Chits Kitchen

Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla is a deep fried lentil fritters dipped in creamy sweet yoghurt and topped with sweet and spicy Chutneys and spice powders. It is a popular street chaat found in various cities across India. Dahi Bhalle is mainly popular in North India especially in  Delhi and Punjab. It is served as a snack or as a side dish along with main meal.

There are various regional versions of Dahi Vada across India but the core remains the same i.e Urad Dal batter fried in oil, soaked in water and topped with Sweetened Curd, Chutneys and various spice powders. Few versions use mainly Urad Dal to make the vadas while few use both urad dal and moong dal. Here we will be using both the dals to prepare this tasty, tangy and delicious Dahi Bhalle. I will be using both the dals in equal proportion. If you want more of a urad dal flavour you can vary the proportion. But in my choice of flavour I use it in equal proportion.

Dahi Bhalla is one of the most common food recipe prepared in various festivals. Dahi Bhalla is a must at my home during Diwali, Holi and Navratri. During this time else can be left out but Dahi Bhalle cannot be missed. I have learnt to make this type of Dahi Vada from my mother. Once I learnt I replaced my mother and started preparing it for my family. Now since I am married, I prepare it for my in laws.

Preparing Dahi Vada at home takes a lot of time if you are preparing all the items at once. To reduce this preparation time you can prepare few items before hand such as Coriander Chutney and Tamarind Chutney. If you want to reduce the time further more then prepare the vadas a day before. After preparing the vadas soak it in water for some time. Squeeze out the water from the vadas and store it in refrigerator. This will save ample time of yours. For serving you have to simply dip the vadas in sweetened curd and top it with Coriander Chutney, Tamarind Chutney and spice powders. If you want to prepare the Chutneys please visit Tamarind Chutney and Coriander Chutney.

There are various tips and tricks that you will need to follow to prepare soft, juicy and fluffy Dahi Bhalle. Below are few tips to follow:

1. 50:50 ratio proportion of Urad Dal and Moong Dal: To make soft and fluffy vadas, use both the dal in equal proportion. You can slightly change the proportion if you want. The ratio can be 60:40 or 70:30 with urad dal in higher proportion. This will give more of a urad dal flavour. But from my personal experience I would suggest you to make it 50:50.
2. Amount of Water while preparing the batter: To prepare the batter transfer the dals to mixer grinder jar. Add small amount of water and then grind it. Add water in such quantity that the batter remains thick. If you add more water then the batter will become thin.
3. Coarse Batter: While grinding the dal do remember to grind it coarse. The batter should be slightly grainy and not fine paste. Coarse paste gives a good texture to vadas.
4. Beating the Batter: To make the batter fluffy, beat it with large spoon or with whisk or hand mixer. To make the task easier use electric hand mixer. Beat it till the paste changes its colour and increases in quantity. To check whether the paste is perfect for preparing soft and spongy vadas, drop small amount of batter in a bowl of water. If the batter floats on the surface then it’s perfect. If not then beat it for few more minutes.
5. Frying of Vadas in correct temperature: Remember to cook the vadas in right temperature. Keep the flame in low to medium heat. This helps in frying the vadas evenly. If the temperature is high then the vadas will remain uncooked from inside.
6. Soaking of Vadas: Soak the fried vadas in warm water for about 15-20 minutes. It will absorb water and increase in size. This also helps in removing the excess oil from the vadas.
7. Freezing the Vadas: If you want to make the task of preparing Dahi Vada easier then prepare a large amount of vadas at one go. Pack it in transparent air tight bag and freeze it. You can use it for atleast a month. Simply add it to warm water for 15-20 minutes. Squeeze out the water and top it with curd, chutney and spice powders.
8. Sweetened Curd: Use fresh yoghurt to make sweetened curd. Fresh yoghurt requires less sugar. If the curd is not fresh there are chances that it will be sour and will require more sugar to sweeten it.

Follow the above tips and tricks and prepare this tasty and fluffy Dahi Vada recipe.

To prepare Dahi Vada, first take Urad Dal and Moong Dal in equal amount. Wash it with fresh water multiple times. Urad dal is little powdery in nature so it requires a number of wash. Wash it till the water stops becoming white in colour. Soak the washed dal in water for 5-6 hours or overnight.

Now take the soaked dal and wash it again with fresh water. Transfer it to mixer grinder jar. Add small amount of water and grind it to prepare the batter. The batter should be coarse and not fine. Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Taka a whisk and beat the batter for about 15-20 minutes till the batter changes its colour and becomes almost double in size. The batter will become fluffy at this time. Check the fluffiness by dropping a spoon of batter in water. If it floats then the batter is ready to prepare the vadas.

