Raw Dahi Wada

Dahi Wada is traditionally a vegetarian recipe. Calls for yogurt. The dumplings (wadas) are made from lentils, herbs and spices. Here’s my recipe for the wadas which I made oil free, in the airfryer.

Now this particular dish used to be a staple in my household for the month of Ramadan. Was made almost every single day. But ever since I went vegan, it was stopped. Because, obviously, I wouldn’t make it anymore.

Last Ramadan though, I did attempt to make it Vegan, using home made soy curd, which you could take a look at here.

This year though, I was determined to try making a raw curd. Did have a couple of unsuccessful attempts, but I finally got it right.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
2. 1 cup water
3. 1/2 lime’s juice

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Blend all ingredients together
2. Let it sit and ferment in a bowl for a couple of hours, or overnight, in a warm and dark place. Refrigerate after.

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Now that I got the curd right, the dumplings would just be a piece of cake to make, because until the step before deep frying, the batter for the dumplings are technically raw. All I had to do was adjust the consistency a bit, for it to be eaten raw.

Also, typically, split white lentils (urad beans) are used. But I didn’t exactly want to use the split variety, so I used the whole one. And not just whole soaked, but sprouted too, for three days.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 cups of whole black gram, soaked and sprouted
2. 2 fresh green chillis
3. 4-5 cloves of garlic
4. One small bunch of fresh coriander
5. 1 tsp cumin powder
6. 1 tsp Chaat masala*
7. 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
8. Black salt, to taste (optional)

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Dump all the ingredients into the food processor and process until you get a smooth paste.
2. Transfer into a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes, to allow the ground flax to do it’s work.
3. Form into patties/dumplings, and let it rest for another 15 minutes for the shape to set. Alternatively, you could use the dehydrator or set it out in the sun for a couple of hours, flipping half way through.

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*Regarding the Chaat masala, find a brand that has all the ingredients raw. As in, dehydrated. If you aren’t that particular about it, at least just make sure there are no preservatives in there, no citric acid, malic acid or anti caking agents. Just straight up spices is what we are looking for.

Now that we’ve got our Dahi (curd) and Wadas (dumplings) ready, all we have to do is assemble and garnish. Depending on the kind of dish you use, square, rectangular or a bowl, layer them, the last layer being the curd, and then garnish with your choice of herbs and spices.

What I’ve used is red chilli powder, cumin powder, Chaat masala and chopped coriander.

Enjoy! 🎉