10 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks

Do you often look for snack ideas? I like to try new snack recipes. Freshly homemade, tea time snacks appeals to all ages. There are comfort and joy in munching a delicious sweet or savory deep-fried snack with hot piping tea. Some recipes make you nostalgic, and we keep coming back to it time and again. Kerala has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks. You never get tired of eating them! So here is a list of family favorites. Today I am sharing a collection of 10 easy to make snacks that you can make under 20 minutes. Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? Please share your ideas, leave me a comment below

Want to try more Kerala snacks, check my post 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks

 Pazham Pori- Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain

Pazham pori is a quick and easy tea time snack. It is made with ripe sweet plantains dipped in a batter and then deep-fried in coconut oil to crispy golden.

Ingredients
Ripe plantains - 3 medium
Maida-1 1/2 cup
Rice flour-2 tbs
Sugar- 2 tbs ( depending on the sweetness of plantain)
salt- a pinch
Baking powder- a pinch (optional)
Turmeric powder a pinch
Cardamon powder- 1/3 tsp
Nutmeg powder- a pinch
oil for frying

To make the batter in a large bowl add flour, rice flour, salt and sugar, and whisk. Pour about a cup of water little by little and whisk until it forms a smooth lump-free batter. Add baking powder turmeric powder, cardamom powder, and nutmeg powder. Whisk till well blended. The batter should not too thick and not too thin. Let it rest for five minutes.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Dip thinly sliced plantains in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden. Flip and fry both sides till it is evenly crisp and golden brown. Enjoy with tea.

Aval Vilayichathu/ Sweetened Flat Rice with Jaggery

Aval Vilayichathu/ Varattiyathu is a traditional old fashioned tea time snack. Aval or flat rice is sweetened with jaggery and enriched with the flavors of ghee, cardamom, dry ginger, and coconut. You can store in airtight containers for 3-4 weeks.

Ingredients
Poha or aval - 3 cup
Jaggery- powdered- 1 1/2
Shredded coconut- 1 1/2 cup
Roasted cashew nuts- a few
Raisins- 15
Cardamon powder- 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger powder- 1/8 tsp
Ghee- 3-4 tsp

In a pan boil jaggery along with one cup of water till the jaggery dissolves and switch off the flame. Strain to remove any impurities.
Heat half of the ghee in a pan. Add cashew nuts, raisins and fry till golden. Set it aside for later use. Pour jaggery syrup into the pan and allow to simmer reduce and to attain a two-thread consistency. Add in the coconut, cardamom powder, and dry ginger powder. Stir in between and when it thickens or reaches a gel consistency add flatten rice.  Mix quickly till it is evenly coated with the jaggery mixture. Add the fried cashew nuts, raisins, and the ghee/clarified butter. Transfer into a greased baking pan and spread it evenly. Allow it to cool. Serve with tea.

Quick and Easy Banana Semolina Fritters

Banana semolina fritters are a perfect tea time snack. Bananas and eggs give it the fluffy moist and spongy inside and semolina the crispy crust. Cardamom and ghee add a pleasant aroma and taste.

Semolina- 1 1/2 cup
Banana/cheru pazham-2-3
Egg- 2
milk- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 2 tbs
(according to sweet preference)
Cardamon crushed- 5
Salt- a pinch
Baking soda- a pinch
Chopped Cashew nuts- 1 1/2 tbs
Ghee- 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

In a bowl mix semolina flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and milk. Mash the banana and mix this into the semolina. Pour in the egg mixture, melted ghee, chopped cashew nuts, and cardamom powder. Mix well and let it sit for half an hour. Your batter should not be too thick or too thin. It should able to easily slide off a spoon.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Pour a spoon full of batter into the oil. Spoon in five to six fitters at a time. Fry in medium flame till one side is golden and flip over to the other side and fry till both sides are golden brown. Drain into paper towels. Serve with tea.

Kozhukatta/ Steamed Rice Dumplings

Kozhukatta is a traditional Kerala delicacy. They are soft round steamed rice dumplings with both sweet and savory fillings. It is a tasty and guilt-free treat or a snack.

