With the arrival of monsoons, fritters, bhel, and other spicy snacks make the perfect partner to your cup of tea or coffee. These are quick and easy-to-prepare recipes using any vegetable of your choice, by dipping them in a batter of gram flour, water and spices and letting them fry in hot oil. But, too much oil and deep frying can be unhealthy. So, if you are wondering how to make your snack time healthier, worry no more, for we have got you covered.
Here are some easy and healthy snack recipes that you can try during the monsoon.
ALSO READ: Monsoon Delights: Seafood Recipes You Must Try For Lunch
Tips To Make Fritters Healthier:
Chef Arokiya Doss, Head Chef - The Malabar Coast, Noida shared some tips on how to make fritters healthier:
Coating Tips To Reduce Oil Absorption:
- Breading or coating snacks with breadcrumbs, flour, and other foods like oats or flattened rice can absorb more oil and inflate calories.
- To reduce oil absorption in fritters or snacks, make sure you coat them with a thin batter of all-purpose flour, rice flour, or corn flour.
Health Benefits Of Various Fritters:
- Corn, banana, apple, and zucchini fritters are not only delicious but also satisfying.
- These fritters provide a fulfilling balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
- They are enjoyable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, offering a versatile meal option.
Some Healthy Fritter Recipes:
1. Banana Fritters (By Chef Arokiya Doss)
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
- 1/4 cup jaggery (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup water
- Oil for shallow frying
Method:
Prepare the Batter:
- In a bowl, mix rice flour, grated fresh coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder, and salt.
- Gradually add water to the dry ingredients, stirring until you get a smooth, thick batter.
Prepare the Bananas:
- Peel the bananas and cut them into thick slices or chunks.
Coat and Fry:
- Dip each banana slice into the batter, ensuring it is fully coated.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Shallow fry the coated banana slices until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally for even cooking.
Serve:
- Remove the fritters from the pan and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of additional grated coconut if desired.
2. Zucchini Fritters (By Chef Arokiya Doss)
Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 egg (optional for binding)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for shallow frying
Method of Preparation:
Prepare the Zucchini:
- Grate the zucchinis and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out moisture.
- Squeeze out excess water from the grated zucchini using a clean kitchen towel.
Prepare the Batter:
- In a bowl, mix rice flour, grated fresh coconut, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, and salt.
- Add the grated zucchini and egg (if using) to the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined.
Form and Fry:
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Scoop spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into the pan, flattening them slightly to form fritters.
- Shallow fry the fritters until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve:
- Remove the fritters from the pan and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Serve warm with a side of coconut chutney or a squeeze of lime juice.
Other Snacks Recipes during Monsoon:
1. Corn Rajma Bhel: (By Suman Agarwal, Founder & Nutritionist, SelfCare by Suman)
The lip-smacking flavours of bhel get a boost with corn and kidney beans
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked rajma (kidney beans; soak for 6–8 hours)
- 2 cups fresh corn (from the cob) or sweet corn kernels
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
- 2 medium capsicum, chopped finely
- 2 medium onions, chopped finely
- 4 green chillies, chopped finely
- 4 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
- 75 gms Feta cheese
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt as per taste
Method:
- Pressure-cook the kidney beans with 4 cups of water and ½ tsp salt for 4 whistles. Strain and keep aside.
- Pressure-cook the corn for 6 whistles. Strain and keep aside.
- Melt butter in a pan. Sauté onion, capsicum and green chillies for 4 minutes.
- Add corn, kidney beans, potatoes, chaat masala, black pepper powder and 1 tsp salt; sauté for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat; add lemon juice, Feta cheese, sugar and coriander.
Vada Pav Unjunked: (By Suman Agarwal, Founder & Nutritionist, SelfCare by Suman)
The same great taste of a vada pav, but fortified with paneer and baked, not fried
Ingredients:
- 8 slices whole-wheat or white bread (4” x 4”) or French baguette
- 1 litre double toned milk (1.5% fat)
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 2 green chillies, chopped finely
- 10–15 curry leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped finely
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Salt as per taste
- 1 tbsp oil
Method:
- Bring milk to a boil and turn off the flame. Immediately add the juice of 1 lemon and stir until the milk curdles. Strain through a muslin cloth, making sure all liquid or whey is removed. What remains in the cloth is paneer.
- Preheat the oven to 160C for 7–10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds; once the seeds begin to splutter, tip in the garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for half a minute.
- Add potatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
- Transfer to a large plate and cool.
- Crumble the paneer and combine with the potato mix, along with coriander and juice of 1 lemon.
- Mash this mixture lightly by hand and divide into 8 portions.
- Lightly toast the bread. Spread the mixture on the toasted bread and bake in a preheated oven for 4-5 minutes. Serve hot.
3. Vietnamese Pho (By Chef Navneet Singh- Executive Chef, ITC Rajputana)
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of chicken bones
- 5 L of cold water
- 2 onions, quartered
- 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 6 whole star anise
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod, see tips
- 1 ½ tablespoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1-inch piece of rock sugar
Assemble:
- 450g of noodles
- 200g cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced across the grain
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- Optional for the table: fresh mint, Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced green or red chilies, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha or chili sauce
Method:
MAKE THE BROTH
- Place chicken bones in a stockpot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. As the bones boil, scum and foam will float to the top
- Drain the bones, rinse with warm water, and scrub the stockpot clean. Return bones to the pot and add 5L of cold water
- Preheat oven boiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place onion quarters and halved ginger on the baking sheet and broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred
- Place cinnamon, coriander, fennel, star anise, cloves, and cardamom pod in a dry frying pan over low heat. Toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant
- Transfer the spices to a muslin bag or cheesecloth and seal with twine
- Bring the stockpot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the charred onions, ginger, spice bag, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar
- Gently simmer uncovered for 3 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface
- Use tongs to remove bones, onions, and ginger. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. To remove the fat, skim it off with a spoon
ASSEMBLING PHO
- Place the strained broth into a stockpot and simmer over medium-low heat while you prepare the noodles
- To prepare the noodles for cooking, place noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft and opaque
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook briefly (about 10 seconds) until they soften. Drain the noodles and divide them evenly between serving bowls, filling each bowl about 1/3 of the way
- Arrange slices of cooked chicken over the noodles in each bowl. Carefully ladle the very hot broth over the meat, cooking it gently. Top with onion slices and cilantro.
- Serve with your favourite pho toppings at the table.