Dahi Gujiya/Stuffed lentil dumplings with yogurt and chutneys

elieve it or not, up until very recently I was totally clueless when it came to that room in the house called the kitchen. My metamorphosis began almost half a decade ago with me meeting the man of my dreams. Before that in the kitchen I used to be as clueless as a  camel at the north pole. The only experience I had, boiled down to (literally) making the occasional hot tea for everyone. Anyway, when I got serious about getting married and settling down, mom realized cooking could be a skill I might need and took the challenge to show me how. Daily she would take the time to walk me through what she was cooking that day for lunch or dinner and would occasionally make me write the recipe down in my little notebook. I gradually built a liking for the art which very quickly grew into a passion. I was amazed to find that a skill that is so often taken for granted required such dexterity. As I grew into it, I developed a new found respect for my mom who would make three square meals for us every calendar day of the year and alter her menu on demand depending on our mood swings (yes bro and I both were picky eaters).
Yes I still have that little recipe notebook. This is one of the recipes from one of the now yellowing pages. This is one of mom's specialities that she was often requested by friends and neighbors to make and re-make.
This dish is a twist on the classic Dahi-Vada, the only difference being the dumplings are stuffed with a nut mixture and is shaped like a half moon rather than the traditional round vadas. It is kind of street food that borders on the exotic. The fried lentil dumplings give it an amazing texture and topped with the spiced up yogurt  with the tangy sweet tamarind chutney makes for an amazing flavor profile that is totally addictive.

Ingredients: Makes 10-12
Split Black Gram (Urad daal) ................. 2 cups
Water ............................................ little over 1 cup for grinding
Ginger ............................................ 1 " grated
Asafoetida ....................................... 2 pinches
Oil ................................................ for deep frying
For the stuffing ~
Raisin, Cashews ................................ 1/4 cup, mixed, finely chopped
Cilantro ......................................... 4 tbsp, chopped
Green chilli ..................................... 4, chopped
Yogurt ........................................... as needed well beaten
Water or Milk ................................... as needed, to thin yogurt
Roasted Cumin powder .......................  for garnishing
Red Chilli powder .............................  for garnishing
Black salt/Kala namak ........................ as needed
Green Chutney ................................. to taste, for garnishing
Tamarind Chutney ............................. to taste, for garnishing
Cilantro .......................................... finely chopped, for garnishing

Method:
1. Wash and soak Urad Daal for minimum of 4-6 hrs or overnight.
2. Drain off all of the water and grind daal in a blender using very little water.
3. Remove batter into a bowl and add asafoetida and ginger.
4. Whip the batter with a spoon or hands to make it light and fluffy. Test in little water. When you drop a pea sized amount of batter in a bowl of water, it should spring back on top immediately. If it comes up slowly, or sinks, then you need to whip more.
5. Heat oil on medium heat.
6.Take a plastic sheet (or a ziploc bag cut open into two sheets) and put a couple of tbsp of the batter on it, moisten your hands and spread the dal into a circle. Put a spoonful of stuffing in the center of the circle and turn over the sheet  to make a semicircle. With oiled hands pick up the gujiyas and slide in to the hot oil. This has to be done very quickly as the gujiya will start to stick to your palms.
7. Allow the gujiyas to fry until golden brown on one side and then flip to the other side and cook again. Repeat process for all the batter.
8. Remove the gujiyas onto a paper towel lined plate and let them cool for a few minutes.
9. Take a medium bowl filled with water and add a little salt  and cumin powder to it.
10. Drop the cooled gujiyas into the water and allow them to soak for about 20-30 minutes.
11. Remove gujiyas and gently press them in your palms to squeeze out the water.
12. Place squeezed vada into a serving platter or dish.
13. Add enough water or milk to yogurt to make it pouring consistency.
14. Pour yogurt over the gujiyas to completely coat and submerge them.
15. Sprinkle Kala namak, Roasted Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder to taste over the yogurt.
16. Top with Coriander or Mint Chutney and Tamarind Chutney.
17. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve immediately. ENJOY!

Pin It