Introducing you to this infamous Odia street food dish – Dahi Vada with Dum Aloo that originates from a state in Eastern India. This post is part 1, the Dahi Vada, of the complete dish. In the light of emphasising the lesser-known dishes of India, here’s @beextravegant bringing to you Vegan Dahi Vada – lentil fritters soaked in yoghurt mix and tempered with spices. It is usually served with a spicy potato curry of sorts called Aloo Dum. The ingredients used are basic, at the same time, come together beautifully.
The street food culture in India is ingrained in many Indians, and the vendors are the true essence of the country’s food culture. Indian street food is the go-to answer to any problem or achievement, and it surely takes you on a culinary journey of flavours and fusions. Dahi Vada is one of those dishes that is available in every other state and the toppings change as you cross each state border. Each state has a different story to tell – the Maharashtrians have a different way of serving their Dahi Vade. The flavours take a spicy turn when the Delhi-ites serve Dahi Balla with lots of spices and so on. I chose Odia Dahi Vada to expose you to a different flavour palate of the lesser-known regions of Eastern India. Let’s break down the recipe to the T.
Vadas are crispy, fluffy and yummy doughnut-shaped lentil fritters that have variations all over India and the pronunciations differ from region to region. And Dahi if you know from my previous recipes means yoghurt or curd (in India). Vadas are fluffy golden-coloured doughnut-shaped fritters that are served with coconut chutney in many South Indian cities.
The Vadas are made from soaked and ground urad daal and shaped into doughnuts, then deep fried in neutral oil.
Dahi Vada is when these Vadas are soaked in a yoghurt mix. In this recipe, we will soak them in Hing spiced water for a little while to get them moist and ready to absorb the yoghurt mix.
This Vegan Dahi Vada recipe is a three-part recipe and requires some of prep time. This recipe involves:
Soak the urad daal in enough water for up to 4-5 hours, until they soak up water and double up in size.
Note: Like I always say – use the leftover water to feed your plant babies. It makes them happy, and healthy AND it saves the environment. 🙂
2. Blend the Urad dal with little water in a high-speed blender. Here, make sure to use minimum water to keep the batter thick. Add salt and Rava, then mix well and set aside.
3. Take a medium bite-sized amount of the mixture to your palms. Shape the batter into a doughnut shape using your finger. Keep them aside.
4. Heat enough oil, with a high smoke point, to deep fry (around 170C) and drop the Vadas one by one. DO not overcrowd the pan and spread the Vadas apart to make sure they don’t stick to each other. Once all the Vadas have turned golden brown on both sides, remove and set aside to let the oil drain out.
5. Soak the Vadas in Hing and salt-spiced water for 2-3 minutes or until they have soaked up the water. We want the vadas to become soft but not soggy. Finally, Remove each vada one by one, while squeezing out the water as much as possible. Set aside.
Note: Do not over soak. The Vadas will crumble apart if they have been soaked in water for too long
2. Secondly, mix well until the texture looks syrupy. Add the tempering on top and then drop the squeezed Vadas in it one by one.
3. Next, let the vadas soak in the Dahi or yoghurt mixture for some time before serving. You can serve the Dahi Vada warm or cooled down. Make sure that the Vadas are soft enough and have soaked up the soy yoghurt and temper well.
4. Pair these Dahi Vadas with Aloo dum topped with chopped coriander, chaat masala, chopped onions, red chillies powder and a squeeze of lemon and you have the perfect Odia Street Food right at your home.
And here is how you make this famous Indian street food with a few steps. Do try out my recipe for Dahi Vada and let me know how it turned out to be. I would love to know how you liked it. It really makes me happy to see you try out my recipes. Don’t forget to tag @beextravegant on Instagram if you share a post or a story. See you at the next one!
Check my other Soy yoghurt based recipes here:
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Hey Anjali chechi my name is Sreeparvathy great fan of yours as I am from kerala and always wanted to start my own cooking chanell you are just the right inspirations. Really your content is amazing