Quick and Easy Diwali Snack Recipes | Simple and Easy to Make Snack Recipes for Deepavali

Chattambade (Spicy Chana Dal Vada)

It is almost that time of the year in India when winter begins. It is almost that time of the year when the dawn is lightly caressed by the frost. It is almost that time of the year when the golden rays of morning sun passes through the dew drops on the grass making them look like a precious diamonds sewn on the lush green carpets. It is almost that time of the year when the trees sway to the gentle morning breeze in the cool mist. It is almost that time of the year when the soft sun light appears from the distant hills and the birds tweet as they flutter through the dew laden sky! It is almost that time of the year when the summer’s blistering heat and the monsoon’s thundering rains give way to a season of crisp winter months. It is the golden season of Kartik, a season of cool air, chirping birds, dew drops laden fresh grass, the blossoming trees and the time when the entire Indian subcontinent adorns itself in the silky golden hued sunlight to greet the heavenly bodies into welcoming arms!

When the paths are dotted with the carpet of heavenly perfumed dainty paarijata flowers and the air is heavy with the aroma of sugary treats, it is that time of the year... It is the time of Deepavali or Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights!

With the festival of lights just a week away, our house gets busy with preparing for the Diwali. It’s that time of the year when clattering of pots and pans are heard for most part of the day and the evenings as we plan the menu for the festive food. So while planning for the Diwali party menu, I thought it may be useful for my dear blog readers to have a compilation of some simple, quick and easy snacks recipes for Deepavali. I hope you will find this post useful in deciding what to cook for your friends and family and make this Diwali a special one for your loved ones.While you are at it, don't forget to check the list of Simple and Easy Sweet Recipes for Diwali to sweeten your taste buds!

May the festival of lights be the harbinger of joy and prosperity. As the holy occasion of Diwali is here and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit of mirth and love, here's hoping this festival of beauty brings your way, bright sparkles of contentment, that stay with you through the days ahead. Wishing all my dear readers and friends, a very happy and prosperous Deepavali!

Warm Regards
Sia
http://monsoonspice.com

Paneer Stuffed Mirchi Bajji	Khara Kaddi (Spicy Sev)
Chattambade (Spicy Dal Fritter)	Kodubale
Gujje Podi (Tender Jackfruit Fritter)	Spicy Beetroot Cutlet
Stuffed Bread Pakoda	Aloo-Kala Chana Chaat
Mangalore Buns	Stuffed Capsicum/Pepper Pakoda
Ragda Patties	Microwave Roasted Masala Peanuts
Aloo Bonda	Restaurant Style Gobi 65
Methi Nu Muthia	Khara Buns (Spicy Stuffed Buns)

From Home (Udupi-Mangalorean)

• Aloo/Batate Bonda - Deep fried spicy mashed potato and mixed veg fritters coated with spicy gram flour batter 
• Chattambade or Masala Dal Vada - Spicy split chickpeas/Bengal gram or chana dal fritters
• Goli Baje (Mangalorean Speciality) - Deep fried fritters made using plain flour and buttermilk
• Jeegujje Podi/Pakoda - Deep fried spicy fritter made using thinly sliced breadfruit
• Khara Avalakki - Spicy flat/beaten rice
• Khara Kaddi (Spicy Sev) - Deep fried spicy chickpea or gram flour sticks flavoured with cumin, carom seeds and asafoetida
• Kodubale -  Deep fried rice and roasted gram savoury rings from Karnataka
• Mangalore Aloo Bonda - Fritters made using spicy mashed potato and coated with spicy gram flour batter and then deep fried
• Mangalore Buns - Sweet deep fried banana and whole wheat puffed bread/poori from Udupi-Mangalore
• Microwave Masala Kadle/Peanuts - Simple and quick recipe for crunchy and spicy gram flour coated roasted peanuts cooked in a microwave in less than 15 minutes
• Moong Dal Vada - Spicy fritters made using spicy green gram mixture
• Tukkudi - Deep fried savoury plain flour diamonds

Heerekai Bajji Recipe | Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda Recipe

Learn how to make Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda ~ Crispy deep fried ridge gourd fritters in a spicy gram flour batter

It’s been three weeks since we came back after a month long stay in India; from one home where I was born and spent most part of my life to another home which has been our home for more than a decade. I brought with me a bag full of homemade treats, pickles, masalas, heirloom pieces to adorn our home and most importantly, beautiful memories to cherish! I have many stories to tell, recipes to share, photographs to show in coming days. But now, I am trying to fight the homesickness that engulfs me… One would think that it becomes easier after 12 years of leaving the motherland, but it’s as fresh as the first time I left the country where my soul lives… As I continue to struggle with homesickness and writer’s block, let me share this quick recipe of simple Heerekai Bajji or Ridge Gourd/Turai Pakoda that my Amma made on a beautiful monsoon evening.

