Name: Dahi Vada
Prep time: 480 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 525 min
Ingredients: 1 Cup Urad Dal / Split Black Gram; 1/4 Cup Split Mung Dal; 2 Green Chilies; 1/2 Inch Ginger; 1/4 Cup Water; 1 Tsp Salt; 1 Tbsp Yogurt; 1 Tbsp Cilantro (Finely Chopped); 3 Cups Yogurt; 1/2 Cup Water; 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder; 1 Tsp Cumin Powder; 1/2 Tsp Salt; 1/2 Tsp Black Salt; 1 Tsp Sugar; 2-3 Tbsp Green Chutney; 2-3 Tbsp Tamarind Dates Chutney; 2 Tbsp Cilantro (Finely Chopped); 2-3 Tbsp Aloo Bhujia (Optional); 2-3 Tbsp Masala Boondi (Optional)

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Dahi Vada is a delicious Indian Street Food that is tangy, sweet and all things amazing. Dahi means Yogurt and Vadas are deep-fried lentil fritters. These lentil fritters are soaked in cold water and then plated with dahi, chutneys, masala boondi, and aloo bhujia.

Various Names of Dahi Vadas

Dahi Vada in Hindi
Dahi Bhalla in Punjabi
Dahi Barreyn in Urdu
Dai Bora in Bengali
Dahi Bara in Odia
Thayir Vadai in Tamil

What are Dahi Bhallas?

This is a very famous Indian Street Food and specially made on the festival of Holi as well. Holi onsets Spring/ Summers in India. Needless to say, India gets very hot and this recipe is an amazing solution to beat the heat.

This chaat recipe first originated in the state of Karnataka. They are mostly made for special occasions and festivals. But I love to make them for appetizers or sometimes as our lunch on hot days.

This recipe does take some time to make, but it is totally worth it.

The fritters are layered with a generous amount of whisked yogurt, green chutney, dates and tamarind chutney, red chili powder, and cumin powder. I also like to add aloo bhujia and masala boondi for a crunchy texture.

This recipe not only has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy flavors but also beautiful textures in every bite.

How to Make This Dahi Vadas

Soak the Lentils - The recipe starts with soaking urad dal and split green moong dal. I like to wash the lentils until water runs clear, and then soak them for about 8 hours.
Grind the Batter - The lentils are strained, and then add them to the heavy blender jar. Add green chilies, ginger, and just a little bit of water, to grind a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl.

Aerate The Batter - Aerating the batter will help you get the softest fritters. I like to the batter with my hands but you can also use a whisk for this. Whisk the batter with your hands vigorously in a circular motion. You will notice that the batter will start getting fluffy.
Test The Batter - Take a spoonful of batter and drop it in water. If the batter is airy and light, it will float in the water. Once you achieve this consistency, it is ready for deep frying or cook them in the appam pan, as I do. Add finely chopped cilantro, salt, and yogurt, just before frying the fritters.
Cooking The Fritters - I like to cook the fritters on medium-low flame, in the appam pan. Add oil to each appam mold, and then add the batter using a medium-sized cookie scoop. Cover and cook them on medium-low heat. Once they start to brown, flip and cook on the other side.

Soak The Cooked Fritters - The cooked fritters are soaked in cold water, while vadas are still warm, for 12-15 mins. This helps the vadas to release excess oil, and fluff up in the water.

Assembling The Fritters

Prepare the Yogurt - Whisk yogurt, and water together. You want to make pouring consistency yogurt. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, and salt. Mix well.

Assemble the Dahi Vadas - Squeeze the vadas between your palms to remove the excess water by flattening the fritters between your palms. Add the squeezed fritters to a bowl. Add the whisked yogurt to the vadas. Then layer them generously with green chutney, tamarind, dates chutney, red chili powder, chaat masala, and cumin powder. Finally layer them with aloo bhujia, masala boondi, and fresh cilantro.

