Dahi Vada or dahi bhalle are soft and delicious lentil balls dunked in yogurt, sweet and spicy chutney and topped with crispy sev.
What is dahi vada?
Dahi vada is deep fried lentil balls soaked in water, when ready to serve, squeezed and topped with whisked yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney.
As the most common street food of North India and neighboring countries, the dahi vada itself speaks how delicious it would be. Bhalla is soft, deep-fried dumplings full of natural sweetness from lentils.
The whole preparation involves soaking of these dumplings in yogurt, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, and masala. Being soft the vada absorbs yogurt and then the tamarind chutney adds the sweetness with spices from mint chutney.
People find an excuse to eat them as a starter, with the main course or as an after-meal treat. A worth trying preparation that no one can escape without trying it.
Basic ingredients for dahi vada:
The basic ingredients needed to make the dahi vada are listed below.
- Firstly-Lentils, usually daho=i vada is made with split Bengal gram /urad dal but I prefer adding moong dal and chana dal as well.
- Ginger-Its’s optional but gives a real nice kick to the vadas, so I would highly recommend adding ginger.
- Raisins and or nuts-When I add raisins /nuts in the batter, it comes out as a surprise while eating the dish. That’s a fun surprise!
- Oil-for frying any preferred oil will do.
- Salt- Salt you can add in the batter or else in the water in which you are going to soak the vada after frying.
- Tamarind Chutney- Adds a nice and sweet tang to the whole dish, ah aha can’t skip.
- Mint chutney-For that spicy and refreshing flavors.
- Chaat masala-Adds the balance in the entire dish.
- Sev-For that extra crunch and flavors, do add some sev.
Serving suggestions:
Other than the above-listed toppings, you can add pomegranates, boiled potatoes to the dish.
Another idea is to add papadis and make it bhalla papadi chaat.
Looking for more such chaat recipes to get some ideas for your snack or dinner? Do not miss my Dahi Aloo Chana Chaat and Fried Fruit Chaat and the best one’sLobia Chaat.
*If you ever try this recipe don’t forget to share your photos with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or tag me on Instagram @cookingwithsapana using the hashtag #cookingwithsapana and stay connected* I would love to see your creations from my space!!
Dahi Vada
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
For bhalle batter
- 1 cup split green gram, dehusked moong dal
- 1/2 cup split Bengal gram, dehusked chana dal
- 1/4 cup split black gram dehusked urad dal
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed peppercorn
- 2 teaspoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon a pinch salt
- oil for frying
Accompanying:
- 1/2 cup tamarind chutney
- 1/2 cup mint chutney
- 2 cups yoghurt, whisked
For masala:
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seed powder
- 2 teaspoon chaat masala
- 2 teaspoon deggi mirch
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon rock salt
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup sev
Instructions
- Wash andsoak the dals in enough water for 4-6 hours.Drain and make a smooth paste in blender.
- Whisk the batter with the help of a spoon for few minutes to lighten the batter. Add ginger, peppercorn powder ,raisins and salt and mix it thoroughly.
- Heat oil in a pan or skillet. Add the batter prepared above carefully with the help of spoon to the heated oil in order to make 6-8 balls at a time.
- Don’t touch these balls for first 2 minutes, then slowly flip it ( keep the heat low)
- Fry on low heat until it becomes golden from both sides with continuous stirring.
- Take these balls out of the oil at high heat in order to avoid soaking of oil in them. Soak these balls into water immediately after removing from oil.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining batter. Mix all the ingredients for masala and keep aside.
- Platting: Squeeze four balls ( Bhalla) and place them in a bowl.
- Pour whisked yoghurt into the bowl just to cover the Bhalla.
- Add 1 tbsp of mint chutney. Add 1 tbsp of tamarind chutney.
- Sprinkle a pinch of masala , sev and garnish with chopped coriander.
Notes
- You may also make the vadas with one kind of lentil, preferabbly urad dal.
- The toppings can vary as per your choice, like boiled potatoes, pomegranate etc.
- Keep the vada soaked in watwer and squeeze just before serving.
Always let me know how this recipe turned out in the comments below. I will be so excited to hear how you served your Dahi Vada and please do share your tips and tricks with me.
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Best Regards,
Sapana Behl