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dahi vada recipe, how to make dahi vada | north indian dahi vada

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dahi vada
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dahi vada recipe with step by step photos – dahi vada is a popular north indian snack which is made during special occasions and festivals. this tasty snack consist of fried urad dal dumplings dunked in a creamy whipped yogurt topped with spicy and sweet chutneys.

dahi vadas are a craze at home and i do make them at times as the they require some prep work to be done before hand… like making both the spicy green coriander chutney and sweet tamarind chutney, preparing the vadas etc.

the north indian dahi vada is made slightly differently than the south indian version. in the north indian version of dahi vada, we just add the green chutney, saunth or tamarind chutney sprinkled with some spice mixes. in the south indian version, the curd (yogurt) is spiced with a coconut+green chilli paste and then tempered. the south indian dahi vada is called as thayir vada. at home we prefer both the versions and the dahi vadas get over really quickly.

in north india, there is another version of dahi vada and they are called as dahi bhalla. dahi bhalla are again slightly different from dahi vada. in dahi bhalle, papdis (fried flour crispies), boiled potato cubes and cooked chickpeas are added which add different textures, taste and flavor to the dahi bhalla.

both dahi vada and dahi bhalle are popular north indian snacks as well as street food. they can also be served as a starter dish. they are also made during festive time like diwali or holi or any other special occasion. few more similar snacks recipes on blog are:

dahi vada recipe

to get a good soft urad dal vadas, remember to soak the lentils overnight. grind the batter really well with little water. also remember to use fresh yogurt. i used homemade yogurt. the chutneys can be made at home or brought ready made. you can also make the dahi vadas with just the sweet tamarind chutney and yogurt.

i have mentioned the recipes of both the chutneys below in the recipe details. you can also have a look at the tamarind dates chutney post and make this one for the dahi vada instead of saunth chutney.

if you are looking for more chaat recipes then do check sev puri, samosa chole chaat, papdi chaat, bhel puri, pani puri, dahi aloo tikki and aloo chana chaat recipe.

dahi vada recipe details below:

4.46 from 24 votes
dahi vada recipe
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dahi vada recipe
prep time
9 hrs
cook time
45 mins
total time
9 hrs 45 mins
 
dahi vada recipe - popular north indian street food snack made of lentil dumplings in yogurt , spiced with chutneys and spice powders.
course: snacks, starters
cuisine: north indian
servings: 5 to 6
author: dassana amit
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
for making vada - makes about 35-38 small vadas
  • 1 cup urad dal
  • 1 green chili - chopped (hari mirch)
  • ½ inch ginger - chopped (adrak)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • 3 tablespoon water for grinding the batter or as required
  • ½ tablespoon raisins (kishmish)
  • 8 to 9 cashews - chopped (kaju)
  • salt as required - i added ⅔ teaspoon rock salt (sendha namak)
other ingredients for dahi vada:
  • 2 to 2.25 cups curd (yogurt or dahi) - i made homemade curd made from 500 ml organic milk
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon chaat masala or as required
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or as required (lal mirch powder)
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
  • black salt or regular salt as required
for tamarind chutney:
  • ½ cup seedless tamarind - tightly packed (imli)
  • 1.75 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon ginger powder (saunth)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
  • 7 to 8 tablespoon jaggery or as required - adjust as per your taste
  • rock salt or black salt or regular salt as required
  • 1 teaspoon oil
for green chutney:
  • 2 cups coriander leaves (dhania patta)
  • 1 or 1.5 teaspoon anardana (dry pomegranate seeds) OR ½ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder)
  • ½ tablespoon chopped onion (optional)
  • 1 or 2 garlic cloves (lahsun)
  • salt as required
  • water as required
how to make recipe
making saunth or sweet tamarind chutney:
  1. soak tamarind in water overnight or for 4-5 hours in a small bowl or pan.
  2. with your hands, squeeze the pulp from the tamarind in the same bowl or pan.
  3. strain the pulp and keep aside.
  4. heat oil in a small pan.
  5. lower the flame & add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
  6. add ginger powder, red chili powder, asafoetida.
  7. stir and add the strained tamarind pulp
  8. cook for 2-3 mins.
  9. add the jaggery and salt and cook for 4-5 mins more.
  10. the mixture would thicken.
  11. let the saunth chutney mixture cool.
  12. when cooled, store the saunth chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container.
making green chutney:
  1. grind all the ingredients mentioned under the green chutney list with little water.
  2. remove and keep aside in a small bowl.
making batter for dahi vada:
  1. first pick and then rinse the lentils for 3-4 times in water.
  2. soak the lentils in enough water overnight or for 4-5 hours.
  3. drain and add the lentils in a wet grinder.

