Dahi Vada

5 from 23 votes

The softest lentil fritters soaked up in creamy and delicious yogurt, dahi vada is a popular dish that originates from Karnataka. Also called mosaru vade, they can be served as a snack or appetizer. They are also great for breakfast or as a side with your meals. Gluten-free and a good source of vegetarian protein.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu, Vegetarian

Servings: vadas

Calories: 61kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

For the vada:

1 cup split black gram urad dal
3 tablespoon coconut sliced
2-3 green chili (or serrano pepper) or as per taste
5-6 curry leaves
1 teaspoon ginger paste
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

For the yogurt mix:

3 cups yogurt
1 teaspoon oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 inch ginger finely sliced
Salt to taste

For serving:

1 small carrot grated
2 tablespoon cilantro
Boondi or sev

Instructions

Make the batter:

Soak the urad dal in water overnight (or for a minimum of 4-5 hours).
Once the urad dal is soaked, rinse it thoroughly and drain all the water.
Grind into a smooth batter using very little water (the batter needs to be thick and should have as less water as possible).
Whisk the batter to make it fluffy. To check if your batter is ready, add a small drop of batter into a bowl of water. If it floats, the batter is ready for vadas
Finely chop coconut slices, green chili, and curry leaves.
Mix the chopped coconut, green chili, curry leaves, ginger paste, and salt into the batter.

Fry the vadas:

Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai. Take small portions of batter (approximately 2 tbsp) and gently drop it into the oil.
Fry the vadas on medium flame until they are golden brown.
Drain on a paper towel.

Soak them in yogurt:

Add salt to the yogurt and whisk it until it is smooth and there are no lumps.
Heat oil in a small fry pan and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for a few seconds.
Pour the prepared tempering into the yogurt and mix well.
Soak the vadas in lukewarm water for 5-6 minutes. Gently squeeze the vada to remove excess water.
Drop them into the yogurt mix and mix gently. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Serve:

Place the vadas in a serving bowl.
Top with some yogurt mixture.
Garnish with grated carrot, cilantro, and boondi.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Grind the urad dal with as little water as possible. The batter has to be very thick with very little water content.

Aerate the batter well by whisking it for at least 5 minutes. A well-aerated batter gives light and fluffy vadas. To check if the batter is ready, drop a small amount of batter in water. If it floats, the batter is ready.

Always fry the vada on medium heat. Frying them on low heat will make them soak too much oil, and if you fry them on high heat, they will not cook completely.

Nutrition