Dahi Vada (Dahi Bhalla) is a popular Indian dish. Deep-fried lentil fritters are doused in a sweetened yogurt, topped with chutneys and finished with a sprinkle of masala.
Throughout India, dahi vada is considered as a snack or chaat dish but in Gujarat dahi vada is often served as farsan as part of a Gujarati thali . In Gujarati dahi vada, the yogurt is sweetened and are often made smaller to fit in a thali.
My Mum tends to prepare this recipe during spring and summer but it can be prepared for parties or any other festivals such as Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan or Sitla Satam.
Other chaat recipes you can serve at parties are my samosa chaat , bhel puri and dhokla chaat .
This recipe makes the softest melt in your mouth vada and you can expect a riot of flavour thanks to the tangy toppings.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The vada are made using dhuli urad dal, dhuli moong dal and masoor dal. The combination of both give spongy vada. Green chillies and ginger add a little heat and flavour.
There are a few tricks to get the dahi vada soft and spongy. You can achieve this without adding any baking soda, fruit salt or without soaking the vada in water. I find that soaking vada in water leads to runny yogurt and the taste is not as great.
To prepare the yogurt, sweeten it with yogurt. You then need a tangy mix of vibrant green chutney and imli chutney . Sprinkle over a masala made with chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds powder and red chilli powder.
Finish with pomegranate seeds, coriander leaves and masala boondi. Optionally add sev too which adds crunch.
Tips
- To get a softer vada to make sure you soak the lentils at least 8-10 hours.
- Once lentils ground, beat the mixture vigorously for 5-6 minutes just before you fry the fritters.
- Immediately douse the cooked vada into a thin yogurt mix. This will help the vada to soak the moisture and double in size.
Storage
Store leftover dahi vada and keep refridgerated for up to 2 days.
Dahi vada taste best and have the best texture immediately after assembling.
I do not recommend making the vada in advance as they may become hard, so deep-fry just before assembly.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Dahi Vada
Equipment
- Grinder
- Frying pan
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
Vada
- 2 cup dhuli white urad daal husked split black gram
- ⅛ cup dhuli yellow moong daal split yellow moong daal
- 2 tablespoon masoor daal split red lentils
- 4-5 green chillies
- 2 tablespoon ginger
- pinch hing asafoetida
- oil for deep frying
- salt to taste
Toppings
- 5 cup full fat yogurt whisked
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon roasted cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 2 tablespoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon black salt sanchar powder/kala namak
- 1 cup imli chutney
- ½ cup green coriander and mint chutney
- 4 tablespoon coriander leaves fresh
- 4 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 4 tablespoon fried boondi or sev Optional (Spicy Gram flour pearls)
Instructions
Prepare the lentils
- Clean and rinse the dals with clean water and soak in cold water for at least 8-10 hours or overnight.
- Discard the soaked water and once again rinse the lentils with clean water.
- Place the drained soaked lentils, green chillies, ginger, hing and salt into blender.
- Grind until you get a texture like coarse semolina (not smooth). You may need a little water to grind the lentils but try without.
- In a bowl, mix red chilli powder, chaat masala and roasted cumin powder. Set aside.
- Take half the yogurt in a mixing bowl add 2 cups water, add two tablespoons of sugar and salt to taste. Whisk well, pour and leave it in a wide plate or tray.
Fry the vadas
- Heat the oil in a kadai or frying pan on medium heat.
- Take a handful of mixture in a bowl and beat the mixture vigorously for a couple of minutes with your hand, you’ll see the batter rising (almost double in size).
- Collect some vada batter with your fingers or in small spoon or cookie scoop and carefully drop into the hot oil. Keep the heat at a medium.
- Fry the vada until golden.
- Remove the vada with a slotted spoon and add them straight away into the thinner yogurt mixture.
- Make sure all the vada are coated in the yogurt.
- Cover the plate and leave it for at least half an hour to one hour.
- In this process, vada will soak all the yogurt and make them even softer.
Assemble and Serving
- Once you are ready to serve dahi vada, add remaining sugar and some water or milk to the remaining yogurt and mix well.
- Carefully arrange soaked vada in a serving plate, and spoon sweetened yogurt on top. Ensuring vadas doused in the yogurt.
- Drizzle over the chutneys, masala powder mixture, fresh coriander, pomegranate seeds and boondi.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in July 2018.
Dahi Vada
Equipment
- Grinder
- Frying pan
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
Vada
- 2 cup dhuli white urad daal husked split black gram
- ⅛ cup dhuli yellow moong daal split yellow moong daal
- 2 tablespoon masoor daal split red lentils
- 4-5 green chillies
- 2 tablespoon ginger
- pinch hing asafoetida
- oil for deep frying
- salt to taste
Toppings
- 5 cup full fat yogurt whisked
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon roasted cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 2 tablespoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon black salt sanchar powder/kala namak
- 1 cup imli chutney
- ½ cup green coriander and mint chutney
- 4 tablespoon coriander leaves fresh
- 4 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 4 tablespoon fried boondi or sev Optional (Spicy Gram flour pearls)
Instructions
Prepare the lentils
- Clean and rinse the dals with clean water and soak in cold water for at least 8-10 hours or overnight.