  4. also add chopped green chilies, chopped ginger, cumin seeds and asafoetida.

  5. add water in intervals and grind to a smooth batter.
  6. i used about 3 tbsp of water added in intervals while grinding the lentils.
  7. take the ground batter in a bowl.
  8. stir the batter briskly for a couple of minutes.
  9. this makes the batter more light and fluffy.
  10. add the raisins and chopped cashews along with salt.
  11. stir and keep aside.
frying vada:
  1. heat a kadai or pan with oil for deep frying.
  2. when the oil becomes medium hot, add spoonfuls of the batter in the oil.
  3. don't be in a hurry to turn them.
  4. when you see the vadas becoming pale golden from the base and sides, you can turn them.
  5. fry the vadas till they become golden and crisp.
  6. drain on paper towels.
making dahi vada:
  1. in another bowl take water.
  2. and add the vadas to the water.
  3. soak them for 18-20 minutes.
  4. take each vada and flatten and press between your palms to remove excess water.
  5. place these vadas in the serving bowl.
  6. whisk yogurt till smooth.
  7. pour the yogurt over the vadas.
  8. top with the green chutney and tamarind chutney as required.
  9. sprinkle the red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and black salt.
  10. garnish dahi vada with chopped coriander leaves.
  11. serve dahi vada immediately or refrigerate and serve later.
recipe notes

tips for making dahi vada recipe:

  1. to make a no onion no garlic version dahi vada, just skip the garlic & onion in the green coriander chutney.
  2. the leftover green chutney and tamarind chutney can be refrigerated and served with other indian snacks.
  3. for step by step sweet chutney recipe, please have a look at this tamarind chutney recipe post.


how to make north indian dahi vada recipe:

1. soak the urad dal overnight or for at least 4-5 hours. drain them.

urad dal for dahi vada recipe

2. grind the urad dal, green chilies, ginger, cumin and asafoetida with little water to a smooth fluffy batter.

making dahi vada recipe

3. take the ground batter in a bowl. stir in chopped raisins & cashews. optional ingredients and you can just skip them if you want.

making dahi vada recipe

4. briskly & vigorously stir the batter for a minute or two with a spoon or spatula. this makes the batter more fluffy and light. as a result you get softer and porous vadas. a pic showing the consistency of the batter. add salt also.

making dahi vada recipe

5. heat oil for deep frying. either drop the batter with your hands or with a spoon in medium hot oil. fry the vadas in batches till crisp and golden.

making dahi vada recipe

6. drain the vadas on paper towels.

making dahi vada recipe

7. when they are still warm, add the vadas in water (at room temperature) and let them soak for 18-20 minutes.

preparing dahi vada recipe

8. you can see from the pic, that the vadas have increased a bit in size as well as their color has changed.

preparing dahi vada recipe

9. press each soaked vada between your palms to remove water. gently press or else you might end up breaking them.

press soaked vadas for dahi vada recipe

10. press all the soaked vadas this way and keep them aside in a plate.

preparing dahi vada recipe

11. beat the chilled curd/yogurt till smooth.

curd for dahi vada recipe

12. in a large serving bowl, arrange the vadas.

vada for dahi vada recipe

13. pour the beaten curd.

curd for dahi vada recipe

14. pour the green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney.

chutney for dahi vada recipe

17. sprinkle with red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and black salt.

preparing dahi vada recipe

18. garnish dahi vada with coriander leaves & then serve dahi vada immediately or you can refrigerate and then serve them.

dahi vada north indian recipe, dahi vada, dahi vada recipe




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Reader Interactions

{ 99 Responses }

  1. So I made these for my birthday last week when my parents were coming over. My dad loves dahi vada. I whisked the batter a little more than a few minutes. I was on the phone and kept on mixing it (you know b’day excitement). When I fried the vadas, it felt like I was frying cotton balls. They were so light and fluffy! Everyone loved them and they were super soft. Thank you so much for your lovely recipes and great tips 🙂

    • thats great jinal and thank you 🙂 when vada batter is ground well and nicely aerated, then while frying, the vadas become light and fluffy. thanks again.

