Christmas 2021: Chef Manish Mehrotra shares three guilt-free recipes for a perfect festivity

Christmas is here and so is the time to experiment with our culinary skills. And, what can be better than trying your hand at Indian Accent's Chef Manish Mehrotra's recipes? Want more? These recipes are easy and can be prepared with the ingredients easily available in your kitchen.

Almond Smoked Hummus
 

Ingredients: Almond with peel - 1 cup, Hot water - 11⁄2 cup, Olive oil - 5 tbsp, Lemon juice - 50 ml, Garlic - 3 cloves, Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1⁄2 tsp, Roast cumin seed - 1 tsp, Sea salt to taste

Method:

• Soak almonds in hot water for at least three hours and then remove their peel.
• Blend almonds, garlic cloves, cumin seed, lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil until it becomes a thick paste.
• Put this mixture in a bowl and smoke it using coal to get a smoky aroma, and then allow it to chill for 30 minutes. 
• Arrange almond hummus in a serving bowl. Sprinkle Kashmiri red chilli powder and drizzle olive oil over the hummus.

Almond Crumble & Avocado Chaat

Ingredients

Almond flakes - 3⁄4 cup, White rice puff  - 1⁄4 cup, Avocado - 1 no, Chaat masala - 1⁄2 tsp, Salt to taste, Chopped fresh coriander -1 tbsp, Lemon juice - 1 tsp, Chopped red onion - 2 tbsp, Deseeded chopped tomato -1 tbsp, Crushed black pepper - 1⁄4 tsp

Method:

• Roast almond flakes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for four minutes or till they turn golden in colour.
• Crush them and season with salt and black pepper.
• Cut avocado in half and remove the skin and seed. Cut it into dices.
• In a bowl, take chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and mix them with diced avocado, rice puffs, chaat masala, salt, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice. Toss it well.
• In a serving bowl, place the salad in the centre of the bowl and top it with roasted crumbled almond flakes and serve.

Almond, Ginger and Custard Apple Smoothie
 

Ingredients:

Almond milk - 1 cup, Custard apple pulp - 1 cup, Minced ginger - 1⁄2 tsp, Honey -1 tbsp, Almond flakes - 1 tbsp, Green cardamom powder a pinch

Method:

• Roast the almond flakes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for four minutes or till they turn golden in colour.
• Blend almond milk, the pulp of custard apple, minced ginger, honey and green cardamom powder and bring it to a smooth consistency.
• Chill it thoroughly.
• Pour it in a high ball and garnish with toasted almonds slivers.