Dahi bada is the quintessential party snack. It is a popular Indian street food. It is available in all restaurants across India. People of all age groups love it, hence you will find it in many home gatherings too. Soft fluffy dahi vadas are actually a life saver too. It helps you save time when there are guests coming home. Saves you from making an extra curry for a party. Curd also helps with digestion when we eat all that heavy creamy curries. Thus, a win-win for both the guests and the hosts.
Dahi bhalla chaat is a mix of tangy mint and sweet tamarind chutney /date chutney. Later, garnished with pomegranate seeds and spices. While north calls it dahi bhalle, it is known as mosaru vade in kannada, thayir vadai in tamil and perugu vada in Telugu.
The colors remind me of our Indian flag. Nothing is as colorful as our India. Our cuisine reflects life. It is a mish mash of everything spicy sour and sweet and some how, everything fits perfectly, in that chaos. It is also a very important Sindhi thadri recipes. We eat thadri food cold or thado as it is cooked a day prior. Stove is not lit on saatam aatham and it fits the bill perfectly.
Jump to:
- Is Dahi Bhalla and Dahi Vada same?
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Instruction to prepare dahi bade batter
- How to make dahi bade? (traditional deep fry)
- How to make Dahi vada in air fryer ?
- How to make vada in air fryer? (variation 1)
- Variations
- Storage
- FAQs
- traditional dahi vada recipe | air fryer dahi vada recipe
- Food safety
Is Dahi Bhalla and Dahi Vada same?
Yes. No one gets bored of this yummy dahi bhalle! It is simple snack to make. Most people love the medu vada or dal vada version for breakfast. We also serve it during Holi parties. Nothing like dahibade to refresh you after all that Holi color fun.It is full of protein as it is only soaked and slightly fermented lentils.
I end up eating so many of them while making them. You can serve a bit as a snack to kids when you make it. Have it later with dahi vada dahi and chutneys later. Two snacks in one. Both super tasty and yum! Best part is any shape of the vada will do. It need not be a perfect donut. You can make it a day before and keep it ready for the party. Garnish it with mint and tamarind chutney before you serve.
Ingredients
For dahi vada batter:
- Urad dal/split black lentils, soaked for 4 hours
- Black peppers crushed coarsely
- Cumin seeds/jeera
- Salt as per taste
- Rice flour optional
- Oil for frying/brushing
- Yogurt beaten with water
For assembling: Serve 2-3 pieces in a bowl, sprinkle a pinch of
- Red chili powder
- Roasted cumin powder
- Pomegranate seeds - optional
- Coriander chutney & tamarind chutney/ date chutney
- Chaat masala - optional
- Salt
Equipment
- kadai/frying pan
- or air fryer for low oil version
- Mixer grinder/blender for grinding batter
Instruction to prepare dahi bade batter
Here are the step by step pictures.
- Soak urad/udad dal for minimum of 4 hours .
2. Grind the dal with minimal water, add salt, jeera, black pepper. Mix all ingredients.
3. Take a spoonful and fry in hot oil over medium heat.
How to make dahi bade? (traditional deep fry)
4. Fry it until golden brown in color. Repeat it for all the batter.
5. Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes so that they come to room temperature. Then, transfer to a large bowl with cold water.(Half of them get eaten at this stage! Fried vada is just irresistible 🙂 )
6. Remove excess water from each piece by squeezing in between your palms softly. This keeps them soft. Move them to a bowl with whipped curd and water.
7. Serve them with sweet and sour tamarind chutney, Pomegranate, spices and sev(namkeen).
How to make Dahi vada in air fryer ?
Dahi bhalla calories made in air fryer are definitely lesser than fried version due to the use of minimal oil.
- Use a piping bag or a spoon to place the batter in a preheated airfryer basket that is lined with a perforated sheet/baking paper
2. spray oil on the dahi vada before you start to cook.Start cooking at 180C/355F for 8 mins.
3. Spray oil again and cook for further 3-4 minutes (total cook time of 11-12 minutes)
4. Once the dahi vada is cooked, transfer it to a bowl of water,let it soak for 10-15 minutes.
5. Squeeze excess water(slowly,do not break) , pour dahi.yogurt and garnish as per your liking with chutneys,pomegranate,spices & salt.
