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.

MEDU VADA - THE INDIAN SAVORY DOUGHNUT

Mornings get so much better when Mom pampers with piping hot Medu Vadas aka The Indian Savory Doughnuts with coconut, coriander and tomato onion chutney.

Medu vadas are one of the most famous breakfast item across South India. They are made by split black lentils (urad dal) batter and deep-fried in a doughnut shape savory fritters. They are crunchy and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Medu vadas are an extremely delicious recipe for a breakfast, lunch or any kind of occasion. They can be enjoyed with variation of dips, lentils based vegetable stew (sambar) or even a cup of hot tea!

I grew up eating Medu vadas and nothing can supersede it. It's a staple food in our family. As a kid, my parents took me to 'Indian Coffee House', quite frequently and now we have a weekend ritual of dining out to the nearest 'Sagar Restaurant'. I have fond memories of gorging on idlis, utthapam, dosas but medu vadas remains my favorite. Yesterday, my Mom surprised us with these delicious medu vadas. It was raining most of the weekend here, so we enjoyed it even more.

Medu vadas are made by split black lentils (urad dal) batter. Wash the urad dal, soak them into the water for about 2-3 hours and grind into a coarse paste. Add the spices and veggies just 10 minutes before frying the batter and enjoy your crunchy and delicious medu vadas with coconut, coriander, tomato onion chutney and hot tea!

Do try this recipe, I would love to hear how it turns out for you!

Click the link on other South Indian dishes like:

Rava Dosa

Sambhar

Coconut Chutney

Mint chutney 

Peanut chutney 

Onion-tomato chutney

MEDU VADA - THE INDIAN SAVORY DOUGHNUT

Serves: 5-6 people
Soaking time: 2-3 hours
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - split black lentils
2 cups - water
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 medium size capsicum, chopped (optional)
few curry leaves, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon - rice flour (optional)
1 inch - ginger, grated
2 green chillis, chopped
1/2 teaspoon - cumin seeds, roasted
1/2 teaspoon - turmeric powder
1/3 teaspoon - garam masala
1/3 teaspoon - red chilli powder
1 teaspoon of salt or as per taste
coriander leaves, chopped
Oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse and wash a cup of split black lentils under the running water. Soak 1 cup of split black lentils in 2 cups of water for 2-3 hours.

2. Drain the excess water, if any, and add the soaked lentils in the grinding jar. Add enough water into the jar and grind it into a smooth paste.

3. Transfer the paste into a big bowl and add all the spices and chopped veggies (onion, capsicum, curry leaves, rice flour, ginger, green chillis, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, salt and coriander leaves) in the batter and mix it well.

4. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile pour sufficient oil in a deep pan, to a depth of atleast 2 inches and start heating your oil.

6. Take water in a small bowl, wet your hands, place some batter between the palms of your hands and lightly flatten it. Make a whole in the center of the batter to give it a doughnut like shape and gently transfer it in a pan and start frying until it turns golden brown.

7. Place them on a paper napkin to absorb excess oil.

8. Serve these delicious medu vadas with coconut, coriander, and tomato onion chutney and a cup of hot tea!

NOTES

1. Pour sufficient oil in a deep pan, to a depth of atleast 2 inches and start heating your oil on medium flame for first 5-6 minutes and than gently increase the flame, to the normal deep frying temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 C).

2. You can fry atleast 4 medu vadas at a time, but it depends on the size of the pan.

3. You can add a tablespoon of rice flour and chopped veggies in the batter to make your vadas more crunchy and crispy.

4. Add the ingredients just 10 minutes before frying the batter and enjoy your crunchy medu vadas with your favorite chutneys!

DAL PAKWAAN

Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan!

Dal Pakwaan an authentic delicacy among Sindhis, mostly served as breakfast or brunch. It's a combination of Dal (lentils) and Pakwaan (crunchy snack). It's one of the easiest, and yet lip smacking dish. It's my favorite among the few Sindhi dishes that I have relished so far and is something that is often prepared in our kitchen. It's an ideal dish for brunch which you would love to serve to your family.

Pakwaan is deep fried crisp flat bread prepared with all-purpose flour (maida), carrom seeds (ajwain) and crushed black pepper which is served alongside with Dal.

I added both bengal gram (chana dal) and black gram split (urad dhuli) in this. Though, urad dhuli is not the part of original recipe but I added both the lentils in equal quantity. This dal will give you a perfect nutty sweet texture of bengal gram and a creamy texture of black gram. In punjabi we call it as 'maah choleyan di dal'. I don't like chana dal so I always add urad dhuli to get the right flavors. If you don't like urad dhuli you can make it with chana dal. The method is same.

