Share
There’s something special about Indian street food. Be it pairing a plate of crispy pakoras with a cup of tea, having samosas paired with jalebis on a Sunday evening, or just indulging in vada pavs while it rains, the crispy street-style snacks are always a hit. However, since most of the crunchy snacks are deep-fried, there’s a lingering guilt that follows.
But with Usha’s air fryer, there’s a healthier workaround. Instead of submerging your food in oil to make it crispy, you can use the air fryer and get the same taste and texture. So, you don’t have to bid goodbye to your favourite snacks. Instead, make them guilt-free with an air fryer. Follow these tips to master making street-style munchies at home.
Brush With Minimal Oil
One of the most common misconceptions about an air fryer is that it uses zero oil. Even though you don’t need to drown your snacks in oil to deep-fry, to get the perfect crunch, you need a tiny amount of oil. To ensure you’re using minimal oil before using Usha’s air fryer, you can invest in a silicone pastry brush or oil spray mist, and you’ll only have the crust slightly brushed with oil. And with just a teaspoon of oil instead of innumerable cups for the whole batch, your favourite snacks can be turned healthier.
Ingredients For Batter And Coatings
Traditionally deep-fried snacks like pakoras or bhajiyas need a runny texture to get that perfect crunch. However, in an air fryer, the extra liquid will just pour out. So, modify the quantities of the ingredients while using Usha’s air fryer. You can add some cornflour or rice flour to the batter to make the texture crispier and the batter a little thicker.
If you don’t have Usha’s Air Fryer, Shop Now 
.
Partially Cook The Fillings
If your list of favourite snacks includes tikkis, kebabs, samosas, and vada pavs, and that too, when deep-fried, here’s a workaround to make them healthy. Since the bukly fillings might not cook as thoroughly in an air fryer as when deep-fried, you can partially cook the fillings. For example, for a potato-based interior, you can cook the aloo on your gas stove about 80% before mashing and adding to the filling. This will help you get the perfectly cooked interior, crispy exterior, and that too, without being drenched in oil.
Don’t Overcrowd The Basket
An air fryer works by circulating hot air around the food. If you put a lot of food in the basket of Usha’s air fryer, the gush of hot air would not be able to circulate properly, resulting in uneven cooking. It can even lead to soggy and undercooked food. So, it’s best to cook in batches to give the perfect crunch to your favourite street-style snacks.
Shake And Flip Mid-Way
When you’re deep-frying, the food is submerged in hot oil. However, the heating element of an air fryer is usually on the top. So, to ensure all the sides of the snacks are crispy and fully-cooked, flip or shake after half of the cooking time. As for the bulkier snacks like tikkis, samosas, bread rolls, etc, you can flip them. For smaller snacks like fries, makhana, corns, you can give the basket a shake and continue cooking.
