September 29, 2008

Crispy lentil fritters - Healthy Masala Vadai

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Dieting... We have all been there, done that.
Diets alone don't work. A healthy lifestyle combines a good balanced diet (when I say diet it means, a sane quantity of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, proteins, carbs, and fat) with a good amount of physical activity and is the key to a fit and healthy body. I am not going to go to the "mind" (as in body and mind) part here... it gets way too complicated.

I would ideally like to follow the "everything in moderation" theory, but sometimes it just doesn't happen, and binges do happen every now and then. But mostly that is the way to satiate every cravings that come your way. A little of everything.

Lentils in general are low in fat and have a very high protein and fiber content. These split yellow gram lentils used in this recipe have a very low glycemic index and supposedly have almost no effect on the blood sugar level. And hence recommended for people with diabetes. If you need more information on the different type of lentils, this is a good place to start.

Crispy lentil fritters (basically our good old vadai) are fried and served as a snack during Tea time, or made during special occasions in India.
Remember those hot set of vadais right out from the frying pan served on a newspaper or a plantain leaf along with cup of tea? Makes my mouth drool even today.
Since I always try to substitute the fried goodies with an healthier option and that is what this whole blog is about: "healthy food and living", I am very excited to share these baked fritters today. I felt that there was little or no compromise on the taste compared to the fried ones.
This is one of the best things that has undergone a successful transformation in my kitchen. I hope it will at your kitchen too.
Like Paula Deen says "I send you best dishes from my kitchen to yours".
God, I feel old now!

Crispy lentil fritters - Healthy Masala Vadai

Channa Dal (Split bengal gram/lentil) - 2 cups (If you don't have access to an Indian store to get this, then try "Bob's Red Mill" brand lentils)
Curry leaves - 10 leaves
Ginger - An inch
Garlic - 4 cloves
Red onion - 1 small finely chopped
Green chillies - 1 or 2 small
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Asafoetida (Hing) - An inch
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the lentils in water for about 2-3 hrs.

Preheat oven to 400F

Grind the ginger, garlic, hing, salt, pepper, and half the curry leaves till smooth.

Drain the water and add the lentils into the blender with no or very few drops of water and grind till coarse. I would "not" recommend grinding it to a smooth paste.

Add the red onions, rice flour, cornstarch, oil, green chillies, the remaining curry leaves (chopped) and cilantro and mix well. The batter should not be too thick or thin. At this point you can taste the batter to see if the salt and spice level is right.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and spoon batter onto the sheet into little rounds as shown in the picture. It should be able to hold its shape, if it doesn't then it means you have added too much water.

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Bake for about 15 min, flip it and bake for another 10-15 min. It should be golden brown and crispy.

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Let it rest for about 5 min and serve hot with chutney or relish it just like it is with a hot cup of chai/coffee.
The fritters are upside down in the picture, I don't know what I was thinking!

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This goes to Divya's Diet foods event, Srivalli's Festival treats event, EC's WYF: Salad/Starter/Soups Event, Lore's Original recipe event, Hima's Sunday snacks event and Pallavi's Yummy Festival Feast - Diwali event

51 comments:

  1. They look just like biscuits - love the red and green flecks in them!

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  2. Hi Divya.. excellent idea.. oil free fritters...yummy & delicious... diet snacks...thxs for sharing...will try ..

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  3. Another baked version of our favorite deep fried fritters. Sometime back saw baked pakodas at Uma's. Its definitely a healthy one. Thanks for sharing that we can confidently go ahead with the bake.

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  4. Masala vada looks divine and healthy..Guilt free snack love with hot tea.

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  5. I am carving for one of those perfectly baked vadais!!
    thankyou again for your award Divya!

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  6. looks yumm..love the idea of baking them!!

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  7. Oh yeah done that and doing still, i mean the dieting.
    The vada looks really crispy

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  8. that one is really yummy divya .. a guilt free indulgence

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  9. Baked snacks are so rare that this is a must try. good photo even if its upside down.

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  10. Yummy Vada,Divya,I will surely try.I have been experimenting with baked bhajias and will surely try this one.Cheers.

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  11. Hi Divya,
    Baked vadas.....sounds so Healthy. This mouth-watering snack would be a great alternative to satisfy the cravings :-). Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Is it chilli chutney in the picture..?

    Anitha

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  12. Divya,Baking the vadas is indeed a healthy idea:)

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  13. Divya it was indeed an excellent idea to bake the vadas....I am on spree for a good healthy diet these days and try to avoid frying things and use less oil as possible.
    Thanks for this wonderful healthy recipe

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  14. Hey Divya this is awesome...I have been wanting to do this for some time...and here you have successfully done it...great job...looks perfect...will give this a try soon...oh BTW I sent an earlier comment to you ...I think it did not go through fine..

