No Fry Dahi wada ( Urad dal dumplings in yogurt)

My version of dahi wada can be had guilt free as it does not involve frying and cooks on stove top in a paniyaram pan.

Ingredients

1.  150 gms of split or dhuli Urad dal
2.  500 gms of yogurt
3.  100 ml milk
4.  1 inch piece of ginger
5.  1 fresh green chilli
6.  2 tbsps of very finely chopped coriander leaves
7.  5 tbsps sugar
8.  Sweet chutney 
9. 1 tbsp oil
10. Roasted and ground cumin, red chilli powder and kala namak( rock salt) as required.

Procedure

1. Soak split urad dal for three hours in 500 ml of water or even more. The dal swells as it absorbs water.
2. After three hours of soaking, drain the water and transfer the dal to a blender.Add green chilli and ginger and blend well. Add salt to taste.
3. Keep it in the fridge in a bowl with lid and let it rest for an hour.
4. Now, take a deep and wide bowl and fill it with water and add 1/2 tsp of salt.Mix and keep aside.
5. In a second bowl, take 25o ml of yogurt and beat well with a whisk. Add milk and mix well . Add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cumin powder and 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder. Keep it aside.
6. Take a bowl and put 25o ml of yogurt in it.Add sugar and whisk well.Keep it in the fridge in a serving bowl.You will need this while serving.
7.  Take a paniyaram pan and place it on medium flame and when hot, brush the moulds with oil.
8. Simmer the flame and add 1 and a 1/2 tbsp batter into each mould.Cover and cook for 5 mins



9. Open the lid and brush oil gently on top of the wadas and flip them.Cover and cook for 5 more mins.



10.  Take them out and place it in the bowl of water.
11. Leave for 10 mins or until the next batch is ready.
12. Take out the wadas one by one squeezing off the excess water and soak it in the bowl of curd with spices.
13.  Take out sweet chutney in a pan and let it boil till it thickens and comes to a syrupy consistency.
14. Pour it in a serving dish and keep.

To assemble

Take out the dahi wadas in a platter  and arrange it one after the other .Add the yogurt in which its been soaking all the while on top .Next step is to add a dollop of sweetened yogurt on top of each wada. Drizzle it with sweet chutney and sprinkle kala namak or rock salt, cumin powder and red chilli powder and serve.

If you don’t like it sweet then the sweetened yogurt can be completely avoided. These dahi wadas are very soft but they are not as spongy as the deep fried ones. But, we are happy because we could have them guilt free.

Happy Holi!