Fauzia's Kitchen Fun

Dahi Baray

162

Dahi Baray

A light, cool and delicious snack, perfect for summer-time and during the Holy month of Ramadhan

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 2 cups maash daal split black lentils
  • 2 tsp ginger paste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 green chilli chopped (optional)
  • 2 tbsp yoghurt
  • a pinch of baking soda
  • 1/4 cup water approximately

Other Ingredients

  • 3 cups yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder

Instructions
 

  • Wash then soak the lentils overnight or for at least 6 hours. Rinse well and drain all the water. Add all the ingredients in the first ingredient list into a blender and blend until very smooth but of medium-thickness consistency. Do not use more water unless needed.
    Turn the mixture out into a bowl and mix well with a whisk or spoon for at least 5 minutes. Good exercise for the arm but this results in light and fluffy barays. Cover and rest the mixture for 15 minutes. Whip it again for another minute then heat oil in a karai/pan.
    Once the oil is hot, reduce it to medium and scoop a small ball from the mixture and drop it gently into the oil. Keep going until the pan is almost full. To help achieve good shapes, dip your fingertips in some water before scooping a ball from the batter and try to drop it into the oil as close to the oil surface as you can, but be careful not to get burnt!
    Fry to a golden colour on medium to low heat, then drain excess oil and remove on kitchen towels. Frying them on high heat will result in hard centers that will remain uncooked.
    Once all are done, take a bowl of warm water, add half a tsp of salt. Dip all the barays into the water and let them sit there for 2 minutes. This process helps prepare the barays so that they can later absorb the yoghurt that they will get dipped into. Also, this removes all the excess oil from them.
    Remove one at a time and gently squeeze out the excess water between your two palms. Careful not to break them! Arrange them on your serving plate.
    Whip the 3 cups of yoghurt with the rest of the ingredients in the second list (1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp red chilli powder and half tsp cumin powder). If your yoghurt is very thick, lighten it a little by adding a bit of water or milk. Taste and adjust it to your liking.
    Pour this yoghurt mixture on the dahi barays. Then drizzle Sweet Tamarind Sauce and sprinkle some chilli powder or green chutney if you like it extra spicy, some cumin powder, chopped coriander and chat masala if you like. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes to allow the yoghurt to get absorbed into the barays.
    Serve and enjoy!!

Join the Conversation

      1. Yes you can, fry and then drain and pack them in an airtight container with layers of plastic wrap between them. When ready to use, simply let them thaw out then dip them for just a few seconds in warm water, squeeze the water out gently and proceed with layering them with yoghurt mix and tamarind chutney.

        1. hi fauziya…can we use any other daal or specifically black lentils??please let me know

  1. thats awsome, we all love these baras, very delicious, can we freeze baras without yougurt.

    1. Yes you can, fry and then drain and pack them in an airtight container with layers of plastic wrap between them. When ready to use, simply let them thaw out then dip them for just a few seconds in warm water, squeeze the water out gently and proceed with layering them with yoghurt mix and tamarind chutney. 🙂

  2. i want to know that maash ki daal that ur talking about it is yellow right why have u wrote black lentils? i dint understand split black lentils

    1. Maash lentils are known as black lentils in English because they have a black outer coating which is removed when splitting, the inside is pale creamy/yellowish in colour.

  3. I tried it today and for the very first time my baray turned perfect.. Many thanks to you.

  4. Hi just want to ask do you have to use maash daal? Can you not use any other daal?Thank you

  5. Salaam Fauzia, My barrey had a hard centre. Do u know what the problem might have been? I followed all steps of ure recipe… so couldn’t figure out why they turned hard…

    1. W/Salaam, I believe that normally has to do with under-whipping the batter. When it is whipped for a longer amount of time, the barays become light and fluffy. When frying make sure the heat is low so they cook right through to the center. Also make sure you don’t make them too big as that will prevent the center from getting cooked. Shaping small balls works best for this dish.

