Easy Snacks to bring to an Adda

Every get-together in our region, calls for some scrumptious food and a steaming cup of hot tea to go along. With Pahela Baishakh just crossed off the calendar, we are still appeasing ourselves with the deshi flavours and so a typical adda at this time would mean bringing over food that is home-cooked and culturally inspired.

Here's an interesting list – hoping to make get-togethers even more appealing.

MURALI

Muralis are crunchy, white, ground sugar-coated sticks that are great as snacks. These can be stored for long durations in an air-tight container, and just like nimkis, taste great with tea.

Ingredients

2½ cup all-purpose flour

2½ tbsp milk powder

Water, as needed

Oil, for deep frying

2 cups sugar

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Method

In a bowl, pour flour, milk, baking powder and salt. Mix well and add water to it. Knead well and make the dough. Make four parts from the dough. Roll each part out with about ½ inch thickness. Then cut the slab into finger-long sticks. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the sticks on low heat until crunchy. Make sure these do not turn red.

For the sugar coating,  mix 1 cup of water with sugar in a saucepan, and stir on medium heat to make a thick syrup. Then add the fried sticks. Mix well. Allow the sticks to cool. Store and serve.

MURIR MOA (PUFFED RICE LADDU)

Ingredients

250g puffed rice

700g jaggery

2 cups water

Method

Dry roast the puffed rice in a cast iron skillet for about a minute. Take them out from the skillet and keep aside. Place jaggery and water in a pan. Dissolve the jaggery over low heat. Once the jaggery dissolves, increase the heat and bring it to boil, and cook over full flame until a two-thread consistency is reached. Mix in the puffed rice quickly into the mixture. Take it off the heat and let it cool for a while. Make round balls by moistening the hands if the mixture is too sticky. Leave it to cool and serve.

MURKI

This is a simple sweet dish made with khoi and jaggery. The dish is very popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. In West Bengal, it is called 'upra' and prepared during festival.

Ingredients

250g Khoi (popped rice)

250g jaggery, grated

1 cup water

1 tbsp ginger juice

Method

Pour 1 cup of water in a pan and add jaggery. Keep the pan on medium flame. Keep on stirring until the jaggery becomes sticky. Now switch off the gas and after three minutes, add khoi and ginger juice. Stir continuously with a spatula for the proper coating of jaggery. Allow it to cool down. After cooling, store the murki in an air tight container.

NIMKI

Nimki, also known as 'namak para,' is a traditional Bengali snack made of white flour. It is a tasty, light, crunchy snack that can be made anywhere, and at any time without much hassle. The best thing about nimki is that it can be stored for a long time without using any kind of preservatives.

Ingredients

2 cups white flour

½ tsp kalojeera (fennel)

4 tbsp ghee

½ cup water

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method

In a bowl, mix flour, salt, kalojeera, and ghee. Now add water to it and make dough. Keep it aside. Cover with a wet cloth for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into thin chapatis. Cut them into shapes of your choice with a knife. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep-fry the nimkis on low heat till they turn light brown and crispy. When done, remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel to drain oil and cool. Store in an air tight container so that it lasts long.

Tip: Make sure you fry nimkis on low heat. If the flame is high, the nimkis will turn brown quickly and will remain raw and soft inside.

GOJA

Ingredients

2 cups refined flour

1 cup sugar

A pinch of baking powder

2 tbsp ghee

2 green cardamom

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Oil for deep fry

Method

Combine sugar, water, and cardamom pods in a heavy bottom pan, and bring to a boil. Stir frequently. As the syrup thickens, reduce the heat and test the consistency. Once the sugar syrup has reached a two-string consistency, turn off the heat and add lemon juice (this prevents the syrup from crystallising). Keep warm. In a bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add ghee and work it well into the mixture. Add water little by little and knead till stiff dough is formed. Divide the dough into equal portions and use a rolling pin to roll out into ovals. Make several slashes on the ovals with a knife or a fork. Heat sufficient ghee or oil in a pan and deep fry the gojas till light brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil or ghee. Dip the fried gojas in sugar syrup. Coat rapidly and remove quickly. Toss till dry and crisp.

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed