Easy Healthy Indian Snacks | Vegetarian | Kelya che Shikran | Makhana Namkeen | Ragi/Nachni Ambil

In the fast paced life of today, everyone looks for easy to make and healthy food options. So in this blogpost we will share recipes for 3 super easy, nutritious healthy Indian snacks which get ready in a jiffy! I must confess that while I was thinking about easy and healthy Indian snacks, I came across Makhana and tried it for the first time recently. I loved it so much that I wanted one of the recipes of Makhana to be a part of this blogpost.

If you would like to check out some other quick and healthy snack recipes see Sprouts Salad, Dry Fruit Ladoo, Besan Cheela, Sweet Potato Kheer, Vegetable Sandwich, Masala Corn, Kande Pohe and Rava Upma.

Easy Healthy Indian Snacks Recipes:

1. Kelyache Shikran/ Milk and Banana Snack:

Kelyache Shikran or Keliche Shikran is a humble Maharashtrian snack/ side dish/ sweet. It is a multi-purpose food. When you have guests that arrive at a short notice and you don’t know what to serve them, you can make Kelyache Shikran in a couple of minutes. When you are extremely hungry and don’t have the patience to cook anything, you can eat this simple and energy boosting snack.

What I love most about this snack is the ease of preparing it and the fact that it is so healthy!Bananas are a rich source of Carbohydrates and Vitamin B6. They are also a good source of Dietary Fibre, Vitamin C, Potassium and Magnesium, various anti-oxidants and phytonutrients. Milk contains Calcium, Protein, Potassium, Phosphorous, Vitamin B2 and B12 to name a few.

Ingredients for Kelya che Shikran:

• 1 ripe Banana (Kela)
• 1 cup of Milk (Doodh) warm or cold
• 2 tsp Sugar (Shakkar) or as per taste

Step by Step Instructions for preparing Kelya che Shikran:

1. Take 1 cup warm or cold milk in a bowl.
2. Dissolve sugar in it.
3. Add thin slices of banana.

Alternatively, you may crush the banana in a bowl with your fingers or a fork, add sugar and milk on the top and mix well.

2. Makhana Namkeen/ Salted Foxnuts (Lotus Seeds):

Makhanas/ Foxnuts/ Lotus seeds are a very popular fasting food in North India. They are extremely nutritious and can be made into curry, kheer, chivda etc. I wanted to prepare an easy snack which can be stored for long so I tried making this Makhana Namkeen and it turned out to be yummy! I also tried making it with salted butter but I liked the one I prepared with ghee more. You can try it with oil, ghee and butter and see which one suits your taste buds.

Makhanas are a good source of Protein, Carbohydrates, Dietary Fibre, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous, Iron and Zinc. The levels of Sodium, Cholesterol and Fat are low in them. If you are a diabetic or want to reduce weight then this is an excellent snack for you.

Ingredients for preparing Makhana Namkeen:

• 50 grams Makhana or Foxnuts or Lotus Seeds
• 2-3 tsp Ghee/ Oil/ Butter
• 1 tsp Chaat Masala
• 1/4 tsp Pepper powder (Kali Mirch)
• 1/4 tsp Salt or as per taste (Namak)

Step by Step Instructions for preparing Makhana Namkeen:

1. Heat ghee/ oil/ butter in a kadhai or pan on low heat.
2. Once the ghee/ oil/ butter is hot, add the Makhanas and roast on low heat till they are crispy.
3. Keep stirring continuously so that the Makhanas don’t get burnt.
4. After around 10-12 minutes, check the Makhanas by trying to break a couple of them between your thumb and index finger. If they break easily i.e. if they have become crispy, that means they are done!
5. Switch off the gas flame but keep stirring the Makhanas.
6. Add Chaat Masala, Pepper powder and Salt while the Makhanas are still hot and mix well. Note: If you use salted butter for making this snack, you may add less or no salt at all depending on your taste.

3. Nachni Ambil/ Ragi Ambil/ Ragi Soup:

Nachni Ambil/ Ragi Ambil is prepared in Maharashtra and South India in different methods. This recipe of preparing Nachni Ambil is Maharashtrian.

Nachni/ Ragi/ Finger Millet is one of the most nutritious and healthy cereals. It is a rich source of complex carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, iron, dietary fibre, anti-oxidants and phytochemicals (a varied group of chemical compounds derived from plants which help combat diseases). Consuming Ragi is good for people of all age groups and especially those who are suffering from Diabetes or Cholesterol problems.

You can read more about the health benefits of Ragi and also get some delicious Ragi recipes on this beautifully written blogpost by Sadhguru:

http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/lifestyle/food/7-health-benefits-of-ragi-6-great-ragi-recipes/

Ingredients for Nachni Ambil:

• 1/2 cup Curd (Dahi)
• 2½ cups Water (Paani)
• 1/3rd cup Ragi atta (Nachni atta)
• 4-5 Curry leaves (Kari patta)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic (Lehsun) crushed
• 2 green chillies (Hari Mirch) chopped
• 3/4th tsp Salt (Namak) or as per taste
• 3/4th tsp sugar (Shakkar) or as per taste
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
• Coriander leaves (Dhaniya Patta) for granishing

Step by Step Instructions for preparing Nachni Ambil:

1. Prepare buttermilk by blending curd into water. Use sour curd for tastier Ambil.
2. Blend Nachni/ Ragi atta in parts into the buttermilk and ensure that there are no lumps remaining.
3. For tadka (tempering), heat ghee/ oil in a saucepan on low heat. Tip: Use ghee for a better taste.
4. Once the ghee/ oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
5. Next add crushed garlic and green chillies and fry till the garlic turns light brown in colour.
6. Add curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
7. Add Asafoetida and fry for 2-3 seconds.
8. Immediately pour the buttermilk-Ragi mixture into the tadka and stir. Keep stirring at regular intervals so that the Ambil doesn’t get burnt at the bottom of the pan. Note: Keep the gas flame low or medium.
9. Add Salt and Sugar.
10. After 4-5 minutes, you will notice that the Ragi Ambil has come to boil. Reduce the gas flame to minimum and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Switch off the gas flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Tip: The consistency of the Ragi Ambil should be like a soup.

If you loved these healthy Indian snacks recipes, do let us know in the comments section and also share them with family and friends 🙂

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR EASY HEALTHY INDIAN SNACKS HERE:

Do SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel Happily Veg for more recipes.