Hi everyone! Yes I am back after ages, but that's because earlier my parents were here and then after they left I got a job. So I have been keeping very busy and that has resulted in my not being able to give much time to my dear blog. But of course that does not mean I am going to stop blogging completely, no way. I love blogging way too much to give it up . So here I am back again.
Just last Saturday my friends and I got together with families for our pot-luck dinner at my place. Each one of us got one lovely dish and that made up a very very sumptuous dinner. It is so much more fun when each one plays a part in the cooking . You might have made a certain dish hundreds of times but it tastes so different and interesting when someone else cooks it. Like the Pav Bhaji that my friend Ash makes. It's delicious with a capital D . Praj in our group is the Basundi expert. So obviously she made that except this time we added Haldirams Rasgullas to the Basundi and turned it into a mouth-watering Ras Malai . And of course there is Jyoti who loves to cook and have people over to eat all the delicious South Indian delicacies that she creates . So she brought along Chitraanna , which is mildly spiced rice with lots of lentils and peanuts in it.
My contribution was Dahi Wada, which all of us just love . So this is what I will share with you today.


Ingredients for the wadas:
3 cups urid dal (Split black lentils) soaked overnight
1 cup fresh grated coconut,
10-12 chillies,
3 tblspns cumin
2 to 3 tspns sugar
salt to taste
oil for deep frying


Ingredients for the yogurt mix:
1 litre and a little more thick whole milk yogurt,
sugar to slightly sweeten the yogurt,
3 tspns of ginger paste,
1 tspn cumin and coriander powder each
salt to taste


Ingredients for the tempering:
3 tblspns of oil,
2 tspns mustard
10 to 12 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing)


Method:
Soak the urid dal overnight or at least for 5 to 6 hrs,

• Grind the soaked urid dal finely along with the grated coconut, chillies , cumin, salt and sugar . While grinding the dal add water in small quantities only as much as needed to aid the process of grinding.
• Keep aside for a little while.
• Prepare the yogurt by whipping the yogurt to a smooth consistency.
• Add some milk to the yogurt to give it the consistency of a thick pouring sauce. Mix in the sugar ,salt and ginger, cumin and coriander powders.
• Before frying the wadas keep a large pan of lukewarm water at hand . Add to the water a little yogurt and mix it well . This water is used to soak the fried wadas .
• Now heat the oil and drop tblspnfuls of wada batter into the oil and fry on a very moderate heat. This is important for the wada to cook well right upto the centre. If the wadas are fried too fast the centres remain uncooked.
• After frying the first few drain them onto some kitchen paper and let them cool . After they have cooled pop them into the lukewarm water and let them soak in the water for a while until they become slightly soggy
• Repeat this process with all the wadas, putting them in water only after they have cooled slightly
• Note: if hot wadas are put in cold water they remain hard at the centre, so let them cool first.
• When all the wadas have been put in the water squeeze out the water from each wada by pressing it gently between your palms and place them flat one next to the other in your serving dish.
• Pour over the prepared yogurt evenly over all the wadas
• Prepare the seasoning by adding the mustard seeds to hot oil. When they begin to splutter add the hing and the curry leaves and switch off the gas.
• Spoon this seasoning over the dahi wadas carefully . Sprinkle some chilly powder over the finished dish and garnish with coriander . Let your guest help themselves to the date and tamarind sauce
• Also offer your guests extra cumin and coriander and chilly powder .

This makes a wonderful side dish during a meal or a main snack at tea time