Instant Steamed Dahi Bhalla

Dahi Bhalla, also known as Dahi Vada is one of the most popular street foods in North India. The tantalizing flavors imparted from dry spices and tangy chutneys, simply makes it an irresistible treat for every avid foodie. While these bhallas are often a chaat stall's glory, they also make for quintessential festive delights in India and are generally prepared in majority of the households during the time of Diwali, Holi, Eid, Rakhsa Bandhan etc. Whenever these festivals are raound the corner, I look forward to making them along with numerous other sweet and savory delicacies such as CHIROTE, BHAKARWADI, RASGULLAS, GULAB JAMUNS and NIMKIS.


If you too love this lip-smacking street food delicacy of India and are in quest of a recipe that can yield super soft and spongy bhallas in no time, then I am sure this recipe would come as a breather. This recipe in all -

* Is healthy as it is steamed and not fried
* Is instant
* Does not require any soaking and fermentation of dal
* Does not require any prepping and storing of a bhalla/vada powdered pre-mix
* Comes together just under an hour
        * Yeilds super-soft and melt-in-mouth bhallas


So the question now is what actually you need to make these bhallas? Well, unveiling the mystery, all you need is just one major ingredient: the MTR DOSA PRE-MIX for these bhallas....surprised!!!?? First of all, let me clarify that this is "NOT a sponsored post"!!! It was just out of my curiosity that I happened to use their pre-mix in making bhallas and to my utter surprise and joy, the bhallas came out absolutely soft and melt-in-mouth. Not sure, what drove me in making this kind of a use of a Dosa mix but, I was really really happy with the outcome and wanted to share this easy-peasy method with you all..... I must say, this will a boon for all those having a fondness for Dahi Bhallas but, have not much of a time to plan and go ahead with the traditional time consuming method of making bhallas. You can buy and keep this MTR Dosa Mix always handy in your pantry and whenever, there is a craving for the same or if sudden guests arrive, just make a thick batter, steam it for 8 to 10 minutes and lo! you are ready for a finger-licking treat in no time... So, now, much talking done; let's get ahead with the recipe....

Instant Steamed Dahi Bhalla

INGREDIENTS

• Dosa Pre-Mix (I used MTR, you can use any brand) - 1 cup
• Finely chopped green chilies - 2 tsp
• Finely chopped ginger - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Whisked yogurt (slightly sweetened with 1 to 2 tsp of sugar) - 2 cups
• Roasted cumin powder - 1 to 2 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - as per taste
• Black salt - 1/2 tsp
• Hing/Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Green coriander-mint chutney - as needed
• Sweet tamarind chutney - as needed (Learn how to make it HERE)
• Water - as needed
• Fresh chopped coriander - for garnish

Instant Steamed Dahi Bhalla

Instant Steamed Dahi Bhalla

METHOD

• Start by placing an idli steamer on the burner.
• Put some water in it and let it come to steam. Also, grease the idli moulds.
• Meanwhile, mix in the dosa mix with little water at a time to get a thick lump-free batter. It should be of the same consistency of the normal bhalla batter.
• Add in chopped green chilies, ginger and cumin seeds.
• Whisk it for 2 minutes until everything is nicely combined.
• Now, using a small spoon, grab small portion from the batter and drop it on the greased idli mould. Make sure, you do not flatten out the batter in the mould. 
• Place the idli moulds in the steamer and let the bhallas steam for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Remove the mould from the steamer and let the bhallas cool down before transferring on a plate.
• Make all the steamed bhallas following the above steps.
• Next, take some warm water in a bowl and mix in salt and hing.
• Soak all the steamed bhallas in this warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once they are soft, gently take out each bhalla and squeeze the excess water by gently pressing between your palms.
• Put these bhallas in a bowl of chilled sweetened curd and let them chill for about an hour. The bhallas would double in size as they sit in the curd.
• Serve them chilled topped with some salt, black salt, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder and chutneys. Also, don't forget to garnish with some freshly chopped coriander and mint.

Pro-Tip: Before dunking the bhallas in thick yogurt, soak them for 5 to 7 minutes in a thin mixture of curd and water (in the ratio 1:2). This way curd would be nicely soaked in the bhallas making them nicely soft and melt-in-mouth.

Instant Steamed Dahi Bhalla

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