3 Chefs Share Their Favourite Crunchy Monsoon Recipes

Do you know the best way to brighten up a gloomy rainy day? Well, the perfectly crunchy, spicy snacks!

So, if you are feeling the monsoon blues, here are three popular recipes of the season with a brand new twist for your snack-attack: 

Kanda Bhaji (Onion fritters) by Chef Varun Inamdar

Ingredients

1 cup onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup California walnuts, chopped roughly

1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

1 teaspoon green chilly chopped

1/2 cup gram flour

1 teaspoon salt

Oil for frying

Method:

1. Slice the onions thinly and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Massage the salt into the onions and allow them to rest aside.

3. Add gram flour to the sweating onions.

4. Add California walnuts, coriander seeds crushed and green chillies.

5. Massage all of this together till the gram flour moistens and coats every onion slice.

6. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan.

7. Make little clumps and fry on medium flame, fry till they turn crisp and golden brown.

8. Remove the bhaji on absorbent kitchen napkins.

9. Serve hot and crisp with fried green chillies.

Purple Cabbage Walnut Soup by Chef Neha Deepak Shah

Ingredients

1/2 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup celery or coriander roots & stem
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup California walnuts
2-3 cups of vegetable broth or a stock cube with water
1 small potato (boiled and grated)
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
Salt & black pepper
Chopped fresh herbs (parsley, coriander & oregano)
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Topping
Apple chips
Crushed California walnuts
Baked pita chips
Garlic Chips
Herbs
Chilli flakes

Method:
1. Heat the oil or butter in a pan and add the bay leaf, onion, garlic and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add purple cabbage, salt, California walnuts, vinegar, cook it until the cabbage softens and then cover it for a few minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth and let the veggies simmer for 15 minutes until it has softened really well. Add the grated potato, season with salt, pepper and add herbs of your choice.
4. Blend this soup into a smooth velvety mix and serve hot with toppings of your choice preferably California walnuts, garlic chips, dehydrated apple chips and parsley. 

Grilled Corn with Walnut Pesto by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

Ingredients

CORN
Fresh corn on the cob, husked (8 cobs)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

PESTO
1 large bunch fresh basil 
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup California walnuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

ASSEMBLY
1/2 cup walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place walnuts (for pesto and assembly) on a baking sheet. Toast walnuts for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Chop when cool.

CORN
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Clean and lightly oil your grill. Brush each corn on the cob with vegetable oil. Place on the grill.
2. Grill corn for 10-15 minutes, rotating corn 2-3 times throughout cooking time. Remove corn from grill and place onto a serving platter.

PESTO
1. While corn is cooking, prepare the pesto. Add basil, parsley, 1 cup walnuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, about 30 seconds.
2. Drizzle in olive oil and process until combined for 15-20 seconds. Spoon pesto into a bowl.

ASSEMBLY
1. Smear pesto with a knife over the top side of each corn on the cob. Sprinkle corn with 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Serve.