I haven't soaked the lentils here, I directly pressure cooked it. This process will take 15-20 more minutes. I find it better because you can control how far you can take it and this method will give you perfect flavors and creamy texture.

To get the authentic taste of Dal Pakwaan, add some dry mango powder (amchur) in the dal. Sprinkle some chaat masala, squeeze in the lemon juice and it will taste delicious. Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan and enjoy it with onions, pickle or your favorite chutney. Yummmm!!!

DAL PAKWAAN

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Author: The Food Root

FOR DAL
Ingredients
For Cooking Lentils
1/2 cup or 100 grams - bengal gram (chana dal)
1/2 cup or 100 grams - black gram split (urad dal dhuli)
2.5 to 3 cups - water
1 teaspoon - salt
1/2 teaspoon - turmeric powder
1 - 2 chopped green chilli
2 cloves (lavang)
1/2 inch cinnamon (dalchini)

For Tempering

2 tablespoon - clarified butter or oil
1/2 inch ginger - peeled, grated
5-6 cloves - garlic, finely minced
2 medium size onions - chopped
2 medium size tomatoes - chopped
1/4 teaspoon - red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/2 teaspoon - coriander powder (sukha dhania)
1/2 teaspoon - garam masala
1 teaspoon - dry mango powder (amchur)
coriander leaves (chopped)

For Garnishing
1 teaspoon - chaat masala
1 teaspoon - lemon juice

Method
1. Wash 1/2 cup of chana dal, under the running water. Drain it completely and add into the pressure cooker. Next, add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it for 1 whistle on high flame. After 1 whistle, turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to release completely before opening it.

2. Open the lid and add washed 1/2 cup of urad dal dhuli and the spices - 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 2 cloves, 1/2 inch of cinnamon and 2 chopped green chillis. Add water if required and pressure cook it again for 1 whistle. After 1 whistle, switch off the flame and remove it.

3. Heat about 2 tablespoon of clarified butter or oil in a pan and add ginger and garlic paste and sauté it for 40 to 50 seconds on low to medium flame. Next, add 2 chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that the onions cook slightly golden brown.

4. Add 2 chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around 5 minutes on low to medium flame. Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of red chilli powder and 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder and stir it well.
Let the mixture cook till the oil separates.

5. Now, add the cooked dal in the pan. Stir it for next 10-15 minutes till it's nicely cooked. Add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of dry mango powder, chopped coriander leaves and mix it well. Stir it again for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove it.

6. Transfer the dal to a serving bowl. Sprinkle some chaat masala, squeeze in the lemon juice and it will taste delicious. Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan and enjoy with onions, pickle or your favorite chutney!!


FOR PAKWAAN
Ingredients
1 cup or 200 grams - all-purpose flour (maida)
1 cup - lukewarm water
1 teaspoon - salt
1 teaspoon - carrom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 teaspoon - crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon - oil

Method
1. In a bowl, add the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of carrom seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed black pepper, 1 tablespoon of oil and mix it well.

2. Add sufficient water and knead into a semi-soft dough.

3. If the dough feels sticky, brush it with 1 tablespoon of extra dough and make it smooth. Set the dough aside and let it sit for atleast 15 minutes or longer.

4. Divide the dough into 7-8 balls and roll it into 4 inch diameter. Use your hand or a rolling pin to lightly flatten each ball. If the dough is sticking to the surface put couple of oil on the surface.

5. Prick the rolled dough with a fork all over, so that they don't puff up while frying.

6. Now, heat oil in a deep frying pan till the smoking point. Fry the each pakwaan on low heat till it turn golden and crisp. Fry one pakwaan at a time, make sure you press down the pakwaan when it's fluff up.

7. Remove the pakwaan on tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.

Notes

1. I added both bengal gram (chana dal) and black gram split (urad dhuli) in my dish. Though, urad dhuli is not the part of original recipe but I added both the lentils in equal quantity. If you don't like urad dhuli you can make it with chana dal. The method is same.

2. I haven't soaked the lentils here, I directly pressure cooked it. This process will take 15-20 more minutes. I find it better because you can control how far you can take it and this method will give you perfect flavors and creamy texture.

3. In order to obtain crisp, crunchy pakwaan prick the rolled dough with a fork so that they don't puff up while frying.