Makhana / Foxnut Dahi Vada is an Indian Chat dish- it is tangy, sweet, and spicy. Dahi Vada is among one of the most popular Chat items in India and it is liked by people from all corners and nooks of the country. There are so many varieties and variations are available, and Fox Nut Dahi Vada is one of them.
A protein and mineral powerhouse, Fox Nut is a super healthy food, and it tastes delicious. In my family, we all love how light this wonderful dish feels when you eat it.
Did you know that Fox Nuts or Makhana grow in water? I am not even joking. These are actually lotus seeds, and Bihar (my home state) is the biggest producer in India.
I spent quite a long time in the Fox Nut growing region of India. My mother made sure that we ate it in so many forms: roasted, sweet, savoury, desserts, curries, and even with lentils. We loved each and every dish which involved this wonderful seed. It's nutritious, light, and delicious. Now, when I buy packets of Fox Nuts from grocery stores, I feel really weird because I am so used to seeing big steel containers of Fox Nuts, a common sight back when I was young in the region.
Why Did I Use Fox Nuts for Making Dahi Vada?
I used Fox Nuts because it can be assembled really quickly, and most of all, it suits the definition of a light Chat item. If you have a few chutneys in your refrigerator, you can make this in a jiffy.
Since Fox Nuts are used as a Falahari /Upvaas item in Hinduism, you can have this as a snack in your vrat/fast. Just change the chutney /dip according to vrat requirement.
How to Make Makhane /Fox Nut Dahi Vada-
1-Roast the Fox Nuts in very little ghee/oil. The use of oil is optional since you can dry roast the Fox Nuts as well.
2- Prepare at least two types of chutney, one sweet and another savory.
3-Whisk yoghurt with some sugar and salt to make it more creamy and lump-free.
4- Mix roasted Fox Nuts with the yoghurt nicely and let it sit for 6-8 minutes. My husband and I are from different schools of thought here. He likes to eat them a little crunchy, so he assembles them immediately after mixing them with yoghurt. I like mine soft, just like Dahi Vada, so I let it sit for 8-10 minutes on my kitchen counter or the fridge. You can choose any type or in between.
4-Assemble the yoghurt soaked Makhana in a platter and garnish them with more yoghurt, chutneys, sev, and other garnishes of your choice.
5- I am sure you will enjoy this new version of Dahi Vada.
New Recipes
Makhane ke Dahi Vade / Fox Nut Dahi Vade
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Fox Nuts/Makhana
- 2.5 Cups Plain Yoghurt/Dahi
- ½ Cup Ice Cold Water
- ⅓ Cup Green Chutney
- ⅓ Cup Tamarind Chutney
- ⅓ Cup Fine Gram Flour Sev/Bhujia
- 1 Tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter
- Salt According to the taste
- 1 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tbsp Roasted Cumin Powder(optional)
- 1 Tbsp Black Salt
- 1 Tbsp Chat Masala
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Take a wok. Add ghee (Clarified butter).Heat it .
- Lightly roast Fox Nuts till they feel crispy and look slightly brown here and there.
- Remove it in a bowl and keep it on the counter top.
- Take a big bowl ,add 2 cups of Yoghurt to it .Whisk it with a whisker. If its very thick then add little water ,do not make it runny .It should be thick and creamy.Keep ½ cup of yoghurt separate.We will use it later.
- Mix 1 tbsp sugar and little salt in to the yoghurt and whisk it again.
- Add all roasted Fox Nuts into the yoghurt and mix it well. Keep it in the fridge for 6-7 minutes. If you want little crunch /bite in the fox Nut use immediately.
- Take a serving platter ,place all of the fox Nut soaked in Yoghurt in that nicely .
- Now take ½ cup of yoghurt ,which we have kept separate and whisk it .Add rest ½ tbsp of sugar to it.
- We need to pour this extra yoghurt on top of Fox Nuts ,because sometimes Fox Nuts soak All the Yoghurts .If you are making it immediately ,you may not need extra but I feel that it gives a wonderful creamy touch.(and look )
- Garnish with different types of Chutney ,Sev,Fresh Cilantro leaves ,Red Chilli Powder,Cumin Powder,Rock Salt and Serve.
- Enjoy your guilt free Dahi Vada.
Makhana dahi vade is really a new and innovative plus healthy receipe for me.Thank you for sharing
You are most welcome Shardha.Thank you so much for stopping by.
Wow!! Never could have imagined makhana dahi vadas.. surely going to try.
I love bihari cuisine.. please do share some authentic bihari household Vegetarian dishes.
Hi Karuna,
Please do try and let me know your feedback.I will definately going to share bigari recipes in coming months.
Thank you so much.