Makhanas, also commonly known as lotus seed or foxnuts are small powerhouses of nutritional benefit. Apparently, it is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in antioxidants, fiber, protein, and calcium, which makes this Makhana Namkeen recipe a perfect snack in either sweet or savoury form.
In India, makhanas are consumed most during the festival of Navratri because many people observe fast during Navratri and makhanas are considered
Subsequently, this Oil-free makhana namkeen recipe is very healthy and will help you detox and reenergize during your Navratri fast. Moreover, this Oil-free makhana namkeen can also be consumed normally as a tea time snack for weight watchers as well.
Additionally, if you liked this Oil-free Makhana Namkeen recipe and looking for Navratri recipes, I’m sure you’ll also love
Makhana Namkeen Recipe | Oil Free
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Oil-free makhana namkeen recipe is very nutritious, super tasty, and will help you detox and reenergize during your Navratri fast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup makhana or foxnuts
- 1⁄2 cup nuts like cashews and almonds
- 1⁄3 cup peanuts
- 1⁄4 cup fresh coconut, thinly sliced (check recipe notes)
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 10–15 dry curry leaves
- Rock salt or sendha namak, as per taste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1⁄2 tsp cumin or powder (check recipe notes)
- 1 tsp honey (check recipe notes)
Instructions
- First, in a pan, dry roast makhana on low flame for 10 minutes and keep aside.
- Then, dry roast nuts like cashews, almonds, and peanuts along with dry curry leaves, and coconut together. Mix all dry roasted ingredients together and add salt, chili powder, and cumin seed to it.
- Further, drizzle honey all over and mix again so that the makhanas are coated well with salt and spices.
- Finally, let it cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Cumin or jeera powder is an optional ingredients as many people don’t like to have it during Navratri fast.
- If you want to make this recipe sweetener-free, then honey is optional but it is advisable for an oil-free recipe, as it is hard for spices to coat over very dry ingredients like makhana. Honey makes it easy for spices to stick over makhana and other nuts.
- We use fresh coconut as opposed to dry coconut because it brings moisture or natural oil content to an otherwise oil-free and dry namkeen recipe. It balances out the whole recipe. It is also perishable throughout Navratri but if you want to store it for a longer period of time, please use dry coconut.
