Dahi wada, also known as dahi bhalla or dahi bara is a dish in which vada is dipped in creamy yogurt and sprinkled with some everyday spice powders. It’s one of the most popular street foods in India. So for a fun appetizer or party treat, try my heirloom and classic dahi vada recipe with step-by-step photos.
About Dahi Wada
Dahi Vada is a popular North Indian street snack. “Dahi” refers to yogurt, while “Vada” refers to deep-fried fritters or dumplings, and the recipe is as simple as it sounds. Fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth vada are topped with simple creamy curd and some basic roasted spice powders.
It is a famous Indian Chaat recipe and very popular street food. During festivals, such as Holi, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, this popular dish is always on my menu.
The base of a superb Dahi vada recipe is delicate and puffy homemade fried lentil fritters that have been soaked in water, drained, and then topped with whisked curd and spice powders.
While, making Dahi vada takes some time, but just one bite of Dahi vada will assure you that it was well worth the effort. And much of the prep work, such as preparing to roast and grinding spice powder, whisking yogurt, can be done ahead of time.
I learned to make this Dahi vada from my Mom, she always made Dahi bara with urad dhuli (split & dehusked black gram lentil)
So the recipe I am sharing today is very much similar to what my Mom makes, with the only difference that back then she used to grind dal on silbata to make Dahi vada.
And yes, she would never use chutneys as a topping. So it’s that simple, yet delicious.
Dahi vada is an excellent snack to present to guests, and everyone enjoys them.
Simply adjust the spices to your liking and enjoy the delectable flavors of this traditional dahi wada. So, give this Dahi vada recipe a try today and wow your family and friends with your culinary skills.
Why you Should Make this Recipe?
- Simply Delicious
- Melt in mouth soft & juicy
- Protein Packed
- Gluten free
Looking for some more Street Chaat Recipe for you?
Who doesn’t enjoy a good chaat on the streets? So, if you’re someone like me, these four chaat items on my blog are a must-try. You’d surely enjoy them. 🙂
Perfect Bihari style Samosa Recipe
Pro Tips to make soft Dahi vada
If you want to make perfect dahi wada, every time you make it at home, then do follow some of these basic steps and you would be amazed with the results.
- Soaking Lentis/ dal: Remember to soak the lentils for 4 to 6 hours or overnight to make an excellent soft urad dal vada.
- Blending dal: After soaking, thoroughly combine the urad dal until it is thick, light, and fluffy. And if you’re going to grind the lentils, make sure to use chilled water to avoid overheating the blender. Only add water as needed to prevent the batter from becoming runny. When you pour a lot of water at once, the batter becomes runny. So start with a few tbsp at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Consistency of batter: The vadas will be out of shape, flat, and soak up a lot of oil if the batter is not of dropping consistency. Only by carefully adding water, the dropping consistency can be achieved.
- Aerate the batter: This is the most important stage in making fluffy dahi vada. After combining the batter, circulate it in a circular motion to aerate it. This adds air to the batter, resulting in fluffy dahi vadas. If you’re only making a small batch, you can do it by hand. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer if you double or triple the recipe.
Basic Ingredients used to Dahi Vada Recipe:
Lentils and yogurt are the main ingredients in this recipe, but there are a few additional crucial ingredients that makes it complete. Let’s take a look at what we’ll require.
- Lentils: I always make vadas with only one sort of lentil, urad dal (split skinned black gram), because that’s how my mother makes them. However, I’ve seen many recipes that combine moong dal with urad dal. But if you want you can use moong dal or the mix of both.
- Aromatics: I would highly recommend adding cumin seeds and ginger because they give the vada’s a good flavour and aroma.
- Yogurt: I like to whip full-fat plain yoghurt (store-bought or homemade) until creamy. If necessary, thin it with water. Keep it on the thicker side so the vada’s are well-coated.
- Spices: To add on some spice, we would be needing roasted cumin powder and roasted red chilli powder.
- Black salt: Black salt gives a really nice flavor so make sure to use that along with white regular salt to taste.
Dahi Wada
Ingredients
For Wada:
- 1 Cup Urad dal without skin black lentils
- 1 tsp Ginger
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
To Assemble :
- 4 cups Fresh Curd or as needed
- Black Salt kala namak, to taste
- Cumin Powder freshly roasted
- Red Chilli Powder roasted, to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
How to make Wada:
- Clean, wash and soak urad dal overnight.
