Dahi Vada

This is another of my recent creations for the festival season. It was on hubby's wish list for a long time. I don't make Dahi vadas as frequently any more because of all the deep frying ... not to mention the cold and sour dahi/curd getting to your throat.

Since I do not like bland tasting vadas drowned in sweet dahi and served in the name of dahi vadas, I make them a little differently..... with a tempering of curry leaves and mustard seeds.
I also use a little chopped ginger in the dahi ... and this combination gives a very different and nice taste to the whole thing.
I also make a diluted dahi/curd and water mixture ( plain water makes the vadas bland and tasteless) and soak the vadas in it before actually mixing them with thicker dahi. This way the vadas end up very soft.
Need : Urad dal (soaked and ground into a coarse paste), cooking oil to deep fry, salt to taste, dahi/curd, curry leaves, whole red chillies, mustard seeds, finely chopped fresh ginger.
How to: Take a bowl and mix dahi and water to make very thin liquid.

Heat a little oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add the whole red chillies and curry leaves. Add this to the mixture.

Add the chopped ginger and salt to it.

Now add salt to the dal paste and mix well. Heat enough oil and deep fry the vadas.


After removing from oil, dunk the vadas in to the dahi and water mixture and let them soak.

After the all the vadas are done and have been soaked well, add more dahi to them, add salt to taste and your dish of dahi vada is done.
Serve with a sprinkle of roasted jeera powder and red chilli powder.