Chef Ranveer Brar can help you revise your snack list. In his show on Zee Khana Khazana, he talks about fruit-based grills, healthy cooking methods, innovative modern Indian and do-it-yourself recipes. Divya Kaushik spoke to him
It is something that health freaks and diet experts have been discussing for long. The latter often suggest how to avoid eating fried and high-calorie snacks, but rarely tell people healthy substitutes to it. So chef Ranveer Brar is here to do the needful. In his show Snack Attack on Zee Khana Khazana he tells people that next time you crave for some nibblers in between your meals, there are options that can replace the samosas, namkeen and cookies. You can try grilled watermelon sticks or other such fruit-based snacks. “I am not asking people to suppress their urge and appetite, I am only coming up with more options. I am sharing interesting facts, like, most of us believe that bhajia or pakodas are the ideal snack to have in monsoons. But at many places in Rajasthan, bajre ki khichdi is considered an ideal monsoon snack. It is healthy and gives you sufficient energy,” shared the chef, who has been an executive chef at BanQ in Boston, USA where he has created a menu which fuses flavours from South Asia and France. Snack Attack is his first show on Indian television and he agreed to do it “as I wanted to come out of my usual space.”
Ranveer suggests that fruit-based snacks and salads with cheese dressing can also be a part of your snack list. “In West, snacks mean nuts and fruits but in India most of us assume that snacks are only the packaged stuff that we get, cookies, chips and namkeens, or other fried dishes that have been a part of our kitchens since time immemorial. I will introduce some quick, easy, diverse Indian recipes, international global recipes, do-it-yourself recipes and also will talk about accompaniments like chutney, sauce, pickle and side dish,” informed Ranveer and added that he will talk about the cooking methods that can make a huge difference to the dish. “When it comes to our nibblers, we mostly follow deep fry cooking. I think steaming as a method of cooking should be promoted. Steaming is popular in North Eastern regions of the country and in South, but in North India people still prefer deep fried dishes. When I talk about steaming, I am not talking about idlis, dhokla or momos. I will come up with some easy recipes that can be prepared only through steaming. Apart from that stir-fry is a good option. Wok cooking or tossed dishes with little oil can save you from a lot of calories,” he said.
On the show, Ranveer won’t tell people to not eat a particular dish as he says “every body has a different body type and choices. So I list the variety and leave it on people to decide what they want to choose.”
Talk to him about his favourite childhood snacks and he is quick to respond, “Samosas and chhole bhature. I know they are not healthy but one can replace bhaturas with kulchas, which are baked, and try baked samosas. Patti samosa is done with the brushing of olive oil and is baked.”
Ranveer has been a globe trotter and says that South East Asian cuisine has a variety of snacks, “considering their rich street food culture.” Satays, chicken and sugarcane steaks are popular across the world. “I loved street food from Thailand and Malaysia. And the most interesting nibblers that I had were made of grasshoppers and octopus,” he said.