This Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat is a twist on the traditional dahi vada chaat, with chickpeas or potatoes, onions, and crispy papdi for when you’re in the mood for some chaat style street food!
Dahi Vada is a popular Indian/Pakistani snack or appetizer. It is definitely a favorite around here. But what we also really love around here is a great chaat dish!
This Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat is made with soft and fluffy lentil fritters that are soaked in a yogurt mixture and topped with puri (fried flatbread) and your choice of sweet and tangy spices and sauces.
The refreshing taste of the yogurt, along with the tangy and spicy kick from the sauces and spices hit you all at once for an unforgettable dish.
If you’re looking for more chaat-type or appetizer recipes, try these:
Ingredients
For Dahi Vada
- Urad daal – Also known as split matpe beans are available at most South Asian grocery or online.
- Yogurt – Any regular yogurt will work great for this dish. If your yogurt is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to thin it out so the vadas can absorb the water.
Assembly
- Potatoes or Chickpeas – Boiled chickpeas and potatoes are great for this recipe. You can make them ahead of time, and assemble the chaat when you’re ready to enjoy it!
- Imli (tamarind) chutney – Any tamarind chutney would work to give that tangy kick to this dish. If you’re looking for a homemade addition, we recommend either our Khajur (date) and Imli chutney or this refreshing green Imli (Tamarind) chutney with lots of refreshing herbs.
- Roasted cumin powder / Chilli Powder – These spices are added at the end to top off the dish. You can also serve it with additional spices on the side, so your guests can adjust to their liking and taste.
- Chaat Masala – Chaat masala is a special spice blend used in Chaat (appetizer) dishes like this.
Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat
Any type of chaat is special because of the combination of flavors and textures. For this dahi vada papdi chaat, here is a simple recipe. Ultimately, chaat is a really flexible dish, and you can add and adjust everything to your preferences
Make the base:
The base in this dahi vada papdi chaat is the dahi vadas. The recipe is below, and we also got more tips on how to make Dahi Vada!
Along with the dahi vada, we typically will also build it with some chickpeas and/or boiled potatoes.
Start off, with preparing chickpeas. You can either cook dry chickpeas or use a tin of prepared chickpeas. We prefer to boil them just a bit, to make them more tender. But that’s a personal preference.
Add the extras:
Then add onions, cilantro, cumin powder, and chilli. You can also add tomatoes if you like!
Add the sauces:
This dish is where imli chutney (tamarind chutney) really shines, and you can also add more yogurt to the top!
Finish with some crunch:
Top with something crunchy. For this particular chaat we like to use puri or papdi – a crispy flatbread.
Other options are sev – fried vermicelli. If you have neither, you could even try a plain, unsweetened cereal like Cornflakes, and Rice Krispies!
How to Serve Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat?
Serve this Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat cold. Leave some extra chili powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, and Imli chutney on the side, so your guests can adjust to their preferences.
Typically, Dahi Vada will be served as a snack, around tea time, or it can be an appetizer before dinner.
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Dahi Vada Papdi Chaat
Ingredients
Vadas
- 1 cup Urad daal split matpe beans
- neutral oil for frying
- 6-8 cups Lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon Table Salt
Assembly
- 2 cups Yogurt plus more as required
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- Papdi or sev
- 1 cup Chickpeas, cooked
- 2 Potatoes, boiled, and cubed optional
- 2-3 tablespoon Imli chutney plus more to serve
- 1 teaspoon Roasted cumin powder
- ¼-½ teaspoon Chilli powder or crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
- 1 Onion
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro chopped
Instructions
Vada (Lentil Dumplings)
- Soak Urad daal (split matpe beans) for 2-4 hours.
- Drain the lentils, and add them to a blender, with about a 1/4 cup of water. Blend into a smooth paste, adding more water if necessary.
- Once ready to fry, use a whisk or spatula to whip the mixture so that it is fluffy.
- In a deep frying pan or Karhai, heat neutral oil on medium heat. Test if the oil is ready by dropping, a teaspoon of the lentils. If it floats, the oil is ready to use.
- Drop lentil mixture by the tablespoon into the heated oil, a few at a time, without crowding the pan. Flip after a couple of minutes, once it is golden brown.
- Allow cooking on the other side for two more minutes, until golden brown, and cooked on the inside.
- Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel, to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Soak the Vadas
- In a large bowl, add lukewarm water, along with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Add the fried vadas (lentil dumplings) and allow them to soak up the water. Make sure to not crowd the bowl, as they will expand about 1.5 times their current size.
- Let soak for 10-15 minutes, then drain out the water. Lightly squeeze each vada in your palm, to squeeze out the excess water.
Assemble and Serve
- In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of yogurt with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Dip the Vadas in the yogurt mixture.
- When ready to serve, to individual serving plates or bowls, add the chickpeas and/or boiled potatoes, puri or papdi, 2-3 pieces of dahi vada.
- Sprinkle with red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, and chaat masala.
- Top with 2-3 teaspoons of imli chutney (tamarind sauce), cilantro, and more yogurt if desired.
- Serve immediately, with additional chili powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, Imli chutney, and sev or papdi on the side.