Super Soft Dahi Bhalle | Dahi Vada

Melt in the mouth, air-like, sweet and tangy dahi bhalle/dahi vada recipe.

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Hello HTS Coomunity

Today I am sharing my family recipe of Dahi Bhalle, that has been handed over from one generation to another. And trust me, you will love this. This recipe is a crowd pleaser with very much loved flavours and textures.

Dahi Bhalle or also known as Dahi Vada are fried lentil fritters, soaked in salted water to become soft and tender. These are then dressed with creamy whisked yogurt and sweet and spicy chutneys. Dahi means yogurt and bhalle/vade are deep fried fritters. The recipe is simple, and will result in a delicious snack that has the absolute balance of sweet, sour, tangy and spicy.

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Key to air-like bhalle

The key to amazing fluffy dahi bhalle is in the batter. We need to use as less water possible while grinding the dal. The next important step is to whisk the batter with hand to incorporate air, because this is what will make sure each vada fluffs up to the maximum potential. To ensure that the batter has been whisked to the required level, I recommend doing a float test. For assembling dahi vadas, you would need sweet imli chutney and green mint chutney, that can be prepared in advance or you can even buy them online.

Dahi bhalle are often enjoyed during festivals like Holi and Diwali, but can also be an excellent appetiser for a party. This recipe makes about 40 vadas and can serve around 1–12 people, if 3 are served to one person. Another pleasing appetiser is a crispy bowl of Cheese Chilli Balls and Bhutte ka kees, which is essentially a grated corn street food.

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Ingredients for Dahi Bhalle:

• Urad dal- 1 cup
• Moong dal- 1/2 cup
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Green chillies- 2, whole
• Salt- to taste
• Jeera (Cumin seeds)- 1 teaspoon
• Water- 1-2 tablespoons, or as required
• Warm water- about 10 cups, to soak vadas
• Heeng (Asafoetida)- 1/2 teaspoon

Ingredients for Dahi Bhalle Assembly:

• Sweet Imli Chutney
• Coriander-mint chutney / green chutney
• Roasted cumin powder
• Black salt
• Whisked curd with salt
• Red chilli powder, optional
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Steps to make Dahi Bhalle:

• Wash urad dal and moong dal separately and soak for at-least 6 hours or overnight in water, separately.

• Make a fine paste of the urad dal with ginger and green chillies in a mixer grinder. Make sure to use minimum amount of water. The paste should be thick. Transfer to a large bowl.

• Grind moong dal in a fine paste as well, using minimum water, transfer to the large bowl with urad dal.

• Add salt to the paste and now start combining and mixing both dals with clean hands in one direction, until the dal feels fluffy. It takes about 5-8 minutes to whisk dal with your hand.

• To test if dal mixture is ready for frying, we are going to do a float test, similar to sourdough starter. Take a small glass or bowl filled with water and drop a teaspoon of dal in it. If it floats, its ready, if not, continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes in one direction only.

• Once whisked, add jeera (cumin seeds) to the dal mixture and lightly mix.

• Meanwhile you heat oil in a pot for deep frying the vadas, prepare the water soak. In a large pot, add about 10 cups of warm water with salt and heeng. Mix and keep aside.

• To fry the vadas, heat oil until moderately hot or about 170 degree celsius if you have a thermometer. Scoop out some batter and gently drop it in oil.

• Fry on medium heat until golden brown, take them out and immediately transfer to the water soak. Perform the same steps for the entire batch of vadas. Your bhalle/ vadas are ready. Soak them for minimum 1 hour or until you are ready to serve, whichever is later.

Steps to assemble Dahi vada:

• Squeeze water out of a couple of vadas and lay them on a plate.

• Sprinkle a little bit of roasted cumin powder, followed by green chutney.

• Pour whisked curd on top of the vadas, covering them. Next spoon the sweet imli chutney, followed by sprinkle of black salt, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.