  6. i take equal quantities of moong daal and massh dal…and when i am ready to cook them…i add 1-2 spoons of basin……turn out really nice

  7. When I was in school, I had learnt to make this. BUt then forgot the recipe.

    This is exactly the same way I had learnt. I was so happy to read the recipe. I made it today and turned out to be the same and very tasty. Thanks a lot..

  8. just want to know whts the shape of barays after frying.. mine were like small thick pan cakes.. is it ok?

    1. It depends on how you shaped them, mostly they should be round like little puffed up balls. But if you shaped them flatter they would take on a flatter shape.

    1. Dip your fingertips in water, then scoop a ball and drop in the oil. Do not flatten if you want the round shape.

    1. Hi! I find that by adding the yoghurt in the batter, it makes the barays really soft and helps to grind the mixture properly. You can leave it out if you want, but I recommend adding it.

  9. Assalamualikum Fauzia i wanna know can i use grad flour?and follow the same recipe ….also can i use baking powder if i don’t have soda?….thanx

    1. W/Salaam, I guess it would be ok but I personally have never tried with the flour. No don’t substitute baking powder and baking soda, the two are very different and work differently in the recipes.

  10. Asak fauzia

    Firstly I love ur recipe s …I am planning on making dahi vadas today,what I’d like to know is 2 cups urad dal is approx how much in grams…

  11. As Salam Alaikum… the vada i made came out hard 🙁 .
    what could be the reason…i followed step by step instruction…and i used mung daal.

  12. Aasalamulikum dear Faiza,thank for this very funtastic recipe.tried today.dhary were sooo soft(frist time).thank alot again

  13. If there is dahi wada
    If there is dahi wada remaining and put in the fridge,the dahi becomes hard. Is there a way to avoid it?

    1. The only way is to dip them
      The only way is to dip them in warm water and then squeeze out the water. 🙂

  14. I think u did not get what I
    I think u did not get what I said:)

    The remaining dahi
    Barry if kept in the fridge
    For few
    Hours become
    Hard. The yoghurt in the dahi gets thickened
    And does
    Not
    Taste good. So any way to prevent the yoghurt from thickening.

    1. Hmm, could be that the
      Hmm, could be that the yoghurt is a bit on the thicker side to begin with? Try diluting it a bit more with some milk. Otherwise best to make the baray’s and freeze the extra, then whenever you want to make a plate, remove them and make just enough on a plate to enjoy (not to store with the yoghurt). That will help inshaAllah. 🙂

  15. Hi Fauzia,i want to make
    Hi Fauzia,i want to make these for the ifthar party on Saturday.Is it ok if i make the them the previous (Friday) evening and keep it in the fridge.that will be about 30 hours before hand approximately.

    1. Hi! Normally I prefer making
      Hi! Normally I prefer making them on the same day as sometimes they tend to harden if stored. If possible, do a test run of this dish before the party to see how they store overnight. 🙂

  16. salam. i wanted to ask that
    salam. i wanted to ask that can i blend the daal mixture along with the yoghurt and other ingredients except for baking soda in the afternoon, when i plan to fry the vaddas in the evening? and add the baking soda just before frying. will the blended mixture stay fine at room temperature or fridge? i f i blend it some time before frying.. so should i fry them right away? please help.

    1. W/Salaam, refrigerate the
      W/Salaam, refrigerate the blended mixture. Add the baking soda just before frying. Make sure the mixture is out of the fridge half an hour before you want to fry.

  17. I would realy like to knw ur
    I would realy like to knw ur cup size is it the tea cup or the cups used for serving as in bowl

  18. Assalamuwalaikum…how r u ..
    Assalamuwalaikum…how r u ….i did dahi barry frm ur recipe…alhamdulilah it tasted gud…i have glance through many of ur recipes but i dnt gve a try…bfre sme days bck i made white cream cheesy pasta n today dahi berry…alhamdulilah it turn to b very gud n tasted yummy…jazakallahu khaira for ur recipes…

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