|
Neeta's
Monday
Munchies
for Diwali!  |
| Diwali
is perhaps the most well-known of the Indian festivals: it is
celebrated throughout India, as well as in Indian communities
throughout the world. It is also known as the "festival of lights", for
the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and
place them around the home, in courtyards, verandahs, and gardens, as
well as on roof-tops and outer walls. The celebration of the festival
is invariably accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion
of fireworks. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many
different things to people across the country. Everywhere, it signifies
the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes
on the day of the festival; similarly, it heralds the approach of
winter and the beginning of the sowing season. This year Diwali is
November 1st I am sharing some sweet and savory recipes that make good
Diwali snacks. These will make good snacks for henna parties too. Kaju Katli: Ingredients: Cashewnuts 100 gms.
Method:Powered sugar 80 gms. Corn flour 1 tsp Rose essence 1/3 tsp. 1. Soak cashew nuts in water, for
1-2 hours.
2. Drain and grind them to a fine paste, using as little water as possible. 3. Mix together the sugar and cashew paste. Cook in a thick bottom wok on a medium flame. 4. When the mixture thickens, reduce the flame and keep stirring. 5. When the mixture becomes thick and comes away from the sides of the pan (it should take 8 minutes) sprinkle corn flour, stir well, and remove from the fire. 6. Immediately, mix in the rose essence and quickly turn onto a greased marble or wooden surface. 7. Quickly, roll thinly with a greased roller and cut into diamond shaped katlis. Coconut Laddoo Ingredients:
· 1 can
condensed milk
· 2 cups of desiccated coconut · 1 tablespoon sugar · Ground cardamom powder (optional) Method:
Mix the condensed milk and the
coconut in a bowl.
Add the sugar and stir on a low flame for about 4 minutes. Add the cardamom powder to give it flavor. Set aside till the mixture has slightly cooled down. Shape into laddoos (small round balls). Roll each laddoo in a little desiccated coconut. Store in airtight jars. Vegetable Pakora-Vegetable Fritters Pakora
in India is a common word for deep fried fritters or tempuras. This is
a great tea-time snack. Use any vegetable of your choice like spinach
leaves, spring onions, green, red or yellow pepper etc.
Ingredients: 1 cup gram flour (besan)
¼ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. chili powder Salt to taste 1 tsp. grated ginger 3 green chilies, chopped 1 cup water (approximately) 1 onion cut into circles 1 potato cut into circles 1/3 cup cauliflower sprigs 1/3 cup 2 inch long strips of egg plant Oil to deep fry Fresh coriander leaves to garnish Method: Sift gram flour and baking powder
in bowl. Add all the dry spices (masalas), ginger, green chili and mix
well. Add enough water (to form a batter similar to pancakes) and make
sure all of the lumps are gone. Add the chopped vegetables and stir
well.
Heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, take a teaspoon and pick one vegetable piece covered with the batter and put in the hot oil slowly. Put 7 to 8 pieces in at a time and deep-fry the fritters on low flame till light brown. Similarly make all the pakoras. Garnish them with fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with coriander chutney and tomato ketchup. Corn Cutlets Ingredients: Corn kernels- 200gms
Ginger paste- 1 tsp Red Chilly Powder- 1 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Flour- 2 tbsp Bread Crumbs- 2 tbsp Onion- 1 Green Chilli- 2 Coriander Leaves. Salt- as per taste Method Grind the corn kernels (you could
use canned corn or frozen corn). While grinding, add ginger and
turmeric powder in it. Now take oil in a pan and fry cut onions and
green chillies for a while.
Add to it grinded corn and cover it and cook for a while. Keep stirring it . Now add chilli powder, coriander leaves and salt. Allow it to get warm. Take flour in a bowl, add water and salt to it and make a batter like for pakoras (pancake batter). Take one medium size ball from corn mix and give it a desired shape, say oval or round. Now dip this cutlet in the flour batter and then roll it in bread crumbs. Fry this cutlet in the oil on medium flame till golden brown. You can even roast these cutlets by greasing a pan with oil and hence roast it from both the sides till golden brown. Serve with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup. Coriander Chutney This spicy chutney is a perfect dip for any snack. It is also served as a condiment to the main course. Omit the green chilies to make it milder. Ingredients: 2 cups fresh coriander, cleaned
and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried coconut (fresh would taste awesome) 1 small clove garlic 2 green chilies Salt, to taste 1 tsp. lemon juice Method: • Grind everything together to a
smooth paste in a blender, adding water if necessary. Adjust the
seasonings.
• Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to be served. |
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