Chutney Recipes To Add to Dahi Bhallas

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Storing The Dahi Vadas

You can store the vadas and dahi separately in the refrigerator. The vadas stay good for up to 5-6 days. This also makes dahi vadas a great make-ahead snack/ appetizer.

If you want to leave the batter in the refrigerator overnight, place it in an air tight container. You will see the batter will split, but just whisk the batter and it will be fine. Let it come to room temperature before frying.
To freeze the Vadas, place the fried vadas in a ziplock once cooled completely. Store them in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, then soak them in the water for 10-15 mins. Then assemble the dahi vadas.

Dahi Vada

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Indian Street Food

Prep Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes

Servings: Servings

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Aayushi Patel

Ingredients

For Lentil Fritters

1 Cup Urad Dal / Split Black Gram
1/4 Cup Split Mung Dal
2 Green Chilies
1/2 Inch Ginger
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Yogurt
1 Tbsp Cilantro Finely Chopped

For Yogurt and Assembling Dahi Vadas

3 Cups Yogurt
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tsp Red Chili Powder
1 Tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Black Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
2-3 Tbsp Green Chutney
2-3 Tbsp Tamarind Dates Chutney
2 Tbsp Cilantro Finely Chopped
2-3 Tbsp Aloo Bhujia Optional
2-3 Tbsp Masala Boondi Optional

Instructions

Soak The Lentils

Add 3/4 Cup Urad Dal, and 1/2 Cup Split Moong Dal in a large bowl. Wash and rinse the lentils thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Soak the Lentils in 6 Cups of water for 8 Hours.

Cook The Fritters

Grind the Batter - Strain the Lentils, and add them to the blender jar. Add green chilies, ginger and little bit of water to grind a smooth batter. I used about 1/4 cup of water to grind the batter.
Aerate The Batter - Aerating the batter will help you get the softest fritters. I like to the batter with my hands but you can also use a whisk for this. Whisk the batter with your hands vigorously in a circular motion. You will notice that the batter will start getting fluffy.
Test The Batter - Take a spoonful of batter and drop it in water. If the batter is airy and light, it will float in the water. Once you achieve this consistency, it is ready for deep frying or cook them in the appam pan, as I do. Add finely chopped cilantro, salt, and yogurt, just before frying the fritters.
Cooking The Fritters - I like to cook the fritters on medium-low flame, in the appam pan. Add oil to each appam mold, and then add the batter using a medium-sized cookie scoop. Cover and cook them on medium-low heat. Once they start to brown, flip and cook on the other side.
Soak The Cooked Fritters - The cooked fritters are soaked in cold water, while vadas are still warm, for 12-15 mins. This helps the vadas to release excess oil, and fluff up in the water.

Make the Yogurt and Assemble the Dahi Vadas

Prepare the Yogurt - Whisk yogurt, and water together. You want to make pouring consistency yogurt. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, black salt, sugar and salt. Mix well.
Assemble the Dahi Vadas - Squeeze the vadas between your palms to remove the excess water by flattening the fritters between your palms. Add the squeezed fritters to a bowl. Add the whisked yogurt to the vadas. Then layer them generously with green chutney, tamarind, dates chutney, red chili powder, chaat masala, and cumin powder. Finally layer them with aloo bhujia, masala boondi, and fresh cilantro.

Notes

Yogurt - Use Indian Dahi to make this recipe. Make sure that your yogurt is not sour. If the yogurt is very tangy, the dahi vadas flavors will not turn out the same.
Lentils - You can also use 1 Cup Urad dal or 1/2 Cup Urad dal and 1/4 Cup Yellow Moong Dal
Fry The Vadas - Fry the Vadas in Batches. You want to add some batter and see if the oil is ready. If the batter comes up and starts to cook, your oil is ready. Use a Medium cookie scoop to add the batter to the hot oil at about 180-190C. Fry the vadas until they are golden and crisp on either side.