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দই বড়া – Bangali der Doi Bora or Delhi ka Dahi Vada Recipe! Whatever the name, I am very sure you have already started drooling at the very thought of a chilled plate of Dahi Vada. It is deep-fried and served with fresh yogurt and a medley of spices, a perfect snack for Indian festivals or family gatherings

A popular street food, Dahi Vada or Doi Bora দই বড়া is always a huge hit in my house. Perfect crowd pleaser, it makes for a great idea for office potluck parties. And, quite honestly I have no qualms about making this dish because it cannot get any easier to please the people around me.

Making Dahi Vada at home, might take a bit of preparation beforehand, but once it is done it is always a huge hit at parties and gatherings.

The recipe can be easily doubled and even tripled if need be. Needless to say, it is a great crowd-pleaser and doesn’t even make you break a sweat for it!

Doi Bora vs Dahi Vada

As similar as they might sound, there lie certain minute differences that make the two dishes apart from each other.

While Delhi’s famous street food Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla chaat goes with a more elaborate topping of julienne Ginger and Pomegranate seeds among the rest, its Bengali version is much more humble and simple, appearance-wise. All you need to do is sprinkle a pinch of Rock Salt and dry roasted Cumin Seed powder on a dollop of Yogurt. And there you have your soul-filling serving of Doi Bora ready to serve.

How to make Doi Bora – Ingredients list

• Kolai Dal or Urad Dal. Also known as White Lentils
• Muger Dal or Moong Dal. Also known as Yellow Lentils
• Yogurt
• For topping – roasted Cumin seeds, Rock Salt, Paprika powder.
• For topping – Green Chutney (optional)
• For topping – Sweet Tamarind Chutney (optional)

Step-by-step instructions to make perfectly soft Doi Bora at home

• Soak the dals or lentils in enough water overnight. Next morning wash the lentils 2-3 times till the water runs clear. Discard the water completely and grind it into a smooth paste
• Take the lentil paste out in a large mixing bowl and whisk it vigorously to incorporate air. This step is extremely important to make the vadas crispy and light
• Heat oil in a kadhai. Keep the temperature gentle, the oil shouldn’t be too hot or the vadas would scorch at the outside and the center would remain uncooked and gooey
• Meanwhile, prepare the salt bath by pouring water into another mixing bowl and mixing it with a generous amount of salt
• Once the vadas are fried and out of the kadhai, drop them directly in the water. Let them soak for a couple of minutes before taking them out and pressing the max water out of them
• Prepare the yogurt by whisking it with a touch of salt and sugar.
• Layer the vadas in a serving dish. Pour the whisked yogurt on the vadas. For the topping, you can go as per your preference. I prefer a mix of roasted cumin seed powder, paprika powder, rock salt, and a light drizzle of sweet tamarind chutney

Though there isn’t anything of a recipe for this because all you need to do is to soak the lentils and grind them and deep fry the fritters, still I am going to document it for you guys to save or share for later. 

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it.
Tag me on Instagram @priyankabhattacharya.sa or Facebook @hashdiaries and I will share it further.