Dahi vada

Dahi vada is a truly delicious street food & snack. I know that when I make something like this I will be eating it all by myself - but that’s fine by me. Yogesh really doesn't like it! In Northern India it is commonly referred to as dahi bhalla, but in Southern India it would be called dahi vada instead. This is one of my favourite Indian chaats or snacks - I love the squidgy texture of the lentil fritters and the combination with the yoghurt and chutneys. It's honestly the best! Dahi vada is often made for special occasions, in particular for Holi, but you can also enjoy it as a snack at anytime of year. Although dahi vada can take some time to make, the end result is really worth it.

In this dish, deep fried lentil fritters (vada) are soaked and then topped with creamy yoghurt (dahi), green chutney, tamarind chutney, spices and boondi (fried chickpea puffs). You can also sprinkle over pomegranate seeds as well.

In total you can spilt up the recipe in the following steps

Preparing & soaking lentils for the vada
Preparing the yoghurt (dahi)
Making tamarind and green chutneys
Frying & soaking the vada
Assembling the dahi vada!

Notes: you can make the chutneys in advance. Tamarind chutney keeps well in the fridge as it has a fair amount of jaggery in it. It is also important that the tamarind chutney is not warm before you add it to the dahi vada. Green chutney freezes really well. I often put little portions of green chutney in an ice-cube tray. That way when I need some to have alongside another snacks, I can just defrost a few cubes!

If you want to make the chutneys in advance, simply follow that part of the recipe first.

Ingredients

For the vada
1 cup white urad dal (skinned black gram)
1/4 cup moong dal
1 green chilli, chopped
Small piece ginger, chopped
Salt to taste
Water as a required
Oil for deep frying

For the yoghurt (dahi)
2 cup full fat yoghurt
1-2 tbsp sugar (to taste)

For the green chutney
2 handfuls coriander
2 handfuls mint
Small piece ginger
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Water, as required

For the tamarind chutney
2 tbsp tamarind paste or concentrate
1.5 cups water
1 cup powdered jaggery
Pinch salt
Pinch cumin powder

To decorate
Few chopped coriander leaves
Boondi (you can buy this in all good Indian supermarkets, otherwise you can skip it)
Pinch chilli powder
Pinch chaat masala
Pinch cumin powder

Method

Soaking lentils for the vadas

Firstly, soak the skinned urad & moong dal for 4 hours in plenty of water. Whilst the lentils are soaking, you can prepare the chutneys & yoghurt

Making the yoghurt & chutneys

Whisk together the yoghurt & sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Set aside in the fridge.

For the tamarind chutney, heat the water until just below boiling. Add the tamarind paste or concentrate, jaggery, salt and cumin powder. Mix well. Reduce the heat and let the chutney bubble until reduced and slightly syrupy. Let the chutney cool before using.

For the green chutney, in a blender, add the coriander, mint, ginger, chilli, cumin seeds and salt. Add 1/4 cup water and blend until smooth and lump free. Set aside in a bow and keep refrigerated.

Making & frying the vadas

Transfer the soaked urad & moong dal to a grinder. Add the green chilli and ginger. Grind using no more than 1/4 - 1/2 cup water to a thick batter.
Transfer the batter to a bowl and 1/2 tsp salt. Using a whisk or handmixer, beat the batter until light and fluffy. To test if the batter is ready for frying, take a tsp of batter and drop it in a small bowl of water. If it floats to the top, then it is ready!

In a kadai or sturdy deep pan, add enough oil to cover the vadas when they are frying. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop in a little batter. The batter should sizzle and float to the top.
Next start frying the vada. Use an ice-cream scoop to drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Using an ice cream scoop means the final vada have a nice round shape.

Fry the vada on a medium-high heat in batches, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Remove the vada and place on a kitchen paper to drain.

Take a large mixing bowl and fill up with water at room temperature. Whilst the vada are still hot, drop the vada in the water. Soak the vada for 10 minutes. The vadas will release some oil and they will change colour slightly.
Once soaked, remove and squeeze the vada slightly between your palms to release any additional moisture. Be careful here as they might break.
Once soaked, arrange the vada in a tray, plate or dish you'll be serving them in.

Assembling dahi vada