- Grind the urad dal with salt and ginger, adding just enough water to make into a thick and smooth paste. (In a mixing dish, place the ground batter. Stir the batter vigorously for a few minutes. This helps to aerate the batter, making it lighter and fluffier).
- Heat oil on a medium flame for deep frying. Grease your palms with oil or water and put 1 tbsp of the lentil mix in your palm.
- Make into a donut shape (these are the vadas), Slide each vada into the hot oil and fry till light golden.
- Side by side heat water in a big broad pot, once hot turn off heat. Add the Vada to the hot water.
- Don’t add too many at a time. Give enough space for the Vada to breathe, as they tend to expand more in water.
- Keep in water for about 5 minutes or until they are soaked. Take the Vada out and very gently squeeze them to take the excess water out. Don't squeeze them too much to make them flat. Take out all the vada's in same way and set them aside.
- Soaking the Vada in water makes them soft and fluffy and juicy.
- Roast cumin seeds and red chilli and grind them seprately. Set aside. (You can take the quantity of red chilli and cumin seeds as pr your taste, roast them and use as per your requirement)
How to Serve:
- Add curd in a bowl, then add roasted chilli powder, and roasted jeera powder to curd and give it a nice mix. Now add black salt and salt to taste and mix well.
- Keep in refrigerator for an hour to get chilled.
- Now add the squeezed wada's to the yogurt mixture. Dip it properly so that the wada is well coated with curd.
- Place the Vada in a serving bowl and pour the yogurt mixture as needed, evenly over the Vada's, covering them completely.
- Sprinkle black salt, red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder to taste and serve. (Follow the same process for all the wada's).
Notes
- We need to incorporate air into this batter in order to make soft dahi vada. This can be done with a hand mixer or a basic hand whisk, You can also do this by using a stand mixer.
- To test if the batter has risen properly, drop a small portion into a bowl of water. The batter should float which means it’s perfectly fluffy.
- If you want to serve the vada in a few hours, soak them, drain them, and keep them in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Simply top with curd and spices when ready to serve.
- If you leave Dahi vada soaked in yogurt for long (overnight or so ) it may leave the water so prefer adding curd only when you want to serve (a couple of hours before is fine).
- Fry vada on medium heat to ensure the center cooks and they are golden and crispy on the outside.
- Frying on low heat will cause the wada to soak more oil. Too much heat will cause the vada to brown quickly and leaving the center uncooked.
- Soak them in water for a few minutes before pressing out the excess. Vada should return to its original shape if done correctly.
- Before serving, soak the wada in curd for at least 1-2 hours. (but if you don’t have time you can serve immedietly.
My Recommended Product:
To make Dahi Wada easily, you definietly need two products I have listed here today, the first one is mixer grinder, and the second one is hand blender.
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own opinions. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Ada Prathaman:
Why is my Dahi Vada hard?
Your wada’s are hard because the batter was not well aerated. So make sure to mix the batter thoroughly, and test it by dropping some batter into water.
What is the difference between Dahi Vada and Dahi Bhalla?
There is a difference between Dahi Vada and Dahi Bhalla, despite the fact that they both look similar. Dahi Vada is made simply with vadas or fritters that have been coated with curd, some spices. Some people even use various kinds of chutneys too for dahi vada. Whereas Dahi bhalla, includes papdi, cooked potato cubes, spices, and chickpeas in addition to the curd and chutneys. The flavor of Dahi Bhalla is similar to that of a chaat snack. And I will be sharing the recipe for dahi bhalla soon.
Can we store dahi vada batter in the fridge?
Yes, you can keep the batter in the refrigerator for a few days. The batter will become sour if left in the refrigerator for more than 2 to 3 days.
Why does urad dal vada burst?
If the batter is runny or thin, it will burst in the oil while frying. Too much water in the batter causes the vada to burst.
Can I freeze vada?
Yes, once you’ve drained all of the water from the vadas, you can freeze them. Freeze them in a covered container. Remove them from the freezer and defrost them overnight before making dahi vada. You can even refrigerate the wada’s without taking them out from the water for one or two days, sqeeze the water from wada’s before assembling.
