My mother loves making different snacks for us…has always loved doing that. She had a perfect snack for a rainy evening when we dropped by unannounced (don’t ask me how she is prepared always!). Delicious as usual, so a must share.
Ingredients
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup finely sliced cabbage
2 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight or soaked in warm water for 2-3 hours.
2-3 green chillies
1/4 cup gram flour/besan
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
1. Add the carrot and cabbage to a bowl, add salt and rest for ten minutes. Squeeze and add to a mixing bowl.
2. Grind the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely. Add to the carrot mix.
3. Add the mashed potato, coriander, gram flour and salt. Mix well. Shape into little round logs.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and deep fry the cutlets until well browned. Remove with a slotted spoon onto an absorbent paper.
Serve with tomato sauce or a mint chutney.
Notes
1. Adding salt will enable vegetables to release water. Hence shape and make the cutlets immediately. If you need to deep fry them later, add salt to the mix just before you are ready to fry them.
2. Green peas can also be added. Coarsely grind along with the chickpeas. Refresh the peas in warm water before use (about 15-20 minutes).
A popular dish in Indore, the bhutte ka khees is perfect for anytime! It’s easy to make and nutritious. This recipe was shared by my sister, Savitha Suri, who spent (and I totally envy!) some lovely time in Indore’s Sarafa Bazaar enjoying the wide array of street food.
Ingredients
2 cups raw corn kernels
1 cup milk
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch hing/asafoetida
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt
For garnish: a squeeze of lime, finely chopped coriander leaves and grated fresh coconut
Instructions
1. Grind corn kernels coarsely.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add hing, cumin and curry leaves. Then add the green chillies and ginger. Saute.
3. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Saute.
4. Add ground corn and the milk. Mix well and add salt to taste.
5. Cover and cook, stirring intermittently, until the mix thickens and is slightly dry.
My mother in law made these delicious tikkis on one of our lunches. She always likes to add a special dish or two when we go over to visit. This recipe is simple and so good I had to share.
Ingredients
3 potatoes
5 bread slices
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot or cabbage or both
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp amchur
4-5 tbsp oil (or as needed)
Instructions
1. Cut the potatoes into 4 cubes each and pressure cook with enough water to cover them. One whistle on medium heat is sufficient. Once pressure releases, cool the potatoes and remove the peel. Mash. Keep aside.
2. Soak the bread slices in water. Squeeze out the water and mash. Add the mashed potatoes and rest of the ingredients (except oil). Mix well.
3. Make small balls with the mixture and flatten into tikkis.
These can be deep fried or shallow fried on a tawa.
4. To deep fry, heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and gently slide the tikkis into it. Flip over when one side has turned golden and remove once the other side has also turned golden. Drain on absorbent paper.
5. To shallow fry, place a tawa on medium heat and place tikkis on it. Pour a tbsp oil around them. When both sides have browned, remove onto absorbent paper. You can fry the tikkis in batches depending on the size of the tawa.
Serve hot with mint & coriander chutney or tomato ketchup or curd. You could also add a tsp of hung curd on each tikki and top with sev for a delicious appetizer.
Chaigodilu are ring shaped snacks made with rice flour and a little moong dal. Soft, yet with a bit of a crunch, these make delicious snacks.
Instructions
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 tbsp moong dal
Salt, to taste
1 tsp ghee
Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
1. Add moong dal to water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to a boil. Once the dal is boiled (the dal should break between your fingers, but not be mashed. It should be firm), add salt. Switch off heat.
2. Then add the rice flour and a tsp of ghee. Mix well. Cover and let it rest until cool.
3. Grease your palms with a little oil before making the chaigodilu.
To make the chaigodilu:
4. Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a rod shape (you can make this on a wooden or marble base that one uses to roll chapattis/phulkas).
5. A 3 inch length can be shaped into rounds. Just bring the ends together and press them together gently. Transfer onto a plate or plastic sheet. Similarly shape the remaining.
6. Deep fry in hot oil on a medium flame until done. They can be removed once they become a light golden. Store in an air tight container. Will keep fresh for a few weeks without a problem.
Notes
1. Ensure no excess water is added. It will cause the chaigodilu to burst upon deep frying.
Variation
1. You can add cumin seeds instead of moong dal. These can be added to the water once it has boiled and then rice flour can be added.
2. You can also a coarsely ground paste of green chillies along with the cumin. It can be
My mother makes these dream nippatlu, crisp yet buttery soft! I realized much later that she adapted a bit each from Andhra (where we are from), Karnataka (where we are settled now) and Tamil Nadu (where she spent a few years) and made it her own.
In Andhra, they are called Chekkalu and a little ghee is added; no butter is used. The objective is to keep them a little hard for the children. Rice flour was safe for the children and the hard snacks were good for their teeth. Chekkalu include soaked chana dal or moong dal added in full, coarsely crushed green chillies and curry leaves.
Ingredients
500g rice flour
1 tbsp raw groundnuts
1 tbsp cashewnuts, chopped
12-15 curry leaves, chopped
1 tbsp roasted chana dal
1 tbsp dry coconut, grated
~50g butter (the size of a small orange)
2 tbsp red chilli powder
Salt
1 tbsp oil + oil for deep frying
Instructions
1. Gently crush the groundnuts. The skin will separate and you can just blow it off.
2. Grind the roasted chana dal and dry coconut to a powder.
3. Combine all ingredients together (except oil). Heat a tbsp of the oil and pour the warm oil on this mixture. Mix.
4. Add water to make a soft (not sticky) dough.
5. Heat the oil for deep frying. Make lemon sized balls of the dough. On a greased plastic sheet, flatten the ball to a small circular disc using your fingers. Deep fry in the hot oil flipping sides when one side has turned golden.
6. Drain onto an absorbent paper. Once cool, store in an air tight container. Will stay for upto 4 weeks.
A dear friend made Handvo recently at our home and it was just perfect! Rice, lentils and vegetable come together to create a dish that can be a part of any meal or simply served as a snack with tea or as appetizers at your next party! It’s simple enough to make, absolutely delicious and healthy. Do you need more reason to try it out?
Our friend shared her family recipe for the Handvo and I just had to spread the goodness:)
How to make handvo
Ingredients to soak and grind for batter:
250g raw short grain rice (we use sona masoori)
3 tbsp moong dal
1 tbsp toor dal
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp chana dal
1/2 cup curd
Water, for soaking
Ingredients for paste:
1 inch ginger
4 medium sized garlic cloves
1-2 green chillies
1 tbsp water for grinding (optional)
Ingredients for masala
1 cup tightly packed grated bottle gourd
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/4 tsp baking soda
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
Ingredients for tempering:
3-4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
A pinch Hing/asafoetida
2 dry red chillies, broken
1 tsp chopped curry leaves
Instructions for the batter
1. Wash the rice and dals well. Soak in enough water to cover for atleast 4-5 hours.
2. Drain all the water and add the rice & dals in a grinder jar. Grind until you get a rava like (coarse) consistency in the rice. You can grind the batter in batches, if preferred. Do not add any water while grinding.
3. Transfer the batter to a bowl, add 1/2 cup curd and mix well. Cover and let it rest to ferment for 8-9 hours or overnight. In hot weather, fermentation will take less time. One time, I placed the batter in the sun for about 4 hours and it was well fermented. The batter will have tiny bubbles and a slightly sour aroma after fermentation.
Instructions for the paste:
1. The ingredients for the paste need to be ground well. You can also use a grinder or mortar & pestle (which is my preference) for this. Add a tbsp of water if required during grinding. Add this to the fermented batter.
Instructions for the masala:
1. Add all ingredients listed under masala to the batter. Mix well.
Instructions for tempering and baking Handvo:
1. Transfer the batter with the paste and masala to a greased baking tray. You can also line the tray with parchment paper.
2. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree C
3. Prepare tempering: heat the oil in a small pan and add the ingredients for the tempering in the order listed. Pour this over the batter evenly.
4. Bake the Handvo for about 45 minutes or until a knife comes clean. Once done, remove from oven, let it cool. Flip to transfer to a serving tray and then cut it into pieces (size as desired).
Note: I have also made this with grated carrot instead of bottle gourd and it works well. Do increase the amount of curd used if using carrots by 1/4 cup.
You can also make this on the stove top in a pan. Add some oil in the pan and let it spread all over. Pour two ladles of the batter in the pan (to about 2 inches thick), and shake the pan gently so the batter sits well. Pour tempering over the batter. Cover and cook on low flame. Once you see the sides turning golden, flip over and cook the second side until golden; no cover required. This is very similar to how we make the minaparotta in Andhra (minus the tempering).
When there is yam grown at home, it creeps into multiple dishes. Yam vadas or fritters were generally eaten along with rice just like a curry and the recipe comes from the Guntur district. However, they also make for a great snack using ingredients that are readily available in the kitchen. And who doesn’t want some hot deep fried goodness especially in the winters!
This recipe was shared with me by Sridevi, a family member and friend. She was kind enough to come over home and make some delicious vadalu for us while she shared the recipe.
Onions add a lovely crunch, however are an optional ingredient. Sridevi has fond memories of her mother making these (onion free) vadalu for them and she continues the tradition with her daughter. And that’s how more memories are being created:)
How to make Kanda vadas:
Ingredients
350g yam
2-3 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch hing/asafoetida
8-10 curry leaves, torn
1 tbsp finely chopped onion (optional)
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
1. Peel the yam. Wash and then grate it.
2. Add all the other ingredients except oil. Mix well.
3. Heat oil in a kadai or deep bottomed pan. Flatten into small vadas and then deep fry in hot oil until they turn a golden brown. Remove onto an absorbent paper and then serve with chutney of choice.
