DAHI VADA || DAHI BHALLA

Dahi Vada is the most loved street snack of India, particularly North India. Can be served as a chilled snack or a starter during festival season like Diwali or Navratri. I have seen people eating a lot during Navratri. This quintessential street food from the by lanes of Delhi will get you hooked. I love Dahi vada so much and hence here is my experimental recipe for the same. Try your hands on making these delicious and fluffy vada's drizzled with sweetened curd, tangy tamarind chutneys and chat masala.

Ingredients:

For Dahi Vada:

1. Urad dal - 200 gram (soaked over night or 3-4 hours)

2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

3. Salt to taste

4. OIl (for frying)

For Dahi Mix:

1. Dahi - 2 cup

2. Chat masala - 1 tsp

3. Sugar -2 tsp (powdered)

4. Salt - a pinch

For chutneys

1. Tamarind chutney (sweet and tangy) - Check the recipe in my blog 

2. Green chutney - (spicy and tangy) - Check the recipe in my blog 

For Garnishing

1. Sev - 1 tsp (Optional)

2. Pomegranate - 1 tsp (Optional) 

Process:

1. For preparing the vada's, put the soaked urad daal with a pinch of salt in the grinder and grind well. Whisk the batter till it becomes light and fluffy. Add cumin seeds and your batter is ready. You can also add finely chopped curry leaves and green chilies, this is totally optional.

2. With wet palms add small portions of batter into hot oil and deep fry till golden brown.

3. Now soak the vada's in lukewarm water as soon as they are fried. Soak for about 10 minutes. The vada's will soak up the water, double in size and become super soft. Take each vada and gently press in between of your palms to remove excess water. Do this for all the vada's that you plan to add to dahi mix right away. 

3. Whisk dahi with some powdered sugar and a pinch of salt and keep it in the fridge to cool.

4. Place the soft vada's in a bowl, pour the dahi over them so that all the vada's are covered. Spread both tamarind and green chutney over them and sprinkle some chat masala. You can garnish the plate with Sev and pomegranate (if available). 

Try this awesome and super tasty Dahi Vada's at home and share your feedback.

SABUDANA VADA

Sabudana vada is a popular crisp fried snack made with tapioca pearls (sago). It's a popular Maharashtrian snack that is eaten not only as a tea time snack but also as a fasting.  It is served with sweet yogurt. I keep on seeing people in my office used to have this as "a whole day meal" when they are fasting, and was always wondering "Fast me log khana kyun khate hai". Being a bong, I have always observed this in my family, we do not eat anything while fasting. Different people follow different cultures.

But these Sabudana vada are not too shabby, nothing too fancy and super easy to make, all you need to do is soak the sabudana overnight in water. Here is my recipe after my first experiment with these yummy vada's.  

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (Tapioca pearls or sagu)- 1/2 cup (soaked over night)

2. Potato - 2 (boiled & mashed)

3. Salt to taste

4. Peanuts 1/4 cup (you can also skip this if not available)

5. Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped)

6. Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tsp (finely chopped)

7. Lemon juice - 1 tsp (optional)

8. Flour - 1 tsp (optional)

9. Cumin or Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. To start with, if you are using peanuts, roast them until golden and aromatic in a frying pan and let them cool completely. Then grind to a coarse powder. Keep aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together soaked sabudana, boiled and mashed potatoes, peanuts, green chillies, salt, cumin or fennel seeds (whichever you are using) and coriander leaves. Add lemon juice (optional) and mix them well.

2. Make small balls and then slightly flatten to make the vada. Do not make them too thin as they may break.

3. Heat oil in a pan and start frying them on medium flame, once they are golden and crisp, remove the flame.

4. Serve hot with sweet curd or any chutney of your choice.