ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Crunchy Indian TV Snacks

Updated on April 17, 2019

Don't be mislead by my title - these snacks aren't for the TV, they're all for you! Obviously if you really want to share them with the telly you can do but I don't reckon you'll be sharing them with anyone once you start crunching. In actual fact you don't need a TV for this recipe - just a plain old frying pan, a little oil and a craving for something tangy, crunchy and ever so slightly spicy.

These snacks are called Basen Paare and for anyone interested in following the authentic Indian recipe click here - I, needless to say, have tampered with it and this is what I've up with:

  • 300 grams/10 ounces of Gram flour (chickpea flour)
  • 300 grams/10 ounces of wholemeal flour (if you forget this it’s no big deal – just up the quantity of Gram flour instead)
  • A pinch of Garam Masala
  • A little water
  • one lemon
  • sunflower oil or olive oil to fry
  • a few cherry tomatoes (optional)

You may have noticed that they're salt free (that deserves 'bold', doesn't it?) - this wasn't a conscious decision on my part, I naturally tend to use little or no salt and in the case of these Besan Paares the results proved to me that salt wasn't actually needed - Gram flour is already flavoursome and with the addition of the Garam Masala, the old salt is just a distant memory. Garam Masala is a very fragant mixture of spices sometimes referred to as Curry Powder in the West - you'll find it at any Indian grocery store but should you have difficulty try using Curry Powder instead (although it's not quite the same).

Just for your idle curiosity, here's the ingredients which I've omitted (mainly because I couldn't get hold of them) from the original recipe:

  • two tablespoons of semolina (I forgot it one day and have never missed it since)
  • salt
  • red chili flakes,
  • carom seeds,
  • Asafetida otherwise known as Hing (this is the onion substitute for those who are pure vegetarian (i.e. do not eat onion or garlic which, for those who practice Yoga seriously, is omitted from the diet)
  • four tablespoons of oil in the dough (it seems superfluous to me).

Obviously you may want to add any of the above to your Basem Paares but I can tell you they come out scrumpscious using only my scanty ingredients. I suppose you could say that my version of Basen paares is a healthy version - they’ll certainly bring on a healthy appetite once you get crunching. Just get those gnashers at the ready - there's going to be some serious chomping going on!

So, enough chitter chatter - how do we make these crunchliscious snacks?

Well, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

Sift the Gram flour into a bowl and when this is done add a pinch of Garam Masala (or curry powder if you're using it).

Add the water a little at a time until you get a dough (although you'll probably get a squidgy, sticky dough this is no problem as you'll see in a bit).

And that's not all...

More likely than not you'll have a very sticky dough but fear not - grease your hands and a rolling pin with some cooking oil before rolling it out and cutting it into shapes. (The original Basen Paares are thin rectangle strips – if the dough is very sticky you may find it easier making little ball shapes or just whatever shape you can prise off your hand).

Now pour a layer of oil into a frying pan (it needn't be too much, these are 'healthy' after all), wait for it to get hot and carefully lay whatever shapes you've made inside – don’t go away because they'll soon become crispy and need turning over - in two or three minutes (a little more if they're thick) they'll be ready.

Once they're done squeeze a slice of lemon over them while they’re still lying hot on the serving plate.

Tips

  • Prepare the dough ten minutes before frying so the dough can sit and rest. (Don’t ask me why doughs get so tired).
  • To get a more manageable dough, add very little water to the flour at a time, kneading well each time and the result should be more solid and less clingy.
  • The Paares may puff up in the frying pan - if this offends you pierce them with a fork before putting them in the pan.
  • Garnish with slices of lemon and chopped cherry tomatoes. If you’re feeling adventurous you can accompany them with a yogurt and paprika dip (I think you can guess what the ingredients are to that) or any dip that takes your fancy.
  • For vegetarians out there, you can turn the dough into vegetarian cutlets – they come out exactly like veal chops (as I remember them) - just make a thicker dough, cut out larger shapes and when they're done squirt them with a little lemon and plonk a salad by their side. Bob's your uncle!

Now, I've called these 'Indian TV snacks' so all you need now is a good Bollywood film - then sit back, enjoy and get gnashing!


Vegetarian cutlets - another guise of Basen Paares

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)