cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving
Notes
The covering and chilling is actual pretty vital to this recipe, although it’s tempting to skip the step. If you eat it right away, the flavors will feel off and disjointed, maybe too sweet or too tart. But once it’s had a chance to meld together in the fridge, everything becomes much more cohesive.
score potatoes (for easy-peel) and set to boil in salted water
OR set on trivet in Instant Pot with a cup of water for (8-10 minutes)
can also cover with water in Instant Pot (without trivet)
OR pierce with a knife and microwave until cooked through (5-10 minutes)
mix the yogurt with milk to thin out until desired consistency is reached (keep it thinner than you want the final dish to be since the pallay will soak up the liquid and thicken the overall mixture, as will refrigeration)
add spices, chickpeas; whisk and set aside in fridge
prepare the pallay batter by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and mixing until there are no lumps; you may need to scrape some lumps against the bottom and sides of the bowl to crush them. use as much water as needed to get a runny consistency, something like crepe batter.
heat frying oil in wok, sauce pot, or something deeper than a frying pan, preferably
drain potatoes, peel, and refrigerate until they’re easy to handle; cubing hot potatoes is a hassle and causes crumbling/smushing
when the oil is ready, dollop blobs and strings of batter in and fry in batches until light or golden brown. vary the shapes so you have some dumpling shapes and some thinner strings or dots. dump fried pallay into large mixing bowl. repeat until all batter is used up.
cover fried pallay in water for 1-2 minutes; check to see that even the hard pieces have softened up, then drain completely and add to yogurt mixture
cube chilled potatoes, add to yogurt mixture
mix until everything is thoroughly coated; refrigerate and serve once fully chilled
Notes
recipe as written is a bare-bones base to build off of; but I often like it just like this
mix-ins & toppings
tomatoes
thin-sliced onions
some like to sweeten this dish with a little sugar (to taste)
a drizzle of tamarind chutney adds sour / tangy notes
dahi palla are often served with chaat masala sprinkled on top as a garnish and to add color
I use 2 T to be on the safe side, you can get away with using less than that.
Process
Instant Pot
Pour 1 cup of water in the instant pot, set in the trivet and then place 1 glass jar into the pot.
Fill jar with 3 cups of milk (you can skip step 1 and pour the milk directly into the pot).
Cover jar with foil or some other loose-fitting, heat-proof cover
Steam: 1 minute
After cycle completes and pot is safe to open, let milk cool to room temp and add yogurt; mix to incorporate.
Shut the lid (no need to seal) and press yogurt button; let incubate for 8 hours (it should begin counting down from 8:00).
Refrigerate
Stovetop
Bring 3 cups of milk to a rolling boil in a medium sauce pot, then turn off the heat and let it cool to room temp.
Pour milk into whatever container it’s meant to set in (old yogurt container, glass jar, etc.). Add 2 T yogurt, mix, and set to incubate in a warm environment (such as the oven with the oven light turned on or a warm area near the stove) for 8 hours.
Refrigerate
Notes
If yogurt is still a bit runny after 8 hours, let it incubate for longer, up to or exceeding an additional 8 hours. It’ll be fine.
Yogurt will set up further while refrigerated.
Sugar or some flavorings can be added during incubation, though I’ve never tried this.
Yogurt can be used any way store-bought plain yogurt would be.
Strain for thicker consistency (“Greek style”).
Can add milk powder as a thickener, or heavy cream though I’ve never tried either.
A cup of balsamic vinegar can be cooked down as-is into a thick, syrupy glaze. This is my preferred method, which I find sweet enough. If you must add sugar, use the recipe below.
Ingredients
Amount
Ingredient
1 cup
balsamic vinegar
1 T
sugar
Any kind of sugar should work here (cane, raw, brown, granulated,). I would avoid powdered, as I haven’t tested that and it tends to behave in sometimes unexpected ways.
Process
Add all ingredients in a small sauce pot set on medium high heat.
Boil until reduced by half or desired consistency is reached.
Cool to room temp before using (optional)
Notes
Extra reduction can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably glass.
Pairs great with caprese salad, bruschetta, caprese appetizers, drizzled on artisanal pizzas, in paninis, etc. Some rave about drizzling it over vanilla ice cream.
Add all ingredients under “For the Lentils” to instant pot:
Pressure: High Time: 8 minutes Release: Quick
In a medium-sized bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, starting with the lemon, onion, and jalapeño so that they can quick pickle while assembling the rest of the salad.
When lentils are done, discard bay leaf and add contents to salad
This can be enjoyed warm or cold.
Nutrition
Calories: 235 per serving
Notes
You can substitute red bell pepper for the celery (as in picture)
If having the salad cold, be sure to wait for the lentils to cool before adding them to salad greens, otherwise they will wilt
Tahini can be added (to taste) to make it creamier and give a slight Middle Eastern flavor