Blog97: Urad Dal Badi/Vadi

Urad dal, also known as Split Black Gram, is one of the famous lentils used in the southern part of Asia, especially in Indian cuisine. Rich in protein, fat, and carbohydrates, it has many health benefits. Moreover, urad dal is one of the richest sources of proteins and vitamin B and is also beneficial for women. This simple lentil is full of iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which makes this dal a perfect health package for pregnant women. Urad dal is also extensively used in various culinary preparations such as dosa, papad, vada but today I’m going to share with you the recipe of Urad Dal Badi/Vadi.

Badi/Vadi prepared form Urad dal is very tasty. You can definitely buy readymade from the market but the way our Nani/Dadi used to spend their time, put their love into making those Badis were beyond any description and there is no match to the taste & quality of homemade Badis. This age-old process of making Badis can still be kept alive with the generations. So I'm going to share the easiest recipe of my mother and mother-in-law to make these Badis at your home.

Ingredients

• 4 Cup Washed Urad Dal (split black gram)
• 4 Teaspoon Chopped Ginger
• 2 Tablespoon Cumin (jeera)
• 8 Pieces Dried Red or Green Chili (lal / hari Mirch)
• 0.5 Teaspoon Asafoetida Powder
• 4 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 2 Teaspoon Garam Masala (as per your taste)

Method

1. Rinse and wash urad dal and keep it soaked for 6-8 hours.
2. Drain complete water and grind urad dal to a slightly coarse paste.
3. Transfer the urad dal paste in a big utensil and add asafoetida in the batter. Beat the batter with hand or a spoon, until it's light or fluffy, you can add 1 tbsp water if required and leave it overnight for fermentation.
4. Grind cumin seeds, dry red or green chilies, and ginger to a coarse paste. Mix the paste, coriander powder, garam masala into the dal batter and mix well.
5. Spread clean plastic or georgette cloth under sunlight and place weights in four corners. (As per my suggestion do not use cotton cloths because it’s difficult to take out the Badis from cotton cloth or you can simply make it on plates also but don’t forget to grease the plate).
6. With the clean hand, take a little amount of urad dal batter and make a small drop on the plastic, keeping small space in the centre. (I put 5-7 whole red chilies on Badis because it works as a nazar battu and keeps away the crows and birds).
7. Let the Badis dry under Sun for 1-2 days, remove all Badis from cloth turn over and dry for 1 more day or until completely dried.
8. Urad Dal Badi is ready, fill it in a clean, dry air-tight container and store it. It can be stored and eaten for 6-12 months.

Remember this:

• Time to dry these Badis depends on how much Sunlight you got and the size you made. Try to make small pieces because it’s easy to get dry. Let it dry completely if you break the dried Badis it will break in pieces if it's not breaking means it didn't dry fully.
• You can adjust the spices to suit your needs and you can make Badis from chana dal or moong dal.
• Once you keep the Badis for drying there should be no water touching them. If you think it's going to rain bring them back inside home and dry under the ceiling fan.
• Do not add salt to the mixture from which Badis are being made. Salt loses its water of crystallization thus causing the Badi blob which has been portioned out to spread thin and Badis will become thin and crumbly. ( It's my thought if you want to add salt then add it and share your experience).
• Deep fry in oil and add in any curry of choice to use these Badis. (I love to use it in chana dal, aaloo curry, aaloo gobhi curry, and aaloo chokha).

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Also Read: Glory  of Golden Milk

Thank You!!