Baked Medu Vada with Tomato Chutney / Baked Savory Lentil Donuts

Yes you are reading right? I made this famous Medu vada not fried but baked one. In my house we all four loves this dish. Kids called it Indian Donuts because it's shaped just like donuts but instead of sweet its savory. Whenever we go out for lunch in South Indian Restaurant, I ordered this and they eat their food and Medu Vada but only the crispy later and inside stuffing is for me. So one Sunday Afternoon was thinking what to make for lunch and I made this, Served with Tomato Chutney and we survived till diner. I made this in April and since I didn't get chance to post it because was busy posting summer recipes but its better late than never so here it is. You don't have to skipped your favorite dish just because its fried. you can try make it other ways too. Here I baked it the way it supposed to fry , but you can make it in paniyaram pan / Aebleskiver pan ,  or baked it in muffin dish too.

Ingredients :

1 cup White urad dal / Split Black Gram Lentil
2-3 green chilies finely chopped or as per your taste
1 onion finely chopped
2" Ginger finely chopped
few fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soaked the lentils in lots of water for 2-3 hours.
Grind it without adding water , if you need it just add 1 teaspoon at a time, you don't need runny paste. You need thick one.
You can grind ginger and garlic with lentil too or just add it after you grind it. I prefer after so I can taste it.
Heat up the oven at 375 F.
Grease the baking dish with oil.
Wet your one hand fingers and other hands palm. Take lemon sized ball and pat it with fingers and make a hole in the middle of it

Put it on baking dish and do the rest.
Apply oil on top of the vada too.
Bake it for 15 minutes on one side and then flip it and cook it on other side too.

Before baking , you can decide to fry , you can deep fry this too , that's the original way of eating this yummy vadas.
When its done, take it out and served with coconut chutney or your favorite chutney. I made tomato chutney.

Tomato Chutney :

2 big red tomatoes
1 small red onion
3-4 red chilies or as per your taste
salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds

Method:

Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, take out and remove the skin.
Take the pan, add oil and mustard seeds, onion, red chilies and cook till onion soften.
Grind it with tomatoes and serve with your favorite dish.

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