This is a pretty incredible concept … we take all the trouble to make a crispy vada and then we soak it in water and douse it with Yogurt! While it sounds strange, the results are stunning. Vadas are a crispy lentil dumpling deep fried and eaten with chutney or served dunked into a Sambhar or Vegetable curry. Typically a Medhu vada resembles a donut. It’s make with a hole in the center and this enables the Vada to properly cook right through the center. These Vadas in my recipe are a miniature version that are just scooped and dropped into hot oil. This smaller size is a much more practical size especially in something like Dahi Vada where you don’t have the space to eat a big portion. This size is also great for parties and potlucks!
The crispy vadas are soaked in a mildly flavoured beaten yogurt and then topped with spices, coriander, pomegranate seeds, crispy fried lentils and curry leaves. The results are delicious and every bite is a taste of heaven you get a bit of sweet, salty, spicy all at the same time. The bursts of sweetness from the pomegranate is a perfect contrast to the chaat masala and chilli and is made luxurious with the creaminess of the yogurt. Dahi wadas can be eaten as a snack, served as an appetizer and also as a side. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- adas
- 1 cup Urad Dhal (Vigna mungo, black gram, urad bean, minapa pappu, mungo bean or black matpe)
- ¼ cup Wwater
- ¾ tsp black Salt
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked Pepper
- ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
- ¼ tsp Chaat Masala
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli powder
- Pinch Asafoetida or Hing
- 1 tbsp. finely diced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced green chilli
- 1 tbsp of chopped Coriander
- Optional ½ tsp of Baking powder
- Oil for frying
- Yogurt
- 2 cups Yogurt
- ½ tsp of black Salt
- Fresh cracked Pepper
- ¼ tsp Chaat masala
- ½ tsp of chopped Coriander
- ½ tsp of Sugar
- Tadka
- 1 tsp reserved soaked Urad
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- Garnish
- ¼ tsp Chaat Masala
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli powder
- Fresh Pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped Coriander
- 1 tsp Pomegranate Seeds
- Drops of Tamarind Chutney
Instructions
- The first step is to soak the Urad dhal in water for about 8 hours
- Wash the dhal and grind to a paste with the help of a little water, leave this for 6 – 8 hours to ferment in the fridge
- Add all the ingredients listed under vadas and mix well
- Prepare the yogurt by beating it together with the ingredients listed under Yogurt
- Saute all the ingredients listed under tadka together and keep side
- Heat up the oil and once hot, add a tbsp of the hot oil to the batter and mix
- Using an ice cream scoop drop the batter into the hot oil and allow to turn a nice golden brown while the inside cooks till it’s nice and spongy
- Drain them on some kitchen towels to absorb the excess oil
- Fill a bowl with water and submerge the vadas in the water and press to flatten them
- Place the flattened vadas in a single layer in a serving dish
- Add some yogurt over the wadas and finally all the ingredients listed under Garnish and serve
