Dahi Bhalla Chaat

Ingredients

• For preparing Vadas"
• Black gram lentil - 1 cup, urad dal without skin, washed, soaked for 3 hours
• Yellow moong dal - 2 tbsps, soak for 2 hours (optional)
• Ginger - 2″ piece
• Green chilies - 2 to 3
• Salt to taste
• oil for deep frying
• To prepare dahi bhalla chaat:
• Fresh curd - 2 cups, thick yogurt (it should not be sour)
• Water - 1 1/2 to 2 cups
• Powdered sugar - 1 1/2 heaped tbsps
• Red chilli powder - 1 heaped tbsp, approx
• Roasted cumin powder - 1 heaped tbsp, apporx
• Chaat masala powder -1 heaped tbsp, approx
• Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup
• Green chutney - 3/4 cup, approx
• Sweet tamarind chutney - 3/4 cup, approx
• Sev for garnish
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Grind the urad dal, moong dal, green chilies, ginger and salt together to a fine pase. Add very very little cold water while grinding. (approx 2-3 tbsps). Remove to a wide bowl. Using your hand or hand beater, beat the batter for a good 5 mts till it is airy and light.
2. Pre-heat oil in a deep frying vessel, slowly drop large lemon sized quantity of batter into the hot oil. Deep fry on medium heat for sometime and then fry on high heat till golden brown.
3. Remove these deep fried vadas into a bowl of luke warm water and place them in it for a mt. Remove and gently press between your palms so that excess water oozes out. Keep them aside.
4. Finish making vadas with the rest of the remaining batter and put them in water like you did for the earlier batch, remove excess water and keep aside.
5. Beat curd well till smooth and add the water as required, 1/4 tsp red chilli pwd and 1/4 tsp cumin pwd and salt to taste.
6. Place the vadas in a serving bowl and pour the chilled curd mixture evenly all over the vadas, covering them completely.
7. Chill the vadas for sometime before serving. At the time of serving, take 2-3 vadas and place them in a serving plate, pour 2 tbsps of green chutney followed by 2 tbsps of sweet imli chutney, sprinkle some chaat powder, roasted cumin powder and and garnish with sev, fresh coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds.