Recipe- Healthy And Delicious Baked Lentil Donuts In Yogurt Sauce

These baked Medu Vada or Lentil Donuts are full of spicy goodness. Dipped in a sweet, spicy & tangy yogurt sauce to make a flavorful snack called Dahi Vada!

What a game-changer these baked savory donuts are! Kids (and adults) go crazy for this snack! Since they are baked and not fried, everyone can indulge guilt-free! No wonder, they have become my new favorite dish to serve especially when I am entertaining. Dahi Vada and that too baked is something too good to resist especially during the holiday season!

Ingredients

To Prepare the Donut Batter

1 cup urad dal
5-6 curry leaves
2-3 dried red chillies
1 tsp asafoetida
salt

To Prepare the Donuts

cooking spray as required
2 cups yogurt
1/2 cup spicy green chutney
1/2 cup sweet tamarind chutney
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black salt
1/2 tbsp chaat masala
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Method

* The recipe is super simple. Soak urad dal/split black lentils for an hour. Drain the water and transfer it to a mixer grinder.

* Add curry leaves, asafoetida,dried red chillies and rock salt to it. Blitz to a smooth paste. Water is not required but if needed add 1-2 tbsp of it to help in the grinding process. The batter should be thick and not runny.

* Heat oil for frying. Now the traditional way of shaping the wada is by flattening it on a plastic sheet, creating a hole in the center and then dropping it in hot oil.

* It looks like a doughnut. But it is a complex process for me, so I fry them shaped as small balls using a spoon.

* Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C.

* Spray the donut pan with cooking oil.

* Pour a spoonful of batter in each mold.

* Spray cooking oil spray over it.

* Bake for 12 minutes.

* Flip to the other side and continue to bake for another 7-8 minutes.

* Once evenly browned, take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

To Assemble the Dahi Vada

* Prepare the yogurt mixture by adding whisked yogurt, green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney, chaat masala, paprika, cumin powder, black salt, chopped cilantro and salt.

* Dip the baked medu vada in the yogurt mixture.

* Let the vadas soak in the yogurt mixture for a couple of hours before serving.