How to make Dahi Vada?
Soak & Grind Lentils
- 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 prior to grinding the lentils.
- Then add the drained and soaked lentils in your trusted blender or mixer-grinder.
- Add in the following spices and herbs:
– ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano/thai chillies
– 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
– 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
– 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
– salt as needed
- 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.
Tip 1: Adding a lot of water will make the batter thin which will result in a flat vada that absorbs more oil. A thin or runny batter will always absorb more oil while frying.
Tip 2: If the batter becomes thin or watery, add some rice flour or sooji (rava, semolina) to the batter and mix thoroughly to thicken it. Do not add too much of sooji as it can make the vada have a dense and hard texture.
Tip 3: To check if the batter has the right consistency, place a few drops of batter in a bowl of water. The batter having the right consistency will float on top of the water surface. If the batter has become thin, it will sink or dissolve in the water.
Aerate The Batter
- Take the ground batter in a bowl with a help of a silicon 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. A photo below showing the consistency of the batter.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon raisins (chopped) and 12 to 15 cashews (chopped roughly). These are optional ingredients and you can skip them if you want.
- 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.
- 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.
- Let the bottom side become light golden and crisp. Then only turn these or they will break in the oil.
- 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 to 15 minutes. The vada will release some of the oil and absorb water increasing a bit in size with a color change
- 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.
- Beat 2.5 cups chilled curd (yogurt) until smooth. Check the taste of the curd before you assemble.
- Take the following listed ingredients in a small blender or mixer and blend until smooth.
– 2 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
– ½ to 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
– ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
– 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
– ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
– salt as required
– 2 to 3 tablespoons of water or as needed
- In a large serving bowl or a tray arrange the vada which you had set aside after squeezing the water.
- Pour the beaten curd evenly all over the vada covering them completely.
- Pour the green coriander chutney and sweet tamarind chutney as you like
17. 21. 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