Dahi Vada Dahi Bhalla My Food Story

on Feb 17, 2023, Updated Oct 20, 2024 Looking for more Chaat recipes? Try my Bread Chaat, Pani Puri (Golgappa/ Puchka) Recipe, Air Fryer Papdi and Easy Aloo Chaat! I’m convinced dahi vada is the most delicious chaat recipe ever. It’s the perfect marrying of sweet, sour, and spicy flavours with soft textures that just works SO well. Dahi Vada makes for a fantastic party snack/starter because it can be made ahead for many guests and then served whenever you are ready. Since it’s served chilled, you don’t need to worry about heating/reheating it when serving for guests either. (And it also means that it keeps better in the fridge so leftovers galore!!) Don’t fret about the vada making – I’ve shared all my tips and tricks to make the spongiest vadas. These vadas are made using urad dal – they’re essentially fried lentil fritters that are coated with yogurt and sauces. This is one of those recipes that you’ll make once and come back to again and again. It’s what I make every festive season without fail, too!

Ingredients You’ll Need for Dahi Vada

For the Vada: Urad Dal – There’s two varieties of dahi vada – one made with urad dal and the other with moong dal, often called ‘dahi pakodi’. The vadas in this recipe are urad dal vadas. Hing – works like baking soda to make the vadas light and fluffy Water – to blend the dal and form the batter Salt – to season

For the Dahi Vada Chaat: Curd – we want to use thick curd for this recipe because it has the best texture once we whip it Sugar – just a pinch Green Coriander Chutney – this adds a tangy, spicy kick Sweet Tamarind Chutney (meethi imli chutney) – for that sweet and sour touch Roasted Cumin Powder – always goes so well with curd / in chaat Kashmiri Red Chili Powder – adds a great pop of color and spice, of course Black Salt – for that extra chatpata taste!

How To Make Dahi Vada

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to make dahi vada:

Wash and soak urad dal overnight. Place the urad dal in a sieve to drain all the water completely.
Add it to a mixer grinder, add a tablespoon of water at a time (I used between 4-6 tablespoon water), and grind it to a smooth paste.
You may need a little less or a little more water, but try to use as little water as possible. This entire process can take up to 6-8 minutes. It’s important to keep mixing it with a spatula and grinding.
The texture of the ground paste must be smooth with no lumps. Mix salt and hing in the ground urad dal and set it aside for ten minutes. The hing acts as baking soda and helps make the batter lighter.
Place the oil in a kadhai for heating while you whisk the batter. Use a hand whisk or hand blender to whisk the ground urad dal until it’s light and fluffy – approximately 5 minutes. You’ll feel the batter becoming airy and fluffier and also getting lighter in colour from a yellow to pale white.
To make vadas, wet the back of a flat katori with water. Take a lime-sized amount of batter in your dominant hand (in my case, my right hand) and place it on the wet surface of the katori.
Using the fingers of the dominant hand, tap to press it into a flat circle.
Gently drop the vada in hot oil by turning the katori over the kadhai (close to the oil so the vada doesn’t splash into it) and moving the fingers slightly so the vada slides into the oil.
You should see it start to puff up slightly. Cook it on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes till golden brown on both sides. Remove the vadas using a skimmer and keep aside on a tissue lined plate. Repeat till all the vadas are fried.
Add 2-3 cups of hot water into a bowl and combine it with 1 teaspoon of salt.
Soak the fried vadas in it for 20 minutes.
Once soaked, remove each vada one-by-one and squeeze it well enough to remove as much water as possible.
Add curd and sugar to a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Dip the vadas in the curd mix and transfer to a plate.
Top it off with some extra curd.
Drizzle imli chutney, coriander chutney, roasted cumin powder, salt and red chilli powder as per your preferences. You can also top it with some sev if you like, serve immediately!

Richa’s Top Tricks

If there’s any recipe of mine that you try, make it this one! I remember the first time I made vadas I felt a little intimidated by it – but trust me these are so worth a try and I feel so happy every time I serve this. The best part is all age groups enjoy this so much – dahi vada is the definition of a crowd pleasing dish! For more delicious chaat recipes, try out my Easy Aloo Chaat and Bread Chaat!