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  15. Lovely idea Divya. I am planning on dieting and one easy way is to storm thru ur place for these wonderful healthy snacks of yours.

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  16. Great baking idea :) Vadas are thin & Crisp!

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  17. Divya, these sound divine. We make fritters with legumes in Greece but never thought of baking them. These are really healthy food.

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  18. lovely idea divya...they look like rusk :) healthy version is always a hit!

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  19. Hi Divya, baked masala vadas sound healthy and tasty! I wish I could bite into them. Looks real crispy.

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  20. what a great recipe! wonderful! Bookmarked it too! :)

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  21. that looks so lovely .......u made my job even a lot easier by baking them.......i loved this version....

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  22. We just love vadais..his is definitely going to make a presence in my kitchen..Looks delicious too..And thanks for sending it to the event Divya.

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  23. That is such a neat idea to bake them instead of frying. See you at round up.

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  24. Awesome recipe Divya! I tried baking pakodas and now this is my next venture. Looks so delicious.

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  25. What a fab idea! I'm going to cook this for the next cocktail party I have. I'm always on the hunt for healthy non fuss recipes for feeding masses.

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  26. That's great, no frying! I will try sometime!

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  27. love these masala vadai...same taste without frying is something to try. Thanks for share.

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  28. yummy vadai.. always love them.. i havent done any paintings since a month. will start soon :)

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  29. wow....these vadai look excellent.

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  30. Quilt free snack...thanks for participating

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  31. divya, vadai looks crispy and delicious.New variety

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  32. Love these masala vadai..That's great, no frying! I will try sometime!

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  33. I love masala vadai and baking them is such a lovely idea. Would love to try it your way soon. Thanks, Divya!

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  34. Another baked, guilt-free snack - Super!

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  35. Okay, confession time .. I am not fond of lentils, but these fritters have me reconsidering, love all the flavor you have added to them and the fact that they are baked instead of fried.

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  36. wow, baked masala vadais! Lovely! Looks crispy & yum!

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  37. Guilt free snack.. looks amazing

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  38. Hi Divya, looks fantastic. Paruppu vadas without the oil, yummy!

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  39. Wow...can't believe these are baked!
    Thnaks for sharing a wonderful ,healthy and guilt free recipe

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  40. That's a real gud one.. and it looks nothing less than the usual vadai...I'll try this for sure & thanks for sharing the wonderful recipes from your kitchen to ours :P

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  41. Anitha - It is coconut chutney, but I added so many red chillies, that it has a hue of red :) As you can see, I love spicy food!

    Thanks to all of you for your comments!

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  42. What a healthy and delicious snack, I love it! Now I can't wait for tea time ;).
    Thanks for sharing your fritters with the Original Recipes Round-Up

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  43. So delicious! just waiting to be grabbed:)

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  44. This sounds like a novel idea. It's my husband's favorite dish but I don't make it too often as I don't like too many deep fried foods in our
    menu..your recipe enables me to make these vadais for him more often.
    Thanks for stopping by my site Divya.

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  45. This is great !! I have been wanting to try baking these but felt reluctant.. with the thought of compromizing on the taste :) I am more inclined to try them now..they look very nice..
    Hey BTW, you can send this over to the event I am hosting too..

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  46. very nicely presented! I loved your pictures which is why I bookmarked your blog. Plus, I love that you have shown us a healthy alternative for so many beloved recipes!!
    Unfortunately, I am no cook... just barely get by feeding my husband and kids, so my blog may not be of much interest to you! Do visit though, when you have time!

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  47. Thanks for visiting my blog and yr value added comnts. I m in KG even to say crawling level comparing to yr blog. Expecting yr encouraging words and suggestion for ever.

    I too love masala vadas. yrs is something diffrnt and seems oil free and healthy baking.

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  48. I love that these vadais are baked!

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  49. I just tried this recipe yesterday. Needless to say it did not turn out as well as yours. So my mom told me to mix other types of dals to make it hold together -used moong, masur, toor and meenapappu as well as channa. Then I also sprayed oil on the baking sheet as well as on the blobs. It was much better then! Thought I would share that with you and get your opinion!

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  50. Roshni, when you grind the lentils, it will form into a nice coarse paste (some will remain whole/halved, but most of them will become smooth to coarse. That is what holds the entire vadai together. You shoudn't have the need to add other dhals to make it hold.
    I am sorry you didn't have much luck making them, but these are one of the very few Indian fried snacks that turn out well with baking. So, I would recommend you try it once again, maybe with a smaller quantity if you are apprehensive.
    And yes spraying the baking tray is important like I have mentioned. That way it becomes easier to lift them out.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)