- Discard the soaked water and once again rinse the lentils with clean water.
- Place the drained soaked lentils, green chillies, ginger, hing and salt into blender.
- Grind until you get a texture like coarse semolina (not smooth). You may need a little water to grind the lentils but try without.
- In a bowl, mix red chilli powder, chaat masala and roasted cumin powder. Set aside.
- Take half the yogurt in a mixing bowl add 2 cups water, add two tablespoons of sugar and salt to taste. Whisk well, pour and leave it in a wide plate or tray.
Fry the vadas
- Heat the oil in a kadai or frying pan on medium heat.
- Take a handful of mixture in a bowl and beat the mixture vigorously for a couple of minutes with your hand, you’ll see the batter rising (almost double in size).
- Collect some vada batter with your fingers or in small spoon or cookie scoop and carefully drop into the hot oil. Keep the heat at a medium.
- Fry the vada until golden.
- Remove the vada with a slotted spoon and add them straight away into the thinner yogurt mixture.
- Make sure all the vada are coated in the yogurt.
- Cover the plate and leave it for at least half an hour to one hour.
- In this process, vada will soak all the yogurt and make them even softer.
Assemble and Serving
- Once you are ready to serve dahi vada, add remaining sugar and some water or milk to the remaining yogurt and mix well.
- Carefully arrange soaked vada in a serving plate, and spoon sweetened yogurt on top. Ensuring vadas doused in the yogurt.
- Drizzle over the chutneys, masala powder mixture, fresh coriander, pomegranate seeds and boondi.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
You can prepare perfect homemade paneer, a fresh Indian cheese, with just whole milk and vinegar.
One of the greatest things about paneer is its versatility. It effortlessly absorbs the flavours and aromas of spices, making it a staple in Punjabi and North Indian cuisine.
At the same time, it can be used delicately to create some of the finest Indian sweets, particularly in Bengali cuisine.
Paneer is one of the simplest cheeses to make at home. It requires no rennet or ageing process and can be prepared in under an hour.
This unsalted white cheese is fresh and has a dense, crumbly texture that pairs beautifully with bold flavours.
A popular ingredient in South Asian cookery, paneer adds authenticity to many classic dishes.
Whether cubed, sliced, grated, or crumbled, it retains its shape when heated and absorbs the flavours of the ingredients it is cooked with.
It should be noted that homemade paneer will not be as dense as shop bought but will still hold its shape.
Ingredients
You only need two ingredients:
milk and a curdling agent. Generally lemon juice or white vinegar is used.
While paneer is traditionally made plain, you can experiment by adding herbs or spices to the curd mixture before setting. However, be careful not to add too many ingredients, as this can cause the cheese to fall apart.
Recipe Yield
3 litres of whole milk will yield approximately 300g of paneer.
Don’t discard the leftover whey. You can use it to knead dough for soft Gujarati rotlis or bread, mix it into pancake batter, add it to smoothies, or use it to make lassi (a traditional yoghurt-based drink).
How to use paneer in recipes
Use your fresh homemade paneer to make rich curries such as paneer butter masala , shahi paneer or saag paneer .
Crumbled paneer that has not been set can be used immediately to make malai kofta , paneer kheer , paneer bhurji , paneer paratha or paneer palak kofta curry .
Use crumbled paneer in sweet dishes such as kala jamun or ras malai .
Storage
Store paneer in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze paneer that has been cut into cubes for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw prior to using in recipes. Note that the texture may change.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Homemade Paneer
Equipment
- pan
- Cheese cloth
- Sieve or colander
Ingredients
- 3 litre whole milk
- 5 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-based pan.
- Once the milk starts to boil and rise, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice or vinegar.
- Turn the heat on again, and stir gently to encourage curdling.
- If it doesn’t curdle, add a little more lemon juice or vinegar.
- This process should take a few minutes. Once the curds separate and the whey turns a pale green, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Line a large sieve with muslin or cheesecloth over a big bowl or pan.
- Strain the paneer through the sieve and rinse it with cold water. Reserve the whey for later use.
- If you want to add any seasoning, now is the time! Try experimenting with spices and herbs like paprika, cumin seeds, chilli, coriander or thyme.
- If you add spices or herbs, mix well.
- Wrap the cheesecloth around the paneer and wring it gently.
- Hang it from a tap for about 30 minutes to ensure the whey drains completely. Excess moisture will prevent the paneer from setting properly.
- Transfer the paneer to a clean surface or wooden board and press it down with a heavy weight for at least an hour. For firmer paneer, leave it for 2-3 hours. This helps it hold its shape when cooked.
- Once set, remove the weight and cut the paneer into cubes or crumble it.
- Store any unused paneer in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in June 2013.
