To begin making the Dahi Vada Recipe, we have to first soak the urad dal for 2 hours in 2 cups of water. Grind the dal with salt adding just enough water to make into a thick and smooth batter.

Preheat the Kuzhi Paniyaram pan with a pinch of oil on each cavity. Add a dollop of the dahi vada batter into each cavity, cover the pan and allow it to steam in medium heat.

You could optionally add a little more oil into each cavity to get a slightly more crispy texture. Once the vada looks steamed from the top, flip the vada over and allow it to turn into a golden brown on both sides. Repeat the above process with the remaining portions of the dahi vada batter.

Now heat a big broad pot of water; once it has reached the boiling point, turn off heat. Add the pan fried vada’s to the hot water. Don’t add too many at a time.

Give enough space for the vada’s to breathe, as they tend to expand more in water. Let the vada’s soak in water for about 5 minutes or until have turned soft. Once all the vada’s are soaked and softened scoop out draining any excess water, without squeezing them.

Set them aside in a serving dish. The process of soaking the vada’s in water makes them soft, fluffy and juicy at the same time making it porous.

To make the chaas for the dahi vada.

Into the tall jar of the mixer grinder, add the dahi, salt, green chillies, cumin seeds and mint leaves. Coarsely blend it to make a smooth mixture. 

Pour the ground yogurt into a large bowl- add water and whisk well. Check the salt and seasonings and adjust according to taste.

Once done, add the soaked vada into the chaas. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the Chaas Dahi Vada until you are ready to serve.