Quick and Easy Indian Snack Recipes For Iftar

Quick and Easy Indian Snack Recipes For Iftar

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar which is based on the lunar/ moon cycle. The holy month of Ramadan is the time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and worship. Muslims celebrate this month by fasting for 29-30 days, from dawn till sunset. When it’s time, they break their fast with dates or water.

Though it’s the holy month and an auspicious time to pray and fast, it is also an excuse to have a feast for an entire month, but within precautions of course. No store/street-bought snacks here! That being said, here are the shortened versions of 5 light evening snack recipes for Iftar. So, grab your aprons and start cooking.

Content:

Pack of Tasty Iftar Snacks

1. Pakoda
2. Namak Para
3. Ghugni
4. Chura Matar
5. Aalu Matar chaat

Pack of Tasty Iftar Snack Recipes

Pakoda


Pakode or pakoras is one of the easiest snack recipes for Iftar as it has many variations to satisfy your taste and tummy because it’s way too yummy! The base of this recipe is the savoury gram flour batter, with different vegetables as the key ingredient. And here’s how can make it in a few simple steps.

Onion Pakoda Ingredients:

o Gram flour – 2 cups
o Ginger & green chilli – 2 tbsps (Finely chopped/ grated)
o Fennel seeds (Saunf) – 2 tsp
o Carom seeds (Ajwain) – 1 tsp
o Salt – as per taste [1 tsp precisely]
o Water – as much required [1/2 cup precisely]
o Red chilli powder – 1 tsp (optional)
o Onion – 2 large (Moderately thin sliced)

Preparation:

  1. In a medium-size bowl add gram flour, ginger & green chilli, Fennel seeds (Saunf), Carom seeds (Ajwain), Salt, Red chilli powder.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients with a spoon or hand. Now, add water little by little to make a thick and dry batter. It’s time to add the key ingredient, onions! Mix all the ingredients together.
  3. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan on medium flame, until it’s moderately hot. Now carefully drop your Pakode using your hands or spoon in small amounts.
  4. Strain out your Pakode and serve them hot. They are the best option for light and quick evening snack. These are better served with tea; but in this case, serve them with chill Roohafza with chia seeds.
  5. Note: If you fry the Pakode on low flame, then the Pakode will absorb the oil. And if you fry it on high flame, then they will turn brown and the inside will remain uncooked.

Pakoda Variations:

You can make any type of Pakoda just by changing the key ingredient [i.e. onion]. The best and most loved variations of Pakode are:

 Paneer
 Cabbage
 Spinach

Namak Para


Namak Para is one of the most-loved ‘crispies and crackers’, and are more or less shaped like a diamond. They are better served with the evening tea and serve as a great snack for kids to munch on. It has a sweet variation called ‘Shakar Para’, where add sugar instead of salt.

Ingredients:

o Flour – 2 cups
o Salt – 2 tsp
o Black cumin (Kalonji) – 1 tsp
o Oil – 4 tbsps
o Water – as much required

Preparation:

  1. Mix flour, salt, Black cumin (Kalonji), and oil in a bowl. The oil with the dry ingredients will help make Namak Para crispier. When properly mixed, take a fist-test. Clutch a fistful of the dry ingredients with oil, if it holds the shape of your fist then proceed to the next step. And if it doesn’t, then add more oil [1 tsp].
  2. Got the perfect crumble dough? Now add water little by little and make stiff dough out of it.  Divide the dough into 4 parts. Then one by one roll them thin and cut them into diamond shapes using a pizza cutter or knife. It’s better to cut all the small dough and fry them together later.
  3. Now, heat the oil and on high flame. When the oil is hot enough, put a fist full of your diamonds.
  4. It takes no time for them to fry. Strain them out when they get golden brown. Soak the excess oil using a tissue paper/ paper towel. Allow them to cool down to room temperature and store them in an air-tight container.

Now you can enjoy your crispy treat!

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Ghugni


Ghugni or Ghumni (as my mother calls it), is a popular chaat among northern and eastern parts of India. This chaat is the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and sour and would be one of the ideal snack recipes for Iftar. The key ingredient of this delicious goodness is black chickpeas.

Though preparation for Ghugni may seem time-consuming, it’ll be worth it. And here is how it’s made in my household:

Note: If you decide to make Ghugni, then properly wash and soak the black chickpeas in water for 7-8 hours, or overnight.