There is something magical about eating hot, crispy pakodas with chai or filter kaapi on a monsoon evening which is difficult to put in few words. For me, a plate of crisp pakodas, hot cup of freshly brewed filter coffee and a book in hand while watching the monsoon rain weave their magic is something I can never tire of. On one such evening when it was raining cats and dogs, Amma made these delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakodas and one bit of it, I fell in love with it. In between stuffing my face with this crispy goodness, I managed to click couple of photographs and write down the recipe to share with you all. :)

There are couple of things to keep in mind when buying the ridge gourd for this recipe. Choose ridge gourd which has firm dark green coloured skin with fresh green stem. A good ridge gourd has firm flesh and tender seeds. If you find their flesh to be cotton like soft texture, it’s best not to use for this recipe. Make sure the pakoda batter is neither too thick or thin. It should be of dosa batter consistency. It should stick to the ridge gourd and coat evenly before deep frying. Fry the pakoras on medium flame to make sure it is cooked thoroughly inside out. Don’t be tempted to cook them on high flame as you will end up with half cooked, chewy pakodas. So keeping all these in mind, let’s get cooking this delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda. Let’s get cracking! :)

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Heerekai Bajji/Ridge Gourd Pakoda (Crispy, deep fried ridge gourd fritters coated in spicy chickpeas batter)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginners
Spice Level: Medium
Makes: About 15-20
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: On their own or with any spicy chutney or ketchup with a cup of tea or coffee

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Ingredients:
1 medium Ridge Gourd, peeled and sliced into ¾ cm thick rounds
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:
¾ cup Gram/Chickpeas Flour, sifted to remove lumps
1 heaped tbsp. Rice Flour or Semolina
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds, crush it in your palms to release their flavour
¼ tsp Ajwain/Carom Seeds, crush it in your palms to release their flavour
½-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust as per taste)
¼ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
A generous pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
A pinch of Cooking Soda/Soda Bi Carbonate (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:
Preparation:

1. Prepare the batter by mixing the sifted gram flour, rice flour or semolina, cumin seeds, carom seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric, hing, cooking soda and salt to taste. Add little water at time to make batter which is not too runny or thick (dosa batter consistency). Taste and adjust the seasoning and keep it aside until needed.
2. Heat the oil for deep frying on medium flame.
3. While the oil is heating, wash and scrape the ridge gourd with a help of a sharp knife or peeler to remove the hard ridges. It is not required to peel the ridge gourd completely. Slice the ridge gourd to 3/4 – 1 cm thick discs and keep it aside.
4. Line the plate or tray with kitchen towel and keep it aside.

Proceed to cook:

1. Dip the ridge gourd discs in a batter, making sure that the batter is well coated on all sides before gently dropping it into a hot oil, one at a time. Fry the pakodas in a batch of 5-6 on medium flame, flipping them in between until they turn golden brown and crisp. It takes around 3-4 minutes per batch on a medium flame.
2. Remove the cooked pakodas from oil using slotted spoons and place them on a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.
3. Serve this delicious Heerekai Bajji or Turai/Ridge Gourd Pakoda on its own or with any chutney or ketchup along with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• Choose ridge gourd which has firm dark green coloured skin with fresh green stem. A good ridge gourd has firm flesh and tender seeds. If you find their flesh to be cotton like soft texture, discard it.
• Make sure the batter is neither too thick or thin. It should be of dosa batter consistency. It should stick to the ridge gourd and coat evenly before deep frying.
• Fry the pakoras on medium flame to make sure it is cooked thoroughly inside out. Don’t be tempted to cook them on high flame as you will end up with half cooked, chewy pakodas.

Veg Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe | Simple Vegan Kebab Recipes

Learn how to make Hara Bhara Kabab ~ Mildly spiced Indian vegan spinach and potato kebabs flavoured with fresh herbs and aromatic spices

We made these Hara Bhara Kababs exactly a month ago when LD was recovering from another bout of viral infection. When I say we, it means my 6-year-old and I, mom and son team. Cooking with over enthusiastic kid means fun, but it also means mess! I kid you not. The kitchen will end up looking like a bomb sight with flour covered kitchen floor and counter tops, sauce smeared kitchen cabinets, and a child who is covered with every ingredient that went into that pot or pan of food you are making! Then why teach your kids to cook when it means more of a mess than its worth?! Absolutely. Well, there is not just one, but 101 reasons to introduce our kids to the joys of cooking.

