Spicy Masala Peanuts

While posting this recipe, I must make a candid admission. I have a mixed bag of feelings while sharing this recipe. I am usually very cheerful and excited as I share my recipes with you dear readers. It is the happiness of making something new in my kitchen, and excitement of unknown. I wait for the comments and feedback that my readers share on my blogs and the videos. However, with this recipe, I have a bittersweet feeling, happy for sharing a savory snack recipe with you and heartbroken over the shocking series defeat that India encountered against Bangladesh.

Last Sunday, as we sat in out balcony sipping coffee and watched rains drizzle down from the dark clouds; strike on the railing and some droplets gently fall on my face. It seemed blissful. Our weekends are usually filled with frenetic pace of activities. We plan for our recipe, get all the ingredients ready, assemble the paraphernalia, discuss about how we want to present the recipe video. It actually takes up all our time and saps up our energy and before we even realize, it is almost end of the week. However, this weekend it was different. We knew about the India-Bangladesh tri-series and that one of the match would be on Sunday. In our prior years, these match days would mean we would end up lying on the couch gorging on tons of chips and gulping down gallons of coke. However, in subsequent years, I had put on some serious weights and the BMI index actually screamed at me “Overweight”. As those extra pounds, started to take toll on my knees I knew I had to do something sooner than later. So after a year of diet regime, and running in the morning on streets like a mad man, I started to look more like a normal human than like a gunny sack.

Well coming back to the point, as it was a match day, and we had stopped feasting on coke and chips, we had to find some alternatives. We are used to making some mock tails or fruit juice in our kitchen, and some snacks to go with it. We zeroed on to masala peanuts for this Sunday encounter, to go along with tender coconut punch. This preparation of spicy masala peanuts is an absolute delight. They have got different culinary usage. These peanuts can be used as an addition to “Dabeli”- a Kutchi Gujarati invention made up of mashed potatoes and dabeli masala pressed between pavs and spiced up with tamarind, date, chutney and topped with pomegranate and peanuts. It is also use in Sev-Pav, dry bhel. Most of Indian guys would also know that this spicy peanut also finds its place on what is humbly known as “Chakna” which is a perfect accompaniment with some alcoholic beverage.

These masala peanuts are made by combining gram flour and rice flour in a particular proportion (check the recipe below). This can be made more or less spicy by adjusting the chili powder. Lemon juice and chat masala imparts a tangy flavor. It is a perfect snack recipe, especially when you have made plans to spend the day watching sports on TV.

Do share your feedback about the recipe with us.

As far as the cricket is concerned, my gloom has subsided and I am all geared up to cheer our team for Wednesday’s match!! Bleed Blue

Click here to watch recipe video