I was in Delhi recently and had an interesting and new type of chaat at a restaurant called Veda. Spinach (palak leaves) (stemscut) were dipped in a very thin batter of besan, salt and chilli powder and fried crisp.

These were arranged on a serving dish and topped with sweet and sour tamarind chutney and beaten yogurt and garnished with a lot of fine sev. It was an extremely light, delicious and crunchy starter.

All of us love to snack and if you are looking for an easy to make snack to go with drinks or at tea time, try making these Mini Moong Dal Kachoris

Mini Moong Dal Kachoris

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup or katori of yellow moong dal
2. 2 green chillies finely chopped
3. 1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
4.  ½ tsp ajwain
5. ¼ tsp shahjeera
6. ¼ tsp red chillie powder
7. One small bunch of coriander leaves finely chopped
8. One pinch soda bicarb (about1/8th tsp)
9. Salt to taste
10. On small bowl of oil for frying

Procedure:

Soak moong dal in 3 cups of water for an hour or two . Then drain out water and grind dal, ginger and green chillies in a blender/grinder. Remove ground dal in a bowl. Add all the

remaining spices and mix the batter well. 

Heat oil in a thick Kadai. When the oil is hot, slightly lower flame and put in one teaspoon of of the batter at a time to make small pakodis. Gently turn them around till they are evenly golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a tissue. Serve hot in an attractive serving dish with coriander-mint or tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

5 Tips to Beat the Summer -

1. Have 2 - 3 classes of chilled Nimbu Paani (daily)
2. Have a bowl of cucumber salad with dil and salt and pepper
3. Have a bowl of dudhi raita for lunch and spinach raita for dinner
4. On weekends indulge with a chilled glass of Mango Milkshake
5. When hungry, go for a plate of chilled water melon or tender coconut

Resist the urge to eat junk food, stay healthy and let the summer not get you down!!