Northern India Chaat
If you are not close to one of the popular eateries that serves authentic Indian snack foods, such as Chaat, which is immensely popular in Northern India, such as the Cool breeze I will share with you a popular recipe for you to make your own. Dahi Bhalla in specific is a chaat that gets prepared in the same manner as dahi vada, except in this recipe are added ingredients such as cooked chickpeas, and boiled cubed potato cubes.
For the vadas, you need:
· Salt
· Pinch of asafetida
· ½ tsp cumin seeds
· 7 tbsp. water
· 1.25 cup water for soaking
· 4 tbsp. moong dal
· ½ cup urad dal
· Black salt as needed
· Red chili powder as needed
· 1 tbsp. chaat masala
· 1 large potato, peeled, chopped and boiled
· ½ cup cooked white chickpeas
· 25 papdis
· ½ cup green chutney
· ½ cup sweet chutney
· ½ cup pomegranate arils
· 2 cups curd
Instructions:
Rinse the urud dal and moong dal and soak overnight or for about five hours.
Drain well and add it to a grinder with cumin seeds and asafetida. Grind and slowly add water and then add the rest of the ingredients in batches so that you ensure you end with a smooth batter. Pour it into a bowl and brisk for a few minutes as this step makes sure the batter is fluffy and light.
Heat oil in a pan, add small amounts of batters, and turn them once they are a pale golden color before you turn and fry on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue like this with all the batter. Now you add the cooked Vada to the 2.5 cups of water and soak for 25 minutes. Remove from water and squeeze out the water with your hands by flattening them between your palms. Add it to the curd with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy!