Odia Dahi Bara Recipe | Dahi Vada Recipe
Dahi vada is a very common name we all probably love. But different parts of the country have their unique taste and unique way of preparation. Dahi Bara of Odisha is a little different than that of Dahi Vada of North India (Dahi Bhalle). And South Indian they have a little different way.
Basically this delicious dish is a mix of dahi or curd and vada or bara. Vada is pronounced as Bara in Odia. So here also the hot deep-fried vada is dipped in curd and spiced.
In North Indian dahi vada, it's flavored with sweet tamarind chutney and spicy green chutney whereas in Odia Dahi Bara it is always paired up with dum aloo, a spicy potato curry. This combination of dahi bara aloo dum is divinely yummy. Trust me. This is one of the most popular street food in Odisha.
How To Make Dahi Bara, Aloo Dum?
If you are planning to try this combo of dahi vada with dum aloo, Try my aloo tomato recipe for this. This Bara or vada is the same as Medu Vada. This is purely a white urad dal (skinless) recipe. You can also add 1 - 2 tbsp semolina or rava for vada.
If you are planning to make this recipe, Never miss adding hing, dry roasted cumin (powdered/crushed), chat masala as they add a strong flavor to the recipe and make this more chatpata.
There are basically 3 steps in making dahi bara (in any style)
Making of Vada/ Bara (savory lentil doughnut)
Wash and soak dal for 6 - 8 hours. Then grind to a fine paste. Make sure you are adding little less water during grinding.
Now heat oil in a deep frying pan or Kadai. Wet both palms. Take out a small portion in one hand and make a hole in the center with help of thumb. And drop this donut-shaped batter into the hot oil. Keep the oil on medium to high heat. Flip both sides and remove them when it's golden on both sides.
Soak in hot water
Once you remove the vada from hot oil, directly transfer to hot water and let them soak in for 15 minutes. Add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) to the hot water so that the vada will absorb the flavor.
Preparation of curd mixture / Spicing up the curd
In the meantime prepare curd mixture. Beat the curd to smooth. Now dilute this curd by adding some water to it. That is a major difference again between Odia dahi bara and Punjabi dahi bhalla.
Flavour this curd (somewhat like buttermilk consistency) with salt as per taste, little black salt, little red chilli powder, little chat masala, & most important roasted cumin powder. I have added a tempering of dry red chilies and hing, in the end, to give this a strong punch of hing.
Final Assembling/ Presentation
Now take out vada or bara from hot water and squeeze it slightly using both palms. Be careful as it's hot and might hurt you also. Let it cool for some time in the air before adding into curd. After 5 minutes add these squeezed vadas into the spiced curd mixture.
I would recommend to rest it for 30 - 40 minutes before serving as that will help the vada to soak flavourful curd and will be tastier. In the end, I have added a tadka of few red chilies and a pinch of hing to the dahi bara. Sprinkle some sev/ bhujia and serve along with dum aloo.
Recipe Card For Odia Dahi Bara
Odia Dahi Bara/ Dahi Vada of Odisha
Ingredients
For Vada Recipe
- 1 cup dhuli urad dal (250gms)
- Refined Oil to deep fry
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ginger green chillies finely chopped
- 10 - 12 curry leaves chopped (optional)
- Salt to taste
For Curd Mixture
- 2 cup curd
- 1.5 cup water
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp chat masala
- 1 tsp cumin seeds dry roasted & crushed
- ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
- 3- 4 dry red chilies
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash dal for 4 - 5 minutes and soak in enough water for 6 - 8 hours.
- Then remove from water and put it in a high power blending jar.
- Blend it to a smooth paste. If required add little water while grinding.
- But add very little water else the paste will be runny and will be difficult to give it a shape.
- Once finely paste, add some cumin seeds, chopped ginger, and green chilies.
- Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
Shaping Vada
- You can shape this on butter paper (for beginners) or with the hand as well.
- Wet both the palms. Now take out a small portion of batter and transfer to another palm.
- Now take it on other palm with the help of fingers while pressing the thumb in the center to make a hole.
- Now drop it on hot oil.
- Make sure oil is not too hot as it will burn the vada from out only while the inner part will not get properly cooked.
- In the second method, Place one spoonful of batter on butter paper. Now make a hole in the center.
- Transfer the shaped vada to wet fingers and then drop directly to the hot oil.
- Don't overcrowd the pan with lots of vada together. Make it in a batch of 5 - 6 vada per batch.
- Flip to the other side and fry equally. Make them crisp and fluffy.
- Now remove from oil and place on kitchen towel to soak up excess oil.
Soaking Vada
- Now boil water in a saucepan adding a pinch of hing.
- Turn off heat.
- Now drop all vada to the hot water bowl.
- Cover with a lid and soak for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes remove from hot water and press gently with spoons or palm to squeeze out excess water.
- Keep aside for further use.
Preparing Curd Mixture
- Take curd in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk it to smooth with help of a wired whisk.
- Now add water gradually till required consistency.
- Mix well to lumps free mixture.
- Add salt to taste along with red chilli powder, hing, black salt, chat masala.
- Give it a nice stir.
- Add some chopped coriander seeds.
- (Optional) Add tempering of 3 - 4 dry red chillies and a pinch of hing over dahi vada.
Final Assembling
- Spicy curd mixture is ready.
- Now add squeezed vada into bowl of curd mix.
- Let it rest for 30 - 40 minutes before serving so that vada will absorb all flavors.
- Serve with spicy dum aloo curry on top of it or separately.
- Sprinkle some pinch of chat masala, red chilli powder and coriander leaves on top.
Notes
- After grinding whisk the batter for a good 3 - 5 minutes for best results.
- No need to add eno or soda or to ferment the batter.
- whisk the curd to smooth first before diluting to make this lumps free.
Nutrition
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