5 Tasty and Healthy Snacks to Try This Festive Season

The festive season is round the block. For the coming months, every week is a special festival across India and it’s all about togetherness during this time. As we have ample guests visiting us, here we have some recipes that you can serve your guests during this festive season. Ready-to-eat snacks and food items available in the market not only burn a hole in the pocket but also affect our health. These homemade snacks and recipes are easy to prepare, safe to eat and absolutely loved by kids as well as their elders. You can also try them and celebrate your festivals in a natural and healthy way.

1. Beguni – Delicious Bengali Snack

• To prepare beguni, using a knife slice down brinjals into thin slices. These slices need to be uniform in size and not too thin or thick. Now, sprinkle a mixture of salt and sugar on the brinjals and place them on a strainer. This will help in seasoning the brinjals and drain our excess moisture. After a while, you can dab the brinjal slices with tissue to wipe off the moisture.
• In a separate bowl, take some gram flour, a spoonful of rice flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Add water in the required proportion and create a smooth batter from it.
• In a kadhai or frying pan heat some mustard oil. Wait till the raw smell disappears and the oil turns pale yellow start dipping the brinjal slice in batter and fry them. Wait till they turn golden in colour, let the excess oil strain and sprinkle some black salt. Your healthy and amazing beguni is ready to serve your guests.
  

2. Wheat Dosa

• We all absolutely love dosas. But what if you can prepare them in a healthy way? Here’s a quick and healthy wheat flour dosa recipe to try this festive season.
• In a mixing bowl, take some wheat flour and add a spoonful of rice flour. To the same, add some finely chopped onions, herbs and spices of your choice and some salt. Now add water in the required quantity so we get a flowy batter. Mix it well, break all lumps and let the mixture rest for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Now heat an iron tawa and let it heat. Just the way you prepare normal dosas, start preparing thin and crispy dosas of wheat flour. This way you can add a healthy twist to the regular dosas and serve it with tomato chutney to your guest.

3. Mung Dal Halwa

• To prepare tasty and delicious mung daal halwa, soak 100% natural mung daal overnight or at least 4 to 5 hours. Post that, drain the excess water and grind the mung dal to a fine paste.
• Now, take some desi cow ghee in a pan and add the mung daal paste to it. Keep stirring it continuously till the raw smell goes away and also ensure that no lumps are formed. Once the mung daal mixture starts releasing ghee, add a mixture of boiled milk, water and sugar.
• Keep stirring till the milk mixture boils completely and a coarse mung dal mixture is left. You will also ghee getting separated from the same. Now garnish it with cardamom, dry fruits of your choice and raisins. Our tasty mung dal halwa is all set.

4. Haldi Chai or Turmeric Latte

• To decrease the coffee intake and serve your guests something that is healthy and boosts immunity, this festive season you can try serving them haldi chai. This turmeric has gained immense popularity recently and is perfect for the monsoon season.
• Take a pan and add put some water to boil. Add jaggery or raw sugar and let it boil. After a while add some chemical-free turmeric powder, grounded ginger, crushed black pepper and cinnamon powder. Add some milk, give it a boil and your Haldi chai is ready.

5. Kuler or Bajri k Ladoo

• This authentic Gujarati sweet is made during janmashtmi, winters and even at some weddings. They are healthy, taste amazing and can be made quickly.
• To prepare Kuler, take some fresh bajre ka atta in a bowl. Now add some crushed jaggery to it. Add ghee and mix it all well. Once the mixture is ready like a soft dough, prepare small balls from it and serve it. This instant bajri ladoos are served as prasad on Naag Panchami.

At Girveda, our efforts have always been towards creating a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. We want people to shift back to our roots. Our grandmothers used to prepare those amazing snacks and sweets that we cherish even today. With our freshly grounded species, naturally grown pulses and grains, you can try preparing these healthy snacks at home.