We all look forward to the time of the day where we can take that much-needed break while munching on our favourite snacks. All of us look to make our munching easy and delectable. Picking and choosing the right ingredients and preparing homemade foods can also reduce the chance of hygiene and other health-related problems that may arise during the season.

Here are 5 fun and easy-to-make recipes to light up your monsoon.

Cornitos Veggie Nacho Salad

It is delicious and can be made quickly without any hassle at home. Take a look below and see how it is made:

Ingredients

A bag of Cornitos Sizzlin Jalapeno flavour Nachos Crisps – 150 gms

Diced fresh cucumber – 50 gms

Dices tomatoes – 50 gms

Chopped lettuce – 50 gms

Green and black sliced olives – 50 gms

Shredded cheese – 50 gms

Lime juice – 2 tablespoons

Salt – to taste

Method

Mix all the diced veggies in a bowl. Add salt and lime juice. Now, arrange the Cornitos Sizzlin Jalapeno Nachos Crisps on a platter. Top the nachos with diced veggies. Garnish with shredded cheese and serve.

 

Crunchy Corn and Chili Fritters

Ingredients

For corn and chilli pakoda:

Corn kernals – Makai ke dane – 200 gms

Roasted gram flour – 150 gms

Rice flour – 25 gms

Chili powder – 3 gms

Green chillies – 10 gms

Ginger chop – 5 gms

Spring onion – 5 gms

Garam masala powder – 2 gms

Refined oil (to fry) – 100 ml

Laccha onion – 50 gms

For hari chutney:

Mint leaves – 25 gms

Coriander leaves – 75 gms

Green chillies – 5 gms

Ginger – 2 gms

Roasted jeera powder – 2 gms

Chaat masala – 2 gms

Black salt – to taste

Method

Boil the corn in salted water, drain and let it dry. Grind all the ingredients of mint chutney together to make a smooth paste and finish with roasted cumin powder and garam masala powder. Make a thick batter of gram flour, rice flour, green chilli chop, ginger chop, ajwain, chilli powder, haldi powder, coriander leaves and salt with the help of water. Mix corn in the batter and drop a spoon of mixture into medium hot oil one by one. Let it come over the oil without stirring and take it out of the oil once it is half done. Just before serving, press fritters with the palm one by one to flatten and fry it in hot oil till it turns light golden brown and crisp. Serve very hot with laccha onion and hari chutney.

(Recipe courtesy: Chef Aashish Jha, Jaypee Palace, Agra)

 

Tapioca Pearl Fenugreek Poppers

Ingredients

Tapioca pearls soaked for 1.5 hours – 1 cup

Medium sized potato boiled and mashed – 1

Fresh fenugreek leaves very finely chopped – 1 cup

Desiccated coconut flakes – 1/4 cup

Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Oil – for deep frying

Method

Drain the soaked tapioca pearls and put them in a bowl. Add rest of the ingredients to the bowl and give it a mix. Then, form tiny round shaped nuggets, if you find it difficult to form the nuggets, add a little bit of purpose flour or bread crumbs. Heat oil in a deep heavy bottom saucepan. Drop the poppers in the hot oil carefully and fry it in medium heat until they’re golden brown. While doing this, make sure that you don’t overcrowd the pan as you fry these poppers. Serve it hot with a dipping of your choice.

Note:

Depending on the size of the tapioca pearls, you might have to soak it for a longer or shorter duration. Once the pearls get fluffed up, you can start making the poppers. As you deep fry the poppers, avoid tuning them immediately as they are quite delicate and can break apart. Let it cook on medium heat for about a minute before you roll it over to the other side.

(Recipe courtesy: Chef Vijesh Modi, Sr. Sous Chef, The Deltin, Daman)

 

Baked Samosa

Ingredients

Samosa patti (made with flour) – 6 each

Olive oil – 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Saunf powder – 1 teaspoon

Chopped onions – 1 tablespoon

Chopped spinach – 1/2 cup

Grated carrot – 2 tablespoons

Shredded cabbage – 2 tablespoons

Ginger garlic paste – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Green peas – 2 tablespoons

Tomato ketchup – 1 tablespoon

Chopped spring onion – 1 tablespoon

Grated cheese – 2 tablespoons (10 gms)

Salt – to taste

Corn flour and water mixture – thick paste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and once it starts to crackle, add the veggies and saute it for a few minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, tomato ketchup, green peas and the powdered spices. Season it with salt. Cool the mixture down and add the grated cheese to it. Brush the samosa patti with corn flour and water mixture, spoon the filling and fold it into a triangular shape of a samosa. Bake the samosas in the oven for 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy!

(Recipe courtesy – Chef Balendra Singh, Founder, Institute of Bakery and Pastry Arts)

 

German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Sweet or bittersweet chococate – 4 oz. (about 1 cup)

Eggs – 4

Flour – 2 cups

Baking Soda (Hydrogen Carbonate) – 1 teaspoon

Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

Butter – 1 cup

Sugar – 2 cups

Vanilla – 1 teaspoon

Buttermilk – 1 cup

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°C. Gently grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans line bottom with butter paper. Microwave chocolate baking bars and a half cup of water in a large microwave-safe bowl at high for 1-1.5 minutes or till the chocolate is melted and smooth. Combine flour and the next 2 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until light and soft for about 3-3.5 minutes. Add yolks, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Then, add melted chocolate mixture and vanilla, beat on low speed until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until blended. Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form, gently fold into batter. Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350°C for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven, and run a knife around the outer edge of cake layers to loosen from sides of pans. Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Remove from the pans to wire racks, discard parchment paper. Spread Coconut-Pecan Frosting between layers and on top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chocolate-dipped toasted pecan halves and serve.

(Recipe courtesy – Chef Balendra Singh, Founder, Institute of Bakery and Pastry Arts)