Wishing you all a very happy, colourful and indeed delicious Holi ! 😊😊…..
Festivities continue to cheer up our lives, especially in India with its varied forms and flavours that brings its own charm & essence with it. Holi,..the festival of colours is one of such vibrant celebrations where we Indians dispose off our hardships behind for the moment to dip ourselves in the joys of the festival. Even though, this is a festival of Hindus, yet is not restricted to any caste, creed or religion and everyone involves equally in this colourful rioting. Like any other festival, Holi too is incomplete without food as food is the most powerful tool to enliven the spirits , to unite and bind people beyond boundaries, and energize the tired bodies and soul.
Apart from rasmalai & thandaii, which give a cool comforting feeling, Dahi vadas just add spice to that feeling and are indeniably essential in the elaborate holi spread. Dahi vadas or Dahi bhallas, which most of you must be knowing and as the name suggests, are nothing but fermented, deep fried, soft pillowy lentil (black gram/urad dal) balls immersed in curd seasoned with spices. It can be categorised as a form of Indian chaats for its spicy flavour and are available in every part of India in varied forms. Interestingly, the origin of it can be traced back to ancient India which actually is somewhere in the South Asia i.e. either in India or in the present day Pakistan. Also, a recipe for dahi wada ( mentioned as kshiravata) is found in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, the Chalukya king, who used to rule from present-day Karnataka. However, the most common legend associated with the history of chaat goes back to the courts of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Mughal’s are known for their rich contribution to Indian cuisine and some of our most indulgent indian treats have come from the Mughal kitchens that had been mastered by the exceptionally skilled Khansamas over the years. The current version of Dahi Vadas are a by-product of the same heritage who gave this dish it’s current version.

This delectable snack is a great option when compared to other chaats with all the goodness of curd and lentils, which are not only filling but also light & friendly for your digestive system.The taste of it varies depending on one’s choice, some prefer to have it slightly sweet while some prefer the lentil fritters to be little more spicier, but the essence of the dish remains the same. Festival times are always the busiest, especially for people who are in charge of the kitchen. So a smart as well as a tasty recipe is all that is required to please your guests & win yourself some accolades😊. This is where my aunt’s culinary skills come into play & she always creates some magic which all of us in our family often have the privilege of enjoying. These instant dahi vadas are one of such innovations or rather a quick-fix of hers. She enjoys making dahi vadas just like any other snack. Though she makes the usual dahi vadas with lentils, but when pressed for time, she prepares these instant version that taste just divine. This version of the dish is quite a good fit for hectic times like festivals, of course if you are ready to compromise on the usual lentil fritters. The unique ingredient of this version is breadcrumbs instead of lentils for the fritters and hence is quite hassle free. What all you need are breadcrumbs, curd & a few spices and you are in. So don’t wait and go for it. Here is the recipe for you :

RECIPE :

Ingredients:

1. Bread Crumbs : 6 slices of bread
2. Curd : 1 – 1&1/2 cup
3. Black salt : to taste
4. Roasted cumin seeds powder : 1 tsp
5. Red chilli powder : 1/2 tsp
6. Chaat masala (optional) : to taste
7. Water : 3/4th cup.
8. Any neutral oil : 1 cup.
9. Baking powder : 1/4th tsp.

Preparation :
1. Take bread crumbs in a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoonful curd, black salt, little roasted cumin seeds powder, baking powder and mix them together.
2. Add water to the mixture gradually to make a slightly loose batter as in the picture below:

3. Heat oil in a pan, take a tablespoonful of batter into it or you may use your hand to take a small amount of the batter into the oil and fry it by gently turning it on both sides until they turn golden brown in colour.
4. Drop each fried vada from the pan into a bowl of water and keep for 1 or 2 minutes ( this makes your vada soft and also rinses the extra oil from it ).
5. Take out from the bowl and keep for storage or use immediately.
6. In a bowl, beat your curd nicely, add black salt and roasted cumin seeds powder and mix.
7. Add your vada to the bowl of curd and cover nicely with the curd mix, sprinkle red chilli powder and chaat masala.
8. Your fresh, spicy dahi vadas are ready to be savoured.

Courtesy :

1. https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/holi-special-indias-love-affair-with-dahi-bhalla-and-how-chat-came-to-rule-indian-street-food-1812767
2. https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Dahi_vada