Makhana Bhel – A perfect Healthy snack

Makhana Bhel is an Indian snack that is low in calories and tempts our taste buds.

It has a sweet, tangy, and spicy taste. It is a healthy chaat recipe prepared with makhana, onions, tomatoes, sweet and spicy chutneys, spices. This low-calorie snack is light on our tummy and tastes delicious to our palate.

Makhana means “puffed lotus seeds or fox nut” and Bhel means “everything mixed together”. 

Enriched with goodness, makhanas are packed with protein, potassium, phosphorus, fiber, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Also, makhanas are low in cholesterol, fat, sodium as well as low in glycemic index which makes them the perfect snack for those suffering from high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes. 

The presence of a natural flavonoid called “kaempferol” helps prevent inflammation and aging. 

It also makes an ideal snack to satiate our appetite for in-between meal hunger pangs. Binging on this snack will not affect our weight loss journey and is also less time-consuming which is a plus for us.

I personally like to indulge in this as my evening snack. I prepare my makhana bhel with sweet and spicy chutneys, peanuts, and lots of veggies in it which makes it delicious as well as nutritious. 

Let’s dig into it with me!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Serving: 2-3

Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove.
• 1-2 green chillies.
• Salt.
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves.
• 1/2 lemon juice.

Method:

• Firstly in a mixie jar, add garlic clove, green chillies and salt and crush all the dry ingredients first.
• Also, add coriander leaves and lemon juice in it.
• Now, add just 1/2 tbsp. water and churn
• Finally, green coriander chutney is ready.

Tip: Chutney should be thick and not liquidy so use less water as Makhana tends to get chewy very quickly.

Tamarind chutney

Ingredients:

• Water in a heated pan (1/2 tbsp.)
• Jaggery (1/2 cup)
• 1.5 tbsp. tamarind pulp (extracted by keeping tamarind in warm water for 30 minutes).

Method:

• First, heat up a pan and add 1/2 tbsp water in the pan.
• Secondly, add Jaggery (gud) and let it melt on medium flame.
• Thirdly, add tamarind pulp and add red chilli powder and salt.
• Finally, mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Tip: Leave chutney to cool down as chutney will get thick as it cools down.

For Mixing of Makhana Bhel

Ingredients:

• Chopped tomatoes (1 tomato)
• Choppe onions (1 onion)
• Chopped cucumber (1 small cucumber)
• Pomegranate (1/2 cup)

Method to make Makhana Bhel

• Firstly in a pan, take oil and heat it then add makhana and peanut in it to roast (roast at medium flame for 4-5 minutes).
• Secondly, take out roasted nuts in a bowl and let it cool down.
• Now, add finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumber as well as pomegranate in the bowl.
• Add coriander chutney & tamarind sweet chutney in the bowl as well.
• Lastly, mix all the ingredients well.
• Finally makhana bhel is ready to tantalize your palate.

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