When the monsoon rains finally arrive and cool the evening air, the urge to eat warm and crispy snacks with a steaming cup of tea becomes almost impossible to ignore. Traditionally, making potato chops or meat cutlets means deep frying them in litres of hot oil. This process leaves your kitchen covered in grease, makes the house smell of old oil, and often makes the snacks feel too heavy to enjoy properly. Moving the cooking process to an Usha OTG completely changes how you enjoy these rainy day treats. The powerful upper and lower heating elements circulate dry heat around your breadcrumb coated snacks to toast them perfectly on all sides. You get that incredible crunch on the outside while the savoury fillings remain piping hot and wonderfully soft on the inside. Baking your snacks in a countertop oven allows you to enjoy all your favourite monsoon cravings with a fraction of the oil and absolutely zero hassle.
Classic Potato And Cheese Croquettes
Mashed potatoes stuffed with melting cheese create the ultimate comfort snack for a dreary rainy evening. Boil and mash four large potatoes until completely smooth, mixing them with a little butter, salt, and black pepper. Take a small handful of the potato mix and flatten it in your palm. Place a thick cube of cheddar cheese in the centre and roll the potato around it to form a neat cylinder. Dip each croquette into a beaten egg and roll it generously in fine breadcrumbs. Place them on a lightly oiled baking tray and slide them into the preheated oven. The dry heat toasts the breadcrumb shell into a crispy golden layer while melting the cheese block in the centre perfectly. When you break one open, the hot cheese stretches beautifully, making it an absolute joy to eat.
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Spiced Beetroot And Peanut Chops
Earthy beetroot provides a brilliant natural sweetness that pairs wonderfully with crushed peanuts for a highly textured bite. Grate two large beetroots and squeeze out the excess water to stop the mixture from turning soggy. Mix the grated beetroot with mashed potato, roasted peanuts, finely chopped green chillies, and a heavy pinch of chaat masala. Shape the bright red mixture into thick, round chops and coat them in coarse panko breadcrumbs for maximum crunch. Baking these dense chops in the countertop oven ensures the centre cooks through evenly without falling apart in a frying pan. The heat draws out the natural sugars from the beetroot, creating a beautiful caramelised flavour that contrasts brilliantly with the sharp heat of the green chillies.
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Flaky Fish And Coriander Cutlets
Making seafood snacks at home is incredibly simple when you skip the messy frying stage that often leaves fish smelling too strong. Steam white fish fillets until flaky and mix them with mashed potatoes, finely chopped onions, fresh coriander, and a generous squeeze of lime juice. Form the mixture into flat oval shapes and dust them lightly with flour before dipping them in egg and coating them in breadcrumbs. The appliance handles delicate seafood beautifully. The steady heat crisps the outer crumb rapidly without drying out the flaky fish inside, giving you a wonderfully light and savoury snack that goes perfectly with a hot cup of ginger tea.
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Sweet Corn And Jalapeno Croquettes
Sweet corn kernels add a fantastic pop of texture to a soft and creamy potato base, making these a massive hit with everyone in the house. Boil sweet corn until tender and fold it into mashed potatoes along with finely diced jalapenos and a heavy grating of mozzarella cheese. Shape the mixture into small logs and coat them in a seasoned breadcrumb mix. The circulating heat of the multi-function oven is excellent for melting the mozzarella quickly. It binds the loose corn kernels together while creating a sturdy crust that prevents the cheese from leaking out onto the baking tray. The result is a brilliant mix of sweet, spicy, and cheesy flavours in every single bite.
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Hearty Mushroom And Thyme Cutlets
Deeply savoury mushrooms offer a fantastic meaty texture for a rich plant based snack that feels incredibly substantial. Sauté a mix of finely chopped button mushrooms and garlic until all their moisture evaporates completely, leaving a dark and fragrant paste. Fold the dark mushroom mix into mashed potatoes along with fresh thyme leaves and form the mixture into thick patties. Coat each cutlet in seasoned breadcrumbs and arrange them on your baking tray with a tiny brush of oil. The upper and lower heating elements bake these earthy cutlets evenly from edge to edge. You get a perfect crunchy exterior that yields to a wonderfully soft and fragrant mushroom centre, ideal for dipping into a sharp mustard sauce.