Ingredients
Rice flour- 2 cups
Hot boiling water- 1 to 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Sugar- 1 tsp
Coconut oil- 2 tsp

For the filling
Coconut- 2 cup
Jaggery-250 gram
Cardamon  powder- 1/2 tsp
Chopped cashew nuts - 5-6 (optional)
Roasted cumin powder- a pinch (optional)
Ghee- 1  tsp

To make the filling
Boil powdered jaggery in one cup of water and simmer till all the jaggery melts. Strain out the impurities. In a heavy bottom, pan adds the strained jaggery and simmer it till it starts thickening to two thread consistency. Add coconut and mix well and cook till it is completely dry and leaves the edges of the pan. Add ghee, cardamom powder, and chopped cashew nuts and mix well. Allow this mixture to cool down completely.

To make the dough
Boil two cups of water along with salt and sugar. In a bowl add rice flour and make a well in the center. When the water comes to a rolling boil, carefully add the water little by little into the flour and mix with a wooden spatula till all the dough comes together. Mix the coconut oil too, cover, and let it rest for a few minutes. When it cools down a bit knead the dough and make it smooth. Make into a large lemon sized ball. Flatten it on your palm and form it to a cup shape. Make small balls of coconut jaggery filling and place it in the center. Carefully bring in the edges together and seal. Mold it into the shape of a ball and smooth the top. Steam this in a steamer or a pressure cooker without the weight on for around ten minutes. Remove the lid and allow it to cool before serving. Enjoy with tea.

Bread Bonda

Bread Bonda is a tasty snack made with bread slices and a tasty potato filling. The balls are deep-fried till they attain a crispy golden exterior.

Ingredients
Bread slices- 8-10
Bread Crumbs- 1/2 cup
For the filling
Potatoes cooked and mashed- 1 1/2 cup
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Hing- a pinch
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Onion- 1/2
Curry leaves chopped- 1 tsp
Chopped chilly-2-3
Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
Lemon juice- 1tsp
Cilantro- finely chopped- 2 tbs
 
Wash and boil potatoes till it is soft (2 medium-sized potatoes). When it cools down remove the skin and mash with a fork.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when it splutters add urad dal and roast till golden. Add hing, turmeric powder, onions, ginger, and chopped curry leaves and saute for a minute. Add mashed potatoes, salt and mix well. Finally, add the lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Allow this mixture to cool and then make small equal-sided balls.
Cut edges of the bread and dip in a bowl of water (dip for two to three-second and take it out). Place it on your palm and gently press down and flatten the bread. Place the filling in the center and grab the edges of the bread and press it together like a pouch. Roll it into a ball. Roll in bread crumbs.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the bread bonda in batches. Turn and fry till all sides are crispy and golden. Remove from oil and place on paper towels. Serve with chutney and tea.

Elanji- Crepes with coconut filling

Elanji is simple and easy to make a teatime snack. It is just your basic crepe recipe with sweet coconut filling

Ingredients
For the crepes
Flour- 1 cup
Egg-3
Milk- 1 1/2 cup
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Butter- 1 tbs
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder- a pinch
For the filling
Coconut grated- 1 1/2 cup
Sugar or jaggery
Chopped nuts- 1 tbs
Cardamom powder- a pinch

Add eggs, flour, and milk into a blender. Start blender on low speed and increase to high. Blend until smooth for 30-40 seconds. Check consistency, it should be thin consistency, add more milk if needed. Strain the batter and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a 10 or 12-inch nonstick pan. Lightly grease with butter. Pour around 1/3 cup of batter into the pan and quickly lift the pan and spread the batter by swirling and tilting the pan. Spread batter into a thin, even layer. Let it cook until the top looks set. It will take only 20 -25 seconds. Using a thin spatula gently flip over. Cook the other side for 10 seconds and transfer to a plate. Lay them flat and let it cool before placing the filling. For the filling mix coconut, sugar, cardamom powder, and chopped nuts.Place spoon fulls in the center of each crepe and roll
Enjoy with tea!

Parippu Vada

Parippu vada is a simple evening snack that can be made with thuvar dal or channa dal. Crunchy and mildly spicy it is a great accompaniment with tea.