Now heat oil in heavy base kadhai. Put the flame in low to medium heat. Wet your palm with water and take small amount of batter. Drop the batter in oil to make the vada. In the same manner drop the batter in oil one by one for the remaining amount of batter. Add only required amount vadas in oil. There should be enough space in oil for the vadas to fry. Cook in low to medium flame so that the vadas are evenly cooked. If the temperature is high then there are chances that vadas will remain uncooked from inside. Fry all the vadas.

Next take warm water in a large bowl and dip all the fried vadas into it. Soak it for about 15-20 minutes. Till the time the vadas are soaking in water lets prepare the Sweetened Curd. Take Fresh Yoghurt in a bowl. Add Powdered Sugar into it. With the help of spoon or whisk mix it to make it soft. There should not be any lumps in the curd. Keep it aside.

After 15-20 minutes take out the vadas from the water and squeeze out the water by pressing it between your palms. Place all the vadas in serving plates. Take the Sweetened Curd and pour over the vadas. Pour enough of it. Next pour Tamarind Chutney and Green Chutney (Coriander Chutney). Add Tamarind Chutney and Green Chutney as per your preference of sweetness and spiciness. Lastly sprinkle spices such as Black Salt, Roasted Cumin Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Pudina Powder and Chaat Masala over the vadas.

Tasty, tangy and delicious Dahi Bhalle is ready to serve. Serve it by garnishing with Sev, Pomegranate and Coriander Leaves. You can also garnish with cooked chick peas. If required you can add extra Tamarind Chutney or Green Chutney or Sweetened Curd as per your preference of sweetness, tanginess and spiciness. Serve it to your guest or near and dear ones. They will surely love it.

Please try this tasty, fluffy, tangy and delicious Dahi Bhalle recipe at your home and do leave your feedbacks and suggestions in the comment section. Do not forget to share this recipe with your friends and relatives through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Also like and share our page through social media websites.

Please check our Momos Recipe such as Veg Momos, Fried Veg Momos, Paneer Momos and Fried Paneer Momos.

Also try our other Street Food Recipes such as Veg Spring Rolls, Veg Zingy Parcel, Chilli Paneer, Chilli Paneer Gravy, Aloo Chaat, Veg Manchurian Gravy, Dry Veg Manchurian, Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav, Veg Crispy, etc.

You can also try our other related recipes like,

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Let’s start preparing this tasty and delicious Dahi Bhalle recipe,

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5 from 9 votes

Dahi Vada / Dahi Bhalla / Dahi Bhalle / Dahi Vade

Dahi Vada is a soft and tangy deep fried lentil balls soaked in sweetened curd and topped with Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney and various spice powders.

Course Breakfast, Chaats & Appetizers, Snacks, Starters

Cuisine North Indian, Punjabi

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Dahi Bhalla, Dahi Bhalle, Dahi Vada, Dahi Vade

Preparation Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Soaking Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 15 pieces

Calories 66kcal

Author Recipe by Chits

Equipments:

• Heavy base kadai
• Whisk
• Large Bowl

Ingredients:

For Vada:

• 1/2 cup Urad Dal (Split Black Gram) (Soaked)
• 1/2 cup Moong Dal (Soaked)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 inch Ginger (Finely Chopped)
• 2 piece Green Chilli (Finely Chopped)
• Oil for Frying
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• A pinch Asafoetida
• Water

For Powdered Sugar:

• 2 cup Fresh Curd
• 2 teaspoon Powdered Sugar

For Dahi Vada/ Dahi Bhalle:

• 1 teaspoon Black Salt
• 1 teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli (Coarsely Grounded)
• 1/2 teaspoon Pudina Powder
• 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
• Green Chutney/Coriander Chutney
• Red/Tamarind Chutney
• Pomegranate Seeds
• Sev
• Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves

Instructions:

Preparation of Vada Batter for Dahi Bhalle:

• Take Urad Dal and Moong Dal in a large bowl. Wash it properly by rinsing it in fresh water.
• Soak the dal in water for 5-6 hours or for overnight.
• After soaking it for few hours, remove the water and wash it again. Now we will grind the dal into a coarse paste.
• Take both the dal in a mixer grinder jar. Add require amount of water and grind it into coarse paste. The paste should be grinded into coarse paste and not fine paste. Coarse paste is one of the most important part of the Dahi Bhalle recipe.
• Transfer the coarse dal batter into a large bowl. With the help of large spoon, whisk the batter in circular motion for about 10-15 minutes or till it becomes fluffy. You can use electric beater to beat the batter. This helps in making the vadas soft and spongy.
• While beating the dal, if required you can add extra water. While beating you can also check whether the batter has become fluffy or not. Take small amount of batter in a spoon and drop it into a bowl of water. If it floats on the surface, the batter is perfect for preparing the vadas. If not then whisk it for few more minutes.
• After the beating process is over, add Salt, finely Chopped Ginger and Finely Chopped Green Chillies. Mix it well.

