This Diwali, snack away guilt-free!

Every year, the auspicious occasion of Diwali brings with it lots of joy and laughter. Scrumptious food and finger-licking snacks are at the epicentre of this celebration! The festival of lights is simply incomplete without these deliciously prepared delicacies, after all, food is India’s favourite way of expressing affection. No matter how strict your diet plan is, the snacks made during Diwali are so delectable that resistance is simply impossible.

But after the bright lights are taken down and the rangoli is washed away, all we are left with are those glorious kilos of excess weight and regret about that one snack we didn’t get to sample. What if we told you that there is a way to minus all the negatives from this equation? Sounds amazing, right? This year, you get to celebrate Diwali and its feasts without any “weighty” worries, by trying our hand picked healthy recipes!

Finally, a Diwali menu that allows you to stick to your diet plan whilst letting your taste buds party away in flavour-city!

Baked chaklis

Chakli, arguably the most popular Diwali snack, is found on every ‘pakwan-platter’ in North India! Traditionally, these are deep fried, but since we promised ‘healthy’, here’s a baked alternative that’s equally delicious and definitely worth trying. Here’s what you need:

Ingredients
2 cups of rice flour
½ cup low-fat curd
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp chili powder
½ tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
Asafoetida, optional
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Preparation
Take a wide bowl and to it add low-fat curd, oil, red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, cumin powder, and sesame seeds. Mix them well until everything is combined
Once the mixture is ready, add the rice flour along with salt to taste. Mix it well until it gets crumbled
Add water little by little until you get a soft dough
Place the dough on a murukku plate and grease it with oil
Take a murukku press machine and make chaklis by starting with the center by pressing the dough and forming a spiral shape with 3 rounds
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place all the chaklis on it
Brush them using oil
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Place the baking tray in the oven and bake it for 20-25 minutes till the chaklis are golden

Once done, take the tray out and allow the chaklis to cool! That’s it, your chaklis are ready to eat.

Air-fried samosa

Making crispy and flaky samosas with melt-in-mouth fillings at home during the festive season is something that you cannot miss. Is there anything better than enjoying baked samosa and a cup of tea with your loved ones? Here’s what you need:

Ingredients
For dough
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of oil or ghee
¾ cup water
Salt to taste
For the filling
3-4 potatoes
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp pepper powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
¼ cup cooked green peas
3-4 green chillies

Preparation of filling
Boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt on medium flame and cook for 20-25 minutes until the fork goes through smoothly and comes out clean
Take a medium skillet and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to it along with the mashed potatoes.
After a few minutes, add the salt, pepper, turmeric, and red chilli powder. Mix the spices to evenly coat all the potatoes and cook for the next 3-4 minutes
Add peas and green chillies to the skillet and mix them well for 30 seconds, turn off the heat and set it aside

Preparation of dough
To prepare the samosa dough add flour, salt, and one tablespoon of oil to the mixing bowl
Now slowly add water and knead into a ball. In case you have a stand mixer you can put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and use the paddle attachment to get the right consistency

Preparation of the samosa
After you’re done folding the first samosa, time to preheat the air fryer to 425 F. Depending on the size of the air-fryer, try not to overcrowd the samosas since it would prevent the dough from cooking properly
Place the samosas carefully in the air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes and then flip the sides and cook for another 6-7 minutes
After 7 minutes the samosas would be crisp outside and a nice golden brown on both sides and perfect to devour!

Instant sabudana vada

Sabudana vadas beginning with the navratras herald the festive season. The deep-fried beauty is a flavour bomb in the mouth that one cannot resist. But the snack has lost considerable fandom with the rise of health consciousness! We’re here to avenge our favourite snack with a healthy air fried alternative. Here’s what you need:

Ingredients
2 cups sabudana
2 medium-sized boiled potatoes
3 tbsp dry roasted peanuts powder
Salt to taste
Minced green chili
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
Oil or ghee to grease the air fryer

Preparation
Rinse the sabudana and place it in a bowl with water. Now, cover the lid of the bowl and leave it for 4-5 hours
Boil the potatoes, peel them, and mash them in the meantime
Roast the peanuts and grind them to make powder. Mince the green chilies and keep them ready
Take a bowl and add sabudana, peanuts powder, potatoes, green chilies, red chili powder, chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice, and cumin seeds altogether, to it
Make sure that you mix it really well to form a dough
Divide the dough into equal portions, make small balls, and flatten them slightly in the centre
After you are done preparing the vadas, preheat the air fryer to 350 F for 3 minutes
Now put them in the air fryers and try not to overcrowd them. Spray it with oil or ghee
Air fry at 350 F for 20 minutes and flip them every 7-8 minutes
Your healthy sabudana vada is ready to enjoy

Try making these snacks at home and let us know how you liked them, we would love to know how you are making your Diwali healthy this year!

Have a healthy and guilt-free Diwali!