“Wow mausi! What is this? Its so yummy!” Hubby and me going gaa gaa over a snack mausi had served us with the evening chai. In her characteristic modesty she said, “kuch nahi beta, yeh toh bas aise hi.” We of course made sure we got the recipe and have made it so many times over and never got bored. But that’s when I realized that Starters or Snacks form an important part of your menu when you have invited people over. These days the variety of starters served at any do, you hardly have any space for the actual meal. While we at home need not serve so many types, here are some simple tips for tasty tidbits that will make you guests go raving about your party! Just make sure that you have good stock of pyaaz, tamatar and hari mirch!
First honour of course goes to Mausi’s recipe **(thank you Meenu Mausi)!*
*The Quickie Bhel*
While the word quickie might give you memories, please concentrate on the word bhel! Take any farsaan available at home; add some finely chopped onion, tomato and green chilies. Top it up with your regular ketchup at home and mix well. Serve with a dash of coriander as garnishing. This looks like such a plain and simple snack, but trust me, it tastes really good and goes well with your chai, pepsi or whisky!
*Corny to the Core*
No pun intended here! Just take some regular sweet corn(if you don’t get fresh corn, frozen will do just fine) and boil it to make it soft. Remove excess water if any. Add finely chopped pyaaz and tomato. After that, add laal mirchi powder, chaat masala, salt to taste and mix well. It is a healthy starter and the sweet corn just tastes delicious.(they charge you 30 bucks for a tiny cup of the same stuff outside!)
*Chatpata Couch Potato*
This one may add just a little bit to your fat cells, but it’s a nice occasional indulgence. Boil the potatoes and cut them in regular sized pieces(the way you do for your subzi). Now deep fry this alu till golden brown. Add a bit of chopped onion, chaat masala, mirchi powder, salt to taste and mix it well. This snack will be the first to get over at any party. Fried alu with anything is irresistible, so make sure you have made enough.
*Masala Papad*
This snack traditionally served at all bars along with your glass of daaru is cheaper and better at home. Fry some papad or take khakra(it’s healthier since it isn’t deep fried). Make a mixture of finely chopped trio(onion, tomato and green chilies) along with little bit of namak and spread it evenly on the papad and serve. Please make sure that this snack is made at the last minute, since the base tends to become soggy after sometime, though you can always keep the mixture ready.
*Go Bananas*
This is one of favourites, a snack that my mum makes so well. Take a few kaccha bananas, greener the better. Peel them(they don’t get peeled like normal ones, you have to cut the skin off) and cut them in 8 pieces lengthwise. Add enough salt and chilly powder, mix well and leave it for sometime. The water that salt leaves will make it stick to the banana. In this add a little bit of chaawal ka aata and besan and mix well. Don’t add any additional water. Mix the whole thing well(with your hands) so that it makes a sort of a thin coating on the banana pieces. Now deep fry these pieces on medium flame for sometime. Taste the first one to check if you need to add anything else before you fry the rest and serve it hot with ketchup. It needs to be fried a little longer since the kela is kaccha and needs to get soft from inside. It also, funnily tends to taste a bit like fish. So surprise people with a veggie with a twist. Tell me how many could guess it was a just your good old banana.
*Top it up!*
This one has been shown on every Monacco pack for ages! Take your regular salt biscuit or sev puri ki puri and top it up with whatever you like! If you are a vegetarian, cut round pieces of tomato, onion, alu… maybe a small piece of cheese and to this add a dash of any sauce you might have. The regular tomato ketchup, the fiery schezwan sauce or the tangy Manchurian one or rather a few of each and serve on a pretty platter. For the non vegetarians jus add a piece of salami instead of alu and go for it. What makes the difference is the sauce you add right in the end. It’s a common snack, yet looks really nice when served and wiped off easily.
Okay, its lunch time and I am getting hungry after thinking about all this stuff! But I have to finish it in some serving tips. For almost all the items you can also a bit of aam chur powder or squeeze a bit of lemon for that khatta taste(though I don’t like it much!).
When there are a lot of people, spread around your house, it can get quite tiresome to get up every now and then to do the rounds of serving. So things like bhel, you can just put it in a few brightly coloured bowls and keep them at number of places where guests can help themselves as and when they want. The same goes for something like alu chaat and banana chips. Your topped biscuits and masala papad kinda stuff can be served in nice platter(you get plates in such bright shades and weird shapes these days!). Small bowls filled with chutney and ketchup can be kept as dips.
Trust me, after you have gotten off to this perfect “start” the rest will be a breeze!
PS: **a BIG thank you to my MUM! Almost all other recipes are hers!*