Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla Chat

Dahi vada or dahi bhalla recipe to make the softest dahi vada/ fried lentil dumplings topped with creamy yogurt, a variety of chutney, spices and crunchy toppings. It is an extremely popular street food snack and a tasty side dish.

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: north indian

Keyword: Chaat Recipe, dahi bhalla, dahi vada, indian street food

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Rekha Kakkar

Ingredients

1 cup Urad dal
¼ cup moong dal
to taste Salt
1 teaspoon Chopped ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder Red
½ teaspoon Cumin Roasted powder
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoon tamarind sauce
2 tbsp green chutney
1 teaspoon chaat masala
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

Make Dahi Vada Batter

Wash & soak Lentils for about 4-5 hours and grind to a thick paste with as little water as possible till light and fluffy.
If batter in not fluffy enough in grinder use a whisk or hand blender to aerate the batter. Add some salt towards the end so it gets mixed uniformly.
The best way to check the batter to make soft dahi vada is after beating it drop a small spoonful in a bowl filled with water. The batter should be light enough so it floats.

Fry Dahi Vada

Heat oil for deep frying in a pan, till it comes to smoke point. Reduce the heat to medium at this time and spoon out small balls of dal mixture into hot oil.
Cook for 2-3 minutes , to check vada are cooked break one vada to check it is done inside too, likewise deep fry all vadas.
Keep some hot water on the side and dunk the vada and keep them soaked for 10 minutes or more.

Assemble Dahi Vada Chaat

This will soften them and take them out after a few minute, squeeze gently to remove excess water.
Arrange them in a deep dish and pour yogurt over it. sprinkle a dash of salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder to taste, squirtz some tamarind sauce, green chutney and serve them chilled.

Video

Notes

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 ¾ 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.

Nutrition