Baked dahi vada (lentil dumplings in yogurt)
Ingredients for the dahi mix
2 cups of Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp chaat masala
Red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder for garnishing
Ingredients for the vadas
1 cup white urad dal (split or whole, whatever is easier)
2 cups of water
Salt, per your taste
Oil for greasing muffin tins
Cooking notes
This dish is typically made by deep frying the vadas, while in this recipe we take the healthier alternative of baking them.
Can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a convenient party dish, served with the main course.
Makes about 20 vadas (or 5-7 servings), depending on the size of the muffin tin.
Method
Wash and rinse the urad dal with water 5-7 times to get rid of the impurities.
Soak it in 2 cups of water overnight, or more conveniently just 2-4 hours is enough.
When you're ready to start baking, preheat the oven to 160°C.
Rinse out the water from the dal and transfer the dal to a blender. Add 1/4th cup of water and blend the dal to a fine paste.
You may need to add another 1/4th cup of water to achieve the desired consistency, that is, like muffin mix or dosa batter (easy enough to ladle scoops out and pour).
Grease the muffin tins with oil. Then, scoop out a ladleful in each mould, filling it up just below the halfway mark.
Bake the vadas for 15-18 minutes, by which time the tops would be slightly cracked while the base, once unmoulded, would be golden and crispy.
Let these cool for another 20 mins, and then unmould the vadas. While they're cooling, mix together the Greek yogurt and the various spices in a flat serving dish.
Add water to the yogurt mix, so it's a smooth, almost runny consistency. This helps because the vadas soak in a lot of water once you add them in.
To this, add the vadas, and let it rest in the fridge for an hour or more if you can spare (ideally about 4 hours).
Serve nice and cool, garnished with red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder!