For day three of the Dairy-Free Recipe Potluck, a delicious event leading up to the 21-Day Dairy-Free Challenge, I’m excited to share a savory, Indian-influenced recipe from Richa Hingle of Vegan Richa.
Her creation is based on the dish Pakore Waali Kadhi (fritters in spiced yogurt), but rather than fried onion fritters, she makes healthier, baked broccoli dumplings (since they aren’t fried, they are less “fritter-like”, so Richa often refers to them as dumplings instead) and serves them with a dairy-free spiced yogurt.
This recipe shows just how masterful Richa is when it comes to special diets and culinary creativity, as the baked broccoli dumplings are not only dairy-free, but also egg-free, vegan and gluten-free! They’re actually wonderful on their own, but soak up even more deliciousness when served with the yogurt gravy.
I asked Richa to share one of her many Indian recipes, not only for the event, but also to give a preview taste of her upcoming cookbook, Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook! Her book is already available on Amazon and will start shipping in May. I’m always excited when new dairy-free cookbooks come out, particularly when they offer so many “new-to-me” dishes.
When I asked Richa why she is dairy-free and creates dairy-free recipes, her response was very to the point:
“I eat dairy-free since I went vegan in 2010. When I found out about the pain and suffering the cows have to endure in dairy farms, babies being taken away from their mothers, babies and spent cows slaughtered – I decided to go dairy-free.”
Richa says that her husband joined in when he considered the impact that food choices had on his health and the environment, but she thinks some of her compassion rubbed off on him, too!
While you are waiting for Richa’s new cookbook to arrive, don’t forget to head over and enjoy the many recipes she offers, like the baked broccoli dumplings below, on Vegan Richa.
Special Diet Notes: Baked Broccoli Dumplings with Spiced Yogurt
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, and generally food allergy-friendly.
The Dairy-Free Recipe Potluck is sponsored by So Delicious Dairy Free and the 21 Day Dairy-Free Challenge.
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup water
- ½ loaded cup finely chopped broccoli
- ¼ cup So Delicious Dairy Free plain Greek-style coconut milk yogurt
- ¼ cup So Delicious Dairy Free plain coconut milk yogurt
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 2 dry red chilies or flakes, to taste
- ½-inch of ginger, chopped
- 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- Generous pinch of hing / asafetida
- Preheat your oven to 410ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients.
- Add the water and mix into a thick pasty batter.
- Add the finely chopped broccoli and stir to coat.
- Add chopped green chili for spicier fritters, if desired.
- Drop tablespoon-full blobs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes.
- Broil on low for an additional 30 seconds for lightly browned dumplings.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurts to make them smooth.
- Add the chickpea flour, turmeric, chili powder, salt and mix to combine well so there are no lumps.
- Add the water and whisk to combine into a thin mixture.
- In a medium pan, add the oil and heat on medium.
- Add the cumin seeds and let them cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the ginger, garlic, fenugreek seeds and red chili. Mix and cook for another 2 minutes until the garlic is golden.
- Add the yogurt chickpea mixture and bring to a boil.
- The Kadhi will thicken considerably. Add more water if you like a thinner consistency.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 4-5 minutes so the chickpea flour is well cooked.
- Taste and adjust the salt and spice, as desired.
- Soak the fritters in the yogurt gravy or serve fritters topped with a good amount of gravy like biscuits/dumplings.
- Serve as is, with Rice or Richa's Vegan Naan.
17 Comments
What would you use instead of the Hing?
You can omit it from the recipe or use garlic powder or onion powder in its place.
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I just made the gravy and the dumplings however, dinner is not for the next 5 hours. should i wait to combine both until dinner time? will they fall apart if i combine the gravy and the dumplings now and then reheat them in 5 hrs?
I’m not sure and Richa may not see this in time – I would wait on adding the dumplings though.
Thanks, Alisa. I decided to wait. I did try one dumpling as it came out of the oven with a bit of gravy. OHMYGOD. I now have my first good Indian recipe. I am not sure why but mastering Indian cuisine has been really difficult for me. Hopefully Richa can change that for me 🙂
Indeed! You saw that she has a new book out, right?
This is wonderful – if only I could have access to these yogurts that are advertised in the recipe. Maybe you can offer alternatives to people who don’t live in the US.
I wish I could, but I’m just a writer and recipe creator – no products cooked up here! I know many of the dairy substitute companies are working on expanding to other countries though!
OMG! I *might* have to give up American-style cooking all together! This is FANTASTIC! It could’ve been spicier for me and I’m sorry I didn’t see the part about adding green chili’s to the fritters/dumplings until I was ready to start cooking. Next time I will be sure and get some! I live in a small town where there are no Indian restaurants, but I used to live in Seattle, WA where there are lots of them. So, I really miss fresh, cooked-to-order Indian food. This tasted nothing like my old “stand-by” molai kofta (which I miss SO much!), but, it was definitely Indian and definitely dEElicious! The dumplings/fritters remind me of vegetable pakoras, so I had one with some mango chutney on it and about died and went to heaven. THANK YOU!!!! Happy Valentine’s Day! <3
That is marvelous – so glad it was a big hit for you!
Oh, pardon. I see that the recipe uses non-dairy yogurts. My apologies! And yes, the recipe does look delicious.
Thanks, enjoy!
Yogurt isn’t vegan.
These sound truly amazing! I am SO EXCITED for Richa’s book! Can’t wait to try this recipe. 🙂
I love all of Richa’s creations – this one sounds just like me, I love broccoli and all of these spice flavors! Pinned to make later this week!
I personally don’t have any diet restrictions but that won’t stop me from trying this! I adore Indian food and these dumplings sounds absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!