Lentil dumplings in yoghurt sauce

Dahi vada

Dahi wadas are fried lentil dumplings prepared using skinless split black gram dal (urad dal) and served with loads of yoghurt (dahi). Dahi wadas are my top favourite in chaat items. They are easy to prepare (you just need some preparation ahead of time like soaking the dal).

Fresh Dahi Vada is very refreshing and easy to digest. Dahi wada is generally served as an evening snack though for me it qualifes to be in the dinner category.

So without further ado, here is one of the numerous delicacies that I crave for.

Ingredients:
1 cup skinless split black gram dal (urad dal)
3-4 cups yoghurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
2-3 tsp roasted cumin (jeera) powder
pinch of rock salt (kala namak) - optional
salt
Oil for frying

Process:
Soak the dal overnight. Grind it adding as little water as possible to get a coarse paste, a batter similar to that of medu wada. It would be better if you don’t add water at all but if you think your grinder won’t coperate just add necessary water little by little. Add salt and mix.

Heat oil in a pan. Make small lemon-sized balls with your hands using a wet hand and place the batter into the hot oil and deep fry it until both sides turn golden brown. Fry all the wadas and keep aside.

Take care to keep the flame on medium to medium high as if the oil is too hot, the wadas will turn crisp on the outside but the center will not be cooked and if the flame is too low and the oil is not hot enought, the batter will soak in too much oil.


Take water in a bowl, and put all the wadas into the water. After soaking them for about half an hour, take out the Vadas from the water and squeeze out the excess water by pressing the vadas with your hand. The best part of it is that most of the oil will get squeezed out too.

Meanwhile in another bowl, take the curd and whisk it without adding any water. Add salt to it also rock salt if you want and roasted cumin powder and mix properly. To serve, scoop out the wadas on to a shallow bowl & add some of the curd. Pour date tamarind chutney liberally on top. Sprinkle a little rock salt, roasted cumin powder, and chilli powder and serve.








The batter freezes well for upto a week. Alternatively, you can make the vadas and store them in an air-tight container in the freezer for quite a while and when required just thaw the amount of vadas you need.