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A plate of lentil fritters with yoghurt, with more fritters on the side.
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5 from 4 votes

Mash ki daal kay dahi baray or Lentil fritters in yoghurt | Dahi bhallay

Mash ki daal kay dahi baray or dahi bhallay are delicious lentil fritters made from white lentils, which is ground into a paste. The baray/fritters are added in yoghurt, seasoned with salt and spices and topped with a sweet and tangy tamarind chutney. These are a popular snack or side in Pakistan, and are especially popular during Ramadan for Iftar. 
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Soaking Time6 hours
Total Time7 hours 15 minutes
Course: Iftar, Snack, Snacks
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Kiran

Ingredients

For dahi baray / lentil fritters:

  • ¾ cup mash daal / urad daal / white lentils see note 1
  • ¼ cup moong daal / yellow lentils see note 1
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • water for blending
  • 1 pinch baking soda optional
  • oil for frying
  • asafoetida / hing optional

Yoghurt Mixture:

  • 1 kg yoghurt adjust as required
  • ½ - 1 cup milk
  • salt to taste
  • water as required

Condiments / Garnish:

  • Roasted cumin seeds / bhuna zeera
  • Red chili powder
  • Tamarind chutney
  • Green chutney
  • Papri
  • Chaat masala

Instructions

For dahi baray / lentil fritters:

  • Clean and wash the mash daal / urad daal / white lentils. Soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  • Clean and wash the moong daal / yellow lentils. Soak for at least 1 ½ - 2 hours.
  • Drain the water and place the two types of lentil / daal in a food processor. Add salt and cumin seeds. Add water little by little, and process till a smooth yet thick paste has formed. Be careful that the machine does not overheat.
  • Place the ground daal paste into a bowl, add baking soda (if using) and mix. Aerate the mixture by using a wire whisk, an electric hand beater, or your hands. This will make the batter light and fluffy and help make soft dahi baray.
  • Heat oil in a karahi or a large frying pan on medium heat. I prefer to use a frying pan as it is far more stable and gives me more surface area. Use a spoon to drop spoonfuls of the batter in the oil, and cook till golden brown on all sides. The oil should be on medium temperature so that the batter can crisp up from the outside, and cook through on the inside. If the batter is too thin, that maybe a case of adding too much baking soda or water. In that case, add a bit of besan (chickpea flour) to adjust the consistency.
  • Remove the fried baray from the oil, and let drain on a kitchen towel or strainer. The baray can be cooled, put in a ziploc bag and kept in the freezer at this stage.
  • Take a large bowl and fill it with warm water along with a few pinches of asafoetida / hing (optional). Put the fried baray in the water and let them soak (15 - 30 minutes) till they become soft and fluffed up. If running short on time, the baray can be added in boiling water but they may become too soft, so keep an eye on them and adjust accordingly.
  • Remove the baray / fritters from the water one by one, gently squeezing them between your palms to remove the excess water. Place the baray in a plate or platter if serving them separately, otherwise add them in the prepared yoghurt mixture.

Yoghurt Mixture:

  • Add the yoghurt, milk and salt in a bowl or rectangle dish. Whisk till smooth, and then add water as required to thin the mixture. The yoghurt should be a thick pouring consistency but shouldn't be super runny.  

Serving

  • The first method of serving dahi baray is to keep all the items separate so people can add items as per their taste.
  • The second method of serving dahi baray is in a large bowl, family style. Add the soaked and water removed dahi baray in the yoghurt mixture. Top with your preferred spices and chutney. This can include red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, and chaat masala along with tamarind chutney, green chutney and paapri.

Notes

  1. You can adjust the ratio of mash daal (white lentils) to moong daal (yellow lentils) based on personal preference, or even make dahi baray from just mash ki daal / urad daal / white lentils.  This can be in a 1:1 ratio (½ cup mash daal and ½ cup moong daal), or in a 1:3 ratio (¼ cup moong daal and ¾ cup mash daal). My personal preference is the 1:3 ratio because that way you get the flavour and texture of mash ki daal, but you also get a little bit of the softness and ease of grinding from the moong daal.
  2. How to make meethay dahi baray / sweet dahi baray: To make the sweet or meethay dahi baray, you need to add sugar to the yoghurt mixture. About 4 – 6 tablespoons of sugar to 2 cups of yoghurt, with a pinch of salt. Skip the red chili powder, and ground cumin. However, the remaining toppings remain the same – tamarind chutney, chaat masala and green chutney. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal
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