Thuvar dal or Channa Dal- 1 cup
Green chilly- 2
Red dry chilly-3
Shallot- 2 chopped
Ginger- 1inch thick
Fennel seeds -a pinch
Coconut shredded - 2tsp
Curry leaves
salt to taste
Oil for frying -1 cup

Soak dal for at least four hours and drain in a colander and set aside. Grind dal and red chilly without adding water. Grind into a coarse paste. In the same way make a coarse paste of green chilly, shallots, ginger, curry leaves, coconut, and fennel. Add this to the course dal mixture along with salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a frying pan or a heavy bottom pan. Take lemon sizes balls of the mixture and flatten it in between your palm in the form of small thin patties. Carefully slide into hot oil and fry till both sides become evenly browned up. Remove from oil to a paper napkin. Serve with tea.

Chakka Ada/ Steamed Jackfruit Rice Cakes

Chakka ada is steamed rice parcels with sweet coconut filling. The star ingredient in this recipe is chakka varatti/jack fruit preserve made with fully ripe jack fruit bulbs.

Rice Flour- 2 1/4 cups
Chakka varattiyathu/jack fruit jam- 1 cup
Water- 2 cups
salt a pinch
Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
Ghee- 1 tsp
Sugar- 2 tbs
Coconut oil- 2 tsp
banana leaves- cut into small pieces
Boil half cup of water and pour over one cup of chakka varattiyathu and allow it to sit for 15 minutes, mix and dissolve it into a paste before adding into the flour.
Boil around  1 1/2 of water along with salt. When it comes to a rolling boil add in the coconut oil. Take the flour in a large bowl. Add the jack fruit preserve and mix and then gradually mix in the water little by little. Check consistency and see if it comes together. Mix with a wooden spoon and make a soft dough. When it cools down knead into a smooth dough and make small balls.
In a bowl mix together, grated coconut, sugar, cardamom powder, and ghee.
Take the banana leaf and cut it into small pieces. Grease it with a little oil. Place dough in the center of the leaf and with your fingers spread the dough on the leaf. Place spoon fulls of the coconut mixture,  and fold the leaf in half and press the edges of the dough along with the banana leaf. Steam it in a pressure cooker without the weight or in a steamer on for around ten minutes. You will be able to lift the banana leaf and it will come out clean when it is done, allow it to cool down and serve.

Unnakaya

Unnakaya is a delicious Malabar snack made with plantains and stuffed with sweet coconut and nut filling. There is also a non-vegetarian version with egg stuffing which is most popular during the Ramadan fasting.

Ingredients
Ripe Plantain- 2
Coconut- 1/2 cup
Sooji/rava- 2 tsp ( optional)
Sugar- 3-4 tsp
salt- a pinch
Raisins- a few
chopped cashew nuts- a little
ghee- 2 tsp
Cardamom- 1/3 tsp

Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins followed by rava. Stir fry this for a minute and add coconut. Fry this till it attains light golden brown. Add sugar and blend well with the coconut mixture. Let this cool.
Steam cook plantains till it is soft. Peel off the skin and run a knife through the center remove the small black seeds in the center. Mash this in a grinder or hand blender without using water into the form of a dough. You can add a pinch of salt to this. Make lemon size balls and flatten them between your palms. Put the filling in the center and seal the edges.  Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the unnakayas in medium flame or shallow fry in a nonstick pan. Enjoy with tea.

Ethakka Vilayichathu/ Pazham Nurukku

An evening sweet snack served with tea. It is simple and can be made in a jiffy. Ripe plantains are slightly toasted in ghee and sugar or jaggery and flavored with cardamom.

Ingredients
Plantain Ripe-3 medium
Sugar- 3 tbs
Ghee- 1 1/2 tbs
Cardamon pods crushed- 4

Cut plantains into round slices. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the plantains and fry slightly, saute, and turn to the other sides and fry. Add sugar or thick jaggery syrup and allow to caramelize for about 3-4 minutes till jaggery gets well coated. Mix in the cashew nuts and raisins and cardamom powder. Serve with tea.

You might also like,

Want to try more Kerala snacks, check my post 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks 

 

Kerala Black Halwa
Masala Peanuts
Kerala Spicy Mixture
Chakka Varattiyathu
Beef Vegetable Cutlet

Try it,

Hope you will all enjoy!