Dahi Vada or Indian Savory Donuts in Yogurt Sauce

My love for Dahi vadas get linked back to the Holi celebrations while I was a kid. Our neighbour aunty used to make these during Holi. Apart from all the sweets that she would serve for us, I used to love these. The taste still lingers around my tastebuds.

The perfect time to eat these vadas dipped in the yogurt sauce is summer. Its so refreshing and filling that you just forget to crib about the hot summer. The recipe to the amazingly yum dahi vadas is here.

Ingredients

1. 8 -10 Uzhunnu Vada/ Medhu Vada / Lentil Dumplings
2. 2 cups of thick yogurt
3. 1/2 cup of drinking water
4. Pinch of salt
5. 1 tbsp of sugar
6. 2 cups of warm water

For garnishing

1. 1 tsp of Cumin powder
2. 1/2 tsp of Red chilly powder
3. 1 tbsp Tamarind chutney (refer tips)
4. 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves

Method

• Recipe for Uzhunnu Vada/ Medhu Vada / Lentil Dumplings can be found here.
• After making the vadas, let the extra oil drain off on a kitchen towel. 
• In a bowl, take the warm water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Drop the fried vadas, while its still hot, into it. Squeeze the vadas to remove excess water that has been soaked up. Line the vadas in a bowl.
• In another bowl, take the yogurt and whisk it well. Add the drinking water, salt and sugar to it. Give it another mix.
• Pour the yogurt mixture on to the vadas that have been lined up in the serving dish.
• Sprinkle the cumin powder and red chilly powder on top of the vada and yogurt mixture. Pour in the tamarind sauce and garnish it with chopped cilantro leaves.
• Place it in the refrigerator and serve it chilled.

Tips

1. To make the tamarind chutney, take a tbsp of tamarind paste and add it in 1 cup of water. Add another cup of water to it. Heat it and let it start boiling. Once the paste gets thickened add a pinch of salt, 2 tbsp of grated jaggery and 1/2 tsp of cumin powder. Let it cook for another minute and then remove it from the heat.
2. If you happen to be using thin yogurt, avoid mixing it with water else the sauce might turn watery.