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
• A larger damp cloth to keep the shaped `bhallas' before frying
• 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)
• 2-½ cups (500 g) dahi (yogurt), beaten smooth
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tsp roasted and powdered jeera (cumin seeds)
• 2 tbsp chopped hara dhania (coriander leaves)
• ¼ tsp kali mirch (powdered black pepper)
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp kala namak (black rock salt)
• Chaat ka masala

Preparation

• Drain out the water and grind the lentils to a smooth paste, without adding any water -- this can be done in a wet grinder attachment in a food processor, but the ideal way to do it is, on a grinding stone.

• Keep this paste to rest, covered, for about ½ 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' in the meantime: 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, pat some batter into flat thin rounds, about ¼ cm/1/8" thick, over the stretched cloth. Push the centre of the batter to the side, to form a hole in the centre.

• Drop the round into hot oil to fry--drop as many `bhallas' into it, as can comfortably come in without touching. Lower the heat to medium, and let them fry till golden on both sides.

• Lift these out of the oil with a slotted spoon and put them into the salted water. Repeat thus with the rest of the batter.

• Mix the salt, 1 tsp of the jeera, 1 tbsp of the coriander leaves and black pepper into the yogurt.

• Squeeze out the fried `bhallas’ and arrange them on a serving dish.

• Cover with the yogurt garnish with the rest of the jeera, coriander leaves, chilli powder, kala namak and the chaat masala. Chill and serve.