Grey skies, light drizzles and the earthy aroma of monsoons give us that much-needed escape from the sweltering heat. There's a misty veil over the city, and the moment calls for a hot cup of tea or filter coffee. But is the moment really complete without a steaming plate of tasty snacks?
Celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur shares a few recipes that fulfil your cravings without compromising on taste and won't set you back when it comes to your fitness goals.
Chatpata tandoori mushroom cheela
For all of us, cheela for breakfast is an all-time winner in any North Indian household. It is light, healthy and can be a quick-fix for time-pressed mornings. For this delicious chatpata tandoori mushroom, marinate the mushroom in ingredients like salt, ajwain, sooji, water and leave for 15-20 minutes and in another bowl prepare cheela batter with besan, sooji, ajwain, haldi, salt and water.
Make sure, the batter gets a dosa like consistency. Then, heat a kadhai or frying pan and add the marinated mushroom to it and toss on high flame to soak excess moisture. You can also use a microwave or oven to prepare the tandoori mushroom.
Now, place a tawa on medium flame and grease it with some oil. Pour some cheela batter at the centre of the tawa and spread it out. Cook till the edges turn golden brown in colour. Flip and cook the other side. Add more oil if needed. Add some mushroom filling on one half of the cheela and fold. You may add some cheese to the filling to make it tastier.
Ingredients:
. Besan- 1 cup
. Sooji- less than half cup
. Water- as much needed (to bind)
. Salt- as per taste
. Ajwain- half teaspoon
. Haldi- a pinch
. Saffola Gold Cooking Oil- For cooking the cheelas
Ingredients for Tandoori mushroom filling:
. Mushroom- 2 cup (each sliced into two halves)
. Onion- 2 (finely sliced)
. Capsicum- 1(finely sliced)
. Green chillies- 2 (chopped)
. Tandoori masala- 1 tablespoon
. Dahi- 3-4 tablespoon
. Fresh coriander leaves- 1-2 teaspoon (chopped)
. Salt- for taste
. Lemon juice- 1-2 teaspoon (optional)
Honey chilli makhana
Makhanas are rich in protein and hence make an amazing addition to fasting food. The health benefits of makhanas are attributed to its antioxidant and aphrodisiac properties since it improves physical strength, increases stamina, and helps to manage diabetes and other diseases.
Dry roast the makhana with a small portion of Saffola cooking oil in a pan for 5 minutes, tossing them regularly to make sure they don't burn. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven at 170 degrees C for 5-6 minutes. This will make the makhanas crunchy. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool at room temperature.
In the same pan, heat ghee and add jaggery. Keep stirring till all the jaggery melts and there are no lumps. Turn off the heat. Once the flame is off, immediately add chilli flakes and Saffola organic honey. They will cook in the residual heat. Pour this mixture over the makhanas and mix till they are evenly coated. You can have them any time as a snack!
Ingredients:
. 150 g plain makhana
. 25 g Saffola organic honey
. 40 g organic jaggery
. 10 g chilli flakes
. 5 g sea salt
. 1 tsp of Saffola Gold cooking oil
Aloo tikki chaat
A cup of hot tea or coffee paired with a healthy bowl of Aloo Tikki Chaat enjoyed in the comfort of your home during the monsoons is a 'me time' luxury like no other! First, boil and peel potatoes and mash them when warm, add corn flour, breadcrumbs (grind bread slices in a food processor) and lemon juice and mix well to make a stiff dough. For the stuffing, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a deep pan.
Add washed and soaked (for two hours) chana dal, peas and grated carrot, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cover the masala to cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes. Turn off flame and let the masala cool down at room temperature and make small balls out of potato dough.
Place the balls in between your palms and press to flatten them gently. Put one teaspoon of masala in the centre. Close the edges and give a round shape again and flatten it little with the help of your palms. Heat oil in a deep pan for frying. Shallow fry the tikkis at a medium temperature till golden brown in colour. Take them out on a kitchen towel to soak excess oil. Serve hot with a sprinkle of chat masala, beaten yogurt, pomegranate seeds, tamarind chutney and coriander chutney.
Ingredients:
. 2 large Potatoes
. 5 Bread slices
. 2 tbsp Corn flour
. 1 tbsp Lemon juice
. 1 cup Peas
. 2 cup Carrot
. 1 tbsp Chana dal
. Salt to taste
. 1 tbsp red chilli powder
. Saffola gold cooking Oil for shallow frying
. 2 tsp chaat masala
. 1 cup (thick and fresh) Yogurt
. 2 Onion
. 1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds
. 1 cup coriander chutney
. 1 cup Tamarind chutney
Oatmeal and Raisin pancakes
Perfect for those with a sweet-tooth who like to lead a healthy life, these Oatmeal and Rasin Pancakes will become your go-to monsoon meal. Start by preparing the pancake batter by whisking the eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and Saffola gold oil together.
Add the oatmeal, raisins, and buttermilk. Mix and set aside for the oatmeal to soften. In a separate bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Fold till the dry ingredients are just incorporated; do not over-mix. Now the next step is to cook the pancakes. Preheat your griddle or frying pan to medium-high and then lightly brush the oil onto the griddle.
Ladle the batter and let it cook for a few minutes, before flipping and let it cook through. Keep in mind these pancakes do take longer to cook than regular pancakes. Serve immediately with warm Saffola honey.
Ingredients:
. 2 large eggs
. 2 tbsp Saffola honey
. 2 tsp vanilla extract
. 1 .5 tbsp Saffola gold cooking oil
. 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats)
. 1/3 cup raisins
. 2 cups buttermilk (or plain yogurt)
. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
. 1/2 tsp baking soda
. 2 pinches freshly-grated nutmeg
. 1/2 tsp baking powder
. 2 pinches ground cinnamon
. 1/2 tsp sea salt
