Snacks

Alu Bonda - No Onion Version

When you crave for some fried, which is spicy, tangy, and home-cooked, then indulging in alu bondas should be your only choice. These home-made alu bondas are potato stuffed fritters, which is so mouth-watering, and irresistible.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

• Potatoes - 3 large, boiled, peeled, and mashed roughly
• (Optional) Peas, boiled - 1/4 cup
• Green chilli paste - 2 tsps
• Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4^th tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Coiander leaves - 2 tsps
• Lemon juice - 1/4^th cup
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tsp + to deep fry
For the batter
• Besan or Chickpea flour - 2 cups
• Rice flour - 1/2 cup
• Ajwain (carom) seeds, lightly crushed - 1/4^thtsp
• Hot oil - 1 tbsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Water - to make the batter

Preparation method

1. In the bowl, add besan, rice flour, salt, carom seeds, and hot oil. Mix it well.
Note: It is important to add hot oil inorder to make crispy bondas. When you add it to the dry ingredients, it should sizzle.
2. Add water, little at a time and make a slightly runny batter. It should neither be too thick, or too runny.
3. Let this batter rest for at least 20 minutes.
4. In the meanwhile, preapre the stuffing.
5. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, asafoetida, coriander leaves, mashed potatoes, and peas.
6. Saute until the mixture is well-incorporated.
7. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt, and give it a good stir.
8. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
9. Divide it into equal parts and roll it uniformly into round balls.
10. Set this aside.
11. Heat oil in a pan.
12. Gently pick the potato rolls and dip them into the batter. Coat it completely with the batter, and then dip them in the hot oil.
13. Let them fry until golden brown.
14. Serve warm with tomato ketchup, or green chutney, or tamarind chutney.

Preparation time - 45 mins

Whole Wheat Flour Alu Samosa - Baked

I was a little skeptical as to how the baked samosas would turn out ... as these Indian snacks are meant to be eaten the way it is supposed to be -- deep fried! But, somehow after contemplating, I decided to bake as it is a healthier option and also used whole wheat flour to make it a guilt free experience ... I was totally awed by the outcome. This recipe is similar to the original samosa recipe; I have replaced flour with whole wheat flour and flipped to the baking version.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

• Potatoes - 3 large, boiled, peeled, and mashed roughly
• Peas - 1/4 cup
• Green chilli paste - 2 tsps
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsps
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Amchoor or dry mango powder - 1 1/4 tsp
• Jeera or cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2-3 tsps

For the dough

• Whole wheat flour - 300 gms
• Ajwain (carom) seeds, lightly crushed - 1/4 tsp
• Water - to make the dough
• Ghee - 1 tbsp

Preparation method

1. In the bowl, add whole wheat flour, salt, carom seeds, and ghee and mix it well. You should be able to hold the dough well. If it does not hold, add a few more drops of ghee. Mix well and knead it to a soft yet stiff dough.
Note: Adding sufficient amount of ghee is an essential and important step in making the samosas crisp. The dough should be able to hold shape when you mix it with ghee.
2. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chilli, ginger-garlic paste, and peas. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
3. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, salt give it a good stir. Add mashed potatoes and mix it well so all the spices are blended well together.
4. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
5. Knead the dough gently and divide it into equal parts.
6. Roll it uniformly into a circle and about 1/2" thick. Cut it into two equal halves.
7. Take one half and shape it into a cone, by folding in the two corners inwards. Apply some water to seal the edges.
8. Fill the cone with the potato mixture and seal the top with water.
9. Let them rest for a few minutes, until you finish the entire batch.
10. Preheat oven to 200oC for 10 minutes.
11. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle or brush oil on each samosa.
12. Bake them for 25-30 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
13. Serve warm with tomato ketchup or green chutney or tamarind chutney.

Preparation time - 30-45 mins

Onion Pakoda

Ingredients

• Onions - 2 large, thinly sliced
• Peanuts - 1/4 cup, crushed coarsely
• Besan (chana dal flour) - 2 1/2 cups
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs, washed and finely chopped
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander-Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ajwain (carrom) seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Green chillies - 2, slit and very finely chopped (optional)
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Water - to make the batter
• Oil - to fry

Preparation method

1. Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan or frying pan.
2. In the bowl, add the flour (besan and rice), salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida, salt, ajwain seeds, green chillies, and turmeric. Mix well and add half a tbsp of hot oil. Carefully mix it until you get a crumbly texture.
3. Add curry leaves, onion and mix. Add very little water at a time, and mix until you get a sticky consistency.
4. Take handful of batter and sprinkle the pakoda mixture (as coarse dumplings) into the hot oil.
5. Fry until golden brown and remove it onto a tissue paper.

Preparation time - 30-45 mins

Avalakki Chudwa

Avalakki or Poha or broken rice is a healthy and easy to prepare evening snack.

Ingredients

• Avalakki (thin) 1/2 kg
• Peanuts - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Chana / Putani - 1/4 cup
• Red chillies - 5-6
• Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs, washed
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander-Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - 1 pinch

Preparation method

1. Heat a deep bottomed pan and dry roast the broken rice until just crisp. Keep aside.
2. In the same pan, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, jeera, peanuts and roasted chana and saute until you hear crackling sounds. Lower the heat ad add red chillies, coriander-cumin powder,asafoetida, curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
3. Add salt, sugar, turmeric.
4. Add the roasted broken rice and mix well, until all the ingredients are together.
5. Cool it and store it in an air-tight container.

