By Aditi Saraswat
March 3, 2026
Dahi badas are a traditional Holi snack that are soft, cooling, and perfectly good with all other fried snacks. With this easy recipe, know how to make soft dahi badas for a Holi get-together at home and impress your guests.
1 cup dhuli urad dal (soaked 6 hours) 2 cups thick chilled curd (whisked smooth) 1 teaspoon grated ginger 2 green chillies, finely chopped ½ teaspoon salt (for batter) 1 cup oil (for deep frying) ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder ½ teaspoon red chilli powder 2 tablespoons tamarind chutney 2 tablespoons mint chutney 1 tablespoon sugar (for curd) ¼ teaspoon black salt 2 tablespoons nylon sev or pomegranate (optional garnish)
Soak 1 cup of urad dal for at least 6 hours, or you can also do it overnight. Hereafter, drain the water and grind by adding salt, ginger, and chopped chillies to make a thick, fluffy and lump-free batter.
Whip the batter for about 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes light and airy. Drop a little portion of it into water to check. If it floats, it is ready to fry.
In a pan, heat the oil on a medium flame. Drop small portions of batter and fry the badas until they turn golden and crisp on all sides.
Transfer fried badas to the warm water for about 10 minutes. Gently squeeze excess water, but do not break the badas.
Whisk chilled curd with some sugar and black salt. The consistency should be pourable and not too watery.
Arrange the prepared badas on a plate and pour the whisked curd from the, and drizzle imli and mint chutney.
Sprinkle cumin powder, chilli powder from the top, and garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve fresh.