Baked Vatana nuggets | Dry peas nuggets

Are you ready to pack in that nutrition and still be a cool mum? Here is the dried peas nuggets,  that teen pleaser that makes hugs cool again. Easy to meal prep, this oil-free, dairy-free, vegan baked vatana pattice makes a hard week feel so much lighter.

Once in a way I can’t help but wish my kids did not grow up so fast. Just like any other mother, them having a proper meal is important to me. At the same time, it may not be cool to have bigger lunchboxes. This is when we started experimenting with options that a protein-rich, keeping them sustained and yet are in vogue. Nuggets were a sure thing that easily attracted their attention. Easy to eat and share, these vegan nuggets have been a staple in my fornightly meal prep. Since these baked peas nuggets seem to capture more of their attention than any other, I hope it will bring you some lightness too. 

What’s vatana?

The spherical ball of dried peas is vatana. Usually, you will find slightly yellow-coloured balls labelled as vatana, the green-coloured ones as dried peas or hara vatana. These are rich in fibre, starchier than fresh peas and have a flavour profile that’s guaranteed to compliment any flavour. In Maharashtrian cuisine, these beans are known as Ragada beans. We have made these vatana nuggets today.

Ingredients to make vatana nuggets

Peas: the main ingredient of the recipe is dried peas: Vatana. In India, you can order this through this link- Vatana. In Australia, you can order dried blue peas. 

Bread crumbs: Bread crumbs help to hold these nuggets in shape. If you prefer, you can create a crusty coating. Check the details below to see how to get a crust on the nugget. As for the bread crumbs, I order – Turkish bread crumbs. If you are in India, try this- Sakura bread crumbs to create a crispy texture.

Dried garlic; this is an optional ingredient. I prefer to add it as it gives that store bought kick with none of the chemicals upon baking (and the pack lasts for a long time) – Kirkland granulated garlic. For Indian readers, try –Crista one

Salt and pepper: the flavours here are the salt and pepper, simple but are quite enough to uplift this protein-rich vegan nugget. Check out the equipment section below for recomendations for salt and pepper mills.

Collect the equipment

Mixing bowl and spoon : A nice wide bowl is perfect for mixing and mashing the cooked beans and then prepping the nuggets. I rely on the Mason Cash bowl as it is fairly heavy and sits firm when mixing and mashing. For readers in India, my mum swears by the set of unique SS bowl.

Instant pot/pressure cooker: My instant pot is my trusty steed. I love to use this to cook soaked beans, make curries and cook rice. I also love my Futura pressure cooker as it is super quiet doesn’t destroy anybody’s sleep with whistles.

Salt and pepper mill : Every house hold needs a set of good salt and pepper mill. This is a salt and pepper mill that I really like- try this for India and this for Australia

Air fryer/oven: It is certainly a benefit to have an air fryer if you have enough counter space- I recommend the Phillips one. Check out these links for India and Australia. However if you prefer an oven, the recipe works well with this too. 

Lets make these vegan nuggets

This is an oil free, nut free, dairy free recipe. It is a fairly easy to make if you are familiar with kitchen basics and have played around with using an air fryer or the oven a couple of times.

• Wash and soak the peas for 4 to 6 hours.
• Drain the soaking liquid and wash the peas. Cook the peas in pressure cooker for 3 whistles or in the instant pot under high pressure for 10 minutes.
• Let the pressure release naturally and drain the beans.
• Add this into the mixing bowl along with bread crumbs,garlic granules, salt and pepper.
• Mash the beans and mix them into a tight dough.
• Shape the dough into small nugget shapes.
• Place the prepared nuggets to the fridge to chill for a hour. Depending on the mode of cooking follow the rest of the instructions.

In the convection oven.

• Preheat the oven to 10 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
• Place the chilled nuggets in a single layer on baking tray.
• Bake for 15 minutes flipping once in between.
• Remove when the tops appear golden.
• Let it cool for a few minutes and serve. 

In the air fryer.

• Preheat the air fryer at 200 degree Celsius for 3 to 5  minutes.
• Place a layer of the chilled nuggets in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
• Air fry for 5 minutes and flip the nuggets around.
• Air fry for another 5 minutes.
• The nuggets will have a golden crust and they will be ready

What’s on this platter?

It was school holidays time and the “only” time to eat in peace. So here is a plate that was shared as the meal. It is beautiful when served on the Maxwell Willams platter.On this plate are baked vatana cutlets, sweet potato fries, mayo and sliced Turkish bread ( if you are in India, try this one). Serve with some lemonade. 

What to serve with baked peas nuggets?

Baked nuggets can actually be a meal on their own. A bit of Ketchup or Mayonnaise as the dip and the plate is ready to go. If you are catering to the hungrier teens or a group you may want to add a bit more to this meal. Here are a few ideas that go well together.
Milkshakes or smoothie
Mac and cheese
Green soup
Roasted carrots  or swedes
Salad bowls
Spicy spaghetti
Curried carrot soup
Or fruit salad

Is this is vegan recipe?

This is a perfect vegan, oil free nugget recipe, for the perfect vegan treat, made of only peas and breadcrumbs.

How to use the peas cooking liquid?

The liquid leftover after cooking and draining the peas is rather nutritious. You can use this to knead chappathi atta, or add it as a broth to soups and curries.

How to get a crispy topped nugget?

To get a crispy topped nugget follow the step by step instructions below.

• Set up two bowls. 
• Into one add bread crumbs and the other a tbsp or two of cornflour.
• Add 1/4 cup water into the cornflour and mix into a slurry.
• Using a fork place the prepared nugget in the slurry and coat all sides.
• Now place it in the bread crumbs. and coat all sides.
• Now the crispy top is ensured as the breadcrumbs coat and brown well.

Collaboration

We have added this vatana pattice to the A to Z recipe collection in Hindi. As we are edging towards the close of this series I  am truly happy I was so far able to contribute to every single one. The ones I hold close to my heart here are
Shalgham ki baaji and

Til ke puri
This series sure did test my Hindi grammar abilities with the ka,ke, ki and more. Though do let me know your thoughts, even if just on my Hindi grammar!

Stay connected

Hope you have enjoyed this series with me as much as I have enjoyed curating these recipes. this baked vatana pattice can easily be added to your list of Healthy Fridge snacks. Let us know in the comments if you made this recipe or planning to make them and rate the recipe using the 5 stars, 5 being the highest recommended. If it is any less, let us know where we can work on improving. Subscribe to stay in touch and get updates on what we are making new.