Summer holidays have begun. Kids are at home. As much as it is exciting with all the play dates, pool parties but sometimes let’s admit it, it gets exhausting too, thinking about snacking options for everyone.
Potato-based snacks are very common and are prepared for various purposes. The market is flooded with fusion snacks made from potatoes. We all love those bite sized frozen snacks because they are quick to prepare and are absolutely delicious. But I have major concerns when it comes to frozen foods.
- First of all is the high sodium content. Sodium is widely used as a preservative. I literally get enfolded with guilt if I serve my child packaged food with high sodium. Too much sodium in a child’s diet increases the likelihood of osteoporosis. It can cause calcium to be lost from bones resulting in weak bones.
- The ingredients that are used in packaged frozen food are not the same as those in freshly cooked meals. It contains hydrogenated palm oil that has harmful trans-fat.
- Preservatives like starch, corn syrup which is made up of glucose are added to these foods to add taste and texture. This increases the risk of diabetes and are noted as carcinogenic substances.
- The high fat and sodium content can also increase the risk of heart diseases, BP and high cholesterol levels.
There is no one who doesn’t enjoy convenience. Tossing a packaged frozen food once in while in your shopping cart is not a problem. However, when this convenience becomes a habit, it comes with a huge risk of health problems.
So, lets make fresh and delicious chilli garlic potato bites which I am sure you and your family will enjoy. They are air-fried, so there goes the guilt of deep frying too.
Recipe
| Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes |
| Serving: 20 bites |
Ingredients
- 4 large Potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 2 tbsps Rice flour
- 3 slices of Bread (I used whole wheat)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
- 1/2 Mozzarella Cheese (optional but recommended)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take boiled and mashed potatoes in a large bowl or a plate. Break the bread slices into tiny pieces and add to potatoes. Add all the ingredients mentioned above.
- Squeeze and mix everything well to form a soft dough. If the dough feels sticky, add more rice flour or bread slice. It will help to absorb the moisture. Check for seasoning.
- Now, shape it the way you like it. I shaped some in cylindrical shape but eventually got tired. The easiest is a round shape. So, if you plan to make a lot of these, I recommend a round shape.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 360 F or 180 C. Brush the basket with little oil and gently add the potato balls. Do not crowd the basket. Do few batches of a single layer. Brush a little oil over the top of each ball. Cook for 4 minutes, shake the basket. Spray or brush it again with some oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes more until golden brown.
- Serve with ketchup, chutney or ranch dipping sauce.
Variations
- A great variation to this is adding ranch seasoning packet to the potatoes because ranch seasoned potatoes are to die for.
- You can make them cheesy by adding a block of mozzarella or cheddar cheese in the center.
- To make it more crispy, you can dip these balls in corn flour slurry and then coat them with more bread crumbs.
- You can make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free bread slices.
Enjoy! Happy Holidays! 🙂
