Category: Food

Course: Snacks
Prep Time: 8hrs
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Cook Time: 8 hrs 45 mins
Cuisine: Indian Cuisine
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Recipe Servings: 20 serving(s)

Ingredients

• For Vada Batter0.33 cup urad dal (heaped) – 200 grams
  0.17 teaspoon chopped green chili or serrano or thai chili or 1 green chilli
  0.33 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
  0.33 teaspoon cumin seeds
  0.33 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  0.08 to 0.17 cup water or add as needed
  0.33 tablespoon raisins – chopped
  4 to 5 cashews – chopped
  salt as required – or ⅔ teaspoon food grade edible rock salt (sendha namak) 
• Other Ingredients0.83 cups Curd (yogurt) – chilled
  0.17 to 0.33 teaspoon chaat masala or as required
  0.08 to 0.17 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne, add as needed
  0.33 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  black salt – add as required, optional
  0.08 cup pomegranate arils – optional
  0.67 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  For Tamarind Chutney
  0.17 cup tamarind – tightly packed (seedless)
  0.58 cups water
  0.17 teaspoon ginger powder (saunth)
  0.33 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  0.17 teaspoon cumin seeds
  0.08 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne
  2.33 to 2.67 tablespoons jaggery or sugar, add as required – adjust as per your taste
  rock salt (edible and food grade) or black salt or regular salt as required
  0.33 teaspoon oil 
• For Coriander Chutney0.67 cups coriander leaves (cilantro)
  0.17 to 0.33 teaspoon dry mango powder or 1 to 1.5 teaspoons dried pomegranate seeds
  0.17 teaspoon chopped garlic or 1 to 2 small to medium garlic cloves
  0.33 teaspoon chopped green chillies or serrano pepper
  0.17 teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
  salt as needed
  0.67 to 1 tablespoons water or as required

Method

• Making Sweet Chutney:
• In a small bowl or pan, soak the tamarind in water for four to five hours, or overnight.
  In the same bowl or pan, squeeze the tamarind pulp with your hands. Place the pulp in a bowl and strain it.
  In a small pan, warm the oil. Add cumin seeds, reduce the heat, and allow them to crackle.
  Add ginger powder, red bean stew powder, asafoetida.
  Add the strained tamarind pulp after stirring. Cook for 2-4 minutes.
  Add the jaggery and salt and stew for 4 to 5 mins more on low to medium-low intensity. The combination would thicken. Let the tamarind chutney combination cool.
  The tamarind chutney should be stored in an airtight dry jar or container once it has cooled.
• Making Green Coriander Chutney
• Combine all of the ingredients on the list for green chutney with water or grind them together.
  Eliminate and save in a little bowl.
• Making the Batter
• Pick the lentils first, and then rinse them three to four times in water.
  Overnight or for four to five hours, soak the lentils in enough water.
  In a blender or mixer-grinder, add the lentils after removing all the water.
  Add hacked green chilies, cleaved ginger, cumin seeds, asafoetida and salt.
  Partially add water and grind to a smooth, medium-thick, or thick batter.
  In a bowl, place the ground batter. During the next few minutes, vigorously stir the batter. The batter becomes more light and airy as a result of this aeration.
  Cashews and chopped raisins should be added. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
  Vada Deep Fry: To deep fry, heat oil in a kadai or pan.
  Add a few spoonfuls of the batter to the oil as soon as it reaches a medium temperature.
  Don’t rush into turning them.
  You can turn the vada when you see the base and sides turning a pale golden color.
  Sear the vada until they become brilliant and fresh. Set on some paper towels.
• Making Dahi Vada
• In another bowl take water. Place the vada in the water while they are still hot after waiting two to three minutes. 12 to 15 minutes of soaking
  As it absorbs water and releases some of the oil, the vada will change color and grow slightly in size.
  To get rid of the water, take each vada, flatten it, and press it between your palms.
  Place these vada in a serving bowl or plate.
  Curd (yogurt) is whisked until smooth. Pour the curd over the vada equitably all over covering them.
  As needed, top with the tamarind chutney and green chutney.
  Add some cayenne or red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and black salt to the dish.
  Embellish with pomegranate arils and coriander leaves.
• Serving Tips:
• Serve the dahi vada immediately. Alternately, you can chill it for a few hours before serving.
• Capacity
• Envelop the dish by plastic grip wrap or move to a compartment with a top, and keep extra dahi vada in the cooler short-term or for a day in particular. If you wait any longer, the yogurt will taste different.
  The lentil dumplings can be made ahead of time and frozen prior to collecting the total dish. Follow the recipe’s instructions to make the fritters, soak them in water, and thoroughly squeeze out the excess water.
  Then place in an impenetrable compartment and save in the cooler for up to 1 to 2 months. After defrosting overnight in the refrigerator, proceed with the entire dahi vada recipe.
• Notes
• Ingredient Notes
• Lentils: The recipe is best made with skinned urad dal. Moong lentils can be added for about 1/4 cup. After soaking them along with the urad lentils, blend or grind them to a smooth consistency by adding water as needed.
  Curd: Always use fresh yogurt. Curd can be purchased, but I always make my own. Use yogurt that has turned sour instead.
  Chutney: You can either make the coriander chutney at home up to a week in advance or buy ready-made tamarind chutney. Green chutney leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Serve the tamarind chutney with other Indian snacks to keep it fresh for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Notes and variations on the recipe Soaking:
• To get a decent delicate urad dal vada, make sure to splash the lentils for 4 to 5 hours or short-term. Add water as necessary while grinding the batter thoroughly.
  Batter’s aeration: For two to three minutes, vigorously whisk the lentil batter. The batter becomes more airy and fluffy as a result of this.
  Variations: You can make the dahi vada with simply the sweet tamarind chutney and yogurt, and leave off the zesty green coriander chutney, assuming you like.
  Version without garlic: Simply omit the garlic from the green coriander chutney for a garlic-free dahi vada.
  Vegan choices: Choose from cashew, almond, or coconut yogurt.
  Scaling: Simply divide the recipe in half for a small batch. For parties or social affairs, twofold the recipe.Notes for Frying:
• Fry the vada in the oil at just the right temperature. The oil ought to be between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180 and 190 degrees Celsius. Use a spoon to drop a few drops of the batter into the hot oil to check without a thermometer.
  The batter should quickly and steadily rise to the surface of the oil and sizzle. The oil is cold if the batter drops remain at the pan’s bottom. The oil is too hot if it rises too quickly and turns dark brown or burnt.
  During frying, do not overcrowd the pan. The vada will soak up more oil as a result of the lower oil temperature caused by overcrowding.
  Pay attention to the approximate nutritional data for one dahi vada.