Smart snacks

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Fancy a bite during those in-between meal times? Don’t we all just love to munch on those little tit-bits in the evening, or sometimes between two meals? When you’re running around all day in the heat, probably the last thing you want is to munch on something oily or unhealthy, which will pull you down further more than making you feel fresh. Here’s how chefs have dished out delectable snacks to curb your cravings.

“One should avoid heavy fats and oily snacks in summers as this slows the rate at which the metabolism works and puts too much pressure on the stomach to aid digestion, thus slowing down your efficiency. You can try Broken Wheat khichdi, which is mostly used in breakfast as a light snack for evenings too,” says Amit Bharadwaj, executive chef at Alila Diwa, Goa.
For those, who love to munch on light salads, experts suggest that salads are the best snacks for summer, as they leave you feeling light, and satiate hunger too. Since summers are here to stay, you can stock your refrigerator with summertime goodies. Salads are light to eat and give a refreshing edge to the overall meal in this hot season. This is primarily why we make salads in a way that they act like good appetizers. You can make your own salad at home by using different vegetables with Olive oil,” says a chef from Chalchitra. For those who love to binge on traditional snacks, experts reveal that pohas and dhoklas are still all time favourites. Chef J. Nautiyal from Three Stories says, “Wheat upma and Monng Daal Ka Dhokla are recipes that we all have been eating since childhood, which are healthy and nutritious as well. Hence they make a great snack in summer.”
If you want to try something out-of-the-box, something that takes less time, and is delicious too, C. Thong, the chef of Emperors Kitchen says corns are a great way to keep your diet light and tasty.
“You can try out ‘Crispy Corn Nibblers with Garlic Chillies’. They are spicy, yet light. You can simply dust corn with corn flour and then deep-fry till corns are crisp and toast it with onions, capsicum and other ingredients with aromatic seasoning powder. It makes a great snack for summer,” he says.

Wheat Upma

Ingredients :
w Urad
w 1 tsp mustard seeds
w 2 tsp channa dal
w 1 onion
w 5gm ginger
w 750 gm cracked wheat
w 1 tsp jeera
w Salt, to taste
w Coriander leaves
w Curry leaves

Preparation:
Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and dal with ginger. Add the red chillies, curry leaves then add onions, fry them well until they are golden brown in colour.
Then add water two cups for one cup of cracked wheat. Add required salt to the water. Finally, when the water comes to a boil add the cracked wheat. Let it cook for about 25 minutes on a low flame. Add coriander leaves and coconut. Serve the upma hot with chutney.

Crispy Corn Nibblers with Garlic Chillies

Ingredients:
w ½ tb chopped garlic
w ½ tb chopped red chillies
w 2 tb chopped onions
w 1 tb spring onions
w 1 tb red capsicum
w 180 gm corn

Procedure:
Dust corn with corn flour and then deep fry till corns are crisp. Toast with all ingredients and add aromatic seasoning powder. Serve with chilled beer.