Dahi Vada

[also known as Dahi Bade]

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 1½ hrs | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yield: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS
1½ cup Dahi (Curd)
½ tsp Bhuna Jeera Masala*
¼ tsp Chillie Powder
1 Green Chilli
1 tsp Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

For the Vada
100 gms Urad Dal (While Lentils)
½ baking powder
2 tsp Salt
Oil for Deep Frying

For the Chutney
2 tbsp Imli (Tamarind)**
2 tbsp Sugar
A pinch of Salt
½ tsp Bhuna Jeera Masala*

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the urad dal for about an hour.
2. Now make a fine thick paste of the dal in a blender adding as little water as possible.
   
3. Add the baking powder and mix well.
4. Take a large bowl and fill it water (about a litre) and mix the salt into the water.
   
5. Now heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying the vadas. The vadas must be deep fried as it'll only make it softer and thicker.
6. Once the oil is hot take about 1 tbsp of the dal paste and put it into the oil. As the vada puffs up and turns golden brown on one side, flip and fry the other side as well till golden brown.
7. Take the vada out of the oil and immerse it into the salt water prepared in advance.
8. Repeat the same for the rest of the dal paste. You may fry 3-4 or more vadas at a time, as per your convenience.
9. Let all the vadas soak well in the water. This will make the vadas soft.
   
10. To make the chutney, in a pan, set about ½ cup water to boil.
11. Soak the imli in 2-3 tbsp of water, mix well and strain it into the boiling water. If you are using dry imli, then you'll need to soak it in a little more water for some time before use.**
12. Now add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Let this simmer on medium flame, stirring occasionally.
    
13. Once this sauce has thickened quite a bit, add the bhuna jeera masala, remove from heat and leave this aside.
14. The last thing to do before setting the dahi vadas is to prepare the dahi.
    
15. To prepare the dahi, in a bowl take the curd and about ½ cup water. Add salt according to your taste and beat this well. The curd should be smooth, not too thick or not too light.
    
16. To set the dahi vadas, take a flat serving dish, minimum 2” in height.
17. Take out the soaked vadas one at a time, squeeze the water out gently, and place them side by side on the serving dish.
18. Pour the dahi over the vadas, covering them fully.
19. Now pour the imli chutney over the vadas, ensuring that each vada has a little cutney over it.
20. Sprinkle the bhuna jeera masala and then the chillie powder all over.
    
21. Finally, finely chop the green chillies and the coriander leaves and garnish the dahi vadas with them.
22. Serve chilled.
    

NOTES
*For a tsp of bhuna jeera masala, take ¾ tsp of jeera powder and ¼ tsp of red chilli powder and dry roast them in a pan untill it turns dark brown in colour. Remove from heat as soon as it tends to become dark brown in colour or else it'll get burnt.
** You may use either wet or dry imli