Dahi Wada ~ Dahi Bhalle

As the summer makes an entry, we tend to lose our appetite as well. We cannot think of regular spicy foods. Summer is the time to add some cooling foods in your diet. We keep on craving for something to drink. To deal with such kind of mood and situation Dahi Wadas or Dahi Bhalle comes to my rescue.

''Dahi'' Means Yogurt and ''Wada'' is a fried lentil cake in Hindi. This dish is apt for summers. It can be treated as a cooling side dish. This is one sweet, tangy and spicy chat for all during summers. One can even store these wadas for 2 days in the refrigerator and serve it with chilled yogurt when you please.

Ingredients:
For Wadas
2 Cup Urad Dal
11/2 Tablespoon Ginger paste
11/2 Tablespoon Green Chilly paste
A pinch of Soda bi Carbonate
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Water

2 Cups of Yogurt
1 Cup of Green Chutney
1 Cup of Tamarind and Date Chutney
1 Tablespoon of Roasted Jeera Powder (Cumin Seed powder)
1 Tablespoon of Red Chilly powder
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Chopped Coriander
1 Tablespoon of Black pepper powder
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Soak the Urad dal overnight or for 5-6 hours in water. In a food processor, add the soaked urad dal and grind it in to a paste, which is light and airy.
2. Add ginger, green chilly paste, pinch of soda bi carbonate and salt in the urad dal paste and mix it properly.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, spoon the urad dal batter and fry the wadas. Now place all the fluffy wadas in water for 10 - 15 minutes.
4. Once the wadas are soft, press the wadas very gently between your two palms and squeeze out excess water from the wadas. All the oil used for frying the wadas will ooze out along with the water. While doing this take care not to break those wadas. Refrigerate these wadas till we prepare the yogurt mixture.
5. Take a bow, place the yogurt in the bowl and beat it briskly. Add 1/2 cup of milk in the yogurt and beat it again. Milk will help the yogurt mixture to become smooth and it will also avoid yogurt from spoiling or getting tangy due to scorching heat of summer. Add sugar, salt and black pepper powder in the yogurt and mix it well. Allow the yogurt to cool for few hours.
6. Just 30 minutes before serving the dish, in a wide bowl, place few wadas. Now pour the yogurt mixture over the wadas. Garnish it with Green Chutney, Tamarind and Date Chutney, chopped coriander leaves. Sprinkle on top roasted jeera powder and red chilly powder.
7. Serve Dahi wadas chilled.