Vrat Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla

Navratri is around the corner, and I am going through a list of potential falahari recipes that I want to try this year.  According to my Navratri meal planner, I needed something chatpata to pair up with kuttu ke atte ki roti . This is where the idea of making Vrat Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla just clicked.

Just a heads up, what is Dahi Vada?

Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla is one of the most famous street food in North India. Traditional dahi vadas are deep-fried savory lentil fritters that are dipped in seasoned curd and serve cold topped with chutneys. But since it’s Navratri, I have tried the falahari version.

What does Falahari mean?

The term phalahari or falahari refers to ‘phal‘ that means fruit and ‘aahar‘ means diet. When combined together it means– diet that contains fruits and veggies.

How to make Vrat Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla Recipe?

1. Rinse sabudana under tap water until the water runs completely clear.

2. Transfer the sabudana to a large bowl. Add water to sabudana. Just enough to cover them.

3. Cover and leave it unattended for 3-5 hours. 

4. After the soak cycle is done, combine sabudana with boiled potatoes, Singhara flour, green chilies, cilantro, and spices.

5. Mix well until evenly blended.

6. Heat oil in a pan.

7. Meanwhile, let’s shape the vadas. Take a small ball of sabudana mixture. Flatten the ball and make it look like a tikki.

8. Using your finger make an indent in the tikki. It will now look like a vada/bhalla.

9. Carefully lift the vada and fry in hot oil until crispy and brown.

10. Make sure the oil is not too hot. The trick is to cook in medium-hot oil until golden brown, occasionally turning with a slotted spoon.

12. Fry 2-3 bhallas at a time, do not overcrowd the pan. 

12. When done, remove the crispy vadas from hot oil with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

13. Repeat the process with rest of the dough until all the mixture is used up. 

1. Like regular bhallas, you don’t have to soak vrat dahi bhallas in  warm water. 

2. Combine yogurt, salt, and red chili powder in a large bowl. Whisk constantly until smooth and well blended.

3. Dip all the bhallas in curd. Keep it in the fridge to cool.

4. When ready to eat, transfer the bhallas to a plate. Pour extra yogurt on top. Garnish with red chili powder, vrat ki green chutney, and dried mint leaves. Enjoy!

Can I substitute Singhara flour with any other flour?

Yes, you can! Other options are kuttu flour (buckwheat flour), arrowroot flour. 

My mixture is sticky!

If the mixture is sticky after combining, then the possible reason is extra moisture in the ingredients. To take care of a sticky mix, add a tablespoon of vrat flour and knead again. It should take care of the stickiness. Make sure you adjust the seasonings as well. 

Any other way of making vadas, other than frying?

Yes, of course! You can cook them in appe pan (aebleskiver pan). In appe pan, the vadas will be cooked in a shape of a round ball, not as shown in the recipe. But will taste equally good and turn our crispy too. Guaranteed!

Can I make it vegan?

Absolutely! The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made vegan with a simple swap. Simply, exchange regular yogurt for plant-based yogurt. And rest everything remains the same.