Healthy Vegetarian Snacks To Cook When You're Quarantined At Home

If there's anything Bollywood has taught us during the Coronavirus lockdown, it is to use the time spent at home to build skills we've always wanted to learn. One of them is cooking. From Malaika Arora to Shilpa Shetty, all of Bollywood is whipping up hearty and healthy eats while at home. So why shouldn't you? Whether you're free as a bird or working from home, cook up a storm with these healthy vegetarian snacks which you can munch on at any time of the day without any guilt.

(Also Read: 4 DIY Summer Cocktail Recipes To Liven Up The Spirit At Home)

1. Paneer Satay

Recipe by Chef Ashish Joshi, Executive Chef of Jaypee Siddharth

Ingredients:

• 200gms paneer

• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

• 6 tablespoons coconut milk

• 2 fresh red chilies

• 30ml oil

• 1 lemongrass leaf

• 2 lemon leaves

• 1 small piece galangal

• 5gms coriander

• Salt to taste

For peanut sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk

• Quarter cup peanuts

• 1 tablespoon red curry paste

• 3 lemon leaves

• 5gms coriander

• 2gms galangal

• 3 fresh red chilies

• Salt to taste

Method:

For the satay, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except the paneer. Cut paneer half-inch thick fingers. Put mixture over paneer, let it marinate for an hour, skewer with sticks, cook on a grill and baste with oil. For the peanut sauce, blend the ingredients together till smooth. Heat the pan with oil, add the paste to it and reduce till it is of a thick coating consistency. When paneer sticks are cooked, remove from grill and serve hot on a sizzling plate along with peanut sauce.

2. Vegetable, Sprouts And Oats Cutlets

Recipe by Chef De Cusine, Indian Anuj Mathur of Paatra Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resorts

Ingredients:

• 20gms chopped carrots

• 20gms chopped beans

• 20gms crushed green peas

• 100gms sprouts

• 30gms grated cottage cheese

• 40gms oats powder

• 5gms cumin

• 5gms chopped ginger

• 5gms chopped green chillies

• Salt to taste

• Hing to taste

• 20ml peanut oil to shallow fry

• Few sprigs chopped fresh coriander

Method:

In a pan, add peanut oil. Saute cumin, ginger, chilies and hing in it. Add carrot, beans, peas and saute well till tender. Add turmeric, continue to saute. Then remove from flame and cool it in a plate. Mix together cottage cheese, oats powder and salt and chopped coriander. Divide in small portions as desired and give them shape. Then dust with oats powder. In the pan, shallow fry cutlets in peanut oil till golden brown from both sides and become crisp.

3. Kothimber Wadi

Recipe by Chef Nilesh Pawar, Head Chef - The Byke Group of Hotels & Resorts

Ingredients

• 250gm besan

• 100gms coriander leaves

• 10gm ginger

• 10gm garlic

• Pinch of ajwain

• 5gm cumin seeds

• 5gm mustard seeds

• 10gm cumin powder

• 10gm garam masala

• 20gm roasted peanut

• 3gm hing

• 10gm turmeric powder

• Salt to taste

• 500ml oil to fry

• 15gm green chilies

Method:

In a mixing bowl, make a batter of besan flour, add little water and ensure that it is free of lumps. The batter should be thick of pouring consistency. In a pan, heat little oil for tempering, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain , crushed garlic, ginger and green chilies. Saute for few seconds. Then add hing, turmeric powder, jeera powder, garam masala and mix well. Now add besan batter stirring continuously until the batter become a thick paste without forming lumps. Reduce the heat if necessary. When the batter starts thickening, add salt, chopped coriander leaves, roasted peanut powder and mix well. Add little oil and keep mixing till it forms to a thick paste. Grease a tray and pour this mixture into the tray and spread evenly. Cool this mixture and cut them into cubes or desired shapes. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying and when the oil is hot, fry the besan pieces until crispy and golden. Drain oil from pieces on paper towel and serve.

(Also Read: 3 Immunity-Boosting Recipes To Make At Home During The Coronavirus Quarantine)