  2. Hi
    Your recipies are awsome. Now a days if I think to prepare any veg dish for my family then i find the solution from. Your tips, step by step clarification makes it easy to follow. I am a bengali but you made me punjabi and south indian also. Till nowadays , we used to visit resturants to eat north and south indian dishes. But now I can prepare those at home.

    Thanks a lot.
    Pragnyaparamita Mukherjee

    • thank you much pragnyaparamita. this is a really positive comment from you. glad to know that i could help you in cooking north indian & south indian recipes at home. thanks again and happy cooking 🙂

  3. hi actually i added soda in batter and the soda is more in quantity so what should i do now?

  4. Very easy recipe. Can I save vada after frying it for 3 days in fridge and do rest of the prep on the day I will be serving them?

  5. I tried this recipe n its awesome I also use nylon sev n pomegranates for serving n its delicious

  6. Hi do we need to add baking soda or eno to make it soft???? Please reply asap
    Thank you

  7. Thanks. I tried today,was good in taste as per me…Let see what my family members gives feedback:)

  9. Hi,i like ur recipes.because all are very easy.i want to know about mathri recipe.i tried it but not crispy.if we take two cup atta than plz tell me the quantity of oil.plz

  11. Loved the way u describe.. Gonna try this in Eid. Well its just a one confusion in my mind. How to Leave this Vada’s in a pan for frying ?? With hands ? But I think it will get flatten and will not become soft and round Well I am not sure but just asking .. Reply Asap Thanks 🙂

    • thanks alqua. do with a spoon. you can use hands too. i usually use a dinner spoon. a steel tablespoon also works fine. if the urad dal have been nicely ground and the batter is of the right consistency, then no need to worry about the vadas flattening in oil. whether you add them with hands or with spoon, does not matter. they fluff up very well while frying.

  12. Hi Dassana,

    Awesome recipe with great presentation. Can we prepare dahi vada one day in advance & store it in freeze with soaked in dahi ? Will it be a problem?

    • thanks prachi. you can. only one thing will happen. the dahi will thicken as the vadas will absorb all the moisture from the dahi. but the vadas will be very soft and taste good.

  13. Try adding some pakvans(or papdis if you dont have pakvans) and sev(gram flour vermicelli).
    It will do wonders

  14. can we make these dahi vada two or three days before ?if yes then should have they to soak in lukewarm water and the water has to be changed everyday or not ?one more question i have seen sometimes these vada are kept on large ice cubes specially in parties but i could not understand the reason behind that plz clear my all doubts…

    • shuchi, avoid making 2 to 3 days before. as the curd can become sour and the taste also changes somewhat. telling you from my experience of making these some days before. they don’t taste that good. though you can make them a day before and keep in the fridge. even i have seen that. i think they want to serve cold vadas along with the cold dahi 🙂

  15. Very delicious and accurate recipe…big hit in todays lunch with guest…must try….super yummyyy

  16. I made yesterday bread pakorda .It came out very well.thanks for your recepi.by the way can I mix sugar in place of jaggery.

  17. Really very good recipe. I like your blog very much because your descriptions are very clear.Thanks a lot

  21. I liked it very much . ur recipes are awesome. Now i dont feel shameful when i dont know something. I just read it and everything is done

  22. Hello Dassana,

    How can I check whether batter is perfect or not? I think you mentioned it somewhere, but unable to find out. Please help…

    Thanks in advance.

    • take a small bowl full of water. add 1 tsp of batter on the water. the batter should float and not sink. which means the batter has the right consistency. if the batter falls in the water, this means that the batter is thin. so you can add 1 to 2 tbsp of sooji/rava in the batter and mix it very well.

  23. HI

    I would like to know what is green chutney.wud b making this today evening and if u reply soon

    thanks in advance

    sunita

  25. Hey again, tried the dahi vadas today, though not the chutneys.
    But they’ve turned out really well.
    I must congratulate you on your web site and the way in which you write the recipes, it makes it so simple to follow even for a person like me who finds cooking a little routine.
    Thankw

    • thanks again minakshi. with the chutneys the dahi vadas taste more better. cooking is routine. i agree on that. but when you try new stuff, then the routine is not felt 🙂

  26. hi, i usually make dahi bhallas occasionally but the problem it does not come out spongy. Always it becomes hard from centre i always beat the batter also. can you help how i can ressolve it?

