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Snacks, chaat & street food

Dahi Baray Recipe

دہی بڑے بنانے کا طریقہ

Soft, spongy mash daal baray soaked in water and smothered in sweetened spiced yogurt, imli chutney and roasted cumin, the way iftar tables do it.
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Illustration of Dahi Baray

Prep

30 min

Cook

30 min

Marinate / soak

8 hr

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Spice

Mild

Dahi baray are fried urad (mash) daal dumplings soaked in water, then buried under thinned yogurt and chutneys. Good ones are so soft they cut with a spoon. The secret is whipping the ground daal until it is light and airy, and then soaking the fried baray in warm water before squeezing them out.

Ingredients

6 servings

For 6 servings

Measures

Baray

Yogurt

Topping

Method

  1. Wash the mash daal well and soak it in plenty of water overnight, or for at least 6 hours.

    ⏱ 480 min

  2. Drain completely and grind to a thick, smooth paste, adding only 2–3 tbsp water if the blender gets stuck.

  3. Beat the paste by hand in one direction until it turns pale and fluffy. A small blob dropped in water should float. Mix in the salt, cumin and baking soda.

    ⏱ 8 min

  4. Heat the oil on medium. With wet fingers, drop walnut-sized portions into the oil and fry, turning, until light golden and cooked through.

    ⏱ 6 min

  5. Drop the hot baray straight into the warm salted water and leave them to soak until soft and swollen.

    ⏱ 30 min

  6. Whisk the yogurt with the cold milk, sugar, salt and black salt until smooth and pourable.

  7. Press each bara gently between your palms to squeeze out the water and arrange in a dish. Pour the yogurt over to cover, then chill.

    ⏱ 30 min

  8. Just before serving, drizzle with imli chutney and sprinkle the roasted cumin, red chilli, chaat masala and coriander.

Tips for the best result

  • Beating is what makes them soft. If the batter does not float, beat for a few more minutes before frying.
  • Fry on medium, not high, heat so the centre cooks; a raw middle stays rubbery even after soaking.
  • Some families add a few raisins and chopped green chilli into the batter. Both work well.

Common mistakes

  • Adding too much water while grinding. A thin batter spreads in the oil and gives flat, hard baray.
  • Using sour yogurt straight from the pot. Taste it, and balance with sugar and milk so it is mild and slightly sweet.

How to serve

Serve chilled at iftar with pakoras and fruit chaat, or as a side at a dawat.

Storing and reheating

Assembled dahi baray keep 2 days in the fridge. Fried, unsoaked baray freeze for 1 month; soak from frozen in warm water.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
1215kcal
Protein
14g
Fat
114g
Carbs
39g
Fibre
6.7g
Sodium
620mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 125

Whole dish ≈ Rs 765 · 96% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Dahi Baray: questions people ask

Why are my dahi baray hard?

The batter was not beaten enough or had too much water, or the baray were not soaked long enough. Beat until it floats and soak for at least 30 minutes.

Can I make dahi baray with besan?

Yes, besan phulkiyan are a quicker version: a thick beaten besan batter fried in small drops, then soaked the same way. They are lighter but less rich than mash daal baray.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

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Read this recipe in Urdu: دہی بڑے بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/dahi-baray · Handi, DanixSoft