Servings
Font
Back
Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla Chaat)
4.9 from 60 votes

Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla Chaat)

Dahi Vada is a savory Indian snack made by soaking and blending split black gram and yellow lentils into a fluffy batter, which is then fried into soft dumplings. These vadas are soaked in water briefly to attain a light texture before being topped with chilled yogurt, tamarind and mint chutneys, and spices like roasted cumin and Kashmiri red chili powder. The combination of creamy, spicy, and tangy flavors with the tender texture makes a refreshing and indulgent treat usually served cold.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Soaking time
6 hrs
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 10
Calories: 95 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup split skinned black gram lentils aka urad dal
  • 3 tablespoon yellow lentils split, aka Moong Dal
  • 1 green chili pepper
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • neutral cooking oil for frying vada, generic cooking oil
Assembling ingredients (for about 10-12 vada's )
  • 2 cups yogurt chilled
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar adjust to taste
  • 1/4 cup tamarind chutney to taste
  • 2 tablespoon mint chutney to taste, contains cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin roasted, aka Jeera powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • cilantro chopped, to garnish, leaves

Instructions

Soak the lentils
    Cup of Yum
  1. Take the lentils in a large bowl and wash them a few times until the water runs clear. Soak them overnight. If you are in a pinch, you can soak them in warm water for 4 hours.
Make the batter
  1. Drain the soaking water. Add ginger, green chili pepper, salt and lentils to a blender, such as Vitamix.
  2. Grind on low to medium speed to form a almost smooth batter.  The batter should be thick and of dropping consistency. Remove in a large bowl. (Add a little water 1 tbsp at a time if needed for blending)
  3. Whip the lentil batter vigorously to make it light and fluffy. You can do that with a spoon or ladle. (To figure out if the batter is ready to make the vadas, drop a small ball of the batter with a spoon in a bowl filled with water. If the ball immediately starts to float on top, the batter is ready to make vada.)
Fry the Vada
  1. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai. Make sure the oil is hot before making the Vada’s. You can check by dropping a single drop of the batter, it should rise to the top of the oil immediately. After the oil is hot, reduce to medium heat.
  2. Add the batter to the oil using a spoon or ice-cream scooper. (Take water in a small bowl. Take a large spoon, dip it in water, then take batter in the spoon and drop it in the hot oil. Now before making the next vada, dip the spoon in water again and then take the batter. Repeat for each vada)
  3. When you drop the Vada’s in the oil, then keep pouring oil over them using a ladle. When the Vada’s look cooked (golden brown in color) are done on one side, flip them over with a ladle.
  4. When the other side is done, take them out in a bowl lined with a paper napkin to soak the excess oil. Fry in batches. Do not overcrowd when frying the Vadas.
Soak the Vada's
  1. Now soak the vada’s in lukewarm water as soon as they are fried for about 15 minutes. The vada’s will soak up the water, double in size and become super soft.
  2. Now, take each vada and gently press in between your palms to remove excess water.
Assemble the Dahi Vada
  1. Whisk the yogurt and season it with salt and sugar. If the yogurt is too thick, add some water or milk to get the right consistency.
  2. Place the softened vada’s from step 4 in a bowl. Pour the yogurt over them, so they are all covered with the yogurt. Drop the tamarind chutney and mint cilantro chutney over them and sprinkle the roasted cumin powder and red chili powder.
  3. (optional) You can now refrigerate this for 1-2 hours so the lentil balls soak in the yogurt.
  4. Garnish with some cilantro and Enjoy!

Notes

  • Use homemade or store-bought plain yogurt chilled for assembling.
  • Whisk the batter vigorously before frying to incorporate air for light vadas.
  • Fry the vadas in hot oil over medium heat to cook centers without flattening.
  • Cool fried vadas to room temperature before storing; do not soak in water during storage.
  • Stored vadas keep 3-4 days refrigerated or up to 2 months frozen; rehydrate in warm water before use.
  • Do not overcrowd the frying pan as vadas expand slightly while frying.

Nutrition Information

Calories 95kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 2g (3%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 6mg (2%) Sodium 215mg (9%) Potassium 110mg (2%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 74IU (1%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 70mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 95

% Daily Value*

Calories 95kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 215mg 9%
Potassium 110mg 2%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 74IU 1%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 70mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.