Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla, Dahi Bara) is a delicious chaat dish where fried lentil dumplings are topped with yogurt, chutneys, and spices. Learn to make the softest North Indian style dahi vada at home using my easy recipe.

About Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla, Dahi Bara) is a delicious Chaat recipe where fried lentil dumplings are topped with refreshing yogurt, chutneys, and spices.

You will find a lot of street chaat shops in India selling this dish.

It is also made in homes for festivals and special occasions like marriages, get-togethers, etc.

Making Dahi Vada at home might look intimidating as many times, the vadas don’t come out soft and get a hard center.

After trying the recipe multiple times, I have come up with this foolproof recipe using which your vadas will turn out soft like a cloud every time. The best part is that this recipe is super simple too.

Dahi vada is made slightly differently in North India and South India. In this post, I am sharing a North Indian style recipe.

My recipe serves 15 people but you can easily halve, double, or triple it as per your requirements.

Here are some more chaat recipes that you may like

• Samosa Chaat
• Chana Chaat
• White Matar Chaat
• Bhel Puri
• Dahi Puri
• Ragda Pattice

Ingredients

For The Vada

To make the vada, you will need white urad dal (split and skinned black lentils), fresh ginger, green chilies, baking soda, and salt.

Traditionally, dahi vada are made using white urda dal, but to. make them lighter, some people use half urad dal and half yellow moong dal.

For The Soaking Liquid

To soak the vada, you will need lukewarm water, salt, and asafetida (hing).

For The Topping

Yogurt (Dahi, Curd) – Soft vada are topped with creamy yogurt. You will need sugar and salt to add to the yogurt.

Others – You will also need Green Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, dahi vada masala powder, red chili powder, Roasted Cumin Powder, salt, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

You can either make the chutneys at home or buy them from an Indian grocery store.

If you want to use the vadas later, just keep them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Before using, dip them in soaking water for 20-25 minutes and then top them with curd.

Pro Tips By Neha

After experimenting this trick on my Indian Style Coffee Recipe, I now use it for anything that needs good whisking.

Another tip to check if the Dahi Bara batter is whisked properly, you can turn the bowl in which you are whisking the batter upside down and the batter should not fall down.

This is a little tricky because if the batter is not whisked well, it will fall down and you will have a lot to clean up 🙂

While frying the Dahi Bhalla, fry them on medium heat, and as soon as you drop them in oil, keep pouring oil over them using a ladle to seal the air inside.

South Indian Style Dahi Vada

To make South Indian Style Dahi Vada, make the batter for the vada in the same manner as mentioned below.

While shaping the vada, just make a hole in the centre of the vada and then fry as mentioned.

Soak the fried vadas in hot milk.

For the curd mixture, whisk the curd until smooth. Add ginger and green chilli paste, chopped coriander, salt and sugar and whisk well.

Take out the vada in serving plate and top with curd mixture.

Make a tempering of vegetable oil, curry leaves, urad dal and hing and pour it over the Vadas.

How To Make Dahi Vada

Wash the dal and soak in 3-4 cups of water for 4-5 hours.

Drain the water and add the dal in a blender along with ginger, green chilli and salt.

Blend the dal to make a thick paste. Add just add 2-3 teaspoon of water while grinding the dal.

Use your hands and whisk the dal for 4-5 minutes until it is very light. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 15 minutes. Add the baking soda and whisk for another minute.

Take a bowl filled with water and drop a small drop of batter in it. If the batter immediately starts to float on top of the water, the batter is ready. If not, then whisk it some more.

Heat oil for frying in a pan.

Wet your hands with water and take out a small portion of the batter in your palms. Shape it into a flat round vada.

Drop the vada in hot oil. Simmer the heat to medium-low and fry all the vadas until they are golden brown.

Drain on a plate. 

Add the fried vada in soaking water and let them soak for 15 minutes. Press the vada lightly between your palm and arrange them in the serving plate.

Top with whisked curd.

Top with coriander mint chutney and tamarind chutney.  Sprinkle dahi vada masala, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and fresh coriander. Chill for a few hours in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

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