Makhana // Foxnut

I'm sure you all must have read my post on Rujuta Diwekar's book: Don't Lose Your Mind Lose Your Weight. (Well, if you haven't - read that first!) I'm not getting into the principles of eating correctly here. But one of the principles in the book was to eat regularly (every 2 hours) and eat in small(er) quantities. So, what to eat every two hours?! Surely, we can't eat the same thing 8 times a day! That gets boring! We must keep in mind that the stuff we crunch every 2 hours must be nutrient-rich! And here's the perfect snack for you! Move over chips & popcorn -make way for the crunchiest, tastiest & of course - healthiest snack! :-D

Makhana // Foxnut // Gorgon Plant // Euryale Ferox : Different names. Multiple health benefits. Tasty. Are you paying attention yet? :-P This is a native Asian water plant and is mainly cultivated for its edible seeds. They look really beautiful! Almost like popcorn. The seeds (Makhana // Fox nut) can be eaten raw, cooked roasted or fried. In India, we roast it & add spices. It is much much better than popcorn! ☺ So, should I post the recipe here or talk about its goodness? I think I'll talk about its advantages a little bit more...
1. Ayurveda and Unani (branches of medicine) texts have accepted its aphrodisiac and spermatogenic properties.
2. Propped makhna cotains almost 12% of protein! (excellent especially for vegetarians!)
3. It reverses the aging process over a period of time
4. I also read somewhere that it is used as a treatment for arthritis and rheumatic pains
5. It is in the waterlily family and is traditionally known as analgesic, aphrodisiac, astringent, deobstruent, oxytoxic, and tonic.
6. There are no side effects, nor drug interactions, to worry about when eating fox nut
7. And the last but not the least, I found out from a Google that fox nut has also been used to burn fat as part of a weight loss treatment!

So, what are you waiting for? Go get Makhana // Fox Nuts today!

Here's the recipe for propped Makhana (a healthy substitute for popcorn) We can do a lot more with it. But for now, I'm posting about this snack which is very quickly becoming my favorite thing to crunch!

You'll need -
Fox Nuts // Phool Makhana - 2 cups (or as many as you want to make)
Salt - as per taste (around 1/2 teaspoon)
Freshly ground pepper - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Red Chili Powder -  1 teaspoon (You can use any other flavored powder you want)
Turmeric / Haldi Powder - 1 teaspoon
Clarified butter // Ghee // Any cooking oil - 1-2 teaspoons (Don't freak! Clarified butter is actually good for you! Plus, you do need small amounts of fat to keep your system going!)
** You can actually use any spice you want & like. Just like how you experiment with popcorn flavors, do the same here!
 
Method -
1. Heat the Ghee/ Clarified butter / Oil in a deep bottomed pan.
2. Add the Makhana / Fox Nuts to it and mix.
3. Add salt, pepper, chili powder (or anything you want!) and mix well. (I added cumin & flax seeds too)
4. On medium flame toss everything together. Keep mixing it regularly so as to not burn the seeds.
5. Let it roast on low-medium flame until its gets crunchy. I usually takes around 6-10 minutes for them to get done fully! But then again, it all depends on the quantity.
6. Turn off the flame & let it cool. Store in air tight container and eat whenever you want! :)

* Note: I usually prepare this in advance for 1 or 2 days. I like it fresh. But you can prepare and store as much as you want.
** It is easily available in stores in Asia. Do some research work and locate a grocery store that will stock up Fox Nut / Phool Makhana for you. Or you can always order it off Amazon. 

Step-by-Step pictures :-

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I am a huge fan of this snack now! It so sooooo crunchy & yummy! And FILLING! Do try it out!


[P.S: This is just a new format of posting I tried. Do let me know if this is good or the previous format of posting the pictures along with the recipe at every step was better]