Diwali Snacks






With Diwali almost upon us, the gorgeous flavours of Indian delicacies – now more than ever – are alive and well and thriving in  many countries! Diwali is incomplete of course ,with its oily snacks .These snacks are quite simple to prepare ,as all three  are made with either plain flour or cake flour.





















~~*~~ CRISPY LAYERED SWEET PURI~~*~~



























2 cups cake flour;
1 cup cornflour ;
4 tsp baking powder;
pinch bicarbonate of soda;
1 Tbs solid ghee or melted butter;
1 ½ cup of light sour cream or you can use yogurt
melted ghee as needed for basting; cornflour for sprinkling over; oil; castor sugar; tinted coconut for decoration.

METHOD: Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Rub in the ghee, add milk mixture and make firm, pliable dough. Divide into 16 pieces, rolling each into a circle 20cm in diameter. Brush each with melted ghee, except one. Sift cornflour over basted pastry and place one over the other. Cover top one with unbasted pastry. Roll out the whole stack into a large circle, 35 to 40cm in diameter (roll the stack as for a jam roll), and seal the edge with water to prevent it opening out when frying. Cut into 2.5cm width. Make two rolls of 8 rolled out pastry so that you get  smaller puris. Roll out cut pieces into 10 to 12cm lengths. Make a dent in the middle and flatten it slightly with rolling pin .Fry one at a time in moderately hot oil until crisp and puffed to show layers of pastry. Drain well from oil.






























TO SERVE: Sprinkle cardamom mix with castor sugar liberally on to  puri, and decorate by sprinkling coconut, white or coloured, on top.


TIP: . To add flavour, add a few drops of rose essence to milk mixture!































~~**~~SPICY CUMIN CRISPS~~**~~


Deep fried in oil; this is one food item that makes your taste buds crackle. Spicy, crunchy and easy to make, this is one of the delicacy for that Diwali week that can be enjoyed during any time of the day. Made of maida/flour, these deep fried  savoury snack  peppered with perfect Indian masala are unavoidable in Diwali week. 


The snack, with the flavour of cumin seeds, can be made and stored in airtight containers or biscuit tins for up to three weeks. Great to serve when unexpected guests arrive.


















1½ cups flour 
 ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coarsely ground black  pepper
4 dessert spoons oil 
½ cup chilled soda water
oil for deep frying

Spices
6-7 dried chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ black peppercorns
A few dash of asafoetida
½ tsp sugar(can be more also)
½ tsp salt



METHOD: Sift flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in cumin and pepper. Rub in the oil, add the soda water and mix to form a firm dough. Knead well. Break off marble-sized pieces and roll on a lightly floured board into circles 5cm in diameter. With a sharp tipped knife make 5-6 slits on each circle, fold in half and twist both ends. Deep fry in moderately hot oil until lightly browned and crisp. Remove, and allow to cool before storing.

TIP: Herbal or seasoned salt may be used instead of plain salt.



















~~**~~ SCISSOR CHIPS /KUIH GUNTING~~**~~

Kuih gunting is a traditional Malay food which means "Scissor chips" in English. The food was called like that because the traditional way of making it involves the use of scissors. The method is still l maintained until today, especially in the villages.Nowadays, the commercial kuih gunting is prepared by using a sharp knife and cut it into long lengths and further cut  into a few parts which looks more of a twig! I find this type thinner and crunchier. The one which uses scissors , frequently comes in diamond shapes and are slightly thick .















In Malaysia there are different names given to this food such as "kerepek gunting" and "kacang gunting". Generally this food is better known as "kuih gunting" among Malaysian. Kuih gunting are crunchy and taste a little spicy depending on the chilli powder used.
Kuih gunting are not only eaten on festive days such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri but can also be eaten on weekdays such as eating while watching television. It is readily available in grocery stores or any retailer that sells chips, crackers and nuts. The shapes of kuih gunting may vary, but well-known shapes in Malaysia are diamond shapes, small leaves and small twigs.

The making of this food is relatively easy. The basic ingredients are flour, salt, some chili powder, margarine or cooking oil , milk,and  eggs. Some come with dried shrimp or dried anchovies in it. Even the food is, so easy to make, but it should not be taken lightly when doing so.


I have omitted the use of dried shrimp or anchovies , if preferred ,you can soak the dried prawns and pound it coarsely and mix into the flour. Similar method is used for anchovies except there is no need to soak it ! The use of eggs has also been omitted . If using shrimp or anchovies , use ½ a beaten egg to your mixture .




1 cup plain flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
110-120ml water (to be used required amount only)
Some curry leaves
Oil to deep fry

To be pounded coarsely
4 dried chillies (deseeded) or 2 tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp coriander seeds (optional)




In a bowl, add in flour. Add in the pounded spices. Mix to it salt and cooking oil. Mix the ingredients with hands. Add bit by bit water until it becomes a pliable dough. Make into two parts. Flour your rolling surface to ensure the dough do not stick when rolling . Take one dough and flatten it as thin as possible. The thinner the better.

Meanwhile heat a wok , pour sufficient oil to deep fry the chips.

With a knife, cut into a straight line one end to another end the dough….do the same until you have straight lines of cut dough.Then take each long dough and cut into a few parts, depends on individual preference.Place on a plate..do not overlap the cut pieces, as it might stick to one another. Ensure there are enough flour when you cut each dough so that it does not stick .
Oil should be in 50 % heat , throw in a handful of curry leaves, followed by the cut pieces. In the heat itself ,the pieces will untangle .Use a spoon and slightly stir it, and distangle the pieces. While that is frying, you can start rolling the second dough . In between check the chips, once the bubbles reduces, which means ,the chips are fully cooked, and its time to dish it out in a paper towel.

Lower the heat , and continue with the second dough .Once ready, again,throw in some curry leaves, followed by the cut pieces and deep fry .

Once cooled, store in air tight containers or bottles.Serve with tea ,anytime !


This is not the end of it.......there are more diwali goodies ...so do return back to check out !!
















Comments

  1. Wish i get a box of those diwali snacks, especially that layered puris is just tempting me a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diwali recipes looks delicious and awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow so pretty, nice home made recipes to eat and look!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment