Super Delicious "Guilt-free" Dahi Vadas
The thought of dahi-vadas reminds me of growing up in Delhi and enjoying countless varieties of chaats.....out of which dahi-vada was my absolute favorite! One thing that I miss living in the USA is the ability to just go out there and have any kind of street food, whenever you want!
Being a mom and a working professional, time is always a luxury. There are never enough hours in the day to get your work done. And cooking dishes that require you to stand by the stove-top for hours is not my idea of spending my weekends! Add to that the fact that I am unable to stand the smell and taste of fried things (not sure why!), forces me to try out my favorite dishes in a way that they are healthier and not so time consuming.
So, I had been craving these dahi-vadas for a looong time and finally decided to bake them and see what happens. I was not sure if the texture will be good or not. So I decided to make a trial batch with just one cup of urad dal. The results was amazing!!!! I am in love with this recipe that recreates the traditional recipe with just one change- it replaces the frying with baking! SO here we go:
Ingredients:
Urad Dal- 1 cup
Grated ginger- 1 teaspoon
Baking soda- one pinch
Yogurt- 3 cups
To Taste:
Red chili powder
Cumin powder (fresh roasted)
MDH Dahivada Raita Masala (optional- you can also make your own mix of kala namak, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, if you don't have this particular masala mix)
Tamarind-Date Chutney (store bought)
Sugar-1/2 tablespoon
Salt
Urad Dal- 1 cup
Grated ginger- 1 teaspoon
Baking soda- one pinch
Yogurt- 3 cups
To Taste:
Red chili powder
Cumin powder (fresh roasted)
MDH Dahivada Raita Masala (optional- you can also make your own mix of kala namak, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, if you don't have this particular masala mix)
Tamarind-Date Chutney (store bought)
Sugar-1/2 tablespoon
Salt
Oil- About 1/2 tablespoon to coat the muffin pan.
Process:
1) Wash and soak the dal in cold water and keep it overnight.
2) Next day, drain the water and grind it to smooth paste using a food processor or grinder.
3) Add the grated ginger and salt to the batter.
4) You can refrigerate this mixture if you are not making the vadas right away.
5) Make sure the batter is at room temperature when you are ready to make the vadas.
6) Preheat the oven to 350F.
7) In the meantime, take a muffin pan (I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan to get the desired shape) and coat each mould with oil.
8) Now add a pinch of baking soda to the mixture, mix well with a spoon and drop a spoonful of the the mixture into each mould. Make sure to not completely fill the mould. I filled each mould to about half-way to ensure the vada cooks well.
9) Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes- till you see a golden color on the vadas. Halfway through, in about 25 minutes, flip the vadas over so that the other side gets browned as well. Insert a skewer into a vada to ensure that it is cooked before taking it out of the oven.
10) Whip the yogurt well with salt, raita masala, chili powder, sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
11) Just when you are ready to serve, take a bowl of drinking water and dip the vadas in int for a few minutes.
12) Take them out, squeeze gently to get the excess water out. Place 3-4 vadas in a serving plate, pour the spiced yogurt on top.
13) Drizzle the tamarind chutney and sprinkle a pinch of roasted cumin powder and chili powder.
14) Enjoy!!
Process:
1) Wash and soak the dal in cold water and keep it overnight.
2) Next day, drain the water and grind it to smooth paste using a food processor or grinder.
3) Add the grated ginger and salt to the batter.
4) You can refrigerate this mixture if you are not making the vadas right away.
5) Make sure the batter is at room temperature when you are ready to make the vadas.
6) Preheat the oven to 350F.
7) In the meantime, take a muffin pan (I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan to get the desired shape) and coat each mould with oil.
8) Now add a pinch of baking soda to the mixture, mix well with a spoon and drop a spoonful of the the mixture into each mould. Make sure to not completely fill the mould. I filled each mould to about half-way to ensure the vada cooks well.
9) Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes- till you see a golden color on the vadas. Halfway through, in about 25 minutes, flip the vadas over so that the other side gets browned as well. Insert a skewer into a vada to ensure that it is cooked before taking it out of the oven.
10) Whip the yogurt well with salt, raita masala, chili powder, sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
11) Just when you are ready to serve, take a bowl of drinking water and dip the vadas in int for a few minutes.
12) Take them out, squeeze gently to get the excess water out. Place 3-4 vadas in a serving plate, pour the spiced yogurt on top.
13) Drizzle the tamarind chutney and sprinkle a pinch of roasted cumin powder and chili powder.
14) Enjoy!!
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