August 25, 2010

Baked Edamame Fritters - Secret to a perfect no-fry Vadai

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Vadai/Indian fritters is by far one of the most loved snacks down South of India. A rare cold afternoon with rain thrashing down on the roof calls for a hot cup of chai and its most beloved companion - Masala Vadai.
The aroma of the vadais wafting from the gloomy kitchen with Amma frying them up ever so elegantly with me wrapped up in my blanket standing beside her is a memory that I cherish and yearn for even now.
My daughter would probably have memories of her mom pulling out a tray of healthy vadais right from the oven as opposed to frying them up!
I have already tried my hands on baked masala vadais, and they came out beautifully. It uses a different procedure.
Baking is not the same as frying them, agreed... but pretty close with the new method I have come up with. And without all those calories, do I hear anyone complaining?
Okay, here is the secret: "broiling"
Baking the vadais for about 10-15 minutes, and then putting the oven on broil mode for 2-4 minutes and getting that beautiful crispy crust on the top is as close you will ever get to frying them.

So the concept is, the fritters cook from below when you "bake" them, and then from above when you "broil" them. The coil heats up from the respective sides when you use the bake and broil mode.
And voila! You have the best crispy healthy vadais you will ever have!

Note: Do not move away from the oven when it is on "broil" mode. Temperatures reach up to 500F- 525F and will burn whatever is in the oven in no time.


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Baked Edamame Fritters - Secret to a perfect no-fry Vadai

Ingredients:

Edamame - 1 lb bag
Channa Dal/Dried split chickpeas - 1 cup
Cabbage - 1/2 cup chopped
Green chillies - 3 tbsp chopped
Red onions - 1 large chopped
Ginger - 2 tsp chopped
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (adjust heat according to your taste)
Curry leaves - 3 tbsp torn into pieces
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the channa dal/lentils in water for about two hours.
Cook Edamame until it is al dente. Do not overcook, it shouldn't be mushy.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grind the channa dal/lentil and edamame until coarse. Do not make a smooth paste out of it.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground up lentil and edamame. Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Take a large baking tray, line with aluminum foil and give a good shot of non-stick spray.
Take small balls of the mixture, flatten it in your palm and line them out on the baking tray like shown below.

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Bake at 400F till the bottom is golden brown (about 15-20 min).

Then put your oven in broil mode and let the fritters sit for another 2-4 minutes in the oven, till you get a golden color on the top as well.
Keep a constant eye when your oven is on "Broil" mode. It will burn whatever is in your oven in a jiffy!

Take it out when it is done and enjoy warm with some chutney.

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44 comments:

  1. This is really an interesting recipe. Vadas without deep fry definitely an healthy option. Love the recipe.

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  2. Delicious way to eat soy :)

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  3. these fritters looks simple superb n perfect crispy...love the baking version ,thanks for sharing

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  4. this is something very unique, healthy and delicious...love the baked version of fritters and the ingredients used..gotta try this one soon..thanks for sharing!

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  5. protein rich no fry vadais..one cannot ask for anything more delicious and healthy! :)

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  6. Wow this sounds healthy n tasty

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  7. That's really very healthy way to enjoy the yummy fritters without guilt...
    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  8. Healthy one dear....I too started making pakoda's in oven...but never tried vada's still...they look just perfect..

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  9. Such a guilt free snacks, yummy!

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  10. What an awesome way to eat soy..very innovative n lovely rcipe!!!!

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  11. These look fantastic! I want to make them tonight and bring them into the office tomorrow:) I work with Seapoint Farms, the largest manufacturer and distributor of edamame in North America. We love coming across recipes like this and look forward to your future posts!

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  12. anudivya, the color on these are great. I can tell from the picture they are prefectly crispy on the outside. I also never would have guessed they were baked and not fried. These look fantastic. I have a bag of edamame on hand and no real plan for dinner so these may be in sight for me. Thanks for the great recipe.

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  13. Edamame fritters looks delicious. I have tried baked sabudana vada, i love it.

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  14. Looks perfect and you can't really tell that it is baked, love this healthy version, yum...

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  15. I think it was so creative to have included edamame beans..and wat more can u ask for when its 100% baked?

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  16. wow, this is baked to perfection

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  17. What a great idea! I have a big bag of edamame sitting in my freezer. Will definitely try this for the family!

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  18. Very novel.. the use of edamame..

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  19. Very healthy one anu, I have come here after som many months , missed lots of lovley recipes. These kind of recipe makes me to buy my convention oven.

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  20. These fritters look crispy and perfect. Luved it without oil.
    http://shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com/

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  21. Oh My! These look and sound amazing!

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  22. WOW! What an awesome way to eat soy..very innovative n lovely rcipe!!!!

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  23. I just came across this blog now, found good information, will be expecting more such blogs from you,

    First and only online food ordering system in the history of Kerala

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  24. hey looks healthy and dietic...
    i don hav an oven at india with me..wil try aftr going back to US...

    do visit my blog started 3 days back...
    tastytales.blogspot.com
    thanks

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  25. Wish you and your family a very happy Deepavali !

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  26. Happy Diwali Anu to you and all your dear ones.

    Love
    Soma

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  27. very creative and health recipe :)

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  28. I really like this recipe. I will try a variation of this soon. Thanks.

    www.nickspalate.com

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  29. Nice recipe, this is really yummy. There is nothing to argue about. Keep posting stuff like this i really like it. thank you for sharing this recipe..

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  30. VADA LOOKS CRISPY AND PMMYERFECT....YUMMY

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  31. Healthy and lovely snack. I love edamame. Never thought of it mashed and made into patties. I love it. Thanks very much for sharing.

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  32. I love the idea of adding edamame to the traditional masala dal vada. Very creative. And great tips on baking success!

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  33. wow crispy vada using unsual ingredient...Kudos..First time here, really goood..
    Happy to follow u..
    http://jellybelly-shanavi.blogspot.com

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  34. Hey, those fritters look awesome! But no recipes from you for long...do come back!

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  35. Fantastic idea..very creative and delicious too!

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  36. Hey I tried this recipe with minor alterations and they came out super but in my oven I had to bake for 35 min and broil for 3 min to get the desired result ..also thought that were a little dry so dipped them in rasam and they were too good.

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  37. Divya, How are you? How is your kid doing? It`s been a long time so just wanted to check.

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  38. first time here this looks delicious following you
    http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com

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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! :)