Recipes & Snack Ideas

Ingredients

• 2 cups thin poha (flattened rice)
• ¼ cup peanuts
• 2 tbsp roasted chana dal
• 2 tbsp cashews, halved
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1½ tbsp mustard oil or any neutral oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 dried red chilli, broken
• 12–15 curry leaves
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp powdered sugar
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Dry-roast the poha in a wide kadai on low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until it turns crisp and breaks easily. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil (if using mustard oil, heat until it just smokes, then lower the flame). Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add peanuts and roast for 2 minutes, then add chana dal, cashews and red chilli and roast until golden.
4. Add curry leaves and raisins; stir until the leaves are crisp and the raisins puff.
5. Switch off the heat, add turmeric, then tip in the roasted poha with salt and sugar. Toss gently so the poha doesn’t break.
6. Cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.

Ingredients

• ½ cup ragi (finger millet) flour
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 8 soft dates, pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup grated jaggery
• ¼ cup almonds, chopped
• 2 tbsp cashews, chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 1–2 tbsp warm milk, if needed

Method

1. Roast the ragi flour in ghee on low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and darkens slightly.
2. Blitz the dates and jaggery in a mixer to a sticky paste.
3. Combine the warm roasted ragi, date–jaggery paste, nuts, sesame and cardamom in a bowl.
4. Mix with your hands; add warm milk a teaspoon at a time only if the mixture won’t hold.
5. Shape into 12 small balls while still warm. Cool and store airtight for up to 5 days.

Ingredients

• 1 cup soft dates, pitted
• 6 dried figs (anjeer), soaked 20 min
• ⅓ cup almonds
• ⅓ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp pistachios
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
• 1 tsp ghee
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder

Method

1. Lightly toast almonds, cashews and pistachios in a dry pan for 4–5 minutes; cool and chop coarsely.
2. Toast the poppy seeds and coconut separately for a minute until fragrant.
3. Pulse dates and drained figs to a coarse paste.
4. Warm the ghee in the pan, add the date–fig paste and stir for 3–4 minutes until it comes together and leaves the sides.
5. Turn off the heat, mix in the nuts, poppy seeds, coconut and cardamom.
6. Grease your palms and shape into laddus while warm. Keeps for 10 days refrigerated.

Ingredients

• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup cashews
• ¼ cup roasted makhana (fox nuts)
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp raisins
• A pinch of black salt and chaat masala (optional)

Method

1. If the nuts aren’t already roasted, dry-roast almonds and cashews on low heat for 5 minutes and cool.
2. Toss everything together in a large bowl; add black salt and chaat masala if you like it savoury.
3. Divide into seven small jars or pouches (about 30 g each) for an easy daily snack.