Dahi Bhalla

Ingredients

• The Bhallas
• 1-cup (180 g) Dhuli Urad ki Daal (Husked Black Gram), soaked 5-6 hours
• ¼ tsp heeng (asafoetida)
• A small bowl or `katori'
• a thin cloth to cover the `katori'
• Oil for frying
• A large container of salted water, to put in the `bhallas' as soon as they are fried
•    Dahi (the sauce for it)

Preparation

• Wash the daal and drain out the water. Grind to a smooth paste, without adding any water -- this can be done in a wet grinder attachment in a food processor or a grinding stone.

• Leave to rest, covered, for about 1/2 an hour and add to it the heeng and beat well to make it light and fluffy -- a drop of it dropped in a cup of water, should float up at once.

• Heat the oil in a kadahi or a frying pan, and shape the `Bhallas'. Cover a small bowl with a thin, wet cloth, bunching it at the bottom, to go around the bowl, so that the cloth is held taut over the rim of the bowl. With wet hands (to avoid the batter sticking), pat some batter into a flat thin round, about 1/4cm/1/8" thick, over the stretched cloth. Push the centre of the batter to the side, to form a hole in the centre. Ease out this shaped round, into the hot oil and fry first over high heat then lower the heat till brown and golden on both sides.

• Lift the 'vadas' out of the oil with a slotted spoon, and place into the container of salted water. Leave soaked till cool.

• Squeeze out the bhallas, dip them in the yogurt mixture, lift out and arrange in a serving dish. Pour the remainder of the dahi over the bhallas

• Garnish with the rest of the cumin seeds, rock salt, the red pepper and the coriander leaves, and serve.