Dahi Bhalla, also known as Dahi Vada Chaat, is a popular North Indian street food that combines soft and fluffy lentil dumplings (bhallas) soaked in creamy yogurt, topped with flavorful chutneys, spices, and crunchy sev. This sweet, spicy, and tangy dish is a must-have during festivals like Holi and Diwali, making every bite a burst of flavors and textures.
The bhallas are made from urad dal (split black gram), deep-fried to perfection, then soaked in water to become light and airy before being dunked in chilled yogurt. Garnished with tamarind chutney, green chutney, roasted cumin, chaat masala, and pomegranate seeds, this dish is refreshing and irresistible.
Perfect for parties, celebrations, or as a snack, Dahi Bhalla is easy to prepare ahead of time and is guaranteed to impress! Serve it chilled for the best taste, and enjoy this crowd-favorite street food at home.
If you like this dahi vada chaat recipe, try my Tikki Chaat recipe or Samosa Recipe. Other recipes that you should try including Paneer Kathi Roll, Matar Chaat, Ram Laddo, among many.
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What is Dahi Bhalla?
Dahi Bhalla is a soft & fluffy lentil fritter that is covered in creamy yogurt and then topped with green chutney, tamarind chutney, and spices, including red chili powder, salt, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and garam masala.
Dahi Bhalla is commonly served as a refreshing appetizer or snack during Holi, Diwali, and special occasions. It's a cooling, flavorful dish that's delicious and easy to prepare ahead of time!
What is the difference between Dahi Bhalla and Dahi Vada?
Dahi Bhalla and Dahi Vada are used interchangeably, but they have some differences.
- Dahi Bhalla is a popular Indian street food mainly enjoyed in Delhi and Punjab, while Vada is more commonly made in South India.
- Dahi Bhalla are more soft & fluffy as they are made with moong dal and urad dal.
- Dahi Bhalla is soaked in creamy yogurt and then topped with chutneys and spices. Dahi Vada is soaked in yogurt and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, etc.
- Dahi Bhala is sweet, tangy, and spicy and served cold. While Dahi vada is mostly savory and served cold or warm.
Ingredients
- LENTILS: Bhallas are made by combining urad dal and moong dal. Soak the lentils for at least 3-4 hours before making fritters. Use equal quantities of lentils to make super soft bhallas.
- FLAVORING: You can flavor bhalla by adding ginger, black peppercorns, green chili, and salt before blending.
- YOGURT: Once the lentil fritters are fried, they are dipped in creamy whipped yogurt.
- CHUTNEY: Green chutney and tamarind chutney are added to bring incredible flavor to this chaat recipe.
- SPICES: Salt, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, and garam masala are added.
- OIL: Oil is used to fry the lentil fritters.
- GARNISH: You can garnish bhalla chaat with cilantro, pomegranate seeds, and sev.
See the recipe card for quantities!
How to Make Dahi Vada
- STEP 1 - ADD LENTILS: Add urad dal and moong dal in a bowl and mix them together.
2. STEP 2 - SOAK: Soak the lentils in water overnight or for 3-6 hours.
3. STEP - 3: ADD LENTILS IN BLENDER: Next, add soaked lentils in a blender after straining the water along with ginger, salt, black peppercorns, or green chili.
4. STEP 4 - BLEND: Blend everything until smooth by adding a little amount of water.
5. STEP 5 - FRY FRITTERS: Whisk the batter briefly. This will help in making the batter airy. Then heat the oil in a frying pan or kadai and drop a little batter in hot oil.
6. STEP 6 - REMOVE FRITTERS: Once fritters turn golden brown, remove the fritter from the oil and place it on a paper towel or slotted tray to remove excess oil.
7. SOAK VADA: Once fried, place the bhallas in a bowl of warm water for 20-30 minutes to make them soft.
8. STEP 9 - REMOVE WATER: Once soaked, the bhallas will increase in size. Before making chaat, squeeze water from Bhalla by pressing between your palms and placing them in a bowl or a plate.
