Dahi vada (also known as Dahi Bhalla in Punjabi and Urdu, Thayir Vadai in Tamil and Malayalam,Perugu Vada in Telugu, Mosaru Vade in Kannada, Dahi Bara in Oriya and Doi Bora in Bengali) is an Indian chaat, prepared by soaking vadas in thick dahi (yogurt).
The hot deep fried vadas are first put in water and then transferred to thick beaten yogurt. For best results, the vadas have to soak for at least a couple of hours before serving. To add more flavor, it can be topped with coriander or mint leaves, chili powder, crushed black pepper, chaat masala, cumin, shredded coconut, green chilis or boondi. Sweeter curd is preferred in some places in India, especially in Maharashtra and Gujarat, although the garnishing remains the same.A combination of coriander and tamarind chutneys are often used as garnishments in addition to those mentioned above. They are mainly popular in south of India e.g. Tamil Nadu and Chennai.
Sambhar vadas and Rasam vadas are also popular snacks in southern India.