Roasted Phool Makhana
Euryale ferox or fox nut or makhana as it is called in India is a plant belonging to the water lily family. The plant is cultivated for it's edibles seeds in some parts of the world and the Indian state of Bihar produces about 90% of the total world production of fox nuts. The seeds have been used in ayurvedic preparations and traditional Chinese medicine for their health benefits. The starchy seeds of the plant are edible and popped seeds aka phool makhana are used in cooking in western and northern parts of India.
Phool makhana are soft and bland on their own but become crisp and crunchy when toasted and today's quick fix snack is based on that concept. They are toasted on low flame in a tiny amount of ghee / oil until they become crisp and crunchy, and then flavored with basic spice powders making it a light and guilt free snack. It is a tasty and healthy snack that takes about ten minutes from start to finish and is a great substitute for popcorn. This recipe can be easily customized to suit one's taste-buds. My husband recommends black salt and chaat masala to these kind of dishes and so they went in there. I did not add amchur when I made this but he thought some tanginess would elevate the dish.
Ingredients:
2 cups phool makhana / Puffed fox nut seeds
2 to 3 tsp. ghee / oil
1 or 2 pinches of turmeric powder
Salt / Black salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
Chat masala to taste
Amchur powder to taste
Directions:
* Add ghee / oil and phool makhana to a pan and roast on low flame. Keep tossing them until they turn crisp and crunchy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Toasting on high flame doesn't accelerate the process of crisping but sure is a way to burn them. We don't need to either burn them or brown them. One way to determine whether they are done is to test whether they break when pressed between fingers. Or just pop one into mouth and determine whether they are crisp enough to stop toasting. Below is the picture of toasted ones.
* Turn off the stove. Add salt and other spice powders being used over the roasted makhana and toss the ingredients well until makhana are well coated with the spice powders.
* Serve immediately or cool and store it in an air-tight container.
* In case they were not eaten and become soft again for any reason, just roast them in a pan for few minutes and they become crisp again.
So far in the series,
First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu
Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli
Methi Khakhra
Pressure Cooker Khandvi
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#104.
Comments
7 comments:
Such a easy and quick recipe. I thought about this recipe when preparing the list but changed later. Looks so delicious
These surely make a fantastic snack Suma. I am yet to try these in my kitchen for just the sake that its not part of our regular cuisine. Should surely try it sometime.
This looks delicious I haven't had this snack
Beautifully made ! They are a regular feature at home since years , specially when the grand kids are here . Somehow never clicked and posted !
Delicious and guilt free snack to munch on. Love the spices you have used.
We love all forms of makhana. It is an absolutely guilt free snack and the pictures tell the story :)
Love this simple and healthy snack, quick and delicious. Yummy
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