Hint: Fry in batches and make sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Storage
You can store the fritters in the refrigerator for 3-5 days in an air-tight container. You can also freeze the Bhallas in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bags. When reheating, first boil the bhallas in water. Then squeeze the water from the bhallas and serve with yogurt & chutneys.
Expert Tips
- Soak Lentils: Soak the lentils for at least 3-6 hours or overnight. If you don't have time or want to make it quicker, soak lentils in hot water for 2-3 hours.
- Grind Lentils: Grind the lentils with minimal water (just enough to blend smoothly) to get a thick batter. For this recipe, I have used ⅛ cup of water.
- Whisk the Batter: After grinding the lentils, whisk the batter for 5-10 minutes with a spoon or a whisk. This incorporates air and hence helps in making soft & spongy bhallas.
- Bhalla Test: After whisking, you can test if the batter is ready by dropping a few drops of water in a cup or bowl. If it floats, then it is prepared. If the batter sinks, then whisk for some more time.
- Fry at medium heat: Make sure to fry at medium heat; that way, they will be cooked from the inside by giving a nice golden color to the outside.
- Frying: Do not overcrowd the frying pan or kadai for even cooking.
- Soak Bhallas: Soak Bhalla in water water for 20-30 minutes. or you can soak 15-20 minutes in hot water.
- Squeeze Water: Once bhallas are increased in size, squeeze excess water by placing it between your palms or using 2 spoons.
- Yogurt: Whisk cold yogurt until smooth and lump-free, and add a little bit of sugar to it.
- Adding Yogurt: The best way to assemble is to add yogurt on top of soaked bhallas. Do not add bhalla to a bowl of whisked yogurt, and then store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the bhallas will soak all the liquid from the yogurt, and you have to add more yogurt.
- Adjust: Adjust spices and chutneys as per your taste and preference. For authentic flavor, do not skip roasted cumin powder and chaat masala.
- Store: Fry and store bhallas in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to a month. To reuse, soak them in warm water, squeeze gently, and add to yogurt before serving.
- Crunch: For extra crunch, add pomegranate seeds, papdi, boondi, and sev when making dahi vada chaat.
FAQs
1. Soak the lentils in water for 4-6 hours.
2. Whisk the batter for 5-10 minutes to make the batter airy.
3. Always soak the bhallas in warm water before adding in yogurt.
Yes, you can:
1. Air Fry at 350F for 15-20 minutes by placing a dollop of batter in a small piece of parchment paper.
2. Cook in appe pan using minimal oil.
Do not oversoak bhalla in water for a longer time. Also, squeeze out excess water before adding yogurt.
Too runny means that the batter is too thin. Fix it by adding sooji or rice flour in the batter.
DAHI BHALLA (DAHI VADA CHAAT)
Equipment
Ingredients
Dahi Bhalla:
- ½ cup Moong Dal
- ½ cup Urad Dal
- ⅛-1/4 cup Water or as needed
- ½ inch Ginger
- 1-2 Green Chilis or Black Peppercorns
- Salt & Pepper
- Oil for frying
Dahi Bhalla Chaat:
- 1-2 cups Yogurt
- 3-4 tablespoon Green Chutney
- ⅓ cups Tamarind Chutney
- 1 inch Ginger grated
- 1 Green Chili chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon Pomegranate Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- ½ teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
- 2 handful Papdi
- 1 cup Sev
- Salt
Instructions
Soak Lentils
- In a mixing bowl, add moong dal and urad dal and rinse them propelry until water runs out clear. Then soak the lentils in water overnight or for 3-6 hours. (Note: If on rush, soak lentils in hot water for 2-3 hours).½ cup Moong Dal, ½ cup Urad Dal
Blend into Batter
- Drain water and add soaked lentils, add ginger, green chilis, salt & black peppercorns in the blender. Grind the ingredient by adding little water until the ingredients are well blended and turned into a thick batter.(Note: Add water only if needed, the batter needs to be a ittle dry. If you add too much water then the batter will turn out too thin and fritters will not fry properly).⅛-1/4 cup Water, ½ inch Ginger, 1-2 Green Chilis, Salt & Pepper
Whisk the Batter
- Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl and whisk using a wooden spoon for 5-10 minutes until the batter is airy. (Note: Check the batter by adding a teaspoon of batter in a glass of water. If the batter stays on the top, that means the batter is ready. But if it sinks then you need to whisk the batter a little longer).
