Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla Chaat

Dahi vada is a popular Indian chaat recipe made with deep-fried lentil fritters soaked and topped with yogurt, spicy green chutney and tamarind chutney. I am sharing with you this foolproof recipe to make soft dahi vada and Punjabi dahi Bhalla chaat.

No celebration, holi, Diwali festival or dinner in my house was complete without Dahi Bhalla. You can enjoy Dahi vada as a snack for parties, or as a side dish for any meal.

What Is Dahi Vada?

Dahi vada is a popular Indian street food chaat. Dahi bhalle literally is Dahi is yogurt and vada is lentil fritter.

In North India, this particular dish is known as Dahi Bhalla.  In central India, it is mostly known as dahi vada or dahi bada. In southern India, it is known as Thair vada.

In this post, I am sharing with you two methods of serving dahi vada. The first way is to serve as a side dish for any meal. The second way is to serve these lentil balls as popular street food of India as Dahi Bhalla chaat.

This is a traditional dahi vada recipe for you. In case you want instant gratification this Instant Bread Dahi vada recipe is a perfect solution to satisfy your chaat craving.

Ingredients for Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada recipe is easy to make and you can find all ingredients to make dahi vada easily in most kitchens.

Skinned Urad Dal: Also known as dhuli Urad dal or white urad. It is easily available online or in Indian grocery stores. 

Salt: to taste

Oil to Fry: You can use any high smoke point oil for deep frying vada.

Dahi Vada Toppings

Curd: Thick chilled curd is whisked with salt, sugar and a pinch of pink salt to a smooth creamy consistency. 

Sweet Tamarind Chutney: Sweet tamarind chutney or dates and tamarind chutney drizzled over yogurt soaked vada tastes so good! Homemade Tamarind Chutney Recipe

Green chutney: This spicy and tangy green chutney made with mint and coriander balances the sweetness of curd nicely. Green Chutney Recipe

Spices: Roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala, black salt etc.

Other toppings: pomegranate, finely chopped boiled potatoes, fresh coriander, chopped mint, ginger juliennes, sev (bhujia) etc can be added in dahi Bhalla chaat.

How To Make Punjabi Dahi Bhalla Chaat

Vada 

Wash and rinse skinned urad dal and yellow dal till water runs clear. Soak skinned dals for 4-5 hours and then drain the water. Grind this soaked dal with a couple of tablespoons of water and salt into dal batter to make dahi vada. 

A small portion of this seasoned batter is deep-fried in oil to make lentil balls or into a doughnut shape. 

These deep-fried lentil batter fritters are then soaked in salted water.

Dahi

Dahi is also known as yogurt and curd. Homemade Curd is the best for everything! You can easily make Dahi at home with this Recipe. When you do not have time store-bought yogurt or curd works too. Add a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt to make sweet dahi for topping dahi Bhalla chaat. 

Assemble Vada with toppings to make dahi bhalla chaat.

• After soaking in water for 10-15 minutes, gently squeeze out extra water.
• On a plate add a few vada and top generously with sweetened curd/ dahi/yogurt.
• Now add a pinch of black salt on top of it. Also add a pinch of red chilli, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, on top of this curd soaked dahi bhalle.
• Finally, put a tablespoon of sweet tamarind chutney and spicy green chutney. And garnish with fresh coriander or choice of toppings that I have shared in the ingredient section above.

Serve Dahi Vada as Side dish

Another common way to serve dada vada is as a side dish. When you are planning to serve dahi vada as a side dish in an Indian meal. Usually, you just skip tamarind chutney and green chutney.

For this after squeezing out dal vada pour chilled sweetened curd over it. Sprinkle black salt and regular salt as per your taste. Top with a generous sprinkle of red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and some fresh pomegranate arils and chopped mint and fresh coriander.

Recipe Notes

• While making vada, make sure to aerate the batter with a hand whisk or using a stand mixer or hand blender. It incorporates air and helps in making soft and melt in mouth dahi bada.
• The shelf life of dahi vada is not very good at room temperature, especially during summer. So Store them in the fridge.
• To make similar size dahi vadas you can use an ice-cream mini scoop to drop vada into the hot oil.
• The oil to fry vada should be heated to a medium-hot temperature. If the oil is cold, it will soak a lot of oil, too hot oil can result in cooked outside but raw inside vada. So medium heat is perfect to fry vada.

Tips to Make Soft Vada that Melts in Mouth

• Usually, Dahi vada is made with urad dal. But I have been making this dahi bhalla with a mix of skinned urad dal and skinned moong dal in a ratio of 3:1. Per 3/4 cup of urad dal.
• Always soak dal for a minimum of 3-4hours.
• While grinding dal do not add too much water. I try to use only a couple of tablespoons because during soaking lentils absorb enough water.
• Seasoning of batter is important. Add salt which is required for the batter.
• Aerate the batter: this is a MUST for making the softest bhalla. Either beat the dal batter manually or use a blender or whisk in a stand mixer to make the batter fluffy. After whipping the batter becomes fluffy and when you drop a spoon full of batter it will float. That means the batter is perfect to fry the vada.
•  I use a stand mixer for larger quantities or a blender if the batter is in small amounts. 
• When deep frying vada does not overcrowd the pan and keep the heat on medium. On high flame, the centre of vada may remain uncooked or on low flame they become hard.

Storing Suggestions

When you want to serve dahi vada on the same day You can prepare a platter ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Just take it out at a dinner party or a family lunch.

If you plan to make it ahead a few days earlier than you plan to eat them you can store fried vada in the refrigerator for 2-3 days easily. Soak them in warm salted water whenever you want to serve them and assemble them as I have described in the recipe section.

To Freeze Dahi vada

These vada freeze well. You can make a big batch and store fried Bhalla in the freezer. Before freezing cool down vadas completely and line the ziplock bag with a paper towel and then you can store the fried vada in a ziplock back or freezer-safe container. These freeze easily for 8-12 weeks.

Reheat and Serve

When you are planning to serve, take out the required quantity and reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes. After that soak in salted water as usual and assemble the way you want to as Dahi Bhalla chaat or as a side dish of dahi vada. 

More Indian Chaat Recipes For You 

• Instant Bread Dahi Vada
• Aloo tikki chaat
• Matar ki Tikki Chaat
• Aloo Laccha Tokri Chaat
• Chana Chaat
• Masoor Dal Paneer Tikki
• Matar Chaat
• Corn Bhel
• Matar Kulcha

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