Dahi vada also known as dahi bhalla is a delightful street food. It is also regularly made in my home especially around festivals. I have shared both deep fried and air fryer dahi vada recipes.
It is my favourite Holi recipe as well as Diwali recipe. It does not require much time to make but does need prior preparation.
I generally make a large batch of vada as we eat some vadas as snacks.
Then the others are made as dahi bada in batches so that we can relish them over 1-2 days.
You may also like: medu vada in air fryer, air fryer namak paare, air fryer kachori, air fryer vada pav, Aloo tikki chaat.
Step-by-step Pictures
Soak 1 cup urad dal in 3 cups water for 4-6 hours.
Drain the husked black gram lentils. Keep aside.
Grind it with ginger, green chillies and asafetida in a blender till you get a smooth paste.
Preferably use just about 1-2 tablespoon water. The batter must be smooth but not runny.
The mix is smooth and thick.
Add salt and 1 tsp. oil (if Air frying) and beat it well till the mix becomes nice and fluffy.
I beat for about 3 minutes.
This step is important so that your vadas are fluffy, light and soft.
If deep frying, no need to add oil to the batter.
For Deep Frying
Heat oil and using a spoon, make roundish vadas that you slowly tip in the medium hot oil.
Fry in medium hot vegetable oil. About 2-3 minutes each side till they are done.
Now drain them and keep on a paper towel.
For Air frying
Preheat Air fryer to 150 C or 300 F for 4 minutes.
On a parchment paper, using a spoon make flat roundish balls leaving some distance in between as these grow in size when cooked.
Air fry at 150 C or 300 F for 8 minutes.
The vadas will become larger in size and look half cooked.
Apply oil on both sides and flip.
Then increase the temperature to 180 C or 360 F and air fry for 6- 8 minutes so that they get browned and well cooked.
Your air fried fluffy and soft vadas are ready. You can have them as it is with chutney which is what we do sometimes. 🙂
These are lighter and flatter than deep fried ones but they taste really good, light and fluffy.
To assemble dahi vadas
Soak vadas in lukewarm water for 10 minutes.
The vadas turn lighter when soaked in warm water.
Now take them out and drain each vada in between your palms to take out all the water.
Arrange the vadas in a shallow dish.
Now take the yogurt and beat it well.
Add salt, black salt, sugar, chat masala, red chilli powder and cumin powder.
Mix well and taste. Adjust seasoning as per taste.
To serve, pour the sweetened yoghurt all over the vadas so that they are completely covered.
Sprinkle green chutney and tamarind chutney on top as per taste. I also sprinkle a little cumin powder and red chilli powder on top.
Dahi vadas are ready to serve. Enjoy.
📖 Recipe Card
Dahi Vada Recipe | How to Make Dahi Bhalla
Ingredients
- For vadas
- 1 cup urad dal or husked black gram soaked for 4-5 hours
- 1 pinch asafetida or hing
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tsp. ginger
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp. oil for Air frying
- For Dahi
- 2 cup yogurt
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. black salt
- 1 tsp. chat masala
- 1 tsp. red chilli powder or cayenne
- 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- salt to taste
- For garnish
- Green chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Cumin powder
- cayenne
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Instructions
- Drain the husked black gram lentils.
- Grind it with ginger, green chillies and asafetida in a blender till you get a smooth paste.
- Preferably use just about 1-2 tablespoon water.
- The mix should not be runny just smooth.
- Add salt and mix well with a spoon about 3 minutes till the lentil mix becomes fluffy. This is important so that the vadas are soft and fluffy.
For deep frying
- Heat oil in a kadhai/pan. Deep fry the vadas till golden brown. I just use a spoon to make roundish vadas. Drain them and keep them aside.
For Air Frying
- Add 1 tsp. oil in the lentil batter and mix well to aerate. Preheat Air fryer to 150 C or 300 F for 4 minutes.
- On a parchment paper, using a spoon make flat roundish balls leaving some distance in between as these grow in size when cooked. Air fry at 150 C or 300 F for 8 minutes.
- Vadas will be half cooked by now. Brush oil on both sides and flip vadas.
- Then air fry at 180 C or 360 F for 6-8 minutes so that they get browned and well cooked. Your air fried fluffy and soft vadas are ready. what we do sometimes. 🙂 Or keep them aside and proceed further.
- You can have them as it is with chutney which is
To assemble dahi vada
- Take some lukewarm water in a bowl and dip the vadas in them. They will absorb water, swell up and become lighter in colour.
- Soak them for about 10 minutes.
- Now take them out and drain each vada in between your palms to take out all the water.
- Arrange the vadas in a shallow dish.
- Now take the yogurt and beat it well. Add salt, black salt, sugar, chat masala, red chilli powder and cumin powder. Mix well and taste. Adjust seasoning as per taste.
- To serve, pour the sweetened yoghurt all over the vadas so that they are completely covered.
- Pour green chutney and tamarind chutney on top as per taste.
- I also sprinkle a little cumin powder and red chilli powder on top.
- Serve cold.
Tamarind chutney recipe
- To make tamarind chutney, take 1 tsp. oil in a pan. Heat it and add 1 tsp. of cumin. Let it sputter. Now add 1 bowl tamarind juice extract. Add ½ tsp. dry ginger powder, 1 tsp. chilli powder and one pinch asafetida. Add some salt as well. Cook for some time and add 5 tbsp. of jaggery to this. Let it cook till this dissolves and the chutney bubbles. Take it off the stove and cool down. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
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writershilpa says
Each time I read your food posts, I end up with a rumbling tummy!
I love dahi vadas .Much more than dahi puri . Will try this recipe someday for sure! ❤❤
Thank you Rachna!
writershilpa says
Each time I read your food posts, I end up with a rumbling tummy!
I love dahi vadas .Much more than dahi puri . Will try this recipe someday for sure! ❤❤
Thank you Rachna!
Megala says
Looks so delicious & tempting ! Like to grab one !! ?
Megala says
Looks so delicious & tempting ! Like to grab one !! ?
Soumya Prasad says
I love dahi vada topped with a handful of crunchy spicy boondhi! I haven't made it for a while at home and now I'm putting this down for the weekend 🙂
Thank you!
Soumya Prasad says
I love dahi vada topped with a handful of crunchy spicy boondhi! I haven't made it for a while at home and now I'm putting this down for the weekend 🙂
Thank you!
Bikramjit says
Right looking for flights to come over and have themmmmm I have a long list of eatables that I need when i gate crash 🙂 🙂 🙂
Bikramjit says
Right looking for flights to come over and have themmmmm I have a long list of eatables that I need when i gate crash 🙂 🙂 🙂
Shailaja V says
My mom makes this SO well. I am very bad at making vadas so i content myself with eating them when someone else makes ? I shall come over to your place when I crave Dahi vadas. These look tempting! Happy Holi Rachna!
Shailaja V says
My mom makes this SO well. I am very bad at making vadas so i content myself with eating them when someone else makes ? I shall come over to your place when I crave Dahi vadas. These look tempting! Happy Holi Rachna!
Shilpa Garg says
I love dahi vadas and I make them this way too, though I love it with imli chutney. I make them in bulk and store in freezer for later use.
Shilpa Garg says
I love dahi vadas and I make them this way too, though I love it with imli chutney. I make them in bulk and store in freezer for later use.
Nargis says
Going to try air frying on friday n will let you know the results. Thank you
Will try other receipes along the way too!
Rachna says
Good to know, Nargis!
Sudeshna Bhattacharya says
All your recipes are yummy and reasonably easy to make.
I will definitely give this one a try. Thank you.
Rachna says
You're very welcome! Thank you for the warm words.