Preparation time - 25-30 mins

Moong dal oats tikki

Ingredients

• Moong dal 1/2 cup (washed and soaked)
• Oats - 1 cup
• Coriander leaves - 1 tsp, finely chopped
• Green chillies - 2, slit and finely chopped
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Carrot - 2, washed and peeled
• Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric - pinch
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Preparation method

1. Pressure cook the soaked moong dal with very little water.
2. Heat a pan and dry roast the oats for 3-4 minutes.
3. Very finely chop the onions, carrots, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves. Mix well and keep this aside.
4. Add the lemon juice, yogurt, salt, garam masala, chat masala and oats. Mix well.
5. When the dal is cooked, add it to this oats mixture and mix well.
6. Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp oil and make equal sized patties out of the above mixture and shallow fry them until golden brown.
7. Serve hot with tomato or chilli sauce.

Nutritious and healthy tea-time snack is ready to serve!

Preparation time - 45 mins

Rava dhokla

Ingredients

• Sooji/Rava - 2 cups
• Coriander leaves - 1 tsp, finely chopped
• Green chillies - 2, slit and finely chopped
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Yogurt - 1 1/2 cups
• Turmeric - pinch
• Lemon juice - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Water - 3 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Fruit salt - 1/2 tsp

For tempering

• Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Sesame seeds - 1/4 seeds
• Green chillies - finely chopped
• Asafoetida - pinch

Preparation method

1. Take a wide vessel and add sooji, yogurt, coriander leaves, green chillies, 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, turmeric and salt. Mix it well. If required add water, little at a time to make a smooth batter.

The consistency should be similar to that of any cake batter

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients and saute until they splutter. Keep this aside to cool.

Take a cooker or any wide vessel and add about 200 ml water to it and bring it to boil.

Add the fruit salt to the batter and mix gently. Pour this mixture to a cake mould or any other vessel and steam it for 15-20 minutes in the cooker.

When done, remove it carefully on a flat surface and cut it into equal shapes.

Evenly spread the tempering and the chopped coriander leaves over these pieces and leave it for a few minutes, before you serve it.

Preparation time - 45 mins

Maida biscuits

Ingredients

• Maida - 250 gms
• Carom seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for frying
• Water - to make dough
• Salt - to taste

Preparation method

1. Take a wide vessel and add maida, carom seeds and salt. Mix it well. Add water little at a time and knead the mixture to a thick dough.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Make equal sized balls of the dough and keep it aside.
4. Roll it into 1/2" circles.

5. Cut them to vertically and horizontally to get the diamond shape.

6. Drop them in the oil and fry until golden brown.

7. Cool and store them in an air-tight container.

Crispy biscuits are ready to serve!

Preparation time - 45 mins

Mirchi bajji

Ingredients

• Long chillies - slit length-wise and de-seeded
• Tamarind - lemon size ball, soaked in water for atleast an hour
• Carom seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - for frying
• Gram flour/Besan - 1 1/2 tbsps
• Rice flour - 1/2 tbsp
• Water - to make batter
• Salt - to taste
• Baking soda(optional) - 1/4 tsp

Pre-preparation

• Make a paste of the carom seeds, tamarind and salt. Keep aside.
• Fill this in the slit chillies and leave it for about half an hour.

Preparation method

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Mix the gram flour, rice flour, salt, carom seeds and baking soda with water to get a medium consistency.
3. Dip the chillies in this batter carefully until the chilli is fully coated with the batter.

4. Drop them in the oil and fry until golden brown.
5. Serve them hot with sauce or any chutney.

Crispy bajjis - ready to serve!

Preparation time - 1 hour

Dahi vada

Ingredients

For vadas

• Urad dal - 2 cups, soaked in water for about an hour
• Salt - to taste

Tempering for the yogurt

• Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups, evenly whipped
• Finely chopped green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - pinch
• Salt - to taste

Preparation method

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add the tempering ingredients, except salt and mix this well with the yogurt.
3. Finally add salt, mix well and keep it aside.
4. Drain the dal completely and grind it along with salt to a smooth paste.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Make even balls and flatten it slightly and fry the vadas until golden brown.
6. Drain the oil and dip the vadas in hot water for a few minutes.
7. Squeeze out the excess water (without breaking the vadas).
8. Let the vadas cool down a little. Once cooled, add them to the yogurt.
9. Mix gently to ensure the vadas are soaked well in the yogurt.
10. Store it in a refrigerator and serve chilled with amchur and chilli powder.

Preparation time - 1 hour

Sabudana/Tapioca seeds vada

This is a very simple and easy to make snack, with very few ingredients.

Ingredients

• Sabudana/Tapioca seeds - 1/2 cup, soaked in water for about an hour
• Boiled potatoes - 1, mashed
• Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Finely chopped green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves - 1/2 tsp each
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - for frying

Preparation method

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Drain all the water from the Sabudana.
3. Mix all the above ingredients (except oil) well.
4. Make round balls and flatten them evenly and fry them in the oil.

Oil should be sizzling hot, otherwise the vadas will absorb oil and become soggy.

5. Fry until golden brown and drain the oil on a tissue.
6. Serve them warm.

These crunchy vadas simply melt in the mouth, are very filling and addictive!

As a variant, you can add roasted and powdered groundnut powder to the dough.

Preparation time - 30 mins