South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada

I have always been an ardent fan of South Indian Style Dahi Vada or Thayir Vadai. The first time I had this lipsmacking curd and vada preparation was at the famous restaurant chain Sagar Ratna and trust me, I was completely bowled over with the mild taste of the dish. The crispness of lentil vadas, the subtle sweetness of yogurt and that delicious and aromatic tempering of curry leaves and green chilies lent the humble delicacy a unique medley of flavors. Not to forget, the crunch of boondi sprinkled on top was just to die for. Although I love our very own North Indian Style Dahi Bhallas too, but this variation in South Indian Style was such a lovely delight that I became a fan of it in no time.

Reminiscing the Thayir Vadai preparation, I thought of making the same today but a farali version of it because I am observing the Navratri fasts. So, the lentil vadas in this recipe have been replaced with vadas made of samak rice, potatoes, sabudana and foxnut meal. Fried till crisp, they are served with sweetened curd, which is tempered with curry leaves, green chilies and cumin seeds. For the boondi, I have made boondi using singhada or the water chestnut flour. You can instead use the Kuttu or Singhada Sev readily available during fasts. Waiting for the whole recipe? Let's get started...

South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada

South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada

INGREDIENTS

• Samak Rice/Barnyard Millet - 1/2 cup
• Boiled and mashed potatoes (medium) - 2
• Soaked sabudana - 1/4 cup
• Phool Makhana/ Foxnut - 1/4 cup
• Chopped green chilies - 2
• Grated ginger - 1 inch
• Finely chopped curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Finely chopped coriander - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds/ jeera - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1/2 tbsp + for deep frying
• Salt (sendha namak) - as per taste
• Black pepper powder - 1 tsp  
• Slightly sweetened curd - 2 cups
• Farali boondi - 1 to 2 tbsp, for garnish

For Tempering

• Edible oil - 1/2 tbsp
• Whole red chilies - 2 to 3
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Slit green chilies - 2

South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada

OTHER POPULAR FASTING RECIPES

• SABUDANA VADA
• SABUDANA KHICHDI
• VRAT KA DHOKLA
• SAMAK RICE PULAV
• KADDU KA HALWA

South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada

METHOD

• Start by grinding samak rice to a fine powder in a grinder.
• Dry roast foxnuts till crisp. Grind them too to a powder.
• In a pan, heat about 1 cup of water. Add the ground samak rice and cook on medium until it forms a dough consistency.
• Transfer to a bowl. To the same bowl, add boiled & mashed potatoes, soaked sabudana, ground foxnuts, chopped green chilies, curry leaves, grated ginger, salt, pepper powder and chopped coriander.
• Smear some oil on your hands and mix everything to form a dough.
• Now, wet your hands and pinch out lemon size balls from the dough. Shape them into a vada or a doughnut by making an indent in the center using your thumb. 
• Heat some oil for frying. Once it is moderately hot, fry the vadas till crisp and golden from all sides. Make sure you fry them in batches and do not overcrowd the kadhai.
• Dish out all the vadas on a plate.
• For assembling, place a vada or two in a bowl. Top it with some sweetened curd and salt.
• For the tempering, heat some oil in a tadka pan. Once it is nicely hot, add cumin. As it splutters, add whole dried red chilies. Switch off the flame, then add curry leaves and slit green chilies. 
• Pour this tempering over the dahi vada and serve garnished with crisp boondi. 

South Indian Style Farali Dahi Vada | Vrat ka Dahi Vada