5 Lip-smacking Indian Makhana Recipes For A Healthy Lifestyle

Mahesh Patil
5 min readJan 9, 2018

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The powerhouse of protein, carbs and healthy fat, makhana, lotus seed or fox nuts are gaining popularity as the new superfood. You can eat them roasted or raw, you can also make easy and interesting recipes with them in no time! Here are 7 quick and delightful recipes with super healthy lotus seeds:

  1. Spicy Munchies Makhana
Spicy Munchies Makhana

This is the simplest and fastest recipe for a snack diet. With minimal availability of ingredients in the kitchen, Makhana spiced will respond to your cravings in no time.

Ingredients

  • Makhana — 3 cups
  • Turmeric powder
  • Red pepper powder
  • Salt
  • Chaat Masala
  • Black pepper
  • Ghee or cooking oil

Method

  • Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan and roast the nuts for about 11 minutes over low heat. Keep stirring.
  • Add all the spices. Turn off the flame and discard the nuts well.
  • If necessary, add more Chaat Masala. Mix well.
  • Place immediately in the airtight container cool, use later.
  • If you want to skip ghee or oil, you can also dry it. However, spices do not mix well and can give a raw taste. The use of ghee or oil makes Makhana tastier.

2. Caramelized Makhana

Caramelized makhana

For quick and easy treat, caramelized makhana is the perfect choice. We want to give it a touch of health.

Ingredients

  • Makhana — 2 cups
  • Jaggery Gold Cane Sugar
  • Ghee or coconut oil

Method

  • Makhana fries in ghee or coconut oil over low heat until crisp.
  • In another saucepan, stir with a little water over low heat. It will melt into a golden brown liquid. Check for a sticky consistency.
  • Stir constantly for the melted jaggery on the roasted Makhana.
  • In a few minutes Makhanas would be covered with jaggery. Cool and store in an airtight container.
  • This is a good snack that you can nibble at any time. Do you have to saturate your sweet tooth with tea. The crispy fox nuts and the natural sweetness of Jaggery make you want more.

3. Healthy Makhana Chaat

Makhana chaat

Flavoured makhana is a traditionally known roasted snacks brands. Give us a turn and create a Makhana Chaat inimitable, healthy and without oil.

Ingredients

  • Makhana
  • Potatoes
  • Quark or yogurt — 1 cup
  • Pomegranate seeds — 1/2 cup
  • Black pepper powder — 1/2 teaspoon
  • Raisins — handle
  • Roasted cumin
  • Coriander leaves — handle — chopped
  • Lemon juice (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • Soak Makhana in water for 30 minutes. Squeeze the water and put in a bowl.
  • Add the rest of all ingredients to the bowl of spices and salt.
  • Throw well. Add raisins at the end.

This healthy chaat is made in less than 15 minutes. To make it more consistent, you can add grated cucumber to the mixture. You can create a variation by replacing the raisins with Sev. Do you have this in your breakfast or snack when you are in a hurry. Your children would also like this simple and tasty chaat.

4. Makhana Matar Curry

Makhana matar curry

It is a unique dish, unlike the usual curries. It is light and satisfying and has a fantastic taste!

Ingredients

  • Makhana
  • Peas — 1 cup
  • Onion 2 large, chopped
  • Tomato puree — 1 cup
  • Red pepper powder (optional) — 1 tablespoon
  • Coriander powder — 1 tablespoon
  • Garam Masala — 1 dessert
  • Caraway-2 tablespoons
  • Turmeric-1 tablespoon
  • Cashew nut 5–6
  • Garlic — 5–6 cloves
  • Ginger 1 inch piece

Method

  • Put the Makhana in the heated skillet and roast over low heat until crisp. Transfer to a plate, keep aside.
  • Heat oil and sauté half of chopped onions and garlic until lightly browned. Turn off the flame and add the cashews that heat in the heat of the tub. Allow the mixture to cool before adding a paste to the mixer with a little water.
  • Heat more oil in a saucepan. Add the sesame seeds until they crack. Add half of the chopped onions to the pan and fry. Add the onion paste to the mold. Always good for 3–4 minutes.
  • Add the tomato puree, turmeric, coriander powder and fresh powder. Mix well. Cover the pan and cook until the oil dissolves.
  • Add half a cup of water, peas and salt. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 4–5 minutes.
  • Drop roasted makhana, simmer for a minute and extinguish the flame.

The lotus seeds soak the water and thicken the sauce as the mixture cools. Garnish with coriander leaves or dry red peppers. Enjoy chapati or rice.

5. Makhana Tikki

Makhana Tikki

Surprised? Well, lotus seeds are full of surprises and give us immense possibilities for experimentation. Here’s a super easy recipe for Tikki’s potato and fox seed.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes — cooked and mashed
  • Fox nuts — 1 cup
  • Green peppers — 2, finely chopped
  • Grilled peanuts-2 tablespoons, roughly crushed
  • Coriander leaves — handle, finely chopped
  • Fennel seed powder — 1 teaspoon
  • Garam Masala Powder — 1 teaspoon
  • Chaat Masala — 1 teaspoon
  • Cooking oil — 4–5 tablespoons
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • Start smoking ghee with fox nuts until they are crisp. Coat the seeds roughly.
  • Put the coarsely ground Makhana, the mashed potatoes and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Change the salt and spices to your taste.
  • Form the mixture into round or oval patties. Sauté lightly in pan until both sides are golden brown.
  • Serve with ketchup or pudina chutney.

You can try these recipes as healthy lunch box options ,specially healthy tiffin options for kids. These tikkis are cooked with less oil and with the advantage of fox nuts and are rich in protein snack and definitely lip smacking.

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Mahesh Patil

Blogger| Foodie| Roasted snacks brands| Healthy Snacks| Diet & Nutritional Products| Healthy lunch box options| Ready to eat snack