Roasted Phool Makhana

Roasted Phool Makhana

This is a healthy snack alternative, similar to pop corn, made from puffed lotus seeds. Very easy to make and you can't stop at one. Phool Makhana is available in Indian grocery stores.

Dry roast the phool makhana in a wide pan over low heat for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Towards the end add 2 tbsp. ghee, salt and black pepper pwd to taste. Stir to coat evenly. Take off heat and sprinkle some chaat masala. Stir well. Cool and store in airtight box.

Enjoy with tea/coffee.

Avocado dip/dressing

Avocado Dip/Dressing

An easy yummy dip for veggies, chips etc or dressing for salad. Here's how I make it:

Blend together pulp of 1 avocado, 1 tbsp. yogurt, 1 tbsp. salsa, salt & sugar to taste, 1/2 tsp cumin pwd, 1/2 tsp paprika pwd and 1 tsp lemon juice. Check taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Use immediately.

Dahi Vada

 

Dahi Vada

 

This is an ideal snack/mini meal for the summer months. Here's how I make dahi vada:

Wash and soak 1/2 cup udad dal and 2 tbsp. mung dal in water for atleast 4 hours. Then drain and grind with very little water to make a smooth paste. Take the paste in a big mixing bowl and add salt, little ginger paste and black pepper pwd. Whisk well for 5 minutes.

At this point if you drop a blob of the paste in a bowl of water, it should immediately float up. This means the batter is light and airy and well whisked.

Heat oil to deep fry the vadas. And keep a big bowl of thin buttermilk ready. Add a little salt and red chilli pwd to the buttermilk. Drop spoonful of batter in the oil and fry on medium heat till golden brown. Drain and immediately put the vadas in the buttermilk. Fry all the vadas similarly in small batches.

To serve - whisk cold yogurt (I like to use Fage) with salt and sugar till smooth. Put the vadas in the serving bowl. Top generously with the yogurt. Sprinkle some red chilli pwd and cumin pwd. Add a dash of green mint chutney and dates-tamarind chutney. Finally garnish with chopped cilantro. You can also add little shev on top. Serve immediately.

Beetroot tikkis

Beetroot tikkis

This is a fairly easy and quick snack to put together, especially when you use canned beet and potato flakes like I do.

Start with a can of sliced beets (not the pickled variety). Drain and put in mixing bowl. To this add a cup of potato flakes, salt to taste, 1 tsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp red chilli pwd, 1 tsp cumin pwd, handful of chopped cilantro, and 1 tsp chaat masala pwd. Mix well. Shape as desired. Pop in the freezer for about an hour. You can make and keep in freezer for use when you have unexpected company.

To fry - in a bowl take 1 tbsp. plain flour mixed with water to make thin paste. In another plate take bread crumbs. Dip each tikki first in the flour mix, then in the bread crumbs and shallow fry on pan with a tsp of oil till golden brown on each side.

Serve warm with chutney of choice - mint chutney, dates chutney or ketchup.

Purple cabbage salad

Purple cabbage salad

This salad is a great way to highlight the beautiful color of purple cabbage. I took 1/2 head of a small purple cabbage and thinly shredded it. Then I steamed it for just 5 minutes in the pressure cooker with the whistle off. I am not a fan of raw cabbage, hence steam it. Then I added other veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, onions/green onions, colored peppers. I tempered the salad with cumin seeds and hing in ghee. Topped it all off with crushed roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, salt, pinch of sugar and black pepper powder.

Tastes great by itself.

Puff pastry rounds

Puff pastry sheets come in handy for quick snacks/appetizers and are so versatile. I recently found a cute way to use these. The sheet is thawed, cut into about 8-10 circles, filled and folded to resemble petals or feathers.

 

In the picture below, I used some leftover pasta sauce, added oregano, garlic salt, seasoning mix and shredded mozzarella cheese. Smeared this mix on the puff pastry rounds and arranged them to resemble bird's feathers. I topped each with an olive. With a little more fine-tuning, this would make a cute thanksgiving vegetarian turkey I think.

 

For the body of the bird, I used larger squares of puff pastry and stuffed them with jalapeno (ends cut, deseeded and deveined) filled with cream cheese (I used garden veggie and added garlic salt and seasoning mix). Make sure the cheese is room temperature.

 

Bake the puff pastry per package directions.

 

 

Puff pastry bird

Puff pastry vegetarian turkey

jalapeno peppers with cream cheese

For New Years eve party, I used similar pasta sauce as above and arranged the petals in flower shape.

 

 

Diwali 2015

Rangolis including underwater one on bottom left

Neerja's rangolis using pen

Diya chaat

Hara bhara rockets

Italian breadstick sparklers

Rangoli salad

Savory pinwheels (bhuee chakra)

Sweet pinwheels