Frying the Bhalla
- FRYING PAN: Once the batter is ready, heat the oil in a Kadai or in a frying pan at medium-heat. When the oil is hot, add 4-5 dollops of batter and fry them until they are golden in color and both sides are cooked well. AIR FRYER: Add 1-2 tablespoon of batter in each mold of silicone egg bite mold. Preheat the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes. Insert silicone mold and air fry at 400°F for 6-8 minutes or until the fritters are golden brown in color. Flip the fritters and cook for another 3-4 minutes.APPAN PAN: Put a few drops of oil in each mold. Then add 1-2 tablespoon of batter in each mold. Let it cook at medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until the fritters are golden brown. Then using a spoon, flip the fritters and cook them for 1-2 minutes until both sides are golden brown in color.Oil
- Once the fritters are fried, transfer them on a paper towel or on a slotted baking tray to remove excess oil. Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.
Soak Vada In Water:
- Once the bhallas are fried, transfer them into warm water and soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Then squeeze the bhallas and remove excess water from them between your palms.
Assembling:
- In a bowl or a plate, add papdi by crushing a little. Place soaked vada over the papdi. Then pour 3-4 tablespoon of yogurt. Then sprinkle red chili powder, garam masala powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and salt.1-2 cups Yogurt, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder, ½ teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder, 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala, Salt, 2 handful Papdi
- Then add green chutney and tamarind chutney. Lastly garnish with ginger, green chili, pomegranate seeds, and sev.3-4 tablespoon Green Chutney, ⅓ cups Tamarind Chutney, 1 inch Ginger, 1 Green Chili, 2-3 tablespoon Pomegranate Seeds
Video
Notes
- Soak Lentils: Soak the lentils for at least 3-6 hours or overnight. If you don't have time or want to make it quicker, soak lentils in hot water for 2-3 hours.
- Grind Lentils: Grind the lentils with minimal water (just enough to blend smoothly) to get a thick batter. For this recipe, I have used ⅛ cup of water.
- Whisk the Batter: After grinding the lentils, whisk the batter for 5-10 minutes with a spoon or a whisk. This incorporates air and hence helps in making soft & spongy bhallas.
- Bhalla Test: After whisking, you can test if the batter is ready by dropping a few drops of water in a cup or bowl. If it floats, then it is prepared. If the batter sinks, then whisk for some more time.
- Fry at medium heat: Make sure to fry at medium heat; that way, they will be cooked from the inside by giving a nice golden color to the outside.
- Frying: When frying, ensure not to overcrowd the pan or kadai for even cooking.
- Soak Bhallas: Soak Bhalla in water water for 20-30 minutes. Or you can soak 15-20 minutes in hot water.
- Squeeze Water: Once bhallas are increased in size, squeeze excess water by placing it between your palms or using 2 spoons.
- Yogurt: Whisk cold yogurt until smooth and lump-free, and add some sugar.
- Adding Yogurt: The best way to assemble is to add yogurt on top of soaked bhallas. Do not add bhalla to a bowl of whisked yogurt, and then store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the bhallas will absorb all the liquid from the yogurt, and then you must add more yogurt.
- Adjust: Adjust spices and chutneys as per your taste and preference. For authentic flavor, do not skip roasted cumin powder and chaat masala.
- Store: Fry and store bhallas in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to a month. To reuse, soak them in warm water, squeeze gently, and add to yogurt before serving.
- Crunch: For extra crunch, add pomegranate seeds, papdi, boondi, and sev when making dahi vada chaat.
Bhumi says
amazing 😍 ! Just tasted like back home .