Here are the shortlisted entries from Khyaal’s World Food Day Contest: Healthy Tea-Time Snacks. From wholesome bites to delicious, nutritious treats, our Khyaal Club Members have given tea-time a healthy twist. Explore their creative culinary delights and celebrate the joy of eating well!
Mamta Singh
Dish: Spiral Chakli Delight - Sweet Potato Magic
Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Chakli
A healthier, guilt-free twist on the traditional Indian snack. By pairing natural sweet potato with rice flour, gram flour, and sesame seeds, this recipe delivers a light, extra-crispy bite with a fraction of the oil—cooked to perfection in an air fryer.
Recipe Specifications - Cuisine: Indian / Fusion
Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Cooking Time - 15 minutes
Total Time - 35 minutes
Ingredients -
250 g Sweet potato / Shakarkand (boiled, peeled, and mashed)
1 Cup Rice flour / Chawal ka aata
1/2 Cup Gram flour / Besan
2 Tbsp Sesame seeds / Til
1 1/2 Tbsp Hot oil (for dough binding / moyan)
1 Tsp Yoghurt / Dahi
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder / Haldi
1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder / Lal mirch powder
Taste according to Salt / Namak
As needed Oil (for light brushing or spraying)
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Dough Preparation
Prepare the Sweet Potato - Pass the boiled sweet potato through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer to remove any long fibers and lumps. This ensures a smooth paste that won’t clog the press.
Knead the Dough - In a wide mixing bowl, combine the sieved sweet potato, rice flour, gram flour, sesame seeds, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yoghurt and hot oil.
Work the mixture into a soft, non-sticky dough. (Note: Sweet potatoes naturally contain moisture, so avoid adding extra water unless the dough feels too dry.)
2. Shaping
Grease the inside of a chakli press (sancha) fitted with a single star plate.
Load a portion of dough into the press.
Pipe concentric spiral chaklis onto parchment paper circles sized to fit your air fryer basket.
3. Air-Frying Method
Preheat: Set your air fryer to 180°C (350°F) and preheat for 5 minutes.
Prep Basket: Place the parchment paper with the chaklis into the air fryer basket in a single layer (do not overlap).
Oil Spray: Lightly spray or brush the top of each chakli with oil for uniform browning and crunch.
First Bake Cycle: Air-fry at 180°C (350°F) for 8 to 10 minutes.
Flip & Finishing Touch: Open the basket, flip the chaklis carefully using tongs, lightly brush the top side with oil, and air-fry for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until light golden and crisp.
Cooling: Transfer to a wire cooling rack. The chaklis will crisp up further as they cool to room temperature.
Storage: Once completely cool, store in an airtight glass or tin container for up to 1 week.
Sunita Gorana
AIR-FRIED PUMPKIN AND CHEESE POCKETS
An artisan, air-fried whole wheat pocket stuffed with spiced pumpkin and homemade mozzarella, coated in crisp breadcrumbs, and crowned with pumpkin seeds for a wholesome, guilt-free tea-time snack.
INGREDIENTS: -
For Homemade 100% Whole Wheat Bread:
1. Whole wheat flour: 2 cups
2. Instant dry yeast: 1 tsp
3. Sugar: 1 tsp (to feed the yeast)
4. Salt: 1/2 tsp
5. Lukewarm milk: As needed for kneading and brushing
6. Oil or ghee: 1 tsp
For Homemade Fresh Mozzarella Cheese:
1. Fresh full-cream milk: 1 liter
2. White vinegar: 2 tbsp
3. Water: 2 to 3 tbsp (to dilute the vinegar)
4. Salt: 2 pinches
For the Special Pumpkin Stuffing:
1. Pumpkin (finely chopped): 1.5 cups
2. Tempering: 1 tsp oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), curry leaves
3. Crushed green chillies and garlic: 1 tbsp; finely chopped onion: 1
4. Spices: Turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, dry mango
powder (amchur), and a pinch of sugar
5. Binding: Gram flour (besan): 1 tsp
6. Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) and prepared grated mozzarella cheese
For Homemade Fresh Mozzarella Cheese:
1. Homemade whole wheat bread slices
2. Homemade breadcrumbs
3. Pumpkin seeds
4. Milk and 1 tsp wheat flour slurry (for sealing)
5. Small cheese balls for the top.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS: -
Step 1: Baking the Whole-wheat Bread:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Knead into a soft dough using lukewarm milk. Perform the ‘stretch and fold’
technique continuously for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, pliable,
and gluten develops well.
3. First Proofing: Shape the dough into a smooth round ball, place in a bowl, cover, and
let it rise for 45 to 55 minutes.
4. Second Proofing: Once doubled, gently flatten the dough with your hands, fold it like
an envelope, place it into a greased bread loaf tin, and let it rise again for 15 minutes.
5. Once the dough rises to the rim of the tin, brush the top generously with milk and
bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35 minutes.