How to make vada in air fryer? (variation 1)
Dahi vada in airfryer tend come up little flat in shape, you the muffin liner method below if you want them not to come up flat.
- Spray the muffin liners with an oil spray first. Place the scoop of batter in muffin cups and keep it in the air fryer basket.
2. In a preheat air fryer(10 mins), air fry the vadas for 10-12 minutes at 190 degree C.Brush/spray oil once in between.
3. Let it cool. Take the paper wrap out and soak them in warm water.
4. Squeeze them slowly to remove the water (do not press hard) Move them to a bowl with whipped curd and water , Serve them with sweet and sour tamarind chutney, Pomegranate, spices and sev(namkeen).
Travel tip: Making dahi vada is an art too, ask Joshi vade wale at Indori Sarafa bazaar. It can make careers too 🙂 All Indoris will agree! When you are from MP, your heart belongs to good food!
Variations
south Indian dahi vada recipe or thayir vadai recipe is slightly different. After putting vada in yogurt.They add a curry leave mustard seeds tadka to it. Some people make a stuffing of cashews and almonds and stuff it while making the vada. However, that is strictly optional. Plain vada looks great as it is and you can have it hot even without a dip! I end up eating many vadai before even putting them in yogurt 🙂
Storage
Store dahi vada in a refrigerator. It can stay upto 2-3 days. If you are making them for a party, you may soak them in water a day or two earlier. Squeeze the water and dip them in yogurt 4-5 hours earlier to the party.
Make a big batch of mint and tamarind chutney. Freeze it in small plastic containers for weeks. Thaw it anytime you want to eat chaat. Works like magic.Helps me save time when I want to eat street food anytime of the week. Also helps me avoid buying preservative laden chutneys from the market.
How many types of Vada are there?
There are many types of Vada in India. See our favorites below.
FAQs
If oil in kadai, is not very hot,it will end up oily.
Water in batter should be enough and not less, else they will turn out rubbery.
##Nutrition facts calculated,calories in dahi bhalla are based on air fryer method, does not add nutrition due to chutney
traditional dahi vada recipe | air fryer dahi vada recipe
Equipment
- kadai/frying pan
- or air fryer for low oil version
- Mixer grinder/blender for grinding batter
Ingredients
For vada
- ½ cup urad dal split black lentils,soaked for 4 hours
- 4-5 black peppers crushed coarsely
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
- Salt as per taste
- Oil for frying
For garnishing
- 1 cup full fat yogurt beaten with 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoon green chutney date chutney
- 2 tablespoon tamarind chutney or date chutney
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder jeera powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder or as per taste
- 2 tablespoon sev namkeen(optional)
- 2 tablespoon Pomegranate seeds
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- Grind the urad dal in a blender with minimal water to form a smooth batter.
- Add cumin,pepper and salt,mix well
For deep fry vada
- Heat oil in a kadai/saucepan
- Take a small portion of dough and lower them slowly in hot oil.
- On a medium flame, fry them until golden brown.
- Let it cool and dip them in a bowl of water.
For air fryer dahi vada
- Use a piping bag or a spoon to place the batter in a preheated airfryer basket that is lined with a perforated sheet/baking paper or if you are using muffin liners,line all muffin liners ,grease them with oil spray and add a big scoop of the batter in each.
- spray oil on the dahi vada before you start to cook.
- In a preheat air fryer(10 mins), air fry the vadas for 11-12 minutes at 180 degree C.Brush/spray oil once in between.
- Let it cool. Take the paper wrap out and soak them in warm water. Follow the remaining steps from the traditional method to make your dahi bhalla chaat.
For garnish
- Remove the excess water by pressing them out in your palm.
- Dip it in beaten yogurt for 1 hour atleast.
- In a flat bowl,place the dahi vada,pour the beaten yogurt on top,add the chutney and other garnish spices and pomegranate seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have a good ventilation when cooking on a stove.
Shilpa M says
Easy to follow recipe. Will definitely try. Thank you for sharing.
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you so much,hope it turns out well..
Richa Gupta says
Thanks for the wonderful recipes. Tried it today, it turned out awesome.
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you so much for your kind words