Tarla Dalal's latest cookbook scores high on packaging and innovation, but is sometimes short on practicality

Cookbook queen Tarla Dalal is out with her latest title: 100 Calorie Snacks, ostensibly to provide the weight-conscious with vegetarian snacking options that are healthier than cookies and tastier than servings of raw veggies.



There are 30 recipes to choose from under categories including Chatpata Chaat, Dry Snacks, and Wraps & Kebabs, besides basic recipes for low-fat yoghurt and paneer. Choices range from Tomato and Oregano Waffles to Rava Corn Dhoklas, and even a Veg Corn Bake that uses a Bengal gram flour (besan) paste instead of cheese.

The instructions are easy to follow and the most elaborate ingredient is probably the zucchini used in the Pineapple Stir-Fry. The glossy food images provide adequate visual stimulus and the book does give a different spin to snack staples dhokla, puris (baked not fried), and kebabs. There's also a recipe for waffles (Jhatpat Waffles) made with dosa batter.

On the downside, Dalal's trademark long, ingredient lists can be daunting for the first-time kitchen venturer. Also, given that the book is pegged on healthy, low-calorie snacks, Dalal and her team would have done well to lay more emphasis on ones that can be easily rustled up in under 20 minutes. Most of us are unlikely to want to spend 30 minutes or more preparing an elaborate snack that we can anyway eat only a small portion of. So, those looking for a more throw-things-together approach to cooking and snacking are likely to find few alternatives.u00a0

But if you have a functional kitchen, someone to help with the chopping, cutting and grinding, and a leisurely afternoon to look forward to, then 100 Calorie Snacks provides some interesting options.

100 Calorie Snacks by Tarla Dalal is priced at Rs 99. Available at all leading bookstores.

Cut-and-keep recipe >> MUSHROOM PANCAKES
Enjoy yummy, low-cal mushrooms and spring onions -- a must on every weight-watcher's grocery list -- in a delicious filling for pancakes or wholewheat chapatis.