#Diwali Special

#Diwali Special

Diwali Snack Recipes that will light up your Diwali Party…

1. Soya Hara Bhara Kebab

Easy to make soya hara bhara kebab are a healthy twist to restaurant style hara bhara kebabs. These are perfect if you are looking for vegetarian kebabs to serve your guests!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Soya Granules
• 1 Green Chilli chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 1 cup Green Peas
• 2 cups Spinach chopped
• 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
• 2 tablespoons Chickpea Flour or Besan
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3 tablespoons Oil divided

Method

1. Soak the soya granules in hot water and set aside.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute till fragrant and add green peas and salt. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes till the peas are cooked.
3. Add spinach and raw mango powder (amchoor) and saute for 2-3 minutes till the spinach wilts completely. Set aside to cool.
4. In another pan, dry roast the chickpea flour (besan) till a nutty aroma comes out and the flour is a light brown. Be careful not to burn the flour.
5. Strain the soya granules, squeeze out the water completely and add them to a mixer grinder, along with the green peas and spinach mixture. Pulse a few times till the mixture is mixed through but still coarse. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the roasted chickpea flour (besan). Form the mixture into tikkis or flat circles (like in the picture) and set aside.
6. Heat the remaining oil in a non stick pan, and add 4-5 tikkis or as many that fit into the pan without crowding. Cook them on either side for 5-8 minutes till golden brown. Repeat with the remaining tikkis. Serve hot with mint coriander chutney and ketchup.

Notes

1. It's important to squeeze out water completely from the soya granules or the kebabs will become soggy
2. Chaat Masala can be substituted with amchoor or raw mango powder
3. If you don't have access to fresh green peas, frozen green peas work just as well in this recipe
4. These kebabs can be formed and refrigerated for up to 6 hours till you are ready to cook them

2. Tandoori Paneer Tikka In The Oven

This is the best Tandoori Paneer Tikka in the oven you’ll ever make at home! Same restaurant style taste, but roasted in a home oven.

Equipment

• Oven

Ingredients

FOR THE PANEER TIKKA

• 2 cups Paneer cut into 1 inch cubes (Cottage Cheese)
• 1 Onion cut into 1 inch cubes (medium sized)
• 1 Capsicum deseeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Tomato deseeded and cut into cubes (optional)
• Chopped Coriander or Cilantro Lime juice for topping

FOR THE MARINADE

• 3 tablespoons Mustard Oil
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 1/2 cup Thick Curds or Greek Yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder or Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
• 1 teaspoon * Chaat Masala Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder.
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi crushed
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients under marinade into a bowl and add paneer to it. Toss the paneer in the marinade till the cubes are coated well. Cover and set aside for at least half an hour or up to two hours.
2. Pre-heat oven to 220 C/ 430 F 10 minutes before ready to cook. Place a cooling rack over a roasting pan and set aside.
3. Skewer paneer cubes alternating with onions, capsicum and tomato (if using). This should make about 3-4 skewers.
4. Place the skewers on the cooling rack and bake for 15 minutes, turning once half way. After 15 minutes, switch on the broiler (or only the upper element of the oven) and broil for 2-3 minutes till the paneer has a slight char on the surface.
5. Carefully remove the roasting pan with the skewers out of the oven (the paneer tends to become really soft so be careful) and place the skewers on your serving platter. Top with chopped coriander and squeeze lime juice on them. Serve immediately with sliced onions.

Notes

1. Make sure the paneer you are using is firm and not crumbly
2. If substituting paprika with Kashmiri Chilli Powder, the colour may be slightly different but the flavour should be the same
3. If the curds you are using are not thick enough, hang them in a muslin cloth for half an hour or so to remove whey and then use

3. Crunchy Roasted Indian Masala Chickpeas

If you’re a serial evening snacker and really need something to nibble on when the clock ticks 5 in the evening, here’s a healthy recipe you can try out! These Crunchy Roasted Indian Masala Chickpeas are prepared in olive oil and are a sure shot way of getting those chanas right. They burst with Indian flavors!

Equipment

• Oven

Ingredients

• 4 cups Chickpeas cooked (See Note 1)
• 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons Paprika or Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Cumin or Jeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder optional
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Drain water completely from the chickpeas and dry them using a kitchen towel. I like to place them in a single layer between two kitchen towels to get rid of as much water as possible and then leave them outside for half an hour or so.
2. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees or 400 degree Fahrenheit.
3. Lay them on a roasting tray in a single layer and drizzle with 2 tablespoons Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt. Mix well.
4. Let them roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes and keep stirring them every fifteen minutes or so. Reduce the oven temperature to 175 degrees at the 30 minute mark.
5. After 35-40 minutes, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with all the other spices and remaining olive oil. Toss well and put the tray back in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer will burn the spices so be careful at this stage.
6. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. The chickpeas stay crisp and crunchy for up to a week.

Notes

1. If using canned chickpeas, drain completely.
2. Feel free to use your own spice blend. I love using honey and mustard oil for a honey mustard blend too.
3. The nutritional information below is for 6 servings.