Note
1. Some people get an itch upon handling the vegetable. You can apply some coconut oil to relieve the itch.
Bread bajji – deep fried goodness when you have a lot of bread at home and makes for a lovely evening snack. And fret not if there is no bread…the batter can also be dropped in oil to make yummy bondas.
Ingredients
1 cup maida
1 cup rice flour
1 tbsp Bombai rava
1 cup sour curd
1/3rd cup paste of coriander leaves, ginger & green chillies
A pinch cooking soda
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp omum/ajwain
Salt, to taste
Bread slices
Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
1. Mix maida, rice flour, rava, cooking soda in curd and keep aside for half hour.
2. Add the paste, salt, omum, cumin and mix well.
3. Cut each bread slice into 4 equal squares. Dip each slice in the batter to coat well. Deep fry in hot oil.
4. Flip over a couple of times during frying to ensure both side turn a golden brown.
5. Remove onto an absorbent paper and then serve with tomato sauce/mint chutney/ginger chutney.
My mother used to come up with different snacks for our school short (tiffin/snack) break….from carrot barfi to mini sandwiches to mini samosas and spring rolls. After all ‘how can one give biscuits?’. Of course, we enjoyed the treats thoroughly as did our friends.
Here is the recipe for the spring rolls she makes. It’s been rainy evenings for us and a hot snack like this is just what is needed:)
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
1 cup cabbage, finely chopped
1 cup fresh green peas, boiled
1 cup carrot, grated
1 cup potato, grated
1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
4-5 green chillies, finely chopped
8-10 cashewnuts, broken
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt, to taste
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
For the dough:
3 cups maida (all purpose flour)
1 tbsp butter
Salt, to taste
1tbsp warm oil
Water, to make dough
To make spring rolls:
Oil, to deep fry
Instructions
To make the dough:
1. Mix maida, salt and butter together. When combined, add warm oil and mix. Then slowly add water and knead to a soft dough. Keep aside, covered with a muslin cloth.
To make the stuffing:
1. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add cumin seeds and urad dal.
2. Add green chillies. Then add the vegetables, salt and turmeric. Mix and cook until tender. Set aside.
To make spring rolls:
1. Take a small portion of dough, form into a ball and then roll it out to the size of approx. 6 inches by 6 inches (slightly bigger than a puri).
2. Add 1-2 spoons of the stuffing in the middle. Fold one end over the stuffing and then the other end. Seal edges by pressing down gently. Cut the sides if there is excess length.
3. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry the prepared spring rolls. Once desired temperature is reached, add the spring rolls and fry until golden. Flip over a couple of times until both sides have turned golden.
4. Remove onto an absorbent paper and then transfer to a serving plate.
Serve with choice of sauce or chutney. The ginger chutney (recipe on the blog) also works very well.
I love potatoes…in any form! And of course, I always grow them in my garden. How not to!
This was quite an accidental snack…started out thinking I would make some coriander chutney as there was so much coriander in the garden. And then I felt like eating aloo bonda…and wanted to finish the little corn I had.
So well, put it all together and my evening snack craving was sorted.
Ingredients
2 medium sized potatoes
1 cup sweet corn kernels
1/2 tsp amchur
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Oil for deep frying
For the coriander chutney
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 green chillies
2-3 dry red chillies
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp hing
Small lime sized tamarind
3 tsp oil
Salt, to taste
For the batter
1 cup gram flour
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt, to taste
Water to make a thick batter
Instructions
To make the coriander chutney:
1. Heat 2 tsp oil; add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add urad dal, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, hing and green chillies. When fried, take off heat and add the tamarind. Let it rest and cool.
2. In the same pan, add another tsp oil and add the coriander leaves. Saute gently for about a minute and take off heat. This is optional; coriander can also be added fresh to retain the green colour
3. Grind the tempering when cool. Then add the coriander and salt and give it another whip to make the chutney.
To make the bondas:
1. Boil potatoes; peel & mash when cool.
2. Boil the sweet corn kernels and then crush coarsely using a grinder.
3. Add the boiled sweet corn, turmeric, amchur and dry ginger to the potato. Mix.
4. Add the coriander chutney (as much as required based on taste preference) and mix well. Leftover chutney can easily be used in any vegetable fries or as a masala for a pulao.
5. Make a batter with gram flour, water, salt & red chilli powder.
6. Make small balls of the potato mixture, dip in the batter and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove onto absorbent paper and then transfer to a serving platter.
This can be served as is or with a chutney of choice. A ginger chutney pairs well with these bondas as also a steaming cup of hot filter coffee:)
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