Dahi Vada

Hello everyone..  Back with the Dahi vada recipe.  This is a pretty simple and a delicious recipe.  Lentil balls which are deep fried, then soaked in warm water and then finally immersed in the mildly sweetened curds with a drizzle of green coriander chutney and date n tamarind chutney.  When we were in Lucknow, we used to enjoy going to Hazratganj to have these yummy dahi vada's.  Though of course, every place has their unique style n ways of making this yum dahi vada's.  So here's how I made this. 

INGREDIENTS:

    1 cup = 200 ml

Black gram lentil/ urad dal	1/2 cup
Salt	3/4 to 1 tsp ( for vada's n a pinch curds)
Oil	For frying
Curds	1 cup (whisked)
Sugar	1 1/2 tbsp
Roasted cumin powder	1/2 tsp
Chilli powder	1/2 tsp
Green coriander chutney	1 tbsp or as per taste
Date n tamarind chutney	1 tbsp or as per taste
Warm water	To soak the vada's

METHOD:

1.       Wash well and soak the urad dal/lentils for for 3 1/2 hrs with enough water.  Water should be well over the urad dal.
2.       Grind the lentils to a very fine paste, with very little water.  Transfer the batter to a clean bowl.
3.       Whisk the batter with a balloon whisk or a fork for a good 8-10 mins.  This makes the batter light n fluffy.  Add salt and mix well.
4.       Heat oil in a pan n once it is hot, lower the flame to medium.  Wet your fingers slightly and take the batter and drop small balls into the oil.   
5.       Fry them, till they are golden brown, ensuring that you fry them on low medium flame.
6.       In another bowl, add lukewarm water.  Once the vada's are fried add them directly to the warm water and let them soak in the water for about 20 minutes.
7.       While they are soaking in the water, prepare the curds.  In a bowl add the curds and whisk well.  Add in the sugar n mix till the sugar dissolves.  Add a pinch of salt n mix again.  Keep it in the fridge to chill.
8.       After 20 minutes, remove them (the vadas) and squeeze out the excess water very carefully.  You don't want to break the vada's.
9.       Transfer the vada's to the prepared curds and sprinkle over the cumin powder, chilli powder and drizzle the coriander and date n tamarind chutney.
10.   Refrigerate the dahi vada.  Enjoy the chilled dahi vada's.

NOTES:

 

1.       I got 20 vada's with the above mentioned recipe, this size.  I would say these serve 5-6 people.  Now that surely depends how many you would like to have.  Believe me, it's really addictive, so you could well say 3 to 4 people too.
2.       Frying them on low to medium flame is absolutely important as they need to cook well inside too.  Frying on high flame will make the vada's go brown from the outside and remain uncooked from the inside.
3.       Do not soak more than the time mentioned as it will result in oily vada's.
4.       Adjust the sugar according to your taste in the curds.
5.       You could add cashew pieces and raisins in your batter.  That's how we used to get the ones we had in Lucknow.

Moong Dal Kachori

Hello everyone.. I know there has been a real big long silence from my side.  Hmm I know, excuses do sound lame, but I really had so many things going on that I just couldn’t get myself, to get going on any posts/recipes on the blog.  Now I have made a promise to myself, that I would be posting at least one recipe per week.  Coming to today's recipe, I decided on coming back with mouth-watering yum chaat recipes.  Planned on having a hi-tea of sorts.  So made a combination of, Moong dal Kachori and Dahi Vada. 

Moong-dal Kachori is a crisp lentil filled puri.  So here's my recipe, which is not just mouth-watering but simple to make too.  With just a few variations, you can make this chaat in two three ways.  What are we waiting for, let's get started on the same. I wanted this to be a video post.  But just couldn’t do so as I had so many things going on at the same time.  Will surely try and update it with the video sooner or later.

INGREDIENTS:

For the kachori dough: 1 cup 200 ml

All purpose flour/maida	1 cup
Salt	1/2 tsp
Hot oil	1 tbsp
Water	To knead (just about 1/2 half a cup)

For the filling:

Split green gram lentil/moong dal	1/3 cup
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Cinnamon stick	1/2 inch
Cloves	3-4 nos
Green cardamom	2 nos
Coriander seeds	1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin seeds powder	1/2 tsp
Cashews	4 nos (chopped)
Raisins	6-7 nos (chopped)
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Amchur Powder (Dry Mango powder)	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida	1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds/saunf	1/2 tsp
Sugar	1/4 tsp
Salt	3/4 tsp or as per taste
Oil	To fry

To serve:

Curds	1/2 cup
Water	2 tbsp (to add into the curds)
Sweet n tangy tamarind chutney	1/2 bowl/cup
Potatoes	Cut into  small cubes and fried or shallow fried
Sev	1/2 cup

For sweet & tangy tamarind chutney:

Date n tamarind chutney	1/2 cup
Water	1/4 cup
Oil	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds	1/2 tsp
Chilli powder	1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder	1/2 tsp
Ginger	1/2 inch (finely chopped)
Onion	1 small (finely chopped)

 METHOD:

1.       Wash & soak the split green gram lentil for 2 hours.
2.       In a bowl add in the all purpose flour, salt and hot oil.  Rub the oil into the flour.  Add in water little at a time and knead the dough into a fairly tight dough.  Cover it with a damp cloth and keep aside.
3.       In a pan add in the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander seeds and dry roast the spices for 2 minutes on low flame.  Once cool, powder them using mortar & pestle.
4.       In a pan add a tbsp of oil and let it heat up.  Once hot, add in the cumin seeds let them splutter, add the asafoetida.  Add in the fennel seeds, turmeric powder.
5.       Drain the water from the lentils.  Transfer the lentils into the pan.  Add in very little water so as to cook the lentils.  This should take 10-15 minutes.  The lentils should be soft when pressed in between your finger.
6.       Add in the spice powder and sauté for a few seconds. Add in the roasted cumin powder and Amchur powder.  Mix well so that the spice powder and cumin powder coats the lentils.  Add the chopped cashews and raisins.  Add the salt and sugar.  Mix well.
7.       Let the mixture cool completely.
8.       Heat oil in a pan to fry the kachori's.  Once the oil is completely hot.  Lower the flame.  Make  8 medium sized balls of the dough & roll them to a size of the puri.  Fill the rolled dough with the prepared lentil filling.  Join the ends of the puri and make it into a ball and keep aside.  Do the same with the rest.
9.       Roll the kachori's to the size of a puri.  Drop the kachori's into the hot oil.  Once they start to come up turn them to fry them on the other side.  Fry them in the oil with the flame on low.  Frying them on low flame, not only ensures that the kachori's crisp up but also cooks them through. (My sister gave me this tip)  
10.   Fry the kachori's till they are golden brown on both sides.
11.   For the chutney:  In a pan add oil.  Once hot add in the cumin seeds and the fennel seeds.  Sauté them for a minute.  Add in the ginger, chilli powder, roasted cumin powder.  Mix well.  Add in the date n tamarind chutney and mix well.  Add the water and mix again.  Bring it to a boil.  Switch of the flame and add in the onions.  Let the chutney cool to room temperature.
12.   To serve.  Place a kachori in a plate or bowl.  Break them in the middle.  Add the potatoes, pour the curds,  add the chutney and the onions.  Sprinkle with sev and serve.

NOTES:

1.       The measure I have given serves 3-4.
2.       You could serve with 2-3 variations.  Which is, like the one I have mentioned.  The other way you could serve is.  Break the hot kachori and just pour about a tbsp or two of the sweet and tangy chutney along with potatoes and or sev as toppings.  Tastes equally good.
3.       You could also make spicy chole (chickpea) curry.  Pour the curry over the kachori along with the chutney, onions and sev.  There you go, one dish and you can have it with so many variations.  Just play around with your ideas.
4.       Be sure to whisk the curds before you serve it.  You sure don’t want lumpy curds over your kachori.    
5.       The kachori filling should be dry.

Will be putting up the dahi vada post soon.