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Pakistani · Punjabi

Dahi baray

Vegetarian

دہی بڑے · dahi baray

Soft fried urad dal dumplings soaked and smothered in lightly sweetened yogurt, then topped with roasted cumin, chilli and tamarind chutney. A fixture of the Ramadan iftar table.

Dahi baray is a Pakistani street food, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with black gram (urad dal) and yogurt. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Dahi baray: lentil dumplings in whipped yogurt dusted with red chilli and tamarind chutney
Photo: Mdsmds0 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
213

Plus overnight soaking of the dal.

Ingredients

6 servings

Baray

Yogurt

Topping

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Drain the dal and blend with the ginger, green chilli (opens in a new tab) and minimal water to a thick, fluffy batter. Beat in the salt and baking soda (opens in a new tab) by hand for a few minutes to aerate it.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil to 175 °C. Drop in spoonfuls of batter and fry until golden and cooked through.

    Food safety: Wet hands help shape the batter, but shake off water before dropping into hot oil.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Drop the hot baray into a bowl of warm salted water and soak until soft, then gently squeeze out the water.

    • 20 min

  4. Step 4

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yogurt (opens in a new tab) with the milk (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt until smooth. Arrange the baray in a dish, pour the yogurt over and chill.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Just before serving, sprinkle with cumin (opens in a new tab) and chilli and drizzle with tamarind chutney and cilantro (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainEaten across Pakistan and North India under several names.Also popular in Pakistan, India
Dish
Snack · Street food · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Blended
Taste
tangy, creamy, sweet & sour, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Black gram (urad dal) · Yogurt · Fresh ginger · Green chilli · Baking soda · Milk
Techniques
Deep-frying · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, milk

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

213 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 154 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 39%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy213 kcal138 kcal
Protein10.4 g6.8 g
Carbohydrate23 g14.9 g
Net carbohydrate18.3 g11.9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars2.1 g1.4 g
Fibre4.7 g3.1 g
Fat9.3 g6.1 g
Saturated fat2.8 g1.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol15 mg10 mg
Sodium603 mg392 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
443 mg
Calcium
179 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
83 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
39 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
62 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: tamarind paste, coriander leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Drop a little batter in water: if it floats, it is aerated enough to fry light baray.

Common mistakes

  • A thin, watery batter spreads in the oil and gives flat, oily dumplings.

Serve with

  • Serve chilled with pakoras and fruit chaat at iftar.

Storage

  • Fried baray freeze well; soak and dress after thawing. Dressed baray keep 1 day refrigerated.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Added at the end for aroma, freshness and richness

Topping

Used in step 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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