Step 2: Making the Mozzarella Cheese from scratch:
1. Gently heat the milk only until it is warm to the touch (lukewarm, bearable to a finger).
2. Turn off the heat. Gradually add the vinegar-water mixture while gently stirring until
curds separate from the whey.
3. Remove the cheese curds and place them in cold water. Squeeze repeatedly with
your hands to remove any sour water, then press through a cloth to drain excess
moisture completely.
4. Once it forms a smooth ball, place it into a pan, add 2 pinches of salt, and warm over
very low heat while repeatedly stretching and folding until it turns elastic and glossy.
5. Shape into a smooth ball, place in a small bowl, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2
hours to set. Grate once chilled.
Step 3: Preparing the Pumpkin Stuffing:
1. Heat oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, crushed chilli-
garlic, and chopped onions. Sauté until fragrant.
2. Add chopped pumpkin, salt, and turmeric powder. Cover and cook on low heat until
the pumpkin is tender.
3. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, amchur, and a pinch of sugar; cook for 1 to
2 minutes.
4. Add 1 tsp gram flour (besan) and roast for 2 to 3 minutes to absorb moisture and
provide binding.
5. Mash the mixture well, fold in fresh coriander leaves, and let it cool completely.
6. Form small balls of grated homemade mozzarella cheese and encase each cheese ball
inside a portion of the cooled pumpkin mixture.
Step 4: Assembly & Air-Frying:
1. Gently roll the homemade bread slices thin with a rolling pin and cut out triangle
shapes using a cutter.
2. Place the prepared stuffing on one bread triangle, apply the flour-milk slurry along
the borders, place another triangle on top, and seal the edges firmly.
3. Lightly brush the bread pocket with milk and coat evenly with homemade
breadcrumbs.
4. Using slurry, arrange pumpkin seeds on top in a flower petal pattern and place a tiny
cheese ball right in the center.
5. Air-fry at 180°C for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
Step 5: Signature Plating & Presentation:
1. Serving: Serve hot and crispy with homemade mint-coriander green chutney, sweet
and tangy red chutney, and a hot cup of tea.
2. Plating Description:
The three golden-brown triangle pockets are arranged centrally on an
elegant designer plate.
Sprinkle authentic Indori Jeeravan masala in the center for a spicy aroma
and color.
The upper rim is garnished with decreasing dots of spicy green chutney
and fresh coriander sprigs.
The lower rim features an artistic wavy drizzle and drops of sweet & sour
tamarind chutney.
Accented delicately with roasted pumpkin seeds and soft pink edible floral
petals for a refined gourmet finish.
Anju Aggarwal
Sandwich without bread
Recipe
Take one cup of Suji. Mix one cup of curd and keep it for 10 minutes. Now, after 10 minutes. Take half a portion of this mixture and mix 2 spoons of green pudina coriander chutney. Add half a teaspoon of ENO salt and a few drops of water. Mix well and put it in a heated, greased pan to steam. Meanwhile, take half an onion, finely chopped, and add green peas (partially boiled), some sweet corn, chopped capsicum, and chopped tomatoes. Salt and black pepper. Mix well. After 5 minutes, put a layer of the veggie mixture on the green semi-steamed suji. Now add some ENO salt to the remaining mixture of suji and curd with a few drops of water, mix, and put it evenly on top of the veggies. Now steam for at least 10 minutes. Take it out and let it cool. Cut into pieces like a bread loaf.
Tomato Chutney
Cut onion roughly into big pieces; roast till light brown. Add green chillies. Red chillies, chana dal and chopped tomatoes. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes; add salt, lemon juice, and let it cool down. Now grind into a fine paste to make delicious chutney. Now make chonk with ghee, mustard seeds, and red chillies, and garnish the chutney with this and serve.
Dr.Poonam Sharma
Ingredients-
One small bowl of oats
Half bowl of semolina(suji)
2 tablespoons of gram flour
2 tablespoons of homemade cheese
Some roasted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds
2-3 kernels of crushed garlic
Pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds
Salt to taste
Mix all the ingredients with a little amount of water or milk so that it forms a normal dough
-Now make small balls and press gently to make them into cutlets
-Preheat tava on medium heat (you can use a gas stove or induction). Grease tava with a little cooking oil or ghee
Keep turning cutlets till golden brown and cooked evenly
Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce (optional)
Sobhana K.P.
SWEET POTATO FRITTERS
INGREDIENTS :
1. Sweet potato -1/4 kg
2. Poha - 1 1/2 cup
3. Onion - 2 medium
4. Ginger & garlic - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
5. Green chilli- 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
6. Roasted Groundnut - 1/4 cup (coarsely crushed)
7. Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Curry leaves- 2 sprigs, chopped
9. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
10. Salt -as required
11. Arrowroot powder: 3/4 cup
12. Thin roasted Semiya- 1 cup
13. Oil - 2 tblsp
MAKING THE MASALA :
Boil and peel the sweet potato. Then crush the potato with a spoon, leaving no lumps.
