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Dahi Baray (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt)
Soft urad-dal dumplings soaked until spongy, buried under cool sweetened yogurt and finished with tamarind chutney and roasted cumin. The contrast of fluffy baray, tangy yogurt and sweet-sour chutney is pure iftar joy.
Iftar starters · India · Ready in 45 minutes · Serves 4
Dahi Baray (Lentil Dumplings in Yogurt) comes from India and belongs on the iftar starters table. The quantities below are written for 4 servings and scale cleanly: double them for a family iftar or halve them for a quiet suhoor for two, keeping the proportions — and especially the seasoning — in the same balance. It is tagged vegetarian, chilled, classic.
Starters set the tone of iftar: after a day without food, begin gently — dates and water first, then a starter like this one — rather than arriving at the main dish already full. Making the starter ahead, or in the last hour before Maghrib, keeps the cook part of the gathering instead of apart from it.
Timing matters in a Ramadan kitchen, and this recipe asks for 45 minutes from start to finish. Work backwards from the moment you want to serve: beginning 45 minutes earlier — plus five unhurried minutes for plating — lands it on the table exactly when it should arrive, neither rushed nor waiting. For a gathering, multiply every quantity by the number of guests divided by 4, round spices down very slightly on large batches, and taste before serving — big pots season differently from small ones.
Serve the starter within minutes of Maghrib, while it is at its best, and put out small plates rather than one large one — people graze more happily, and less is wasted, when iftar begins in stages. Leftovers cool quickly; refrigerate them within two hours, and refresh them in a hot oven rather than the microwave so they stay crisp.
Ingredients
- 200 g urad dal
- 500 g yogurt
- 4 tbsp tamarind chutney
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 0.5 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 g fresh coriander
- 400 ml oil
Method
- Soak the urad dal for at least 4 hours (or overnight), drain, and grind with very little water into a thick, fluffy paste; whisk in half the salt and whip by hand for 2 minutes to trap air.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter into medium-hot oil and fry 3–4 minutes until pale golden; drain.
- Soak the fried baray in warm salted water for 15 minutes, then squeeze each one gently between your palms.
- Whisk the yogurt with the sugar and remaining salt until pourable and smooth.
- Arrange the baray in a serving dish, pour the yogurt over generously, and drizzle with tamarind chutney.
- Dry-roast the cumin seeds, crush them, and sprinkle over the top with chaat masala, chilli powder and coriander.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving so the flavours settle.
Tips
- The batter is ready when a small drop floats in a cup of water — that is the sign it is airy enough.
- Assemble at most 2 hours ahead; longer and the baray drink up all the yogurt.