Teaching our kids to cook is one of the most basic life skills we can pass on and most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to teach them valuable lessons. I find him curiously touch, smell and taste the ingredients. This natural inquisitiveness of LD turns into total fascination and then surprise when he watches the dramatic transformation the food goes through in terms of colour, texture and size right before his eyes during cooking and baking. The once firm and hard potatoes turn soft and mushy, the delicate, easy to crack eggs become hard when boiled, the crystals of sugar and salt completely gets dissolved, the fruit is turned to juice and how it becomes one of his favourite treat ice lolly when kept in freezer overnight! If this is not magic, then I don’t know what else is?!

Aam Papad Recipe | Mango Fruit Leather Recipe

Learn ho to make Aam Papad ~ Mango Fruit Leather recipe two ways

Last few days have been absolutely crazy with festive school performances, school trips to the local church, volunteering, Christmas shopping, signing hundreds of cards, product and recipe testing in the kitchen and a mountain high load of never ending things! I am not exaggerating! If that was not enough to bring the whole house down, I have LD hanging upside down holding on to my apron strings moaning he is bored every 5 minutes. Bored 5 years old?! Like, seriously?!!! I can’t wait for the school to reopen in a fortnight! Just kidding. :)

We are off to meet our friends up north in Yorkshire for the Christmas and then travelling to London for the New Year. There will be a lot of partying, eating, cooking, shopping and activities planned for the week long fun filled holiday season. I have been busy sorting out the presents, packing our bags, going through the truck load of laundry, ironing never ending pile of cloths, dusting and cleaning every nook and cranny, answering to dozens of emails, running around the energetic 5 year old, and god knows what else! In between the entire hullabaloo, I decided to make some edible presents for friends! I tried to find the reason and completely failed to answer why I am doing this!!! Call me crazy, but the perfectionist and the ever lurking OCD in me makes me go an extra mile to make everything perfect for my loved ones.

Khara Kaddi or Spicy Sev Recipe | How to Make Kharada Kaddi

Learn how to make Khara Kaddi or Spicy Sev ~ Deep fried spicy chickpea or gram flour sticks flavoured with cumin, carom seeds and asafoetida

It’s been over a fortnight since Lil Dumpling started his big school and finally, I feel I can pen down the whole experience without my heart shattering into thousand pieces or shedding truck load of tears. There was no surprise when LD started school it wasn't him who cried. It was me! The sight of that small person vanishing with unfamiliar faces into an unknown classroom was terribly painful. I couldn't understand the pain I was feeling.

Spicy Sev or Kharada Kaddi

For weeks, I had prepared LD to start his new school in a new town. I was so immersed in preparing LD for his first day in school, making the school sound like a fun place, I completely forgot to prepare myself for the day when I had to let go of him and place his small hands into the capable hands of his class teacher. I kept my mind busy making sure that the transition will be as smooth and as painless as possible. By doing so, I kept pushing every worry and thoughts of my own feelings in the back-burner. It was a lethal combination, LD’s pride, joy and excitement mixed with my whole range of worries, apprehensions and anxieties! I never imagined in million years that it would be one of the most painful experiences of my life.

Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetable Momo Recipe | Step by Step Recipe for Veg Momos

Learn how to make Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetable Momos ~ Steam cooked whole wheat dumpling stuffed with crispy vegetables, a delicacy from North East India

Who would have ever thought that the day will come where I will sit down to write this post?! A post about blog-anniversary! Believe it or not, Monsoon Spice just turned 9 years old. It’s been NINE YEARS since this blog was born on a lazy afternoon and I really find it difficult to digest the fact that I have stuck to blogging after all these years. With my two men army fighting nasty cold and fever, I almost missed the blog milestone. 9 years of blogging is a huge milestone for someone who strongly believes ‘change is the only constant in life’! It looks like my love and passion for food blogging has not dulled or died down even after all these years of food blogging and if anything else, my love affair with food writing, photography and blogging has grown stronger and deeper.

 It was the peak of winter in 2005 when the days were really short and the sun disappeared for days. I was a new bride in unknown city, new country and different continent and had nothing worthwhile happening in my life. After spending long hours on phone, reading books and flipping the channels on idiot box, I was still left with many more hours of solitude and boredom! I began to spend more time in kitchen to relive the husband of mine from cooking the same meal every day. Slowly I began to cook one dish after another that I learnt from my mother through our hour long telephone conversations and expanded my recipe repertoire which was limited to half a dozen recipes. After many misadventures, small kitchen accidents and blunders, I decided to document my culinary journey for posterity to have some laugh at my expense! After couple of months I decided to take a plunge and give my personal diary an online presence for amateurs home cooks like me who struggled to differentiate pigeon peas from split chickpeas and cilantro from parsley. Well, who would have imagined that the blog born out of boredom and necessity would complete 9 enjoyable years! Not me!!! Never in zillion years! It has come a long way from being amateur cooking blog to much confident and passionate cooking blog of today!