Add water to 1 1/2 cups poha. After one minute, squeeze out the extra water and keep aside.
Roast groundnut if raw, then crush to a coarse powder. (If the powder is too fine, then you will not get the taste of the groundnut.)
In a pan, add oil, add finely chopped onion and sauté. Then add chopped green chilly, curry leaves, and ginger-garlic, and continue to sauté. Add the required quantity of salt, chaat masala & pepper powder. Then add the wet poha and sauté for one minute. Then add the sweet potato and mix all ingredients well. Finally, add coarsely ground groundnut and chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Masala is READY.
MAKING ROLLS:
Mix water into the arrow root to make a medium-consistency liquid batter. Add 1/2 tsp salt and a little chaat masala/pepper powder(Optional) for added taste.
Slightly crush the roasted semolina with a spoon and keep it aside.
Take 1tbsp of masala and roll it into any shape of your liking. Then dip it in the arrowroot batter and immediately roll it in the semolina on all sides.
Make all the balls in this manner. The balls can be deep/ shallow/air fried as per your choice. Delicious tea-time snack of Sweet Potato Fritters is ready to add warmth to a cold winter evening. You can have it with any sauce of your choice.
Note: The dipping batter can also be made with maida or cornflour instead of arrowroot powder.
Instead of semolina, you can use crushed cornflakes or bread crumbs also.
Santosh Bangar
Paneer Stuffed Sweet Potato Millet Kabab Topped with Apple gur chutney
Ingredients
For kebab:
250gm sweet potato
1alloo boiled mashed
3tbsp samak(benyard )rice flour
5-6stems Dil(soya)or corriander
1 tsp chaat powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Paneer stuffing
100gm paneer
2tbsp fresh grated coconut
1/2tsp ginger grated
2greenchilli chopped
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying or frying
Apple chutney
1apple
1/2tsp Blackpepper
1 1/2 tbsp jaggery powder
1tbsp Butter
Salt to taste(black)
Method
Wash the sweet potato and steam till done. Peel & mash it.
Add all the ingredients of the kebab in a bowl and mix together the paneer stuffing
Grind ginger and green chili.
Add all the ingredients of the stuffing and mix well
Now make a ball of sweet potato batter
Flatten in the palm and stuff 1 tbsp paneer stuffing; seal it all together.
Take a mould, place it, and press and make all the kebabs.
Heat 2tbsp butter with some oil in a pan and fry the kebab on both sides.
Apple chutney.
Wash and peel the apple. Cut into tiny pieces
Heat butter in a pan. Add apple pieces and sauté until soft
Add jaggery powder. Cook for 5 minutes and mix well.
Serve hot kebab top-up with Apple chutney, kaju, and mint leaves.
Cecilia Braganza
Sweet & Fluffy Cous
Cous (Durum wheat Semolina) for Tea-time snacks.
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous soaked in an equal quantity of water for 10 minutes
Boiled vegetables: Carrot, Sweet corn, French beans, and green peas (cut into small pieces)
Take 1 Tbsp oil, put in mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, and onion pieces. Fry for a little time. Then add vegetables. Cook for some time. Then add soaked couscous. Add dry grapes , cranberry n cashew as optional for better taste.
Stir till done. Cover for five minutes. Now the couscous is ready to eat.
Renu Singh
Sabudana Rolls - A Crispy, Flavourful and Healthier Snack
Ingredients
A. For the Outer Layer
- 1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls), soaked for 30 minutes and drained
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- A little oil for brushing or spraying
B. For the Stuffing
- 2 boiled potatoes, mashed
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- Salt to taste
Method of Preparation
Step 1: Prepare the Outer Layer
In a mixing bowl, combine the drained sabudana, mashed potatoes, crushed roasted peanuts, chopped onion, green chillies and fresh coriander. Add the roasted cumin powder, chilli flakes, black pepper powder, lemon juice and salt. Mix thoroughly until the ingredients bind together.
Step 2: Prepare the Stuffing
In a separate bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, crushed roasted peanuts, grated coconut, chopped green chillies, roasted cumin powder, black pepper powder and salt. Mix well.
Step 3: Shape the Rolls
Take a portion of the sabudana mixture and flatten it on your palm. Place a small amount of stuffing in the centre, carefully enclose it with the outer mixture and seal the edges. Shape into a firm roll. Repeat with the remaining mixture and stuffing.
Step 4: Air-Fry Until Golden and Crispy
1. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (356°F) for 3–5 minutes.
2. Lightly brush or spray the shaped rolls with oil.
3. Arrange the rolls in the air-fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between them.
4. Air-fry at 180°C for 15–20 minutes, turning them halfway through, until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the rolls and the air fryer.
5. Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving.
Serving Suggestion: Serve hot with fresh green chutney or a healthy yoghurt dip, accompanied by a cup of tea.