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!
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Baked Dahi Vada is clearly a crowd favorite! Normally snacks are something you start with at any party but this particular snack is something one goes for after finishing a meal! If you are worried whether your guests will have space in their tummy for it especially after a meal, I suggest you let them beforehand that there is Dahi Vada on the menu. Trust me, people will make space for this lip smacking snack!
Traditionally, Dahi Vada (or lentil fritters) is prepared with a batter made of soaked lentils and spices, that are deep fried and then dipped in a spiced yogurt sauce. Dahi here means yogurt and Vada means fritters. It is also known as Dahi Bhalla in Northern India. I wanted to give this popular Indian street food a healthy twist and so I decided to bake them instead of frying them! And just for fun, I shaped them look like donuts.
Here is why you should prepare this delicious snack for your next house party!
Baked Dahi Vada
- is vegetarian & gluten free
- is very easy and quick to make
- is baked and is oil-free
- contains no baking powder or baking soda
- no need to soak them in water before serving
- has an irresistible taste
- is a crowd pleaser, hands down!
- can be made in advance and put together just before the serving
I hate Medu Wada!
Yes, growing up, I hated these lentil fritters and I still don’t know exactly why! Wondering why I am talking about Medu Wada in a Dahi Vada post?
That’s because the recipe for both these lentil fritters are the same. We use the same ingredients to make both these snacks. Medu Wada is an extremely popular South Indian snack and are shaped like donuts but are deep fried. Since I disliked Medu Wada, it was obvious that I wasn’t a fan of Dahi Vada as well. But everyone around me would always go ga-ga over these vegan dishes and my mom was famous for cooking both of them exceptionally well.
She would always ask me to at least take a small bite but I would bluntly refuse. Only after I lost her forever did I realize how insensitive I was to her on so many occasions. That day I vowed to myself that I will never ever eat Medu Vada again. The logic behind that was, if I never ate when she made it, I would not eat it when made by anyone else in this world. Sorry mom!
How to make the perfect Dahi Vada
However, I do know how famous this snack is which is why I decided to share my family recipe with you today. These savory donuts are soft and spongy inside and crispy on the outside. Baking it doesn’t take that away but definitely makes it more healthier. The donuts or fritters are naturally vegan and gluten free.
Since I have seen my mom and MIL make Medu Wada on many occasions, I know all the tricks and tips to make them perfect. Having made this dish many times myself, I now exactly know what to do.
Helpful Tips:
Add a mix of moong dal
along with urad dal
when preparing the batter.
You can add chopped onions to the batter to give it more flavor.
Do not add a lot of water to grind the dal, in fact add just about enough the grind them to a thick paste. Else the batter will become runny. It needs to be a thick pouring batter consistency.
Whisk the batter to make it light and fluffy.
Always use chilled yogurt in the recipe.
You can also fry them the traditional way. Shape them as donuts or as small balls.
Method:
- Please refer to South Indian Medu Wada | Lentil Fritters recipe to prepare the batter for this dish.
- 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.
- 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 savory donuts in the yogurt mixture.
- Let the donuts soak in the yogurt mixture for a couple of hours before serving.
with cooking oil.
, 
, 
, 
, chopped cilantro and salt. Serving suggestions:
You can serve these savory donuts as is along with a bowl of coconut chutney or spicy green chutney. They can be had for breakfast or as a snack. When serving them as Dahi Vada, ensure that the you add the donuts to the spiced yogurt mix well in advance and let it soak in it.
This makes the wadas soft and all the masala seeps into it making it extremely appetizing. Dahi Vada is a great appetizer to serve on a game day, at parties, family brunches. In India, we serve Dahi Vada on any occasion. No one needs a reason to enjoy this traditional chaat! But when you serve them as savory donuts, your guests are sure to be intrigued by the new look and will keep coming back for seconds and thirds!
Some more savory baked dishes!
Baked Cheese Stuffed Bread Rings
No-Cheese Sour Cream Pesto Pasta Bake
Crispy Bread Crust Parmesan Baked Fries
Easy Cheesy Tomato Rotini Pasta Bake
If you’ve tried this Baked Dahi Vada or any other recipe on the blog please let me know. I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks and suggestions.
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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
Instructions
To prepare the donut batter
- Follow the recipe of Medu Vada to prepare the batter.
To prepare the donuts
- 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.
Notes
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