Dahi Wada ( Aavadalu )

Dahi wada is a melt-in-mouth appetizer, called aavadalu in telugu. Deep fried wadas are soaked in spiced yogurt and served cold. This is a south Indian dish and is similar to it's north Indian cousin, Dahi Bhalla.  They both are mostly same with few variations. The main difference being the shape. Wada is the one with the hole, Bhallas are round dumplings. There is a slight variation in the curd. The curd of dahi bhalla is slightly sweetened and is seasoned with red chili powder and roasted cumin powder whereas, the curd of dahi wada is seasoned with mustard seeds, urad dal, etc.
Here's the recipe of Dahi Wada.

Ingredients :

For Wada:

• Urad dal ( slit black gram ) - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Black Peppers - 1/2 tsp ( optional )
• Oil - to deep fry

For Dahi:

• Curd - 4 cups
• Green Chillies -4-5
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Fenugreek Seeds - 4-5 seeds
• Urad Dal - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Red whole chillies - 2
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing
• Boondi - for garnishing

Directions :

For Wada Batter:

• Wash and soak urad dal for about 5-6 hours.
• Grind the dal using the minimum water required for grinding. The consistency should be thick and not runny.
• Add salt to taste and pat and beat the batter with hands in a mixing bowl for aeration. This is important for getting soft wadas. When you put a small amount of batter in a cup of water, it should float. If the aeration is not done well, the batter sinks and sits at the bottom.
• You can add black peppers to the batter, if you like.
• Keep the batter aside while we prepare the curd.

For Dahi:

• Whisk the curd in a bowl. Add salt. Mix well.
• Grind green chillies, ginger and cumin seeds. Add this paste to the curd and mix well.
• Add chopped curry leaves to the curd.
• Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Add urad dal, fenugreek seeds and let them turn reddish. Add asafoetida and torn red chillies.
• Pour this tempering over the curd and mix well. Keep aside while we make wadas.

For Wada:

• Keep a bowl of water ready. We shall dip the wadas or garelu in water for about 1-2 minutes after deep frying. This will make the wadas soft.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
• Wet your fingers and take a portion of batter and make a hole in the center and drop it into the hot oil.
• The wadas will float on the surface of oil after a couple of seconds of dropping in the oil.
• Make around 2-3 wadas at a time. Do not over crowd the pan.
• Turn the wadas to the other side after a minute, and fry till golden brown.
• Remove from heat and drop then into the bowl of water for a couple of minutes , then remove them on a serving bowl.
• Pour the spiced dahi over the wadas into the serving bowl and let it soak for around 30 minutes to 1 hour before you serve. The wadas will absorb the spiced curd and will become soft and melts in mouth.
• Just before serving , garnish with chopped cilantro and boondi.

Variation:

• The wadas soaked in sambar is yet another delicacy, called Sambar Wada. When I make sambar wada, I prefer to make sambar without any veggies, just onions and tomatoes.
• They can also be soaked in rasam and are called Rasam Wada.

Enjoy !!!

Click here for the recipe of  Dahi Bhalla.