A TALE OF 3 CHIPS & 2 DIPS (A GUEST POST BY KALYANI FOR DAY 3 OF THE SNACKETERIA FEST)

Day 3 of the Snacketeria Fest has Kalyani @ Sizzling Tastebuds dishing up 2 kinds of dips to go along with the snackuits. Her suggestion of a Chilli Salsa & a Hung-Curd Minty dip surely must have given the snacking experience a different high! MOM CHEF as she likes to call herself is a lovely friend and her sizzling space is a proof of her cooking prowess.

Presenting Kalyani in her own words
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“Snacking must be declared as a national pastime”, I thought several times as Priya of Bon Appetit sent me a batch of Brittania Snackuits for product review and present these as innovatively as possible. Although I was running terribly behind schedule, I was ably comforted by Priya and all’s well that ends well, right ? Thanks Priya for this opportunity to present this guest post, while we enjoyed the product as well :) :) My kiddo definitely looks forward to one of the flavours now as a snack :)


An interesting anecdote when the packs arrived by courier from Brittania’s Bangalore Office though : my 7 year old looked at them with surprise as I have never been a popular mom when it comes to sending Kurkure or any such “kid-friendly” (in her sense) snacks to her school. I would rather prefer a sandwich or a cutlet as a snack. So, when she saw these 3 packets in the package, she thought it was especially for her and almost snatched one packet from me to enjoy it in solitude. The Snackuits come in 3 different flavours and I wanted to make them more enjoyable with some interesting and easy to make dips / sauces but at the same time not go overboard with the salt / spices (as it was pretty heavy on salt, already - as most packaged foods go :)). 


So, I prepared a two healthy quick-to make dips to go with these, and we enjoyed it thorughly : Chilly Tomato Salsa for the ‘continental feel’ and a ‘Hung Curd Minty Dip’ which was more Indian, and went well with the Cheesy chips :)

Over to the quick dips / starters now. Please feel free to adjust the spice / salt as per preference. I also tried to avoid adding cheese as the chips already had a cheesy feel (one of the flavours). 

(A) Chilly Tomato Salsa:

Ingredients: (Prep time - 10 mins. No cook time ; Serves - 2)

• Ripe tomatoes - 2 (medium sized)
• Serrano peppers (or light spice green chillies) - 1 no
• Raw Mango slivers - 2 TBSP
• Green bell pepper / capsicum - ½ 
• Onion - 1 medium sized
• Tabasco sauce - ½ tsp
• Tomato sauce - ½ TBSP
• Salt - a very tiny pinch
• Fresh black pepper - a pinch
• Lemon juice - ½ tsp
• Fresh coriander - ½ tsp (chopped)

Method:
Deseed the tomatoes and dice them fine. Dice the bell peppers, chillies and onions too. Mix the tomatoes, peppers, onions, raw mangoes.Now add the sauce & lemon juice. Mix well.Top with freshly ground pepper and coriander and chill. 
Just before serving, add salt, mix once more and serve with Snackuits.

(B) Hung Curd Minty Dip:

Ingredients: (Prep time - 10 mins (+ 1 hour to prepare the hung curd ;Serves - 2)

• Curd / yoghurt - 1 cup ( I used low fat)
• Mint leaves - a handful
• Green chillies - 1 no
• Salt - to taste
• White pepper powder - ½ tsp
• Lemon juice - ½ tsp
• Sugar - a pinch

Method:
Tie the yoghurt in a muslin cloth tightly and allow it to drip all the water. After an hour, remove from the cloth and refrigerate for 10 mins.In a spice grinder, grind washed mint leaves, green chillies & sugar to a smooth paste with minimal water (I didnt add any). In a bowl, add the hung curd and whisk it free of any lumps. Now add the ground mint paste, salt and lemon juice. Mix well. 

Serve immediately with Snackuits

E.N.J.O.Y