Kele Ke Dahi Bare / Spicy Plantain Dumplings in Yogurt

I was worried about the Delhi post since the recipes I was interested in either involved tedious work or were popular in other northern regions as well. I had prepared aloo chaat in case I wouldn't get a chance to prepare anything at the last moment but was not happy to post the simple dish for the marathon. Luckily yesterday, I found "kele ke dahi bare" while going through Pushpesh Pant's "India Cookbook". This book contains 1000 recipes ranging from the basic spice mixtures, dishes from Nawabi kitchens to exotic desserts. It covers both vegetarian and non vegetarian recipes but in spite of that it definitely catches the attention of a vegetarian because of the huge, impressive collection of mouthwatering vegetarian recipes.
This recipe uses plantain vadas unlike the urad dal ones as in the case of classic dahi vada. The spicy vadas and the sweet yogurt compliment each other very well and the balance creates a fabulous snack to savor. A great dish to entertain the guests.

Ingredients:
2 cups yogurt (Full fat preferably)
1/2 tsp sugar (Optional)
2 small plantains
1 tsp cumin powder
2 green chillies
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1 tbsp cornstarch (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil / Ghee to fry

Method:
* Add 1/4 tsp salt and sugar if using to the yogurt and whisk well. Keep it aside.
* Peel and cube the plantains. Add a cup of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or in a sauce pan until they are cooked but not mushy. Transfer the cooked plantain cubes to a colander, drain and cool them slightly.
* Add drained plantain cubes, cumin powder, salt and green chillies to a food processor and mash them roughly. Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Add cornstarch if using and cilantro to the mixture and mix together.
* Divide the mixture into equal portions and roll them into balls. Grease your hands if the mixture is sticky and flatten the balls slightly between your palms.

* Heat the oil in a kadai or deep pan. Working in batches, add the flattened plaintain discs and fry until golden, flipping once. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen towels.

* When ready to serve, add the plantain dumplings to the yogurt and combine so that they are covered in yogurt.

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

An InLinkz Link-up