4. Garlicky Yogurt Party Dip

This garlicky yogurt party dip is the kinds that won’t make you feel guilty if you binge on it, A light, refreshing and super addictive dip that goes well with veggies, chips, wings, cutlets, fries and other finger food. Low calorie and healthy too.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Yogurt or thick Curds
• 4 cloves Garlic , minced
• ½ cup Capsicum , finely chopped
• ½ cup Onion , finely chopped
• ½ cup Spring Onions , finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Chili Flakes and Extra Virgin Olive Oil for garnishing

Method

1. Spoon yogurt into a sieve (don't worry it won't drip through) and place the sieve on top of a vessel for an hour in the refrigerator. All the whey will drip down in the vessel, leaving thick curds.
2. Whisk in the garlic, add capsicum, onions, spring onions, salt and mix.
3. Leave this in the refrigerator for half an hour or more. Sprinkle with chili flakes, and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
4. Add an assortment of carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, breads and chips to the plate alongside the dip.

5. No brainer Loaded Nachos Platter

This No Brainer Loaded Nachos platter screams out the fact that its PARTY TIME! It is really easy to put together and tastes like heaven while raising the bar for party food really high. Its Cheesy, crunchy, loaded with toppings and all things good! Make it for a game day snack and binge on!

Ingredients

• 200 g Nachos or 1-1/2 packets
• 1 cup Sweet Corn cooked
• Coriander Chopped for garnish

Refried Beans

• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Kidney Beans cooked
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 cup Water
• Salt to taste

Tomato Salsa

• 2 Tomatoes finely chopped
• 1/2 Onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon Vinegar
• 1 Green Chili finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon Coriander chopped
• to taste Salt and Pepper

Cheese Sauce

• 2 cups Milk
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 3 Cloves Garlic minced
• 1 Green Chili minced
• 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese Grated

Method

1. Start by making refried beans. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan and add minced garlic to it. Once the garlic is nice and fragrant, add all the ingredients listed under refried beans to the pan. Bring it to a boil and then simmer and cook till all the water has evaporated.
2. Combine all the ingredients mentioned under Tomato Salsa and set aside while you cook the corn.
3. Heat a pan till smoking hot and add the corn. Stir around 3-4 minutes till the corn starts charring a bit. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool while you make the cheese sauce.
4. Heat butter in a pan and add the minced garlic and green chili. Cook on low flame for a minute and add a cup of milk. While the milk comes to a boil, whisk the flour in the remaining cup of milk till no lumps remain. Add this to the simmering milk in the pan and keep whisking continuously till there are no lumps and the mixture starts to thicken. Cook this mixture for a few minutes. Switch off the flame and add all the cheese. Stir till the cheese has melted completely.
5. To assemble the nachos, layer a large platter with half the nachos. Top the nachos with refried beans and tomato salsa. Add the remaining nachos on top of this. Scatter the corn on the nachos, and spoon the cheese sauce over this. Use some chopped coriander as topping and serve with a chilled glass of beer.

6. Cispy Honey Chilli Potatoes

Crispy Honey Chilli Potatoes are a super addictive snack – fried potato fingers are tossed in a sesame honey chilli sauce that’s sweet and spicy and will give you sticky fingers that you’ll be licking.

Ingredients

• 4-5 Potatoes peeled and cut into fingers (medium)
• Oil for deep frying

First Coating:

• 2 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Paste
• 3 tablespoon Corn Flour
• 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoon Salt

Second Coating:

• 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 3 tablespoon Corn Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2-3 tablespoon Water

For the Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 1 tablespoon Garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes
• 3 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Honey
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Paste
• 1/4 cup Water + 1 teaspoon Corn Flour mixed to make a slurry
• 2 tablespoon Spring Onion chopped (green part only)

Method

1. Wash potato fingers well in running water and set aside. This removes any extra starch in the potatoes.
2. Mix together corn flour, all purpose flour, chilli powder, chilli paste and salt. Coat the potato fingers evenly with this flour mix. Heat oil in a wok or karahi and deep fry the potato fingers in batches till the potato is half cooked. It’s important that you drop one potato finger at a time in to the oil so that they don’t stick together (watch video above to see how to do this). Remove the potato fingers on a tissue lined plate and let them cool.
3. For the second coating, make a medium thick batter with all purpose flour, corn flour and pepper powder by adding just a few tablespoons of water. Dip the half done fries in this batter and fry again in hot oil till crisp and golden. Drain on a kitchen paper and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another wok, add chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. Add chili flakes and sesame seeds and saute for another minute to toast them. Now add vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey and the red chili paste and stir together. Mix corn flour with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and add this to the honey- vinegar mixture in the wok and stir for a few seconds till it thickens.
5. Add the fried potato fingers and spring onion greens and toss together so that they are coated evenly in sauce. Switch off the flame and serve immediately garnished with some more sesame seeds and spring onion greens.

Image Source : Google

Happy Diwali 2020!!

So that’s all for today “stay tuned”

ENJOY😋😋

And Keep Following For More Such Cool Recipes!!

Image source Google

Thanks for Reading