By Ms. Preety Tyagi
Nutritionist and founder of MY22BMI
Amongst the most beautiful festivals celebrated across India, Diwali is all about the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and truth over bad. While laddoos and kheers are staples on the Diwali sweets table; the savoury, crunchy, oozing with masala plates of appetizers gets families in a festive mood automatically! So here are 3 finger-lickin good, traditional and healthy diwali snack recipes to get your Party menu lit up!. Happy Diwali….
1. Baked Onion Pakoras
You will never believe these onion pakoras are baked in the oven and not fried! Now you’ll never have to say no. Enjoy the crispiest baked onion pakoras guilt-free anytime you want.
Ingredients-
- Onions (large or sliced thinly)
- 1/2 cup Chickpea Flour ((Besan))
- 1/4 cup Rice Flour
- 2 tablespoons (Oil + Extra for brushing)
- 2 Green Chillies (, finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli (Powder)
- 1/2 cup+ 1 tablespoon Water
- Salt to taste
Method-
- Pre-heat oven to 200C. Line a baking sheet or greased parchment paper.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl till there are no lumps. The batter might be slightly runny which is okay. It should just about coat the onions.
- Take a tablespoonful of onion batter at a time, shaking off any dripping batter and place them on the sheet at equal distance.
- Bake in the oven for 18 minutes till cooked through and the top is golden brown.
- Serve immediately with coriander chutney. Storing these onion pakoras for later makes them soggy so eat immediately.
2. Beetroot, Goat cheese and Quinoa tikkis
A healthy snacking option, these Beet and Goat Cheese Quinoa Patties are a great way to use up veggies and make for a delicious addition to breakfast or a salad.
Ingredients-
- 1/2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 cup Quinoa cooked
- 1 Potato (peeled and boiled)
- 1 Beetroot (large, peeled and grated)
- 3/4 cup Spinach (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Oats (powdered)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (Paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic (Paste)
- 1/4 cup Goat’s Cheese
- Salt to taste
Method-
- Smash the potatoes in a bowl and add all the ingredients except Oil. Mix well till combined.
- Take 1/4 cup of the mixture and form into a round ball. Lightly flatten it with your palm to make a patty or cutlet. Do the same with the rest of the mixture, and line them on a baking sheet or plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, and slide in the patties one by one, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes, and then flip to cook the other side for the same amount of time. Towards the end, increase the flame and crisp them up on both sides.
3. Khandvi
Khandvi, a delicious Indian snack made with gram flour and yogurt, hence making it high in protein and low in carbs. There is no sugar involved, making it an excellent healthy snack option for people watching their diet. Excellent evening snack to keep your metabolism rocking.
Like any other dish, it’s best when cooked at home and from scratch. And the good news being, it’s not all that tricky either. Try out this hassle free recipe and find for yourself.
Let’s have a look at the recipe –
Ingredients-
- 1/4 cup Gram Flour/chickpea flour
- 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup water or 4 Tablespoons plain soy milk yogurt or other non dairy yogurt + 1/3 cup water
- a generous pinch of Asafoetida (hing){Optional but recommended}
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili/cayenne powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil.
For Tempering-
- 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tsp. curry leaves(Fresh or dried)
- 1 Tablespoon shredded coconut(optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander leaves finely chopped
Recipe-
- Mix all the batter ingredients, except oil to make a lump free batter. Blend it using a hand blender or a regular blender if needed.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a medium pan, Add the batter and cook on low heat.
- Stir continuously and evenly to avoid lumps. Cook till the mixture does not taste raw and thickens to slight gel like consistency. (4-6 minutes depending on the pan).
- Drop the mixture immediately on aluminium foil and spread as thin as possible with a spatula. I prefer to use a generously greased rolling pin. After it has completely cooled( 10 minutes), cut into 1.5 -2 inch wide strips.
- Oil your hands, lift one side carefully and Roll each strip into rolls. Place each roll on a serving plate.
Tempering-
- Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, and allow them to start popping.
- Pour over rolls. Garnish with shredded coconut, chopped corriander and lemon juice. Serve.