Dynamite sticks of flavor
An experiment that turned out into a really good snack. An absolute flavor bomb. I had something called methi sticks once and it was terrible. There was a little flavor but the ingredients used were of really bad quality. The smell of stale oil killed it. So I wanted to try something like those fried sticks but with some quality ingredients. Of course, a little improvisation and some messing around led to these Masala Sticks.
The ingredients are very universal. A flour base with some freshly crushed spices. Almost all the ingredients can be substituted with what is locally available and there are a few options listed at the end of the post. The highlight of this snack is the flavor and that comes from the freshly crushed spices. The pre-packed spice powders can also be used but don’t have the same punch.
This is an easy one. Deep fried & delicious.
Masala Sticks Recipe
Ingredients
- Refined Flour: 1 cup
- Clarified butter / Ghee / melted butter: 2 tbsp
- Crushed Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
- Crushed Black Pepper: 1 tsp
- Kasuri Methi powder: 2 tsp
- Baking soda: 1/4 tsp
- Water
- Salt
- Oil: 2 tsp + for deep frying
Preparation
- Take the flour in a large bowl and add the ghee or melted butter
- Heat 2 tsp of oil & pour over the flour. Once the oil cools down, start mixing
- When pressed, the flour should come together. A brittle ball. If not, add some more ghee and keep mixing
- Add the spices (cumin, pepper, kasuri methi), baking soda and salt. Mix well
- By adding small amounts of water, mix all the ingredients to form a firm dough. Set aside for about 30 mins
Cooking
- Take a small portion of the dough and using a rolling pin, flatten it into a rectangle
- Now fold the rectangle at the center & then again to get layers
- Flatten it again and then cut out long strips. Keep the strips aside
- Repeat the same with the rest of dough
- Heat oil in a pan for deep frying
- Once the oil is hot, reduce down the heat and fry the dough strips in batches
- Keep the heat at medium and ensure that the sticks are fried evenly on both the sides
- Once done, remove the sticks from the oil & place them on a absorbent paper
- Start munching
Substitute ingredients
The flour, fat and the spices can be easily substituted with other ingredients. Here are a few alternatives.
- Ghee: Butter / Vegan Butter / vegetable shortening
- Pepper: Red chili powder / chili flakes
- Flour: Whole wheat flour / Millet flour (with some wheat flour) / Chick pea flour (gluten-free)