Calories in Dahi Vada

ICMR-NIN's table of approximate values puts 2 dahi vadas at about 180 kcal, so each is counted at 90 kcal including its share of curd. Neither the size of the vada nor the amount of curd is stated. A chaat-stall dahi bhalla is often one large vada under a ladle of sweetened curd and two chutneys, while home-made dahi vadas tend to be smaller and plainer. The figure is a guide to the plain kind: a fried urad vada, soaked and covered in lightly seasoned curd. Half a vada is about 45 kcal.

Three things supply the energy: the urad dal in the vada, the oil it was fried in, and the curd poured over it. The dal gives starch and protein. The oil is the densest part, as fat always is. The curd adds a little protein and, depending on the milk it was set from, some fat. What makes dahi vada unusual among fried snacks is the step in between: the fried vadas are soaked in water and gently squeezed before the curd goes on, so they reach the plate soft and moist instead of crisp. The toppings then decide the rest.

One dahi vada is about 4% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 5% of a woman's. A plate of two, about 180 kcal, works as a snack or as a cooling side dish in a festive meal. It sits in the middle of the 10 fried snacks in this set, fifth lightest, above a puri at 80 kcal and below a piece of fish fry at 95 kcal. The curd and the dal both bring some protein, which is more than can be said for most chaat. The sugar is what turns it from a savoury dish into a sweet one.

Because the curd hides it, the sugar in a chaat-style dahi vada is easy to miss: sweetened curd plus tamarind chutney can add several teaspoons to a plate. The guideline's 90 kcal does not allow for that. Shop versions can also be salty. People managing diabetes or blood pressure should follow the advice of their doctor or dietitian on sweetened and salted snacks; for everyone else, asking for less chutney is the simple fix.