Courses: Snack

Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?

Crisp, salty, sweet, nutty, baked shankarpali, badam-kaju & ajwain-jeera biscuits
10/23/2016 10:31:36 PM vindhyadesai

During Deepavali/Diwali, making Shankarpali/Shakkarpare snacks is very common. They are deep fried biscuits which are crisp with both salty and sweet versions. How about trying baked versions of this famous snack? Baked shankarpali are easy to make and you can change the flavours as you want. Here I have used only butter whereas some people do use vegetable shortening (dalda) which does not contain very healthy fats hence I generally never use it.
These can be made in bulk and 1 cup of all purpose flour yields a lot of biscuits. Just store these biscuits in air tight containers and they last for a few days. The base for both versions is the same. I have illustrated the base for both biscuits and then extended them into their respective flavours.
The sweet version can also be made plain without any nuts but adding almonds-cashews gives them a nice texture and flavour. The salty ones can also be made plain or even ground black pepper can be added in place of ajwain-jeera. The choice is yours! Also try benne biscuit recipe. ... “Baked Shankarpali | Baked Shakkarpare | How to make baked shankarpali?”

Benne Muruku | Butter Muruku | How to make benne muruku?

Crisp and crunchy snack, butter/benne muruku
10/20/2016 10:04:26 PM vindhyadesai

Crisp and crunchy benne/butter muruku has to be one of the tastiest snacks ever. It is a favourite in most households and can be made during many festivals like Ganesha Chaturthi, Sri Krishna Janmasthami and Deepavali/Diwali. In our childhood days, we used to look forward to celebrations of Deepavali/Diwali, along with buying and wearing new clothes and bursting crackers (which we no longer do for Mother Nature!) we also enjoyed eating these crunchy savoury snacks all day long! Of course along with swallowing up some sweets 🙂
Benne muruku is made from rice flour and butter as the main ingredients. Adding butter makes the muruku very crisp and light. Addition of too much butter makes them very brittle and there is a good chance that they will disintegrate while frying. So add butter with caution. Sesame seeds and carom seeds(om/ajwain) give nice flavour and aroma. Enjoy these with a cup of tea/coffee. Try other tea-time festival snacks like chivda and nippattu! ... “Benne Muruku | Butter Muruku | How to make benne muruku?”

Baked Aloo Samosa | How to make baked aloo samosa? | Baked Samosa

Mouth-watering super tasty and healthy whole wheat baked samosas
10/17/2016 10:12:41 PM vindhyadesai

Dreaming of eating hot samosas on a rainy evening or a cold winter? Want to bite into one but worried about the calories. Then this is the recipe for you, of course it is not completely devoid of calories as it does have potatoes as the main ingredient for the filling and also a bit of butter smeared over the samosas. But that is hardly anything compared to the calories one gets from deep fried ones. Moreover the outer covering is made  entirely from  whole wheat (atta) which makes it that much more healthy and guilt free. Ditch those office samosa parties and make them at home.  Follow stepwise to see how to fold into samosas. I am not an expert in making perfect samosas, I have tried to illustrate easy ways of folding the samosas. Doing it a few times will give you confidence. These can even be deep fried in hot oil on medium temperature till golden and crisp.
Enjoy these hot samosas with homemade green and sweet chutneys. I had made these when I had made Amrkhand at the end of last winter. The turn to post these yummy samosas has only turned up now! Dear readers, click on the links for more baked goods and more potato recipes. Try more snacks like baked nippattu. ... “Baked Aloo Samosa | How to make baked aloo samosa? | Baked Samosa”

Beetroot and Potato Peel Crisps

Crispy, salty, beetroot and potato peels roasted chips
9/13/2016 10:56:18 PM vindhyadesai

Any part of a vegetable that is edible should be consumed in its organic form. Discarding good quality ingredients like stalks, peels, clean shoots or roots is probably a sin against Mother Nature and farmers. Consuming vegetables, fruits and greens in their purest organic form is the best way of eating them. Try to convert simple ingredients into nice, tasty and fancy eatables like the one here with beetroot and potato peels. Use organic ones and rinse them beforehand. These crisps will disappear in a jiffy and they are ready in a few minutes. Try other potato and beetroot recipes so you get to make these crisps by saving the peels! These are also a healthy alternative to deep fried, oversalted chips. ... “Beetroot and Potato Peel Crisps”

Avalakki Chivda | Poha Chivda | How to make chivda?

