Nutritious snacks

Farida Sadikot, founder of popular YouTube channel Recipes by Farida, shares three nutritious recipes for breakfast or snacktime

Red velvet khaman dhokla

(4 servings)

Khaman dhokla is a popular Indian savory snack made with gram flour (besan)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups besan flour, also known as gram flour; 1 tbsp sooji aka semolina
• 1 cup water; 2 tbsp beetroot juice
• 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 ½ tsp ginger-chilli paste; ¼ tsp turmeric; 1 ½ tbsp oil; ¾ tsp citric acid; ¼ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp ENO

For tempering

• • 2 tsp oil; ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 7-8 curry leaves; 1/3 cup water

 1 tsp sugar; Pinch of salt

• 1-2 sliced green chillies
• Chopped coriander
• Desiccated coconut (fresh or frozen)

Preparation guide

• Sift besan and sooji into a large bowl using a sieve. Use a wire whisk to mix.
• In another large bowl add water, beetroot juice, granulated white sugar, salt, ginger and green chilli paste. Stir with a wire whisk.
• Add turmeric, oil and citric acid. Stir well.
• Add the besan and sooji and mix well.
• You should have lump-free batter. If the batter is too thick, add 1 to 2 tbsp more water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add 2-3 cups water in a steamer and bring it to boil. The batter needs to be steamed immediately so it’s important you keep it ready. Also, grease your steaming pan before this step.
• After 10 minutes, add 1 tsp eno to the batter and mix. Transfer batter to the greased pan. Level the batter using a spatula.
• Now, place the pan in the steamer. Steam on medium-high heat for around 15 to 16 minutes.
• While the khaman is steaming, make the tadka aka tempering. For the tadka, heat 2 tsp of oil in a small pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add curry leaves, a sliced green chilli, and 1/3 cup water. Add 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir and remove pan from heat.
• To check if your khaman is done, insert a knife in the centre, it should come out clean. Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and set aside for 5 minutes. Unmold the dhokla.
• Once khaman has cooled, cut it into pieces.
• Pour the cooled tadka over the cut khaman dhokla, making sure the water seeps in on the sides. Garnish with chopped coriander, freshly grated coconut.

Health benefits. Gram flour (besan) is rich in protein and fibre, aiding digestion and muscle health. Beetroot juice enhances iron levels and supports heart health. Fermentation makes it gut-friendly, while the tempering ingredients have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Khandvi/patudi

(4 servings)

Ingredients

For Khandvi batter

• 1 cup besan
• ¾ cup sour curd (yogurt)
• 2.25 cups water (alternatively you can also use 3 cups sour buttermilk or chaas)
• 1 tsp ginger and green chilli paste
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ⅔ tsp salt
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

For filling

• 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

For Khandvi tempering/seasoning

• 1 tbsp oil
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp chopped green chilli

Preparation guide

Khandvi batter

• Mix sour curd (yogurt) and water in a bowl. Stir till smooth.
• Add ginger-green chilli paste, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt.
• Add gram flour/besan. Use a wired whisk/hand-held beater to mix until all lumps are dissolved. There should be no lumps in the batter.
• Spread oil on a plate/board/tray. Large steel lids or thalis work very well.
• Mix chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Set aside.
• Pour batter in a saucepan. Cook on low flame. Stir continuously until batter thickens.
• Do a plate test to check batter consistency.
• Spread a few teaspoons of the batter on a greased plate. Let it cool and begin to roll it. If you are unable to roll it, then the batter needs to be cooked more.

Khandvi rolls

• Quickly pour about ½ to ⅔ cup of batter on a large plate and spread thinly and evenly with a spatula. Allow to cool and then sprinkle coconut and coriander leaves sparingly.
• Cut into equal size strips.
• Gently roll each strip tightly. Place them on a serving tray.

Tempering (seasoning)

• Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds.
• Add curry leaves and green chillies and fry for a few seconds.
• Add sesame seeds and when they change color and crackle, pour the hot tempering mixture along oil on khandvi rolls evenly.
• Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve khandvi with coriander chutney or coriander mint chutney.

Health benefits. Gram flour is rich in protein and fibre and aids digestion and muscle health. Yogurt aids gut health and provides probiotics. Turmeric and asafoetida offer anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits, while coconut and sesame seeds provide healthy fats and essential minerals, boosting immunity.

Dhokla Chaat

(4 servings)

Ingredients

For dhokla

• 1 cup chana dal (split chickpeas)
• ¼ cup rice
• Water
• 1 inch ginger
• 2 chillies
• ¼ cup curd (yogurt)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp eno / fruit salt
• 1 tsp green chutney
• 1 tsp beetroot puree

Other ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp cumin / jeera
• 1 tsp sesame / til
• Pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 2 slit chillies
• Few curry leaves
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp curd (yogurt)
• 1 tbsp tamarind chutney
• 1 tbsp green chutney
• Pomegranate

Preparation guide

• Soak 1 cup chana dal and ¼ cup rice for 4 hours.
• Drain water and transfer to a mixer.
• Add 1 inch ginger and 2 chillies. Blend to a coarse paste.
• Pour the paste into a large bowl. Add ¼ cup curd, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp salt and ½ cup water.
• Mix well to form a smooth consistency batter. Ferment for 8 hours.
• Divide batter into 3 parts.
• Add green chutney to one part and beetroot puree to the other.
• Add ½ tsp eno to each part and mix gently until the batter turns frothy.
• Transfer batter to a greased pan.
• Take 1 tbsp of batter from each part and pour into the greased plate. Repeat until the plate is filled. Steam for 25 minutes on medium flame.
• Cool and cut dhokla into pieces

Tempering

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sesame, 1 pinch hing, 2 chillies and few curry leaves.
• Add ¼ cup water, 1 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp lemon juice. Mix well and boil.
• Pour tempering over dhokla.
• To make dhokla chaat, pour curd, tamarind and green chutney over it.
• Garnish dhokla chaat with pomegranate, coconut and coriander.

Health benefits. This nutritious snack combines protein-rich chana dal with rice for sustained energy. Fermentation enhances digestion and gut health, while turmeric and asafoetida provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Yogurt offers probiotics, while pomegranate and coriander provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.