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Kitchen Classics: Savouring Diwali

Mouth-watering snacks to light up the faces of family and friends

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SAMOSA CHAAT

Ingredients

• 4 store-bought samosas
• 1 cup thick curd
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp date chutney
• 4 tbsp mint chutney
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp dry roasted cumin powder
• 2 tbsp pomegranates
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sev to garnish

 Method
Arrange each samosa in a serving dish and use a fork to break it up from the middle.
Beat the curd and add salt to taste. Spread the curd, date chutney and mint chutney on each samosa.
Sprinkle chilli powder and cumin powder over it, and finely garnish with pomegranate, fresh coriander and sev.
Serve immediately.
 

FRUIT BHEL

Ingredients 

• 1 cup puffed rice
• ½ cup corn flakes
• 2 tbsp date chutney
• 2 tbsp mint chutney
• ¼ cup roasted groundnuts
• 1 boiled, cubed potato
• 1 cubed tomato
• ½ green apple, finely chopped
• ½ cup grapes, halved
• ½ cup black grapes
• ½ cup pomegranates
• ½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp limejuice
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sev
• ½ tsp rock salt

Method
Combine the puffed rice and corn flakes in a large mixing bowl.
Toss with the chutneys and add all the remaining ingredients to the mix, except coriander and sev.
Serve in a bowl and garnish with coriander and sev.

TANGY PANEER TIKKA WITH GRILLED AVOCADO

Ingredients

• 400 gm paneer
• ½ cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp crushed red chilli
• 2 tbsp basil flavoured olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp limejuice
• Salt to taste
• 1 box cherry tomatoes
• 2 sliced avocados
• 2 red bell peppers, squared
• 2 tbsp slightly roasted sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp slightly roasted pumpkin seeds
• Fresh basil & salad leaves (optional)

 Method
 Slice the paneer into triangle shapes.
Grind sundried tomatoes with oregano, coriander seeds and red chilli together in a grinder and mix with olive oil, honey, limejuice and salt in a mixing bowl.
Toss the cheese, cherry tomatoes avocadoes and bell peppers in this mixture.
Cover and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat a grill pan and grease with olive oil.
Grill the marinated cheese, cherry tomatoes , avocados and bell peppers till done.
Garnish with the seeds and leaves, and your choice of dips.

FIG-STUFFED DAHI KEBAB

Ingredients

• 1 kg yoghurt
• 1 cup grated cottage cheese
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• Salt to taste
• Clarified butter, to shallow-fry

 For the stuffing:

• 2 figs, soaked, chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• Pinch of black salt

 To serve:

• 12 grapes, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 4 small radish (optional)
• 4 tbsp date chutney

 Method

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and keep aside.
Tie yoghurt in a cheesecloth and hang it up for four hours to remove the extra water. After four hours, remove the thick yoghurt from the sack and keep it in the fridge for half an hour.
Mix the hung yoghurt with grated cottage cheese, corn flour and breadcrumbs. Add salt and mix gently.
Make lemon-sized balls with the mixture and fill each one with the stuffing. Flatten gently.
Heat a flat pan and smear with clarified butter. Shallow-fry all the dahi kebabs on medium high heat till golden.
Arrange on a serving dish, top with grapes, coriander and radish, and serve hot with date chutney.
 

PALAK PATTA PAKORA

Ingredients

• 2 bunches spinach, trimmed
• 3 cups chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry
• Chutney and ketchup, to serve

Method

Wash and wipe all the spinach leaves well.
Mix the flours together and run through a sieve.
Mix the combined flour with the dry ingredients and 1 tbsp of oil in a mixing bowl.
Add a little water to give it a pancake batter consistency. Mix well and keep aside for 5-6 minutes.
Heat the frying oil in a pan, dip each leaf in the batter and fry till golden brown. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel.
Serve hot with mint or date chutney, and ketchup.

 CHAWAL CHAKREE

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour
• ½ cup wheat flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp green chilli paste
• ½ cup yoghurt
• Water, as needed
• Oil, to deep-fry

Method

Mix both the flours in a mixing bowl and add butter, sesame seeds, salt and chilli paste. Combine by hand and add yoghurt and water to make the dough semi-stiff.
Pour the mixture into a chakree moulds and press out to make round shapes. 
Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the chakrees on medium low heat till golden brown. Drain and on a kitchen towel, and serve.

AALOO AKHROT TIKKI

 Ingredients

• 2 cups boiled, mashed potatoes
• ½ cup coarsely crushed walnuts
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 2 dried figs, soaked, cubed
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly grounded
• Clarified butter, to shallow-fry
• Leaves of choice, to garnish

Method

Keep ½ tbsp walnuts separate and mix the first three ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add salt and corn flour and keep in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Mix the figs with ginger and black pepper. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and pat into the shape of a cutlet. Fill each one with the fig stuffing and seal gently.
Heat a pan and shallow-fry in clarified butter till golden brown.
Garnish with a leafy sprig and serve hot with date chutney.
PHOTOS: Juidin Bernarrd and Neeraj Murali