Make roasted makhana snack in 4 ways! Makhana are pops of water lily seeds. They are eaten as a snack - spiced or sweet, they taste delicious.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 2 minutes
  • Cook time: 8 minutes
  • Total time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 · 2 x 2
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2½ cups (35 to 40 grams) makhana ((Fox nuts))
  • ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder ((or paprika, start with lesser if you want))
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ teaspoon garam masala ((or chaat masala))
  • ¾ to 1 tablespoon water ((use only as required))
  • 1 teaspoon ghee (or olive oil)
  • 2 cups (30 grams) makhana
  • 5 to 6 tablespoons (¼ cup + 2 tablespoon) jaggery powder ((store-bought powdered jaggery, adjust to taste))
  • ½ tablespoon water ((to melt jaggery))
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder ((or vanilla extract, not essence))
  • ½ to ¾ tablespoon ghee ((or butter, optional, for flavor))
  • 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts ((optional, or sesame seeds or coconut flakes))

Method

How to make Masala Roasted Makhana

  1. To a small bowl add chili powder, salt, garlic powder, garam masala (or chaat masala). Taste test and adjust salt and spice to taste.
  2. Carefully, pour water in 2 batches to make a thick paste (not dry, not runny) of the spices. Check pictures in the post.
  3. Add your makhana to a pan. Drizzle half of this paste all over the makhana. It will fall in lumps, using both your hands rub the spice paste all over the makhana.
  4. Add more paste as required to suit your taste. Repeat rubbing the makhana until all of them are seasoned well.
  5. Toast them on a low to medium-low heat until they turn crisp and crunchy. If you want add ghee at this stage and roast for another 1 minute. Turn off and let cool in the pan itself.

Sweet Makhana with jaggery

  1. Dry roast makhana on a low to medium-low heat until crispy and crunchy. Turn off the stove. Transfer to a tray to cool down.
  2. Add jaggery, cardamom and water to the same wide pan and mix well until the jaggery dissolves.
  3. Cook on a low heat, until you see the jaggery bubbling up. There is very little water used, so you won't see a lot of bubbles.
  4. Add the crushed peanuts (sesame or coconut flakes) and the makhana. Quickly begin to coat the makhana until most of the jaggery stuck at the bottom coats them,
  5. Make a space in the center and add the ghee. Stir well and roast just for a minute or 2 until the makhana are crunchy.
  6. Leave the sweet makhana in the pan to cool down a bit, before serving.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.