Easy Cashew nut pakoda

Sunita Shenoy

This recipe has become my go to easy recipe for Diwali snacks. 

Ingredients 

2 cups whole raw cashew nuts

1/2 cup besan

1 tsp rice pwdr 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chilli pwdr 

1/2 tsp asafotida ( hing)

1/2 tsp jeera pwdr

1 tsp finely chopped curry leaves (optional)

You may adjust salt and spices to your taste.

Method:

Wash cashew nuts. Separately mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle on washed cashews and use your hands to coat the cashews. You can add very little water only if needed to help with coating. Finally drizzle about 1 tsp oil to the coated nuts. Take grease a microwaveable plate and spread the nuts without forming clusters. 

Microwave for 1 min. Take it out and toss nuts. Repeat this for 3-4 times until nuts are crisp. Alternatively you can deep fry  these . 

Bread Fruit Bajas | Konkani

Method -
 Remove the skin of the bread fruit
 make this in to two halves
 Remove the hard portion from the middle
 Cut in to thin slices
Wash and keep aside
 Batter -
Take 1 cup of Besin
mix with salt , 1/2 tspn chillipowder , 1 tspn asafoetida ,
Add sufficient water and mix thoroughly to make a thick batter
 Heat 2 or 3dessert spn full oil in a kadai
Dip  the bread fruit slices on both sides to get a coating and deep fry  on a medium flame till it turns in to light brown colour. 
Serve hot with Tea or coffee. 

Girmit | North Karnataka

Method  --
2 , 3 big cups  puffed rice -warm  in the oven  to make it crisp
2 big chopped onion
 5 to 6 slit green chillies
 1 tspn turmeric powder
 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
 1 big chopped tomatoes
3 tbspn putani powder
 Heat 1 dessert spn oil in a flat kadai
 Add the chopped onion and fry along with slit  green  chillies   till it becomes soft light brown
Add turmeric and stir
 Add chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
 Add chopped tomatoes
Stir for a few seconds and keep this aside to cool .
 After this is cooled , add the crisp puffed rice and the putani powder and mix thouroughly when it is time to relish .
Relish before it becomes soft .

Mirchi Bajji | North Karnataka

Method : 4 long green chilies. Wash and make slit in the middle. Remove seeds if they are spicy. In a small bowl take 3  tbsp.  gram flour (besan). Add 1 tsp. coriander powder , 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin powder salt to taste. Make a thick paste and fill  the slit of  the chilies. In a big bowl take two big  cups of besan, 1 tbsp. red chilly powder and  1 tbsp. asafetida powder. Add salt to taste +1/2 tsp. soda powder or baking powder. Mix all the ingredients and make a thick batter adding sufficient water. Heat  3 cups oil in a flat bottom kadai. Dip the chilly in the thick batter on both sides (should be fully coated with batter ) Deep fry tossing both sides frequently.  When it turns brown and crispy remove and place on a kitchen paper to drain excess oil. Relish with tea as a snack ! If the chilies are too thick like cubanels,   they can be cut in to two halfs lengthwise,  dip in the batter and fry,

Dhai Vada

Method-
Soak urad dhal in water for 4 hours
 wash and grind adding very little water to the consistency of coarse soji .
When done, remove from grinder
 Add salt to taste 2-3 chopped green chillies + 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
a few curry leaves chopped + 1 tbspn coconut chopped
Mix thoroughly
Heat oil in a kadi
With moistened fingers take up small portions of the mixture and prepare  flat vadas on moistened palm
 and deep fry .
To make it soft(if needed) dip the vadas in the cold water as soon as they r   fried and remove immediately squeezing the water

  2 cups curds
salt to taste+2 tspn sugar
Beat well in a big bowl .
Season this with 1/2 tabspn oil
1 pinch mustard
2 green chilies minced+ 1 spring curry leaves
1/2 tspn asafoetida powder
Stir for a while

 Drop bondas in this dhai mixture  cover and keep for an hour stirring at intervals.
u can make vadas with ready vada mix like Gits vada mix or with frozen vadas .

Pova Chuvda

250gms Thin pova (Beaten rice)
4 slit green chilies
1 tbspn curry leaves
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp asafoetid
4 cloves garlic mashed
2 tbspn dry coconut pieces
3 tabspn cashew nuts
3 tabspn peanuts
Salt to taste
2 dessert spn oil

Heat oil

Add cumin seeds

 Add slit green chilies + curry leaves

Add the mashed garlic

Fry for a while till green chillies and garlic  turn little crispy

 Add cashew nuts + peanuts

 Fry for a while

Add asafoetid powder +salt to taste

Add the thin beaten rice and mix thoroughly

Pour this on a slightly big glass  tray and spread evenly
 Keep this tray in the oven for 150degrees till it becomes crispy. when it turns crispy remove from the oven. When cooled, relish with  coconut gratings

Bhel and Pani Puri

BHEL PURI:

Khatta meetha theeka chutney:

3 tbspn coriander seeds
1 tbspn cuminseeds
8 green chillies (according to your spice taste )
1 small cup  seedless dry dates (if  dates are not available jaggery powder can be used)
2 tbspn black salt powder or chat masala powder
Few strands of coriander leaves
Few mint leaves
2 tbspn tamarind pulp
Grind together in to smooth paste adding  little water.

In a plate pour 1 cup puffed rice
1 fist full chopped onion
1 tabspn chopped coriander leaves
2 to 3 tbspn(according to ur taste ) khattameetateekha chutney
1/4 cup crispy sev
Mix all these ingredients, serve with crushed papdies or(crushed puries ) and thin sev, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Khatta/Meetha/Teekha Chutney

PANI PURI:

Use the  Khattameethateekha chutney.
Add 4  to 5 glasses of water to this above chutney to make it pani puri water
Add 1/2 packet of  panipuri masala powder, chopped coriander leaves  and mix it thoroughly .
Boil potatoes, peel them and chop in to tiny pieces . You can also use half cooked moong with little haldi powder or half cooked white vatana instead of potatoes.
Make small holes in the middle of puris , fill it with potatoes or cooked mung or vatanas
Pour pani puri water and relish it !