Dahi vada is a type of chaat (snack) originating from the Indian subcontinent.
Dahi vada is also known as "dahi vade" (दही वडे) in Marathi, dahi barey/dahi balley (دہی بھلے/دہی بڑے) in Urdu, dahi vada (दही वड़ा) in Hindi, dahi bhalla (ਦਹੀ ਭੱਲਾ) in Punjabi, thayir vadai in Tamil,[3] thairu vada in Malayalam, perugu vada in Telugu, mosaru vade in Kannada, dahi bara (ଦହି ବରା) in Odia and doi bora (দই বড়া) in Bengali.
Fluffy, tender, soft, tangy and sweet Dahi Vada are a combination of all your favorite flavors and textures in one tasty snack. They consist of homemade fried lentil dumpling fritters, dunked in creamy whipped yogurt and topped with both spicy and sweet chutneys.
History
A recipe for dahi wada (as kshiravata) is mentioned in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka.
Summarised Preparation
Washed urad lentils are soaked overnight and ground into a batter for the vada, then cooked in hot oil.The hot deep-fried vadas are first put in water and then transferred to thick beaten yogurt. The vadas are soaked for a period of time before serving.Additions to the batter may include golden raisins. Vadas may be topped with coriander or mint leaves, chilli powder, crushed black pepper, chaat masala, cumin, shredded coconut, green chilies, boondi, thinly sliced fresh ginger, or pomegranate. Sweeter curd is preferred in some places in India, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat, although the garnishing remains the same. A combination of coriander and tamarind chutney is often used as a garnish.The batter can be made using chickpea flour too.
How to make Dahi Vada
Step-by-Step Guide
Soak and Grind Lentils
1. Soak 1 cup heaped urad dal (200 grams husked and split black lentils) overnight or for at least 4 to 5 hours.
Later drain all the water using a colander or strainer. If you prefer, you can rinse the soaked urad dal prior to grinding the lentils.
2. Then add the drained and soaked lentils in your trusted blender or mixer-grinder.
3. Add in the following spices and herbs:
½ teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano/thai chillies
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
salt as needed
4. Blend or grind adding ¼ cup to ½ cup water in parts to a smooth fluffy batter.
Depending on the quality, age of lentils and soaking time the water amount can vary from ½ to ¾ cup. Keep in mind that the batter has a thick to medium-thick flowing consistency.
Grind in two batches or one batch depending on the capacity and size of your blender or mixer-grinder.
Tip 1: Adding a lot of water will make the batter thin which will result in a flat vada that absorbs more oil. A thin or runny batter will always absorb more oil while frying.
Tip 2: If the batter becomes thin or watery, add some rice flour or sooji (rava, semolina) to the batter and mix thoroughly to thicken it. Do not add too much of sooji as it can make the vada have a dense and hard texture.
Tip 3: To check if the batter has the right consistency, place a few drops of batter in a bowl of water. The batter having the right consistency will float on top of the water surface. If the batter has become thin, it will sink or dissolve in the water.
Aerate The Batter
5. Take the ground batter in a bowl with a help of a silicon spatula. Then briskly and vigorously whip the batter for two to three minutes with a spoon, whisk or spatula.
Whipping the batter aerates it and makes it more fluffy and light. As a result, you get softer and porous vada. A photo below showing the consistency of the batter.
6. Stir in 1 tablespoon raisins (chopped) and 12 to 15 cashews (chopped roughly). These are optional ingredients and you can skip them if you want.
Check Oil Temperature
7. Heat oil as needed for deep frying in a kadai (Indian wok) or pan. Heat oil on medium heat. The oil should reach a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees Celsius.
To check without a thermometer, add some droplets of the batter with a spoon. It should sizzle and come up on the surface of oil swiftly and gradually.
If the batter droplets stay at the bottom of the pan, the oil is cold. If it comes up very quickly and becomes too browned or burnt, the oil is very hot.
Fry Vada
8. Once the oil has reached the correct heat or temperature, now you can either drop the batter carefully with your fingers (without touching the hot oil) or with a spoon in medium hot oil.
Fry the vada in batches until crisp and golden. I prefer to use a spoon.
You can moisten the spoon sparingly with a bit of water, so that the batter slides easily from it. But don’t add more water on the spoon as the water droplets may fall in the hot oil and can burst and create serious burns. So take care.
Make the vada having more or less the same size. If you end up making different sizes, than the smaller sized vada will fry quickly and the larger sized vada will take more time. So do take a note of it and remove the smaller vada when they look golden and crisp all over.
Do not overcrowd the pan or kadai. Overcrowding the pan will lower the oil temperature and as a result the vadas will soak more oil. The vada also expand a bit while frying.
9. Let the bottom side become light golden and crisp. Then only turn these or they will break in the oil.
10. Flip again and for a couple of times more while frying. This ensures even cooking and you should see a uniform golden color all over.
11. Place the vada on paper towels. This way fry the remaining vada in batches using up the entire batter.
If you want use half portion of the batter, then refrigerate the batter for a couple of days or freeze it for a month.
Soak Vada In Water
12. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and while they are still hot, add the vada in water (at room temperature) and let them soak for 12 to 15 minutes. The vada will release some of the oil and absorb water increasing a bit in size with a color change.
13. Press each soaked vada between your palms to remove water. Gently press or else you might end up breaking them
14. Press all the soaked vada this way and keep them aside in a plate or you can arrange them in the bowl or tray that you will be serving dahi vada.
Assemble & Make Dahi Vada
15. Beat 2.5 cups chilled curd (yogurt) until smooth. Check the taste of the curd before you assemble.
The curd should not taste sour, bitter or acidic. It should be fresh with a pleasant sweet-sour taste. I suggest to use Homemade Curd.
16. Keep your chutneys ready.
Take the following listed ingredients in a small blender or mixer and blend until smooth.
2 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ to 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
½ teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
salt as required
2 to 3 tablespoons of water or as needed
17. In a large serving bowl or a tray arrange the vada which you had set aside after squeezing the water.
18. Pour the beaten curd evenly all over the vada covering them completely.
19. Pour the green coriander chutney and sweet tamarind chutney as you like.
Ingredients
For Vada Batter
1 cup urad dal (heaped) – 200 grams
½ teaspoon chopped green chili or serrano or thai chili or 1 green chilli
1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
¼ to ½ cup water or add as needed
1 tablespoon raisins – chopped
12 to 15 cashews – chopped
salt as required – or ⅔ teaspoon food grade edible rock salt (sendha namak)
Other Ingredients
2.5 cups Curd (yogurt) – chilled
½ to 1 teaspoon chaat masala or as required
¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne, add as needed
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
black salt – add as required, optional
¼ cup pomegranate arils – optional
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
For Coriander Chutney
2 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ to 1 teaspoon dry mango powder or 1 to 1.5 teaspoons dried pomegranate seeds
½ teaspoon chopped garlic or 1 to 2 small to medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped green chillies or serrano pepper
½ teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
salt as needed
2 to 3 tablespoons water or as required
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