Preparation of Vada for Dahi Bhalle/Dahi Vada:

• Heat Oil in a heavy base kadai under low to medium flame. Low to medium heat helps in cooking the vadas evenly throughout. If it is cooked in high flame, the upper layer will burn and will remain uncooked from inside.
• Now take water in a large bowl. Wet your palm with water and take small amount of dal paste. Drop it into the oil in kadai slowly. Drop the vadas one by one in the oil. Do it for the required number of vadas.
• Fry the vadas under low medium flame by flipping it in intervals. Fry from all sides till it becomes golden brown in colour. The vadas will expand on frying.
• Take out the fried vadas from the kadai and place them over kitchen towel to absorb extra oil.
• Now take luke warm water in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon Salt and a pinch of Asafoetida. Mix them with water. Asafoetida adds taste to Dahi Vada.
• Dip all the fried Vadas completely into the water for about 15 minutes. Vadas should completely dip into the water to absorb it. Dipping in water helps in removing the oil from the vadas

Preparation of Dahi Bhalla/Dahi Vada:

• Till the time the vadas are soaked in water we will prepare the Sweetened Curd. Take Fresh Curd in a bowl and add Powdered Sugar. Add Sugar as per your liking of sweetness.
• Beat the curd with the help of whisk till it becomes soft. There should not be any lumps in the curd. Curd should not be sour so use fresh curd.
• Now take the bowl with dipped fried vadas. Take out a vada and squeeze out the water gently. Do it for all the vadas and place them in the serving plate. Do not apply more pressure while squeezing out the water or else the vadas will be mashed.
• Pour the Sweetened Curd over the vadas. You can use the sweetened curd as per your requirement. Curd is one of the most important ingredients in preparing the Dahi Bhalle so use it in more quantity for good taste. You can also dip the vadas in sweetened curd for some time. This will make it softer.
• Next pour small amount of Green Chutney (Coriander Chutney) over the vadas. Use Green Chutney as per your requirement. It adds spiciness to the Dahi Bhalle.
  
• Now add Tamarind Chutney as per your requirement of sweetness and tanginess.
  
• Lastly sprinkle some Black Salt, Roasted Cumin Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Pudina Powder and Chaat Masala over the vadas.
  
• Dahi Bhalle is ready to serve. Serve it by garnishing with Pomegranate Seeds, Sev and Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves. Pomegranate Seeds, Sev and Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves are optional. You can skip it if you want.
  

Notes:

1. Here we have used Urad Dal as well as Moong Dal to prepare the coarse paste. Moong Dal is optional. You can skip it if you want. However I would suggest you to use moong dal in same proportion to urad dal. Adding moong dal makes the vadas light and digestible. Using only Urad dal makes the vadas heavy.
2. One of the most important part of the Dahi Vada recipe is the grinding of dal. While grinding the dal, do remember to grind it into coarse paste and not make it into fine soft paste.
3. Beating the dal is another important part of this recipe. Beat it till the paste becomes fluffy and becomes double in quantity. It helps in making the Bhalle soft, fluffy and spongy.
4. To check whether the paste is perfect for preparing soft and spongy vadas, drop a spoon of the paste in a bowl of water. If the paste floats on the surface then it’s perfect. If not then beat it for few more minutes.
5. Soaking the Vadas in warm water helps in making it soft and juicy by separating the oil from it. Dahi Bhalle tastes great when the vadas are soft and juicy.
6. To make Dahi Bhalle tastier and juicier, soak the vada in dahi for at least an hour before serving.
7. Use Fresh Curd so that there is less amount of Sugar used. If the curd is not fresh, there are chances that it will be sour and more amount of sugar will be required to make it sweet.
8. Squeeze out the water from the vadas gently. Do not apply pressure or else the vadas will get mashed up.
9. While preparing the Dahi Bhalle, use Sweetened Curd, Green Chutney, Red Chutney and Spices as per your requirement. If you want some sweetness in Dahi Bhalle then add more curd and Red Chutney to it. If you want little spiciness add extra amount of Green Chutney. Similarly you can also use spices as per your preferences.
10. While serving the Dahi Bhalle, garnish it with Pomegranate Seeds, Sev, Peanuts and Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves. It adds flavour to Dahi Vade.