Ela Ada Recipe | Steamed Sweet Rice Flour Cakes in Banana Leaves

Learn how to make Ela Ada ~ Sweet coconut-jaggery stuffed rice cakes/parcels steam cooked in banana leaves, a traditional delicacy from Kerala

Last few weeks have been really busy on home front which required my full attention. This was good enough reason for me to wean myself from spending hours on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+. It was a good break, away from social networks and spending more time on what I do best, annoying my family! ;)

This year the weather god has been really generous, blessing us with beautiful long sunny days and cool breeze in between to keep our cheer high. So we decided to make the most of it. The days were spent with Lil Dumpling, mostly in garden, caring for the plants and painting under the shade of tree. We took a break by chasing butterflies, watching the ants gather food for the winter, twittering with birds, jumping on trampoline and having impromptu picnics.

Paneer Stuffed Mirchi Bajji/Pakoda Recipe ~ How to Make Stuffed Mirchi Pakoda

Learn how to make Paneer Stuffed Mirchi Bajji/Pakoda ~ Spicy mashed potato and paneer/Indian cottage cheese stuffed chillies coated in spicy gram flour batter and deep fried till crisp

Coming here after months is deja vu all over again! The feeling is same as unlocking the house that has been locked for months. My feet makes an imprint on the thin coat of dust on the floor as I gingerly step inside the house which at the m. My eyes well up from sneezing uncontrollably as I

lift the dust covers from the furniture.The house starts to feel like a home as the cobwebs are brushed off and the floor is wiped sparkling clean… And finally the sense of belonging hugs me as I sit back and look around the familiar surrounding. I am home… Finally!

I have been away from blogging and social network for a very long time now. Although it wasn’t intentional, a long break from social media was simply rejuvenating and helped me clear my mind from the narcissist world of social network! This break helped me in rekindling my love affair with books, yoga and meditation. We as a family have been spending more time with one another, rediscovering the forgotten lanes of Bangalore, visiting our old favourite food joints, finding new favourites, introducing Lil Dumpling to the vibrant Indian culture, visiting family and friends, making new friends and of course, cooking family meals together.

Gujje Podi Recipe | Vegan Tender Jackfruit Pakoda/Fritter Recipe

Learn how to make Gujje Podi/Tender Jackfruit Pakoda/Fritter ~ Vegan and Gluten-Free Tender Jackfruit Pakoda/Podi

When I was a kid, the everyday meal cooked using the ingredients grown in your own backyard was something that I considered ‘blah’, well, boring! There was nothing interesting in eating the food cooked using the ingredient that grew right in front of my eyes.

Gujje Podi/Tender Jackfruit Fritters ~ Deep fried goodness!

Bendi, simple coconut based curry made using large pumpkins growing in a vine? Boring!

Huli Menasina Kodhel, lightly spiced coconut curry made using ivy gourds covering the portion of wall and roof in the back of the house? Well, boring!

Tomato Majjige Huli, sour buttermilk and coconut based curry with tomatoes plucked right from the plant in a big planter? Let’s not even talk about it!

Poori Bhaji Recipe | Poori with Potato Bhaji/Aloo Bhaji/Poori Masala ~ A Pictorial

Learn how to make Poori Bhaji ~ Puffed deep fried whole wheat bread served with vegan potato curry

It’s been close to two months since we returned from our trip to India. While enjoying very much needed break with our family and friends, I managed to take few photographs of the amazing food we tasted coked by our loved ones. Ever since we returned from our trip I wanted to share the recipe with you, but little laziness and truck load of never ending tasks kept me away from writing the blog post.

Perfectly puffed Poori!

Stuffed Capsicum Pakoda or Pakora Recipe | Spicy Potato Stuffed Bell Pepper Fritter

Learn how to make Stuffed Capsicum/Bell Pepper Pakoda or Pakora ~ Deep fried bell pepper rings stuffed with spiced potato mash and coated with spicy gram flour paste

Diwali was a very quiet affair at our home with just three of us spending time with one another. With the sudden drop in temperature from two digits to single digits on the lower side, Lil Dumpling caught a flu bug and he was seen coughing and sneezing for most part of the day. So we skipped the traditional oil bath and gorging on home cooked festival foods and found comfort in a bowl of spicy Rasam rice and soups.

Vegan Spiced Beetroot Cutlets Recipe | Spicy Beetroot Patties

Learn how to make Vegan Spiced Beetroot Cutlets/Patties ~ Pan fried Indian styled spicy vegan beetroot patties with aromatic spices

“Motherhood is the hardest and toughest job” said one of my friends who had just become a mother for the first time few months back. We talked for over an hour about our respective kids and what they enjoy the most. I just smiled at that time and then we said our goodbyes on the phones promising to take some time to call one another in few weeks’ time. But what she said just stuck in my mind for a next few days.