Crisp spicy tea-time snack, avalakki/poha chivda
08/26/2016 9:30:34 PM vindhyadesai

Want to have something at home to munch on without worrying about calories, then chivda is your snack. Yes, it is not completely guilt-free but it is better than deep fried or sweet snacks on a daily basis. Come tea-time we all feel like eating something with our favourite beverage, chivda sounds definitely mouth-watering. This is a very famous snack from North Karnataka and Maharashtra. Nowadays, it is famous all over. Different things can be added to chivda like mixture, sev, ghatte, broken onion pakoda, roasted dry nuts etc. But the base for making avalakki/poha chivda is the same. Use medium poha/rice flakes for making chivda it gives a nice crispiness and crunch. Enjoy with your favourite cup of tea/coffee or serve with yogurt/curd (super combo!) or madike usli/matki usal (again a super combo!). It is also a preferred snack during fasting or when guests pop-over, all in all it is a versatile snack. ... “Avalakki Chivda | Poha Chivda | How to make chivda?”

Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins

Packed with a punch of jalapenos, with cheese, corn and spinach – Mexican style muffins
08/17/2016 9:53:27 PM vindhyadesai

I have a soft spot for anything savoury 🙂 Whenever I get an opportunity, I try to make savoury things to nibble on. This is Dish 4 of the World Cuisine Series and it is from Mexico. One of my favourite cuisines to prepare and of course to eat (gobble ’em all up). These are muffins with Mexican flavours, corn, jalapenos, cheese, what is not to like about them. Whenever I bake anything I try to make them all with whole wheat. Along with whole wheat flour, I have also used yellow cornmeal which is maize flour, easily available in stores/supermarkets. It gives a nice texture to the muffins, you also get to incorporate another grain and cornmeal is widely used in Mexican cuisine! The most important thing about muffins is not to overmix the batter/mixture which will make them chewy and hard. Mix and make muffins, enjoy them as a snack or for a quick nibble with a glass of milk in the morning. Also try other Mexican recipes! ... “Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins”

Roasted Mung Dal | Huride Hesrubele | Roasted Moong Dal

Bakery style crisp roasted mung dal
08/06/2016 10:52:47 PM vindhyadesai

Hurigaalu (roasted pulses and seeds) like peas, mung dal(hesaru bele), chana dal(kadale bele), chick peas, mung beans, avre kaalu(hyacinth beans) etc. are signature snacks of a typical Bangalore-Mysore (South Karnataka) bakery or condiment store. A special mention must go to ‘Subbamma Stores’ an old and famous condiment store in Bangalore, they make the most amazing crisp and traditional snacks (kurukulu tindi). Their hurigaalu is one of the best one can get. I have always wanted to make hurigaalu at home and mung dal particularly is my favourite as they are small, crisp and the masala coats really well. There are 3 cooking techniques involved in making this, soaking, blanching, roasting. Follow the times correctly for each process. ... “Roasted Mung Dal | Huride Hesrubele | Roasted Moong Dal”

Dil Pasand | Tutti Frutti Stuffed Bread

Childhood favourite, colourful, fruity, dil pasand, tutti-frutti stuffed bread
07/31/2016 1:43:40 PM vindhyadesai

The most sought-after, after school treat of the 90’s. Dil Pasand along with Dil Kush were the two types of special stuffed breads available in bakeries. Old style Iyengar bakeries still do sell them. I love the tutti frutti pieces along with the coconut filling inside the bread. The outer cover is a soft and layered sweet milk bread. It tastes so good when eaten warm directly out of the oven. It truly is one of my ‘dil pasand’ (liked) snacks. There are quite a few steps to make this, plan your recipe well, I have given some pointers to make, baking dil pasand a joy! ... “Dil Pasand | Tutti Frutti Stuffed Bread”

Avocado Lettuce Tomato Sandwich | ALT

Crunchy avocado lettuce tomato sandwich
07/08/2016 8.11:11 AM vindhyadesai

A vegetarian version of the famous BLT, ALT is a very popular sandwich amongst vegetarians. It is crunchy yet soft and if you are looking for a low calorie, healthy sandwich then try this version of ALT. ... “Avocado Lettuce Tomato Sandwich | ALT”

Dahi Papdi Chaat

Chatpata and crisp dahi papdi chaat with cooling yogurt
06/25/2016 3:56:44 PM vindhyadesai

Imagine a rainy evening with a plate of your favourite chaat. Dahi papdi chaat is one of my favourite chaats because of the cool yogurt. Crisp papdis arranged on a plate and adorned with chopped onions, tomatoes, sweet and green chutneys, little spoonfuls of sweet yogurt and some thin sev to finish on top. Sounds mouth-watering? Here’s the recipe, adjust according to taste. I have used homemade whole wheat baked papdis. ... “Dahi Papdi Chaat”