oil. If the batter is light enough the vadas will fluff in oil. they might even flip on own if the batter is fluffy.
- Flip and turn to cook /fry them evenly on all sides. They should be nice and golden crispy on the cover.
- Now in a another pot keep water for boiling. Add a teaspoon salt and allow the water to boil and switch off the flame.
- Now drop the fried vadas in this water. Leave them in the hot water for at least 15 min. If water is lukewarm they need to be soaked more. If vada is cold they need to be soaked for an hour or so.
- Now lightly squeeze each vada and keep it aside in a separate container. You can keep them in refrigerator.
Yogurt
- Take 2 cups of thick yogurt in a bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup milk and 2 tablespoon water and whisk/beat the yogurt until soft.
- Add sugar as per taste. Advised 2-3 tablespoon, pinch of salt and 2 tablespoon squeezed ginger juice.
Assembling Dahi Vada
- Line up the vadas in a plate.
- Pour the ginger flavoured yogurt on each vada generously to soak .
- Now top it with coriander chutney, Tamarind chutney, Chilli powder, cumin powder and sev.
- You can even garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.
Notes
- The yogurt can be sour too. Some prefer it sweet in taste and add sugar, some prefer it just with a bit of salt and that’s it.
- You can even garnish it with pomegranates.
- A blend of moong and urad dal gives a nice grainy texture to the vadas and they are typically chosen in Maharashtra or western India. But some people may only use urad dal and make vadas which is fine too.
- If the batter becomes flowy (too much water) than add 2-3 tablespoon sooji(rawa) or rice flour and mix the batter to make crispy vadas.
- You can even make vadas out of chickpea flour.
- Dahi vada tastes yummy when refrigerated.
Check out the other recipes on the blog:
If you like and try this recipe do write reviews in the comment section below.
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