5 Minute Caramel Popcorn (Kid's favorite recipe)

Easy to make and an instant crowd puller, this easy popcorn recipe has become my go-to dish during b'day parties and small get togethers. All it takes is a packet of instant popcorn in plain/salted flavor and some regular ingredients from the pantry.

Read on -

Preparation time - 5 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 packet of instant popcorn (Act II)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp water
• handful of peanuts
• 1-2 drops vanilla essence / 1/2 tsp orange rind / few drops lemon juice

Cooking - Take the water, sugar and butter into a large pan and put it on medium heat.

At the same time, prepare the packet of instant popcorn in a microwave or pressure cooker,

Allow it to boil, then reduce flame just as the sugar starts caramelizing. Add peanuts and flavour of your choice. Throw in the popcorn and stir for 1 min.

Keep aside till it cools down as it will be very hot.

Serve immediately or keep in a airtight container.

Dahi ke Kebabs

I caught this recipe being aired on 'Khana Khazana'. Since my Little one was hollering at the same time, I might have missed a thing or two. But nonetheless the kebabs turned out fabulous. Also, this recipe does not use any onion and garlic so it can be savored any day.

Preparation Time - 15 min

Ingredients - 200 gm hung curd, 4 tsp besan / bengal gram flour, 1 tbs chopped coriander, 1 tbs chopped ginger, 1 tbs chopped green chilli, 1 tbs coarsely ground pepper, 1 tsp powdered sugar, 2-3 tbs pomegranate seeds, salt to taste, cornflour for dusting, oil for frying.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients (except for oil and cornflour) in a mixing bowl. Mix gently into a soft dough.

Take a small potion of the dough and shape into tikkis. As the dough will be very soft, use cornflour to dust a working surface and make into tikkis.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan and drizzle with oil.

Place the tikkis on the pan and cook on both sides to a brown color.

Serve hot with pudina chutney/tomato sauce.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a classic Mexican dip that is usually served with nachos and tortilla chips. Ripe avocados mashed just enough with a little bite left, seasoned with salt, lime and chillis, this one is one sure shot winner. Onions, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and pepper are also used to add flavor to this recipe. One word of caution though, it is loaded with calories ( avocado being rich in fats, good ones actually but still it is FAT ).

I have given a little twist to this recipe by using finely chopped avocado instead of the mashed one ( which can also be used as a salad ) and replacing 1/3 of the avocado with crunchy tender cucumbers ( which reduces the total calories consumed ). The cucumber adds a refreshing flavor to this yummy dip. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 minutes ( + 30 minutes in the fridge )

Ingredients - 2/3 of a ripe avocado ( sliced and seeded ), 1/2 of a small cucumber, 1 small red onion, 1 tsp chilli flakes, juice of 1 lemon, salt to taste, 1-2 tbs chopped cilantro.

Preparation - Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and finely chop it. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Peel the cucumber and finely chop it. Repeat the process for the onion. Transfer both to the mixing bowl containing the avocado.

Add salt, chilli flakes, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix nicely.

Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Spoon on some over your chips/nachos or serve as a salad.

Tip: If you are desperate for sinking your teeth into some guacamole and the avocados are still green, throw in one or two ripe bananas into a paper bag and put the avocado into it. Store in a cool dark place . The avocados will ripen within a day or two. But remember to put the ripe ones in the fridge else they get spoiled very soon.