Rustle up these snacks in no time - Times of India

The festive season is here and who doesn’t love munching on some quick, homemade goodies? These are ideal for dinner parties as well as high teas and can be whipped up in a jiffy. Try out one of these simple recipes and your guests are sure to love it.
Dahi Ke Gullar
Ingredients
Hung curd – 500gm
Green chilli – 10gm Black salt – 3gm
Cumin powder – 3gm
Salt – 5gm
Saffron strands – 0.5gm
Gram flour – 15gm
Coriander leaves – 15gm

Method
In a mixing bowl, take hung curd along with all other ingredients and mix well.
Mould the mixture in desired shape and size.
Coat the kebab using breadcrumbs.
Heat oil on medium flame in a deep ‘kadai’.
Add in kebabs and deep fry until golden brown. Take them out in 15 to 20 seconds and keep them on kitchen paper to drain out excess oil.
Serve with mint chutney.

Cashew and spinach fingers
Ingredients
Spinach – 4 cups
Roasted cashews – ½ cup
Boiled potato – 1 cup
Onion – 1 medium
Garlic cloves – 4 no
Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
Cumin – ½ tablespoon
Black pepper – ½ teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Parmesan cheese grated – 3 tablespoons
Unsalted butter – 1 tablespoon
Heavy cooking cream – 2-3 tablespoons
Corn flour – 2 tablespoons
Refined flour – 3 tablespoons
Breadcrumbs – 3-4 cups
Oil – for frying

Method
Cut the thick stems of the spinach. Place them in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Once the soil settles down, take them out and wash again in running water. Chop and keep aside in a strainer to drain out excess water.
Wash the potatoes and roast them in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes. Once done, take the skin out, mash and keep aside.
Roast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan. Once cool, crush them together and separately crush the roasted cashews as well.
In a thick bottomed pan, add oil and a tablespoon of butter. Add chopped garlic, sauté. After a few minutes, add chopped onions and sauté till they are translucent. Add chopped spinach, sauté for a few minutes and then add boiled potato. Stir nicely and add black pepper, crushed coriander-cumin mix. Take it off the flame and add Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. Let it cool.
In another bowl, mix cornflour and refined flour with water to make a batter to coat the fingers.
Make fingers out of the spinach mix, coat them in batter and then roll them in breadcrumbs.
Heat oil. Deep fry the fingers until they become golden. Serve hot.

Green chilli, curry leaf and chickpeas falafel
Ingredients
Dried chickpeas – 1.5 cups
Chickpea flour – as required
Onion – 1 medium
Garlic cloves – 5
Parsley chopped – 1/2 cup
Coriander chopped – 2 tablespoons
Green chilli chopped – 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves chopped – 1 tablespoon
Roasted and crushed cumin – ½ teaspoon
Lemon juice – 2-3 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
Wash and soak chickpeas overnight. Next day, drain out the water and grind them coarse. Keep aside.
Chop onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, green chillies, curry leaves finely and add them to the chickpea mixture.
Add lemon juice, salt and crushed cumin. Mix well. Add chickpea flour little by little only for binding.
Once ready, wet your hands to avoid stickiness and make small balls out of the mixture. Flatten them with your palm to form a big coin.
Preheat the oil, fry the coins in a slow heat so the outside becomes crispy and the inside gets cooked fully.
Serve hot and crispy.

Mirchi Vada Chaat
Ingredients
Bhavnagri chillies (slit and deseeded) – 6
Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed) – 1 cup
Red chilli powder – 3/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
For the batter
Gramflour – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Fruit salt – 1/4 teaspoon
Ajwain – ¼ teaspoon
Chaat masala – 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder – ¼ teaspoon

Method
Heat oil in a kadai. Add all the spices. Mix well and add mashed potatoes. Stir a little, add salt and mix again. Set aside to cool.
Fill the Bhavnagri chillies with this mixture. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix gram flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, fruit salt (or soda), chaat masala and ajwain. Add sufficient water and whisk to make a smooth batter of pouring consistency.
Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip the stuffed chillies in the gram flour mixture and deep-fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
Sprinkle chaat masala, sweet chutney, coriander chutney, curd and red chilli powder on top and serve warm.

Beetroot halwa
Ingredients
Ghee – 30gm
Beetroot (grated) – 200gm
Milk – 50ml
Sugar – 25gm
Cardamom powder – 5gm
Mawa – 40gm
Almond flakes – 15gm
Pistachio – 15gm

Method
Heat a kadai, add in ghee and sauté beetroot for 5 minutes. Add milk and allow to simmer.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Cook until the milk evaporates completely and the beetroot gets cooked. Add in sugar and mix well.
Once sugar dissolves, add mawa and cardamom powder. Garnish with dry fruits and edible flower.

-Deepa Natarajan Lobo

(With input from chefs Altamsh Patel, Daniel Koshy, Souvik Ray and Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary

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Rustle up these snacks in no time - Times of India
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