Dahi Vada

My dad is a good cook, except for the fact that he rarely ventures into kitchen and cooking :D. There are a few dishes however he does attempt occasionally to keep his culinary skills at bay. He has a good understanding of salt and spices, one of the key factors to being a good cook. He can make a simple tomato tava fry or even our traditional affair of his beloved Huli with simplicity, yet perfection. One of his favorite always remains this urad dal vada or the fried lentil dumplings. And if you ever expressed a craving for these, just the word is enough for him to don the cooks cap and please you with these vadas. One wouldn't disagree that he indeed is a good cook.

When we recently got a chance to taste the fresh hot vadas, right out of the frying pan to the salver, pairing them with freshly ground spicy coconut chutney, we couldn't stop ourselves from savoring each of these endlessly. These were surely the best treat we could ask for that evening. His vadas are no doubt excellent and I do admit men do make great cooks ;). Each of us must have served ourselves several helpings back to back, to an extent that by the end, almost none were left for dad himself. I am not a fan of fried stuffs, but a few days later, I felt too tempted to try them myself at home. And my temptation was beyond just vadas, I was keen on making these chat-pata Dahi vadas. One call away to dad to get the exact recipe and the next moment these vadas were all ready, some to eaten and rest to be drowned in yogurt dressing.

Dahi Vada

INGREDIENTS

Urad dal Vada

1 cup urad dal
1 tsp grated ginger
8-10 peppercorns
3 green chillies, well chopped
1 sprig curry leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil, for deep frying

For the Dahi/Yogurt Dressing

3 cups of yogurt
Salt and sugar to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1-2 tbsps of tamarind dates chutney
Finely chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Wash and soak the urad dal in water for about 4hrs. Drain all the water out and grind it to a paste with little or no water. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot enough, drop blobs of the batter. Use a spoon and with the help of your fingers, tip the thick batter gently into the hot oil. Fry gently on all sides on medium low heat till it's golden brown. Remove and allow the excess oil to drain on a kitchen paper. The vadas are ready to be served.

To make dahi vadas, add in salt and sugar to the yogurt. If you like sweeter version, add in more sugar. Also consider that tamarind chutney has a hint of sweetness in it too.

Dip the vadas in warm water and gently squeeze out the water from it. Lay the vadas in a serving dish. Top it well with yogurt till it's covered completely. For best results, soak the vadas for at least a couple of hours before serving.

To add body and flavor, top them with tamarind chutney. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin powder and chaat masala evenly over it. Garnish with coriander leaves.

I am particular about the tamarind chutney in my dahi vadas, since they have the power to elevate your fourth senses to a greater level! This dish is a burst of varied flavors - salt and sweet, spicy and tangy flavors over these lentil dumplings can send a tickling sensation down your taste buds. I bet you will love them too. They make an excellent dish for large gatherings and parties too.