We all look forward to the time of the day where we can take that much-needed break while munching on our favourite snacks. All of us look to make our munching easy and delectable. Picking and choosing the right ingredients and preparing homemade foods can also reduce the chance of hygiene and other health-related problems that may arise during the season.
Here are 5 fun and easy-to-make recipes to light up your monsoon.
Cornitos Veggie Nacho Salad
It is delicious and can be made quickly without any hassle at home. Take a look below and see how it is made:
Ingredients
A bag of Cornitos Sizzlin Jalapeno flavour Nachos Crisps – 150 gms
Diced fresh cucumber – 50 gms
Dices tomatoes – 50 gms
Chopped lettuce – 50 gms
Green and black sliced olives – 50 gms
Shredded cheese – 50 gms
Lime juice – 2 tablespoons
Salt – to taste
Method
Mix all the diced veggies in a bowl. Add salt and lime juice. Now, arrange the Cornitos Sizzlin Jalapeno Nachos Crisps on a platter. Top the nachos with diced veggies. Garnish with shredded cheese and serve.
Crunchy Corn and Chili Fritters
Ingredients
For corn and chilli pakoda:
Corn kernals – Makai ke dane – 200 gms
Roasted gram flour – 150 gms
Rice flour – 25 gms
Chili powder – 3 gms
Green chillies – 10 gms
Ginger chop – 5 gms
Spring onion – 5 gms
Garam masala powder – 2 gms
Refined oil (to fry) – 100 ml
Laccha onion – 50 gms
For hari chutney:
Mint leaves – 25 gms
Coriander leaves – 75 gms
Green chillies – 5 gms
Ginger – 2 gms
Roasted jeera powder – 2 gms
Chaat masala – 2 gms
Black salt – to taste
Method
Boil the corn in salted water, drain and let it dry. Grind all the ingredients of mint chutney together to make a smooth paste and finish with roasted cumin powder and garam masala powder. Make a thick batter of gram flour, rice flour, green chilli chop, ginger chop, ajwain, chilli powder, haldi powder, coriander leaves and salt with the help of water. Mix corn in the batter and drop a spoon of mixture into medium hot oil one by one. Let it come over the oil without stirring and take it out of the oil once it is half done. Just before serving, press fritters with the palm one by one to flatten and fry it in hot oil till it turns light golden brown and crisp. Serve very hot with laccha onion and hari chutney.
(Recipe courtesy: Chef Aashish Jha, Jaypee Palace, Agra)
Tapioca Pearl Fenugreek Poppers
Ingredients
Tapioca pearls soaked for 1.5 hours – 1 cup
Medium sized potato boiled and mashed – 1
Fresh fenugreek leaves very finely chopped – 1 cup
Desiccated coconut flakes – 1/4 cup
Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Oil – for deep frying
Method
Drain the soaked tapioca pearls and put them in a bowl. Add rest of the ingredients to the bowl and give it a mix. Then, form tiny round shaped nuggets, if you find it difficult to form the nuggets, add a little bit of purpose flour or bread crumbs. Heat oil in a deep heavy bottom saucepan. Drop the poppers in the hot oil carefully and fry it in medium heat until they’re golden brown. While doing this, make sure that you don’t overcrowd the pan as you fry these poppers. Serve it hot with a dipping of your choice.
Note:
Depending on the size of the tapioca pearls, you might have to soak it for a longer or shorter duration. Once the pearls get fluffed up, you can start making the poppers. As you deep fry the poppers, avoid tuning them immediately as they are quite delicate and can break apart. Let it cook on medium heat for about a minute before you roll it over to the other side.
(Recipe courtesy: Chef Vijesh Modi, Sr. Sous Chef, The Deltin, Daman)
Baked Samosa
Ingredients
Samosa patti (made with flour) – 6 each
Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
Saunf powder – 1 teaspoon
Chopped onions – 1 tablespoon
Chopped spinach – 1/2 cup
Grated carrot – 2 tablespoons
Shredded cabbage – 2 tablespoons
Ginger garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Green peas – 2 tablespoons
Tomato ketchup – 1 tablespoon
Chopped spring onion – 1 tablespoon
Grated cheese – 2 tablespoons (10 gms)
Salt – to taste
Corn flour and water mixture – thick paste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and once it starts to crackle, add the veggies and saute it for a few minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, tomato ketchup, green peas and the powdered spices. Season it with salt. Cool the mixture down and add the grated cheese to it. Brush the samosa patti with corn flour and water mixture, spoon the filling and fold it into a triangular shape of a samosa. Bake the samosas in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy!
(Recipe courtesy – Chef Balendra Singh, Founder, Institute of Bakery and Pastry Arts)
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Sweet or bittersweet chococate – 4 oz. (about 1 cup)
Eggs – 4
Flour – 2 cups
Baking Soda (Hydrogen Carbonate) – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 1/4 teaspoon
Butter – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 cups
Vanilla – 1 teaspoon
Buttermilk – 1 cup
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°C. Gently grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans line bottom with butter paper. Microwave chocolate baking bars and a half cup of water in a large microwave-safe bowl at high for 1-1.5 minutes or till the chocolate is melted and smooth. Combine flour and the next 2 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until light and soft for about 3-3.5 minutes. Add yolks, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Then, add melted chocolate mixture and vanilla, beat on low speed until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until blended. Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form, gently fold into batter. Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350°C for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven, and run a knife around the outer edge of cake layers to loosen from sides of pans. Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Remove from the pans to wire racks, discard parchment paper. Spread Coconut-Pecan Frosting between layers and on top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chocolate-dipped toasted pecan halves and serve.
(Recipe courtesy – Chef Balendra Singh, Founder, Institute of Bakery and Pastry Arts)