Dahi Vada, or Dahi Bhalla Chaat, is soft lentil fritters that are deep fried and served with dahi, chutneys, and spices to make chaat! It's a delicious appetizer or a side dish to accompany a meal at parties or Indian festivals.
Soak the urad dal and moong dal in twice the amount of water in separate bowls overnight, or for up to four hours. Rinse the dals after soaking.
Grind the moong dal in a blender or food processor until it's soft and fluffy, adding a tablespoon of a water at a time and being careful to only add as much as needed to create a thick paste. Transfer the moong dal paste to a mixing bowl.
Grind the urad dal in the same fashion as the moong dal until it's white and creamy. Transfer it into the same bowl as the moong dal. Add the salt, ginger, and black pepper.
Whisk the dals together until combined and to aerate the batter. Test a bit of the batter in a bowl full of water to see if it floats to the top immediately. If it doesn't, continue to whip the batter to add more air.
Heat a pot of neutral oil on low to medium heat until 315°F. Take a tablespoon scoop full of batter and carefully transfer it to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side, then drain it of oil.
Transfer the freshly fried vadas to a bowl of warm to hot water to soak for 20-30 minutes. Flip them half way. After the soaking time, carefully squeeze out the excess water from each bhalla between your hands.
Assemble the chaat - whisk the dahi until fully smooth. Transfer the vadas to a serving platter and cover it in dahi. Top with with cilantro-mint chutney, imli chutney, chili powder, chaat masala, roasted ground cumin, sev, and pomegranates.
Notes
Don't add too much water. Only add as much water as needed to grind the dal, starting with a tablespoon at a time. I only needed about a ¼ cup of water and it resulted in 16 ounces of batter.
The right temperature for frying. Fry at 315°F. Any hotter and the top of the vada would mushroom. It also cooks the outside faster than the inside, so the center ended up being a liquid batter. If this happens, you can remove it from the oil and double fry it or bake it the rest of the way at 350°F for 4-6 minutes.
Knowing when the vada is done frying. The vadas took about 2-3 minutes on each side to be completely cooked through the center. You'll notice after you do the first side that the uncooked side popping out of the oil will have little air bubbles coming to the top and the bottom will be lightly browned. Then it's ready to flip. After frying both sides, you should be able to squish the fluffy vada. You can also cut one open with a knife to check the inside for doneness, or poke it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.