  28. Hi,

    This recipe looks really nice.
    I have a quetion
    After my dahi vada is ready(added yogurt), can i use it for 2-3 days if i put it in refrigerator.

    Thanks,
    Priti

  30. I tried ur recipe for dahi badas today…bt they became very oily n were breaking when dipped in dahi….wat could be possible mistake…some way to rectify them…i refrigerated them for tomorrow after frying

    • hi ritu, the batter was thin. hence while frying the vadas absorbed more oil. and this could be also the reason they were breaking up. thin batter does not hold shape while frying.

  31. This recipe looks great. I am going to try it this weekend for 18 people. Can I make Vadas the previous night and use it next day? Will they taste the same?

  35. Hi,
    Thanks for posting this recipe. I have a question – should I use an electric beater to whip the batter after grinding the dal or should I whip it manually?
    Thanks

  36. My wife was deciding to prepare dahi vadas,we searched it on the web and got the different recipeis for preparing. my wife make the dahi vadas and i liked it. like the recipe of dahi vadas.

  37. Hey! Just need a suggestion, I have a couple of guests over on the weekend. I was wondering if I could prepare vadas , freeze them and use as required. Will I have to soak them in the water only when am ready to prepare? Will I have to still use water at room temperature for soaking them or warm water would work for these frozen vadas?

    I can’t wait to hog onto them. Also, I prepared papdis yesterday using your recipe, tried both the baked and fried ones. Fried ones definitely taste better. They have come out just sooooo yummy and wonderful. Your recipies are so easy and they make me feel as if am a born chef 😉 Whatever recipe of yours I try, they are a sure shot success!! Thanks for writing this wonderful blog and I love love love the way you present. Super creative!! Keep up the excellent work 🙂

    Please reply to my query soon .
    Thanks in advance!!

    • thanks a lot mansi. the vadas can be soaked in warm water first, then squeezed and then refrigerated. they keep well for a day. no need to freeze them. if you fry them and then keep in the fridge, then they will become a bit dense. in this case, you will have to soak them later in warm water. then add to the yogurt.

  38. My vadas while deep fryn gt flatten it gt cracks.
    Why is it so…?
    Pls help.

    • thats because too much water in the batter. less amount of water needs to be added while grinding the urad dal. quick tip to rectify this is to add some sooji/rava or rice flour to the batter. the batter will thicken and the vadas won’t break while frying.

  39. I hv always found your recipes easy to make and extremely tasty to eat. I hv tried making Dosas and Dahi Vada. The Dahi Vadas came out very well and have received many compliments from my family and friends.All Thanks to you. Keep writing and sharing your recipes.

  40. This recipe is really good. I’v made it on Holi n it was so delicious, everybody loved it.

  42. Looks yummyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I want to try this but little confusion.As per u r recipe soak warm vadas in room temperature water while in other sites soak vadas in warm water. Which one is right?pl help.waiting for your reply.

    • this is how i have learnt from my family to make these vadas. we always soak the vadas when they are still warm in water at room temperature. i have never soaked vadas in warm water. if the vadas become cold, then it makes sense to soak in warm water.

  44. I tried these today for my kitty.it turned out very awesome.my friends like it very much.thanks.

  46. Can you skip the step of soaking the vada in water? It seems this would make them soggy, but I have never made them before. Just never heard of frying something and then soaking it in water.

    • it does not make them soggy… meaning they don’t break as we keep for less time in the water. if you add directly then there is a somewhat oiliness in the final dish. soaking in water removes the oil to some extent and makes the vadas soft. traditionally they vadas are always soaked in water or buttermilk. give it try. i would not suggest you to skip this step.

  47. These look great. Can on use 50:50 urad and yellow moong dals?

    Also, whenever I make dahi vadas, the middle core of each vada stays very hard even after soaking. How does one make soft vadas without the hard core?

    Thanks.

    • you can use half-half of both urad as well as moong dal. some water should be added to the batter. if no water is added the texture becomes a little dense. again whip the batter briskly before you start to make the vadas. this incorporates air and the vadas become soft. while frying also, fry them at medium heat.

  49. Oh wow! I love dahi vada’s… yours is a different recipe, I will try it and send you my feedback 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe here:)

  50. Ahaa after a real long time Dassana I am here and feeling so happy to see a dahi vada post, these little dumplings look mouth watering. I loved the pic with your hands :)!