Green Makhana (fox nut) Tikkis- vegan, gluten free
Makhana/ Fox nuts are seeds of water lily plant that are collected in a laborious process from the bottom of ponds and then carefully cleaned, popped, polished before being commercially packed. Makhana is widely grown in Indian states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir. Nutrition wise, 100g foxnuts contain about 14 g fiber, 9 g protein and almost no fat. Foxnuts are rich sources of fiber, calcium, potassium. They are widely used for weight loss with their low carb, low fat composition.
Tikki which means small croquette or cutlet in Hindi/ Urdu, is a snack popular in India. Traditional tikkis are made with potatoes and are nothing but simple golden fried patties that are often spiced. In a nutshell, tikkis are Indian version of hashbrowns.
Instead of using potatoes, the bulk of these bite sized delicious snacks is made with fox nuts. Switching to fox nuts from potatoes for your tikkis is a great choice if you are working on weight loss or controlling your blood glucose. Abundant fiber, along with low carb and low fat profile, but still satiating is a great combination to have in an addictive snack.
To add in the valuable phytonutrients for this snack, lots of greens (a dish should not be made without greens, in my view), peas and sweet potato were incorporated into the recipe. For the flavor, a mix of spices along with ginger and garlic were added. The final outcome is a slightly crunchy on outside, cooked on inside, flavorful nourishing snack that is great for the chai time or as a side for your meals.
If you have foxnuts in your pantry, these tikkis are made in no time and are thoroughly enjoyable with minimal effort. Foxnuts are usually sold in Indian stores widely , under the name Makhana. Amazon customers can find the product online https://www.amazon.com/Rani-Phool-Makhana-Popped-Uncooked/dp/B012T35AE6/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=fox+nuts&qid=1616733379&sr=8-2.
Green Makhana Tikkis
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 6 cups dry roasted phool makhana
- 1 cups defrosted frozen green peas
- 4 cups mixed greens – spinach / kale
- 2 small green chilies fresh
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 inch ginger peeled
- 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1 medium sweet potato cooked and mashed
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion optional
- 1/2 cup grated carrot optional
- 6-8 mint leaves
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Have the sweet potato cooked and ready. You can just cook it in the microwave or steam it or pressure cook it or bake it. Get the green peas out and let them sit on counter while you get the rest of the veggies ready. Dry roast makhana in a pan without any oil for 5 min, until you see them slightly browned and crunchy.
- Now to a blender jar, add the makhana, greens, defrosted peas, chilies, ginger and garlic. Blend till a coarse mixture is formed. No water is needed. Take the blender contents into a mixing bowl.
- To the same mixing bowl, add mashed sweet potato and oats. Mix well with a spatula. Then add any veggies you like along with spices. I added onions, carrots, mint, cilantro along with salt, cumin, coriander powder. Also a hint of sesame seeds gives a touch of crunch. You can add chopped cabbage or even riced broccoli. Mix thoroughly till a slightly sticky dough like mixture is formed.
- Once you have the dough, you can either bake these tikkis or pan fry them. Make the tikkis, by taking a small ball of dough in your hand and making a patty with about 1/2 inch thickness. If baking, place them on a baking tray with non stick liner. Preheat the oven to 375 F and bake for 20 min with flipping the tikkis mid way. If you chose to pan fry, make sure you minimize oil use. Choose a non stick pan, and on medium heat fry them for about 12 -15 min total, with flipping midway.
- Serve these tikkis with traditional tamarind date chutney.