DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Dahi vada on a plate! Couldn't resist sharing all the yumminess we gobbled up! This is my first post of 2018 so I think I should start it with something sweet and savory, so what's better than Dahi vada.

Dahi vada is an Indian street food that is usually served in stalls but can be easily made at home. It's a popular chaat in North India served along with mint and tamarind chutney. There are different versions of this snack made in the other parts of the country as well like dahi bhalla in Delhi, thayir vadai in Tamil Nadu, perugu garelu in Andhra Pradesh and many more.

These deep fried lentil balls, made from urad dal batter are bathed in thick beaten yogurt with a drizzle of mint and tamarind chutney. They are so light, fluffy and melt in your mouth so good.

My Mom makes this traditional dahi vada on special occasions as my family is a die-hard fan of this snack. It's one traditional dish that always grab attentions from our guests.

You need just a few ingredients to make these delicious vadas. Soaked urad dal, ginger, green chillies, salt and cumin. Simply add all the ingredients, and blend the soaked urad dal to a smooth batter and deep fry over medium flame. Let it cool down a little, and put them into a large bowl of water and squeeze out the excess water and transfer to thick beaten yogurt. Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy....!!

DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Soaking time: 3-4 hours
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-5 people
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1.5 cup - urad dal
1 cup - yogurt
1 inch ginger, grated
2 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon - salt or as per taste
1/2 teaspoon - cumin powder
1 cup - water
1/2 teaspoon - baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Soak urad dal : Wash 1.5 cup of urad dal under running water. Add water, preferably 2 times of the volume of the beans. Cover and place it in a bowl and soak it for atleast 3-4 hours. Drain the soaking water and rinse it with fresh water.

2. Grind into a smooth batter : Add dal, ginger, green chillies, salt, cumin powder, 1 cup of water into a grinder and make a smooth batter. Remove the batter to a bowl. Add baking soda and mix well. Let it rest for some time.

3. Beat until it's smooth : Beat the batter until light and fluffy. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

4. Whisk yogurt : Meanwhile take fresh yogurt. Whisk it till it gets smooth. Keep it in the refrigerator.

5. Fry the vadas : Heat the sufficient oil in a deep pan for frying the vadas. Once the oil is hot, spoon in the small sizes of the mixture, spaced apart. Fry over medium heat on both sides, until golden brown about 2 minutes. (You may need to do this in 2-3 batches). Spread the vadas on a sheet and let it cool on a room temperature.

6. Soak the vadas in water and squeeze out the excess water: Take a large bowl of water and soak these vadas into them for 5-10 minutes. Then, take each vada in your hand and gently squeeze out the excess water.

7. Pour the whisked yogurt: Place these vadas in the serving bowl and pour the whisked yogurt.

8. Garnish and Enjoy: Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy! I don't like to add sev to this, as I prefer it to be simple but you are free to add if you like it.

 
NOTES

1. Add baking soda in the urad dal batter to increase the fluffy texture.

2. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

3. Before pouring whisked yogurt on the vadas, soak the vadas into the water and gently squeeze out the excess water.

4. You can make it sweet and spicy by adding sev and chutneys.