Ingredients:

o Black Chickpeas – 250g [properly boiled. Don’t strain, keep the boiled water]
o Onions – 3 [grinded to paste without water] & 1 [sliced]
o Oil – ¼ cup
o Red chilli powder – 1tbsp
o Salt – as per taste
o Tamarind water – 1 cup
o Sugar – 1½ tbsps
o Ghumni Masala – 2 tbsps

Ghumni Masala-

Ingredients:
o Ginger – 3 pieces [of 2 inches, each]
o Green chilies – 6
o Black pepper – 2 tsp
o Fennel seeds (Saunf) – 2 tbsps
o Carom seeds (Ajwain) – 1 tbsps
o Cumin (Zeera) – 1tbsp
o Asafetida (Hing) – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Put all the ingredients in the grinder, and grind them finely without adding water. Keep this
aside.

Preparation of Ghumni:

  1. Heat the oil in a Kadai, and add sliced onions. Fry them till they are golden brown. Now hurry and add ground onions, before the sliced ones get burned.
  2. Add the Ghumni masala, red chili powder, and keep stirring everything until you see the oil separating from the gravy.
  3. It is time to add the boiled black chickpeas, with its water. Along with the chickpeas add salt, sugar, and tamarind water. Mix everything nicely, and cook them on high flame for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Now, turn the flame to medium and let it simmer until the water gets evaporates, or the gravy’s thickness is to your liking. Serve it on a plate or bowl with chopped onions and lemon.

Fun fact: You can have this with Namak Para to add the crunch. Enjoy!

Chura Matar


Chura Matar is the famous winter snack, served hot on the chilly streets of Banaras. The best thing about this delicacy is, it’s absolutely healthy, and one of my favourites. You can have it as a snack or as a healthy breakfast. So let’s get this yummy in our tummies.

Ingredients:

o Matar (Peas) – 250g
o Poha – 125g [rinsed]
o Dry red chili – 1
o Paanch phoron – ½ tsp
o Asafoetida (Hing) – ¼ tsp [a pinch to be precise]
o Garam masala – 2 tsps
o Oil – 1 tsp
o Ghee – 2 tsps
o Sugar – 2 tsp
o Salt – as per taste
o Ginger – 1 small piece [about 1 inch], finely chopped/grated
o Green chilies – 2 (finely chopped)
o Water – 1 cup

Preparation:

  1. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil; add dry red chili, Paanch phoron, ginger, green chili, Asafoetida (Hing), salt, and sugar. Mix the spices together and then add Matar (peas) and water.
  2. Close the lid and cook it on the high flame; wait for it to whistle twice. On the second whistle, turn off the flame and let the steam cool out.
  3. When the steam cools out, open the pressure cooker. If you notice an excess of water, don’t panic; just shift the Matar and masala along with the water into the Kadai.
  4. Turn on the stove, on medium flame, and add the Poha, ghee, and Garam masala in it. Mix everything together and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes.
  5. When all the water gets evaporated and soaked up, serve it on a plate with chopped onions. You can dribble some lemon as well to enhance the taste.

ALSO READ: 11 Healthy Morning Drinks & Juices to charge you up

Aalu Chaat


Aalu chaat can win your yummy points in no time. It has a slight savoury and sweet taste that will make you sigh in content. It is mild on your taste buds and is great for people searching for healthy food. Although it is called Aalu Chaat, for some reasons known to me, my mom calls it ‘Salona’. And here is how she makes it:

A little warning: It is nothing like the Aalu chaat on your favourite street stalls.

Ingredients:

o Matar (Peas) – 250g
o Potatoes – 2 medium-sized (cut them in small cubes)
o Green chilies – 2 (finely chopped)
o Ginger – 1 piece (about 1 inch), grated
o Sugar – 1 tsp
o Salt – as per taste
o Ghee – ½ tbsp
o Water – ½ cup

Preparation:

  1. In a pressure cooker, add ghee, green chilli, ginger, Matar (peas), potatoes, sugar, and salt. Mix them together and then add water. Close the lid and cook it on the high flame; wait for two whistles.
  2. On the second whistle, put off the flame.
  3. When the steam cools out, open the lid. Cook it on the medium flame for 5 more minutes to evaporate the excess water. It’s now ready!
  4. Wasn’t it simple? Well, it’s tasty too. Serve it with fried Poha, if you want a little crunch. You can also add chopped onions or dribble some lemon over it.

So, these were the 5 shortened snack recipes for Iftar that you should try. Hope they’ll be the favourites of your tummy, like it is of mine. Share it with your friends and comment down which of these are you going to try next?

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