A deliciously rich winter snack, made with boiled water chestnuts and a generous amount of butter, Vidhya Pant's Singhare Ki Kachri is the perfect food to warm up chilly evenings.
WebMD explains that water chestnuts, an aquatic vegetable, are fantastically nutritious and therefore need a place in your food plan. 'Potassium, which is present in water chestnuts, may reduce your risk of stroke and high blood pressure, both of which are linked to heart disease. Antioxidants such as those found in water chestnut peels can help repair damaged cells and reduce inflammation, reducing your risk of some chronic diseases'.
Vidhya specialises in Uttarakhandi cooking, but has lived in the south, north and east of India and is familiar with these cuisines too.
Water Chestnut Or Singhare Ki Kachri
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 1 kg singhara or water chestnuts
- 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- 1 tsp jeera or cumin seed powder
- ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, ground to paste or grated
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 50 gm butter
- Salt to taste, about 1½ tsp + 1 tsp extra while boiling the water chestnuts
- Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped green dhaniya or coriander or cilantro
Method
- Wash the water chestnuts thoroughly and boil in a pressure cooker, adding enough water and 1 tsp salt.
Pressure-cook over medium heat for 2 whistles.
Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Take off heat.
Drain the water, cool a little and remove the skin of the water chestnuts.
Use a knife if required. - Blend the peeled water chestnuts in a mixer or grinder.
You can also mash them coarsely with a fork or potato masher. - Heat the ghee in a kadhai or a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the jeera and let it splutter.
Then add the hing, green chillies, ginger and mix well.
Add the blended or mashed water chestnut.
Add the salt.
Mix thoroughly and continue to cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until it turns brown.
Add teaspoonfuls of butter at intervals to prevent the mixture from burning or getting too dry.
Once the mixture has turned light brown, add the jeera powder and mix well.
Take off heat.
Sprinkle the chopped dhaniya and the fresh lemon juice over the kachri. - Serve warm as a snack or side dish.
Vidhya's Note: If desired, add a little more butter for extra richness. Or if going healthy, reduce the butter.
Add more green chillies for a spicier version.
Also add chaat masala for a tangy twist.
Vidhya lives in Dehradun. You can find more of her recipes over here.
