Dahi bhalla is the Delhi and Punjab name for the soft lentil fritter drowned in yoghurt — bhalla in the north, vada further south — and a fixture of Holi and Diwali tables more than the everyday plate. The fritters are ground from urad dal, often cut with a little moong, the batter beaten until it floats a test drop in water, then deep-fried, soaked in warm water and gently pressed so they turn pillow-soft. They sit in chilled, lightly sweetened yoghurt under tamarind and green chutney, a dusting of roasted cumin and chaat masala, and a scatter of sev and pomegranate — sweet, sour, cool and spiced at once. This version follows Ruchi of Ruchi’s Kitchen, whose dahi bhalla leans on the water-float test and a proper soak to land the melt-soft texture.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup skinned urad dal (soaked 4–6 hours)
- 2 tbsp moong dal (soaked with the urad)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1 green chilli (optional)
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp salt (for the batter)
- oil (for deep-frying)
- 3 cups plain yogurt (chilled)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt (for the yogurt)
- 4 tbsp tamarind (imli chutney)
- 4 tbsp coriander-mint (green chutney)
- roasted cumin powder (chaat masala, black salt and red chilli powder, to sprinkle)
- sev (pomegranate seeds and chopped coriander, to garnish)
METHOD
- Drain the soaked dals and grind to a thick, smooth batter with the ginger and green chilli, using as little water as possible.
- Beat in the cumin seeds and salt, whisking the batter several minutes until light; it is ready when a dropped bit floats in water.
- Deep-fry spoonfuls in medium-hot oil until golden, then lift into a bowl of warm water to soak 15–20 minutes.
- Whisk the chilled yogurt smooth with the sugar and salt.
- Gently press each soaked bhalla between your palms to squeeze out the water, then settle them in a dish.
- Pour over the whisked yogurt to cover.
- Drizzle with the tamarind and green chutneys and dust with roasted cumin, chaat masala, black salt and chilli.
- Scatter with sev, pomegranate and coriander, and serve chilled.
