Cold weather, warm bites

Monsoon is here and the weather demands lip-smacking delicacies. For this season, try some snacks at home and enjoy them with your family while sipping a hot cup of tea

Monsoon is here and the weather demands lip-smacking delicacies. For this season, try some snacks at home and enjoy them with your family while sipping a hot cup of tea

Monaco Snackies Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 onion - finely diced
• 1 small capsicum - finely diced
• 2 tbsp microgreens or finely-chopped mint
• 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 tsp jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder or pepper powder
• Juice of half lemon
• Veggies/fruits/greens
• Boil potatoes with: 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt as per taste

Other items

• 1 cup of nylon sev

Method

• Rinse and peel potatoes.
• Dice potatoes and cook with salt and turmeric (approx. 15-20 mins).
• Once potatoes cool down slightly, mash them and add the veggies/fruit/greens, spices, and lemon juice. Give it a nice mix.
• Take a Monaco cracker and add a portion of the potato stuffing and sandwich it using another cracker. Roll this cracker sandwich in a bowl of nylon sev.
• Enjoy it a cup of tea or coffee.

-Sameerra Anandhan @spoonfulsofhappyness

Paneer Popcorns

Ingredients

• 200 gm paneer, diced into cubes
• 1/4 cup cornflour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp herb mix / oregano
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry
• Bread crumbs as required

Method

• Dice paneer into bite-sized cubes.
• In a mixing bowl, add cornflour, turmeric, chilli powder, pepper powder, herb mix, ginger garlic paste, and salt to taste. Mix everything nicely.
• Add water little by little and make a paste. Take care not to make the batter thin.
• Add diced paneer cubes into the paste, mix well so that all the cubes are well coated with the batter, and marinate for 5-10 mins
• Assemble marinated paneer, bread crumbs, and an empty plate.
• Roll each of the batter-coated paneer cubes with bread crumbs.
• Keep the paneer popcorn covered in the refrigerator for 15-20 mins / more to firm them.
• Keep oil to deep fry in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the paneer popcorn until golden brown from all sides on medium flame
• Drain on tissue when golden and crunchy.
• Enjoy Paneer Popcorn hot with your preferred dip like ketchup/mayo/chilli sauce

-Smitha Kalluraya smithakalluraya.com

Challa Punugulu with curd

Ingredients

• Rice flour: 2 cups
• Curd: 2 cups
• Green chillies: 4
• Ginger: chopped into small pieces: 1 spoon
• Curry leaves: finely chopped
• Cooking soda: 1/4 spoon
• Oil: for frying

Method

• Mix all the ingredients into a smooth batter (except oil).
• Consistency should be as thick as dosae batter. If needed, add 2-3 spoons of water.
• Rest it for 10-15 minutes.
• Once the oil is ready for frying, put the batter into small balls and drop it into the oil.
• Serve it hot with ginger chutney/schezwan chutney/ketchup.
• Works great for easy breakfast or monsoon snack option

Note 

• As we are using rice flour and curd, it doesn’t require too much oil.

-Anuradha Chippada @anucookingstory

Herbed Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 10-12 boiled potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp thyme -
• 1 tsp oregano - 1 tsp
• 1 whole (20 cloves) garlic

Method

• Par boil the potatoes and keep it on a baking tray. Make scratches on the potatoes with the help of a fork. Scratches help in giving a good texture after baking.
• Drizzle some olive oil over the potatoes.
• Season the potatoes with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika.
• Add the herbs thyme and oregano. Add in garlic, spread it all over the tray.
• Roast the potatoes for 40 mins at 200 degrees Celsius.
• After 40 minutes, take out and press the potatoes lightly.
• Roast them for 20 more minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

-Kumar Nachiket @thatindiancurry

Nuggets

Experiential Sunday brunch 
Enjoy a relaxed Sunday meal at Tiamo and Caraway Kitchen at the Conrad Bengaluru. Live pasta stations, mocktail and cocktail stations, a mezze counter, and a delectable set-out cheese platter, are among the options to choose from. Also try the Lamb Agnolitti, Steamed Prawn with Olive Tapenade, and Roasted Pumpkin with Beetroot Avocado and Walnut. The brunch at Tiamo starts at D 3,250 ++, while the meal is priced at D2,400 ++. 

Try out some Goan delicacies  
Goan restaurant Cavatina by chef Avinash Martins has come to The Ritz-Carlton in Bangalore where guests can walk in and order from the ala carte menu or can check-in to a special package. It also offers a special Goan staycation which will include the Goan dining experience. Bengalureans can relish some modern Goan cuisine and global plates cooked with local and seasonal produce, reviving old recipes, and cooking techniques. To reserve a stay or book a table, call: 8049148000. The offer is on until July 25

New burger in town   
Fast food joint KFC has launched a unique chicken burger in town - the KFC Double Down Burger - with ‘more, more and more’ chicken. The Double Down Burger comes with two crispy, chicken fillets forming a burger. Starting at D229, the Double Down Burger is available across all KFC outlets. The burger replaces the bun are crispy chicken fillets, fresh, crunchy veggies in between, and is layered with creamy dynamite mayo and sriracha sauce.