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Monsoon brings along little joys of life. This is the season when most of us crave for some piping hot crispy and crunchy snacks to complement our tea or coffee while we enjoy the pitter-patter of raindrops and the scenic beauty all around.

And if you are bored of the usual bhajjis and are looking to experiment in the kitchen, we bring you some interesting options to try:

Fresh paneer, Bread crumbs, Oil for frying

For marination: 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp degi mirch, 1 tsp chaat masala, 1/2 tsp black salt, 1 tsp chopped fresh coriander, 1/2 tsp kasoori methi powder

For batter: 1/2 cup besan, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp chaat masala, 1 green chilli, 1/2 tsp crushed ajwain, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 200ml water

Cut the paneer into equal finger-sized slices. Marinate it with the mentioned spices.

Take the besan in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, chaat masala, chopped green chilli, ajwain, ginger, garam masala and water. Mix well.

Dip the paneer slices in the batter and coat with bread crumbs. Fry will it turns brown. Enjoy hot with your choice of dip.

- Chef Raghav Chopra, head chef-cum-manager, Burgflix

1 cup rajgira/amaranth flour, 4 tbsp curd, Salt to taste, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 3-4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 3 tbsp water, 2 tbsp sesame seeds

In a bowl, mix the flour, curd, salt, red chilli powder, cumin seeds and coriander leaves. Add water and mix well. Knead it into a dough.

Make small balls of the dough and flatten them lightly. Make a hole in the centre. Spread sesame seeds on both sides of the vada.

Heat oil on medium flame until moderate hot. Fry the vadas until both sides are golden and crispy.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot with sambar or chutney.

- Avni Arora, individual recipe developer

200gm boiled chickpeas, 200gm boiled beetroot, Some cranberries, Salt to taste, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp chaat masala, Corn flour for dusting, Oil to fry

Grind the boiled chickpeas and beetroot. Mix them together in a bowl. Keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Add black pepper, cumin powder and chaat masala.

Make small balls of the dough. Add the cranberries and make flat discs.

Dust them with corn flour and fry on medium flame. Serve hot with your choice of dip or chutney.

- Chef Dr Izzat Husain, Zafrani Zirakpur Chandigarh

4 medium arbi leaves, 3 cup besan, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ajwaini, 1/2 tsp anardana, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp fresh green chilli paste, Salt to taste

Wash the arbi leaves and spread them on a table. Cut the knots of leaves. Make a smooth paste of rest of the ingredients by adding water.

Apply the paste on each leaf and place them on top of each other. Gently fold them from the sides and apply some more besan paste and roll it gently.

Use a thread to gently tie the rolls from all sides. Steam them for 15 minutes through indirect steaming technique.

Keep them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cut the thread and cut the rolls into round discs and golden fry. Serve hot with Imli chutney.

- Chef Amrinder Singh Kochhar, Kochhar Cuisine Catering, Mohali

6 Paan (betel) leaves, 1/2 cup besan, 1 boiled and chopped potato, 1 cup grated boiled potato, 1 chopped cucumber, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 cup pudina chutney, 1/2 cup sweet tamarind chutney, 1 cup curd, Red chilli powder to taste, Black pepper powder to taste, Salt to taste, Chaat masala to taste, Roasted cumin powder, Pomegranate seeds, Nylon sev, Chopped coriander leaves, Oil for frying

Wash and clean the paan leaves. Mix the besan and salt with little water to make thick batter. Make a basket using the grated potato on the back of a ladle.

Dip the betel leaves in the batter and fry on low flame. Fry the potato basket as well.

In a bowl, mix lightly crumbled fried paans, chopped potatoes, onion, tomatoes, cucumber and pomegranate seeds. Add the chutneys and curd.

Sprinkle salt and spices according to taste. Garnish with a fried paan, pomegranate seeds, nylon sev and green coriander, rose petals on top.

Subhashree Nanda is a Senior Content Producer. She edits for HT City, Punjab, J&K-Himachal and Haryana news desk of Hindustan Times. She occasionally writes on lifestyle, culture, etc. ...view detail

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