Dahi Vada

Ingredients for Dahi Vada:

1. Coriander leaves – 1 cup

    Mint leaves – ¼ cup

    Green chillies – 4

    Lemon juice – 1 big spoon

    Garlic – 3 cloves

    Ginger – 1-inch piece

    Shallots – 2

    Salt – A little

2. Curd – 2 big spoons

    Cumin powder – ¼ small spoon

    Chaat masala – A pinch

3. Tamarind – One lemon-sized

    Dates – 10, seedless

4. Jaggery scrapped – ¼ cup

5. Chilli powder – ½ small spoon

    Cumin powder – ½ small spoon

    Salt – As required

6. Black gram dal (Urud dal) – 1 cup

7. Salt – As needed

8. Oil – For frying

9. Curd – 1 cup, well beaten

10. Cumin powder – 1/4 small spoon

     Chaat masala – 1/4 small spoon

     Black salt – A little

     Chilli powder – 1/4 small spoon

How to prepare Dahi Vada?

1. Make a fine paste of ingredients no: 1.

2. Mix the above paste with ingredients no: 2. This is the green chutney.

3. Add a little water to ingredients no: 3 and boil for 10 minutes.

4. When dates turn soft, add jaggery and boil again till contents thicken.

5. Add ingredients no: 5, mix well and take off from flame.

6. Make a fine paste, and this is the tamarind chutney.

7. Soak urud dal for 1 hour and make a fine paste. Also add sufficient salt.

8. Make small balls from this batter and deep fry in hot oil.

9. Allow them to cool completely.

10. Soak them in warm water for half an hour and gently squeeze excess water content.

11. Transfer the balls to a serving plate and pour curd on the top of it.    

12. Pour green chutney and tamarind chutney on its top.

13. Sprinkle ingredients no: 10 on its top and serve as soon as you have done topping.

Note: This is a typical north Indian dish, quite different from Urud Vada prepared in south. Only Urud dal is used for its preparation and the balls are round in shape without piercing. Never put fried balls directly into water. If so they turn hard. You can soak fried urud more time and also place a plate with some weight inside the bowl so that the balls will the completely immersed in water. You can also sprinkle sev or bhujiya on its top for final serving to bring a twist to taste.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine November 1-14, 2018

Dahi Vada (Recipe 2)

Ingredients for Dahi Vada (Recipe 2):

1. Urad dal – 1 cup, soaked for 4 hours 

    Raw rice – 1 small spoon 

2. Oil – 1 small spoon 

    Coriander seeds – 4 small spoons 

    Dried red chillies – 4 

    Cumin seeds – ½ small spoon 

3. Green chillies, finely chopped – 2 small spoons 

    Ginger, finely chopped – 1 small spoon 

    Salt – As required 

4. Oil – For deep frying 

5. Buttermilk – 2 cups, unsalted, with a pinch of salt 

6. Thick curd – 2 cups 

    Water – As needed 

    Sugar – ½ small spoon 

7. Masala powder – As prepared earlier 

8. Coriander leaves – For garnishing 

    Tomato, finely chopped – For garnishing 

How to prepare Dahi Vada (Recipe 2)?

1. Wash and soak urad dal and raw rice for four hours. 

2. Heat 1 small spoon of oil in a pan and roast coriander seeds, dried red chillies, and cumin seeds. Grind them into a fine masala powder and keep aside. 

3. Coursely grind the soaked dal and rice. Add chopped green chillies, chopped ginger, and required salt to the batter and mix well. 

4. Shape the batter into vada (doughnut shape) and deep fry in hot oil until crispy and golden brown. Drain excess oil. 

5. Soak the fried vada in salted buttermilk for some time. 

6. Beat the thick curd with some water and sugar until smooth. 

7. Transfer the soaked vadas to a serving dish and pour the prepared curd over them. 

8. Sprinkle the prepared masala powder evenly over the curd.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and tomatoes. Serve. 

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine, March 1-14, 2025

Also read a few curd added vegetarian side dishes: