This classic recipe just got healthier and lighter on stomach. By some easy twists and tweaks, you will be able to enjoy your favorite dahi-baray in a much mindful way.

Dahi baray (also known as dahi bhalle, dahi wade, dahi bade) are a famous Indian street food. These are particularly popular during Ramadan (fasting month for Muslims) at iftar time (time for breaking the fast). They are usually made by grinding lentils and deep frying it to make dumplings. These dumplings are then added to a yogurt sauce before being topped with different kinds of chutneys and chaat masala.

How is this version healthier?

There are a few tweaks to the classic recipe which makes this version healthier and lighter on the stomach.

• Baked instead of deep fried: I bake my baras instead of deep frying them, keeping all the ingredients same. They come out really soft, light and non-greasy. Tasting them you won’t feel that they are any different from the regular(fried?) ones.
• Hing (asafoetida) water immersion: Since maash daal could be particularly heavy on the stomach, we use hing in this recipe. Hing helps in digestion. We submerge the baras into hing water which also make the baras moist and soft.
• Kefir instead of yogurt: I use kefir instead of dahi (yogurt) to make my dahi-baray. Kefir is a fermented drink which has a good amount of probiotics. It is healthy for the gut and lighter on the stomach. However, yogurt isn’t a bad option too. You can of course opt for it if kefir is not available to you.
• Date and tamarind chuntey (without sugar) instead of any sugar-loaded chutney: Dates are rich in fiber and iron. We replace these for sugar in our meethi chutney, which makes it more nutritious. You will find the recipe of our date and tamarind chutney here.

Does it taste exactly like the regular dahi-baray?

Yes! You will hardly be able to tell that these are any different than the ones that are deep fried. The ingredients are all the same. Only the method of cooking them is different here.

Can you freeze the baras?

Yes! These baras are freezer-friendly. I always make a big batch and freeze some to save time later. Freeze them into a ziplock bag or an airtight container just after baking (when they reach room temperature). When needed for consumption, you can defrost them and then soak into water to get a moist and fluffy consistency.

What ingredients would you need to make these dahi-baras?

Notes on ingredients:

• Maash (urad) daal and moong (mung spilt) daal are available at most Indian stores.
• Baking soda is available by the name Kaiser Natron in Germany. Don’t confuse it with baking powder. It won’t give you the same results.
• Kefir is available at most well stocked grocery stores like Edeka, Rewe, Real etc. You can substitute it with beaten yogurt, mixed with some water.
• Hing (asafoetida) is often available at many Indian stores. If you can’t find it, just skip it.
• Black salt is available at Indian stores.
• Roasted ground cumin could be made at home, simply by roasting cumin seeds until fragrant and then grinding them into powder.
• Green chutney: This is my spicy mint and coriander chutney. I prefer making my own at home. You can find the recipe here.
• Sweet chutney: I make this one at home too without added sugar, using dates and tamarind. You will find the recipe here.
• Chaat masala is also easily available at Indian stores. My favorite one is MDH chunky chaat masala.

Another essential for making these baked baras is a silicone tray mold. This allows you to easily take out the baras after being baked without breaking them. I highly recommend you to invest in one. Here is the link of the one which I am using.

Watch the video below to easily follow the recipe