Just the thought of fluffy, soft bades swathed in whipped, lightly sweetened yoghurt and a Jackson Pollock of tamarind and coriander chutney, makes street food, specifically chaat, seem like an art project. As your spoon cuts through the bada and scoops up the dahi ribboned with chutneys and a sprinkle of chaat masala, you know you want to eat more of this. Chaat food is by far one of the most important parts of India’s culinary landscape. Classified as one of the topmost types of street food, it is quick, delicious and works well with a balance of flavours, that can be tweaked depending on what one’s personal preferences are.
What makes Jodhpuri dahi bade different from most other places that pride themselves in making the perfect plate of chaat, is the addition of saffron to some milk that is eventually mixed into the whisked yoghurt. What that does, is add some richness to the dahi as well as contribute a mild flavour which compliments the robust chutneys and the various textures on the plate. Making a batch of this dahi bade is great when snacking or tea time feel like an occasion for people to get together and bond over good food.
Recipe:
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Ingredients
- ½ cup urad dal
- 2 teaspoons yellow moong dal
- 2 cups hung yoghurt
- 4-5 saffron strands
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- 2 tablespoons coriander chutney
- 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney
- 1 pinch chaat masala
- 1 pinch red chilli powder
- Sev, for garnish
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Method
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- Wash and soak the lentils for 3 hours. Strain and grind the lentils, using some of the soaking liquid, a bit at a time, to make a thick, smooth batter.
- Add the batter to a bowl and continue to whisk it, using an electric whisker until it turns airy and fluffy in texture. Check for doneness by adding a tiny drop of the batter to some water. If the ball floats to the surface, the batter is ready to use. If not, continue to beat it, until ready.
- Season the batter and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and use a spoon to make small pellets of batter and drop them in gently, into the hot oil. Fry on all sides until lightly golden.
- Add the fried badas to a bowl of warm water and soak for 5-7 minutes. Simultaneously, add the saffron strands to two tablespoons of milk and allow it to soak for a couple of minutes.
- Whisk the yoghurt until smooth and use the remaining milk to thin out the consistency of the yoghurt. Add the sugar, pink salt and salt to taste and follow it up with the saffron milk. Mix everything until combined.
- Squeeze out the excessive liquid from the badas and add them to a shallow serving bowl. Blanket the badas using the whisked yoghurt. Top up with both, sweet and spicy chutneys, red chilli powder, chaat masala and plenty of sev on top to garnish. Serve at room temperature.