No fry Dahi Vada / Dahi Bhalla Chaat

Dahi Vada - Dahi Bhalla chaat are  absolutely melt in mouth delicious fritters served by street vendors throughout India. This tasty handheld fried lentil fritter are protein packed  and gluten free that will delight your taste-buds with its combination of flavors.

This post was originally posted in 2016 and has been updated with video and instructions

Jump to:

• What is Dahi Vada?
• Dahi Bhalla is an excellent street food in North India
• How to make Dahi Vada Video Recipe
• How to make Dahi Vada
• What is the difference between Dahi Vada and Dahi Bhalla
• Pro tips and tricks
• How to store Dahi Vada
• Can you freeze Dahi Vada?
• Can I add raisins in the batter?
• What type of Dal is used for making dahi vada batter?
• Dahi Vada/ Dahi Bhalle Recipe

What is Dahi Vada?

Dahi is the Indian word for “yogurt.” Vada are deep fried lentil fritters. So this recipe is fried lentil fritters with a refreshing yogurt sauce. The fritters melt in your mouth delicious. They are topped with a sweet and spicy combination that adds a lot of flavor to the fritters.

Dahi Bhalla is an excellent street food in North India

Dahi vada is a popular Indian recipe found throughout the country and subcontinent. If you visit India, you can find dahi vada sold at many street vendors. If you plan a trip to India, you should definitely make sure to try them. But in the meantime, you can make these delicious fritters in your own kitchen with very little effort.

How to make Dahi Vada Video Recipe

How to make Dahi Vada

Soak and Grind the batter

• Wash and soak moong urad dal for 4 to 6 hour together.
• Drain the water completely.
• Add to a wet grinder or mixer blender along with few ice cubes and grind it smooth into fine batter. Don’t add too much water.
• Pour into mixing bowl. Add salt to taste, cumin seeds, and if you are feeling rich festive cashew pieces, also can throw in a few black raisins.
• Using hand whisk, whisk the batter for couple of minutes till slightly light and airy.

Cook in Appe Pan

• Lightly grease each cavity of your appe pan and heat it on medium flame.
• When it is really hot (HOT!), lower the fire to medium low.
• Scoop teaspoon to tablespoon size ball in cavity. Don’t overfill.
• Place the lid on the pan and cook for about 3–4 minutes.
• Flip over as used a wooden skewer or spoon for each vada. Spray oil if needed.
• Cook it for 4-5 minutes each side or till golden and becomes slightly crispy. Remove and set aside.

Soak the Vadas

• Combine hot water with a little salt in a wide bowl.
• Drop the cooked vadas in a very gentle way, and soak it for 5-10 minutes.
• Take it out pat with your hands in between the palms squeeze to take off excess water.

Prepare Sweetened Yogurt

• In a bowl, add chilled yogurt, sugar, black salt and whisk together until smooth.
• Taste and adjust sweetness.

Assemble Your Dahi Vada

• Place the squeezed round vadas and arrange them on a plate.
• Generously spread the sweetened yogurt mix over them.
• Finish with a little bit of tamarind chutney to give it a tangy bite.
• Sprinkle dahi vada masala, red chili powder and also add some Sev to get that crunch.
• Finally top with pomegranate seeds and cilantro leaves.

What is the difference between Dahi Vada and Dahi Bhalla

There is a slight difference in how dahi vada is made versus dahi bhalla. To make dahi vada, you typically only use black lentils or urad dal. When you make dahi bhalla, you typically add in moong lentils. They both use sweet, sour, and hot chutneys as a topping, which is unique to these two types of fried fritters.

Pro tips and tricks

To make the fluffiest and best dahi vada, follow these tips and tricks:

• Cook the vada at a high temperature to help air expand rapidly and give the fritters extra fluffiness
• Make sure to soak the lentils for at least 4 hours to make them very soft. This also helps with making the batter a bit more consistent throughout.
• When using a blender, make sure you only use cool water to help prevent the blender from adding heat to the batter.
• Don’t skip beating the batter in a separate bowl after grinding the lentils. Beating the batter adds extra air into the batter.
• Use a ziplog bag with a snipped off corner to make pouring the batter into your hot pan easier. For extra ease, fill the bag using a large cup and draping the bag over the lips of the cup and then spooning the batter into the bag.
• For even better flavor, try making a homemade yogurt like my homemade Instant Pot Yogurt
• You want to use cold chilled yogurt here.

How to store Dahi Vada

If you want to make the fritters ahead of time you can. Before storing them, prepare the recipe up until the point where you are ready to add the yogurt over the fritters. Place the fritters on a tray or plate. Use cling wrap to seal them on the plate or tray. You can then store them in the refrigerator for a few days. 

When you are ready to use them, take them out of the fridge. Let them come up to room temperature for a few hours before adding the yogurt and chutneys.

Can you freeze Dahi Vada?

Yes, you can freeze the vadas for about 6 weeks. To this, first let the fritters cool off completely. Next, add paper towels to either a freezer safe container or freezer bags. Add the fritters to the container or bag. Seal the container or bags removing as much air as you can. 

To prepare the frozen vadas, bring a pot of water to a boil. Careful place the frozen fritters in the pot and cook for about 25 to 35 minutes or until the fritter puff up again. Gently remove the fritters from the boiling water and shake and squeeze the extra water off. Place them on a plate and add the yogurt and chutneys as you would with fresh fritters

Can I add raisins in the batter?

You can add raisins to the center of the batter. To do this, add the batter to the hot pan. Next, carefully push a few raisins into the batter until they are about in the center. I don’t recommend adding them into the batter while beating. Adding them at this stage allows less air to get into the batter and causes the fritters to not be as fluffy.

What type of Dal is used for making dahi vada batter?

You use urad dal to make dahi vada batter. In some cases, a recipe may use both urad dal and moong dal lentils. If you use both, the recipe is now dahi bhalla, which uses the same yogurt and chutneys for added flavor.

If you make this  Super soft no fry dahi vada –  dahi bhalla chaat recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating. We would be THRILLED if you would take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind 

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