Soft and fluffy Dahi Bhallas dunked in yogurt and topped with chutneys. Tips and techniques to get super fluffy and light dahi bhallas.
When my dad was posted to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, we got acquainted with this amazing family, who coincidentally shared the same surname as ours. The daughter, Pallavi, became a close friend of mine in spite of the age difference we shared. I was in college during my dad’s tenure in Jaisalmer but whenever I visited, she and I would get together and although there wasn’t much to do in the city, my stay was always memorable. Her parents too would make sure that I had a good stay while I was visiting mom and dad.
Pallavi’s mom, Swati aunty, used to make the most amazing Dahi bhallas- light and airy bhallas that melt in your mouth. The first time I ate them I chowed down 4-5 in one sitting and got a to-go box of more back home with me. My mom took the recipe from aunty when we left Jaisalmer because all of us agreed that they were the best bhallas we had ever eaten.While my mom made an honest effort later to make them and they always turned out good, they were never like aunty’s. Aunty maintained the secret to the light and fluffy vadas lay in beating the heck out of the batter, but I think she just had magic in her hands.
As mentioned in a previous post, my mom is in town visiting, which means I am getting some respite from cooking. The other day she made dahi bhallas, her quick channa masala and bhaturas. I could not be more grateful for that meal. It was so good, and the bhallas actually turned out exactly the way Swati aunty made them- soft and airy. Today I am sharing her recipe for dahi bhallas/ vadas.
Dahi bhalla is a popular indian dish made with deep fried lentil dumplings (bhallas or vadas) that are served in yogurt (dahi) and topped with roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, date-tamarind chutney and/or mint chutney.
Generally these vadas or bhallas as we call them are made from urad dal/ split black lentils. In UP though they sometimes make vadas from moong dal. While dahi bhalla/dahi vada is a popular way to have these urad dal dumplings, in south India, another popular way to serve the vadas is with sambhar or some use them to make bonda soup.
The recipe listed below makes quite a few vadas, and generally my mom freezes extra vadas. I took her suggestion and kept 10 vadas to serve immediately and the rest I wrapped in ziploc bags with 8 each in a single bag. I froze three such ziploc bags. If you choose to freeze the extra vadas, when you are ready to use them for dahi bhallas, just defrost the vadas for a bit and then let them soak in boiled water for 15-20 minutes, before using them to make dahi bhalla.
- 1¼ cup washed Urad Dal (Skinless Black Gram Lentil), soaked in water overnight (you could also use a combination of urad (1 cup) and moong dal (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp Ginger (freshly grated)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- pinch Asafetida (hing)
- oil, for deep frying
- 2-3 cups Yogurt
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ¾ tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
- 1 tsp Chat Masala
- Mint cilantro chutney (recipe in blog archives)
- Date-Tamarind Chutney
- Salt, to taste
- Water (as needed)
- Cilantro (for garnish)
- Wash the dal thoroughly and then in some fresh water soak the lentils overnight or for 6-8 hours.
- Drain the water completely and transfer to a the grinder of a food processor or a high power blender. I used my vitamix. Make sure all the water is drained as that is one of the key steps to getting light fluffy bhallas.
- Add the ginger, green chillies, asafetida and salt. Using as little water as possible grind the dal- at first try to grrind the dal mix with no water and add only in case your machine can not get a smooth paste. Add water one tbsp at a time and grind it into a thick smooth paste.
- Transfer the ground lentil paste to a bowl and whisk it vigorously rotating your hand in a circular motion in one direction. This is what makes the bhallas/vadas light. Make sure you whisk in one directions. It takes about 8-10 minutes. You can check whether your bhallas are properly aerated by putting a drop of the batter in a glass of water. If it floats immediately your bhallas are ready to fry. If not continue. The batter should be beaten and thick enough that in case you overturn your bowl, the batter will not flow out, and just stay (similar to how stiffly beaten egg whites are when you overturn the bowl).
- Heat a wok or pan with oil for deep frying.
- When the oil becomes medium hot, using wet hands, take a dollop of the urad dal paste (size of a golf ball) in your palm. Shape it into a circle. Use a wet fingertip to make a hole, if you like.
- Carefully slide the vada into the oil. Fry until its golden brown in color. Depending on your kadhai fry only 4-5 at a time. To make sure that you get fluffy bhallas another tip is to use a spoon to keep pouring the hot oil over the exposed bhallas, so that they are evenly cooked. Once golden, remove and drain on paper towels. Some halwais cook the bhallas till light golden and remove it. Once all the bhallas are cooked, then they fry them all together again till a slightly darker golden color.
- At this stage you can freeze extras in ziploc bags once cool.
- If using all the vadas, then soak the vadas in a bowl full of warm water for 30 minutes. The bhallas will double in size.
- Remove each vada and press between your palms to squeeze out excess water. You don't have to squeeze all the water out just a light squeeze. Place the vadas in a serving bowl.
- Whisk the yogurt (with water, if necessary) and salt till smooth. Add the yogurt to the vadas. You can add sugar to your curd in case you want.
- Top with the green chutney and tamarind chutney as required. Sprinkle red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
- Serve dahi vada immediately or refrigerate to serve later.
Looking yummy.
😀
this looks beautiful, esp for a hot day 🙂
I have a few bhallas still left in the freezer, come over !