Dahi Bhalla also known as Dahi vada is a very popular and super yummy street food in which soft, melt in mouth lentil fritters/dumplings are soaked in seasoned yogurt and then topped with sweet and spicy chutneys. They are often make during festivals like Holi and Diwali, but they can be enjoyed anytime for a snack or a party. Dahi bhallas are a great make ahead snack for potlucks or if you are having guests over.
Traditionally, dahi vadas are deep fried. In this recipe a guilt free version is made in an appe pan with no frying involved. We will get the same golden color with very little oil and after soaking in water they are airy , pillowy and melt in mouth just like the fried ones.
Ingredients :
Chutneys: Tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. They can be made ahead of time and stored in refrigerator. You can use store bought chutneys as well.
Urad Dal and Moong dal ( Split skinned black gram lentils and split yellow moong dal lentils) : Some people only use urad dal but I prefer moong dal and urad dal both for softer dahi bhallas.
Yogurt: You can use home made or store bought. For the best taste, use full fat whole milk yogurt. Keep it refrigerated and use it chilled. Make sure its not sour.
Hing (Asfoetida) : For better digestion and good flavor . If you want to make it gluten free skip hing.
Seasonings: Black salt, roasted cumin powder and red chilli powder.
Aromatics: Ginger and green chillies for the flavor.
Garnish : You can use any garnish you like according to your taste like thin sev, chopped fresh coriander, pomegranate arils or spicy boondi for the crunch.
Dahi Bhalla/Dahi vada ( Fried and non fried version)
Equipment
- Appe Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Urad Dal (Split, skinless black gram)
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Moong dal
- 1 tsp ginger chopped
- 1 Green chilli chopped
- 1 pinch Hing (Asfoetida)
- Salt According to taste
- 2-3 tbsp Sunflower oil or any oil of choice
For Yogurt mix
- 4 Cups Yogurt Whisked
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Sugar ( adjust according to sweetness you like)
Toppings
- ½-1 cup coriander Chutney or as needed
- ½-1 cup meethi Chutney ( tamarind chutney) or as needed
- 2 tsp red chilli powder to sprinkle on top
- 2 tsp roasted Cumin powder to sprinkle on top
- 2-3 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
- 2-3 tbsp pomegranate arils
- 2-3 tbsp masala boondi
- 1 tbsp ginger julienned (optional)
- 2 tbsp thin sev
Instructions
Preparations ( a day before)
- Make or buy coriander and meethi chutneys . They can be made a day or two before and then stored in refrigerator.
- Rinse urad dal and moong dal thoroughly with water 2-3 times. Soak them in water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Making Vada Batter
- Drain all the water from the soaked lentils . Add the lentils to a blender jar with ginger, green chilli and 2-3 tbsp of water. Start with less amount of water and add gradually as needed. Blend in to smooth yet thick paste. Add salt and hing.
- Mix and beat the mix for 4-5 minutes with hand or an electric mixer until it becomes light and fluffy. This step is important for light and soft vadas.
- To check if the batter is ready , take some water in a bowl and drop some batter into the bowl. If it floats to the surface, means it is ready.If it sinks to the bottom then you may need to beat the batter some more to make it light.
Non Fry dahi vada
- Heat the Paniyaram pan on medium heat . Add around ½ tsp of oil into each round section. Once the oil is hot, carefully add 1-2 tbsp of batter into each section. Each section should be ¾th full.
- Cover the pan with a lid . Let it cook on medium low heat for 4-5 minutes until the vada are lightly golden on the bottom. Then slowly flip them over using skewer or chopstick and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes.
- Once done take them out on a plate and repeat the same process for rest of the batter.
- Take 4 cups of warm water in a big bowl. Add salt and a pinch of hing to the water. Next add all the vada to the warm water. ( if you are planning to freeze the vada , don't soak in water - see notes ) Let the vadas soak for 20-30 minutes.
- In another bowl, whisk the yogurt with salt and sugar to a smooth pourable consistency. If yogurt is very thick , add little water to it.
- After the soaking time, take one vada onto your palm ,then gently squeeze all the water by pressing between your palms. Make sure not to press the vada too hard. Line them in a large serving plate.
- Repeat the process with rest of the vadas. Pour the prepared yogurt on the vadas so the vadas are submerged in yogurt.
- Sprinkle red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to serve, drizzle tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, chopped fresh coriander, thin sev ,pomegranate arils and masala boondi. You can always top with more yogurt because vadas soak yogurt when resting.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying on medium heat.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter in the hot oil and fry on medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Remove on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the vadas to hot water and let them soak for 20-30 minutes
- Repeat the same process as non fry vadas.
- In the refrigerator, soaked vadas can be stored for 1-2 days and assembled dahi vadas can be stored for 2 days .
- Vadas can be frozen prior to soaking in water for upto 3 months. When you want to use them , just thaw and soak in warm water for 30-40 minutes , squeeze the water , assemble and serve.