Dahi vada or dahi bhalla

I was born in a small town in the state of Orissa , which is part of the Indian state of Odisha . Orissa is relatively well known for its beautiful beaches and its spices, but for me it is more known as the place where I was born and spent my childhood.

Dahi vada or Dahi bhalla is a traditional Indian fast food made from fermented batter of urad dal and black gram. It is tasty dish that goes well with chai and breads. The batter is made in traditional way which takes minimum of 10 minutes in preparation and around 30 minutes to ferment. Dahi vada is a traditional breakfast dish of Indian. It is also a very popular street food.

Dal is a popular and delicious dish in India, which is eaten with different types of bread. In fact, the word “dal” actually means “bread” in Hindi. The food is often eaten in the morning with a bread called “roti” or “bhatura.” It is also served with other main dishes such as “chana masala” or “chapati,”  “dal fry” and “au bhaji.”

Dahi bhalle is a fried lentil dumpling prepared with whole urad dal soaked in sweet yoghurt or curd, seasoned with spices, and served with sweet chutney. Dahi bhalle, also known as dahi vada, is a popular cold snack or chaat street dish that is perfect for summer. Dahi vada or dahi bhalle is served in a bowl with curd on top, spices sprinkled on top, and tamarind chutney drizzled on top. Dahi vada is served with puris or papdi at chaat shops or street sellers as dahi vada papdi chaat or dahi puri chaat. You may see it cooked as dahi sev puri chaat or dahi batata puri chaat in the photos below. Dahi bhalla is served with papdis and sev by some of my pals. The greatest summer sweets are dahi vada. The longer dahi vada is steeped in yoghurt, the better it tastes, and it is best served cold.

Everyone makes dahi vada in their own unique manner, since everyone has their own recipe and method of preparation. I’ve also made dahi vada in the south Indian manner, where I never soak my vadas in water; instead, my mother has always soaked them straight in curd, which makes them soft and wonderful; even my friends were shocked to learn that we may soak directly. But all my friends soak in water for softness, but it gives my vadas a very bland flavor from the inside since they absorb water. To prevent this, soak in butter milk with a few spices (optional) in it, or soak in milk as my buddy does, then squeeze and soak in curd.

The greatest summer sweets are dahi vada. The longer dahi vada is steeped in yoghurt, the better it tastes, and it is best served cold.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes (excluding soaking of urad dal and preparing chutneys)

Time to cook: 1 hour

Chaat, snack, or street food from North India

3–4 servings

Spiciness: It’s mild, sweet, and acidic at the same time.

Ingredients

Is it vadas or bhalle?

• • 1 cup urad dal
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon hing
  • a pinch of salt (to taste)
  • 1 medium-sized green chilli
  • 1/3 cup water

Vadas that have been soaked

• • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup curd
  • a pinch of salt (to taste)
  • a sprinkle of cumin powder (roasted, if desired)

yoghurt concoction

• • 850 gms curd
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 teaspoon black salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (roasted)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 2 to 3 tbsp sugar

Garnishing

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• a few coriander leaves (chopped)
• tamarind chutney (sweet) – as needed
• Mint chutney (as needed)

Method

Buttermilk or thin yoghurt water (for soaking vadas)

• • Fill a larger dish halfway with warm or lukewarm water to soak the vadas.
  • In the water, whisk together the salt and curd until there are no lumps of curd.
  • It should have the consistency of thin buttermilk. Keep it on hand. Mix the yoghurt water once before soaking the fried vadas, since it settles (thin yoghurt mixture).

Paste of urad dal (vadas)

• • The urad dal should be cleaned, washed, and soaked for 2 to 3 hours. Drain the whole amount of water.
  • In a blender with very little water or in a wet grinder, combine all of the ingredients and grind the urad dal to a smooth paste or a small smooth paste (stone grinder).
  • The dal must be ground till the batter is light and fluffy but not runny. If the mixture becomes too dry, add more water.
  • Remove the batter to a large mixing basin and beat it for 2-3 minutes with a hand, whisker, or fork to lighten and fluffy the batter.
  • The most essential thing to do now, especially if you used a mixer to grind the dal, is to test whether the batter is ready to create vada by dropping a tiny bowl of vada into a bowl of water and seeing if it floats on top of the water. If the batter ball dips a little into the water, you’ll have to beat it by hand for another minute. Rep the test until the batter ball is able to float on top of the water. The bhalla or vada will not be soft if you miss this stage.
  • Add tiny amounts of batter to the heated oil using moist fingertips and palms. The bhallas should be deep fried till golden brown. You may drop the batter into the oil using a spoon.
  • After frying, soak the vadas for 15 to 20 minutes in warm water or a thin yoghurt mixture until softened.

yoghurt concoction

• • Combine the curd (yoghurt), black salt, sugar, chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside for now.
  • Taste the seasoning to see if it needs to be adjusted, then add spices as needed.
  • Squeeze off any excess water from the vadas just before serving by gently squeezing each one between your hands. Arrange the vadas or soak them one by one in the curd (yoghurt mixture).
  • Now for garnishing, a pinch or more of chilli powder, cumin powder (roasted), sweet chutney (tamarind chutney), green chutney, and coriander may be sprinkled on top or garnished as straight and cross lines, as seen in the filled dahi bhalla recipe.
  • When serving, leave 3 to 4 vadas unstirred and top with additional sweet chutney and spices, or just sprinkle with chaat masala or my roasted spice masala, as seen in my Kolkata (Calcutta) tamarind chutney.
  • You may also add sev as a garnish if desired.

Chaat with dahi vada puri

• To make dahi vada puri chaat, just follow my dahi sev puri chaat or dahi batata puri chaat recipes.
• The only difference is that dahi vadas are placed inside the puri.
• With family and friends, enjoy this delectable dahi bhalla chaat.

Notes

• My aunt suggested adding a little soda to make the vadas softer, but I did not do so.
• Because the vadas do not absorb yoghurt well, the yoghurt mixture should be neither thin nor thick.
• If the vadas are still hard and not soft after the first try, the sweet yoghurt and tamarind sauce may still be relished.
• Only when the vadas are cooked correctly and have a crispy texture on the exterior will they be soft, like in my sambar vada and curd vada south style.

 

These are two different dishes of Indian street food. They are both popular across the country.. Read more about can we keep dahi vada batter in fridge and let us know what you think.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Dahi Vada and Dahi Bhalla?

Dahi Vada is a type of Indian lentil fritter that is made by deep frying mashed split black gram lentils in oil. Dahi Bhalla is a type of Indian dish, which includes fried balls of dough with a spiced yogurt sauce and vegetables.

What is Dahi Bhalla called in English?

Dahi is the Hindi word for yogurt, and Bhalla means a pot. So its called yogurt in a pot.

Is Medu vada and Dahi Vada same?

Yes, they are the same.