Immerse in beaten yogurt for 10 mins. Garnish with roasted cumin seeds, red chili powder, salt, coriander leaves, tamarind sauce, and yogurt. Serve cold. Do not overcrowd the pan while frying. Overcrowding will lower the oil temperature, and as a result the vadas will soak more oil. FAQs Baking powder: I tried many different quantities to determine the best amount. 1/2 tsp is good insurance for making them soft. But 3/4 tsp is great insurance. More than 3/4 tsp can make them a bit spongy. regarding soaking time. whenever i soak urad dal for less time like even 1 hour, the vadas do not turn out soft. so i do soak them for a longer time. in fact from my experience an overnight soaking gives soft vadas and they do not absorb oil while frying. i have been making urad dal vadas for many years now and never had an oily soaked vada after soaking overnight. Instead of cranking the heat high and then lowering, heat the oil over medium heat. It maintains the heat better.

After you’ve added the initial water, add an extra 1 tbsp of water. Add an extra 1/4 tsp baking powder to soften. When we soak the dahi vadas in water, the extra oil starts to leave. On squeezing the excess water, these turned out to be super soft. Thumbs up! They almost had a melt-in-the-mouth-like texture. No-Fry Method:When using the no-fry method, be sure to heat the pan on medium heat so the batter gets cooked from the middle. Add a few drops of oil so it can crisp up from the outside.Test: I saw this first on the legendary Veg Recipes of India’s Dahi Bhalla recipe. To test to see if the batter is aerated enough, drop a bit of batter in a bowl of water. If it floats, that means it’s aerated enough. Once the oil has reached the correct heat or temperature, now you can either drop the batter carefully with your fingers (without touching the hot oil) or with a spoon in medium hot oil.

On baking soda: After experimenting with baking soda, I found that while baking soda slightly puffs up the bhallas, too much can make the outside crispy. You can experiment with adding a little if you’d like (1/4 tsp), but I didn’t find it necessary and therefore didn’t include in the final recipe. Aromatics: Fresh ginger root adds a nice zing to this batter, and Serrano chili adds a subtle peppery taste. Remove the ribs and seeds for a milder flavor. For Yogurt Sauce (Dahi): Simply add some rice flour or sooji (rava, semolina) to the batter. Mix very well. A combination of both sooji and rice flour also works well. Take care not to add too much of sooji as it can make the vada have a dense texture.Whisk plain yogurt or pass it through a strainer to smoothen it. Blend salt and sugar into the smooth yogurt. Soak vadas:Soaking vadas in hot water for 20-30 minutes makes them soft from the inside. Gently squeeze out the water before dipping them in yogurt. If the water is still hot, add some cold water to temper it down. Grind in multiple batches: Don't overfill the blender if doubling this recipe. Split the lentils into multiple batches if needed. No-Fry Method: When using the no-fry method, be sure to heat the pan on medium heat so the batter gets cooked from the middle. Add a few drops of oil so it can crisp up from the outside.

My recipe makes for 60 vada. The lentil dumplings can be made in advance and frozen before assembling the complete dish. Make the fritters per the recipe instructions, soak in water, and thoroughly squeeze out the water. The texture focuses on the overall bite of these dahi vadas. Soft, fluffy, crisp – how is the texture of these dahi vadas? How does the texture turn out when soaked in water and then later in dahi? 3. Convenience Lentils: It is best to make the recipe with skinned urad dal. You can add about ¼ cup of moong lentils. Soak them with the urad lentils and then blend or grind adding water as required to a smooth consistency. Add very little water:If possible, use a high-speed blender. Use the smoothie setting and add very little water to blend the lentils into a creamy, lump-free batter. Scaling: For a small batch, simply halve the recipe. For parties or get-togethers, double the dahi vada recipe.Spices: I add red chili powder and Chaat Masala directly to the yogurt, but you can keep it simple with just sugar and salt. I developed the recipe with store-bought chaat masala because I know that’s what most people have. If using homemade chaat masala, add additional salt, sugar, and heat if needed. You can also try using dahi bara chaat masala, which is made specifically for dahi bhalle. Soak vadas: Soaking vadas in hot water for 20-30 minutes makes them soft from the inside. Gently squeeze out the water before dipping them in yogurt. If the water is still hot, add some cold water to temper it down.