Holi is one of the biggest festivals after Diwali for North Indians. Without this chat-pata, Dahi Vada Holi will be incomplete. Dahi Bhalla is also known as Dahi vada, is an Indian snack, which is one of the most famous chaat recipes nationwide. Prepared using urad dal, spices, chutneys, and topped with thick curd, this delectable snack is everyone’s favorite. This colorful dish is sure to make your day a little brighter and your Holi a little more joyous. Dahi Bhalla has been around for centuries under different names, and India’s obsession with this lip-smacking delight has no bounds. No matter which corner of the country you go to, you can find this snack for sure.
How to make Dahi Vada
1. Soak 1 cup heaped urad dal (200 grams husked and split black lentils) overnight or for at least 4 to 5 hours. Later drain all the water using a colander or strainer. If you prefer, you can rinse the soaked urad dal.
2. Then add the drained and soaked lentils in your trusted blender or mixer-grinder.
3. Add in ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano/thai chilies, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 pinch of asafoetida (Hing), and salt as needed.
4. Blend or grind adding ¼ cup to ½ cup water in parts to a smooth fluffy batter. Depending on the quality, age of lentils and soaking time the water amount can vary from ½ to ¾ cup. Keep in mind that the batter has a thick to medium-thick flowing consistency.
Grind in two batches or one batch depending on the capacity and size of your blender or mixer-grinder.
5. Take the ground batter in a bowl with a help of a silicone spatula. Then briskly and vigorously whip the batter for two to three minutes with a spoon, whisk, or spatula.
Whipping the batter aerates it and makes it more fluffy and light. As a result, you get softer and porous vada.
7. Heat oil as needed for deep frying in a Kadai (Indian wok) or pan. Heat oil on medium heat. The oil should reach a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees celsius.
Frying Vada
8. Once the oil has reached the correct heat or temperature, now you can either drop the batter carefully with your fingers (without touching the hot oil) or with a spoon in medium hot oil. Fry the vada in batches until crisp and golden.
I prefer to use a spoon. You can moisten the spoon with a bit of water, so that the batter slides easily from it.
Make the vada having more or less the same size. If you end up making different sizes, than the smaller sized vada will fry quickly and the larger sized vada will take more time. So do take a note of it and remove the smaller vada when they look golden and crisp all over.
Do not overcrowd the pan or kadai. Overcrowding the pan will lower the oil temperature and as a result the vadas will soak more oil. The vada also expand a bit while frying.
9. Let the bottom side become light golden and crisp. Then only turn these or they will break in the oil.
10. Place the vada on paper towels. This way fry the remaining vada in batches using up the entire batter. If you want use half portion of the batter, then refrigerate the batter for a couple of days or freeze it for a month.
11. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and while they are still hot, add the vada in water (at room temperature) and let them soak for 12-15 minutes. The vada will release some of the oil and absorb water increasing a bit in size with a color change.
12. Press each soaked vada between your palms to remove water. Gently press or else you might end up breaking them.
13. Press all the soaked vada this way and keep them aside in a plate or you can arrange them in the bowl or tray that you will be serving dahi vada.
Assembling the add ons for Dahi Vada
14. Beat 2.5 cups chilled curd (yogurt) until smooth. Check the taste of the curd before you assemble. The curd should not taste sour, bitter, or acidic. It should be fresh with a pleasant sweet-sour taste. I suggest using Homemade Curd.
15. Keep your chutneys ready. coriander (cilantro) chutney and this is how it is made.
Ingredients in a small blender or mixer and blend until smooth.
- 2 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder)
- ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon green chilies
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of water or as needed
16. Sweet and tart tamarind chutney and you can get its recipe here – Tamarind Chutney. You can prep the chutneys a day earlier before making dahi vada. Refrigerate both the chutneys.
Making Dahi Vada
17. In a large serving bowl or a tray arrange the vada which you had set aside after squeezing the water.
18. Pour the beaten curd evenly all over the vada covering them completely.
19. Pour the green coriander chutney and sweet tamarind chutney as you like.
20. Sprinkle dahi vada with a few pinches of red chili powder or cayenne, roasted cumin powder, ¼ cup pomegranate arils (optional), chaat masala and/or black salt.
Garnish with 2 tablespoon coriander leaves and serve straightaway. Or you can refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.