Nisha Katona's festive street food
Take your festive snacking to the next level as Nisha has two of her favourite festive street food bites. Delicious demons on horseback (which consists of prunes stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon) and her Christmas Prosecco bhaji with a coriander and mint dip.
Nisha Katona’s Demon’s on Horseback
Makes: 24
Ingredients
24 large pitted prunes4 tbsp Sriracha sauce24 jarred sweety drop peppers, drained12 rashers streaky bacon, sliced in half lengthways
Method
1. Soak some wooden cocktail sticks/ toothpicks in water for about 30 minutes (so they don’t burn under the grill).
2. Cut a small slit in the side of each prune (if there’s not an obvious hole where the stone was removed). Spoon ½ teaspoon of Sriracha sauce into each prune, then pop a whole tiny pepper into the hole. Take a length of bacon and wrap it around the prune, then secure it in place with one of the soaked cocktail sticks. Repeat to fill and wrap all the prunes.
3. Preheat the grill/boiler to medium-high. Pop the demons on a baking sheet and place under the grill. Cook for about 8-9 minutes, turning during cooking, or until the bacon is golden and crispy on all sides.
4. Arrange the demons on a serving platter and serve warm.
Nisha Katona’s Christmas Prosecco Bhaji’s
Serves: 6
Ingredients
300g gram / chickpea flour, plus extra if needed1½ tsp ground coriander1½ tsp ground cumin2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander½ clove garlic, grated1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced1 tsp salt1 tsp freshly ground black pepper¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda / baking soda200ml warm water100ml proseccoVegetable oil, for deep frying4 white onions, roughly chopped8 brussels sprouts finely sliced1 handful of dried snacking cranberries
For the dipping sauce:250g natural yoghurt2 tbsp mint jelly - has to be jelly1 clove garlic, grated (optional)Salt, to seasonCoriander, to serve
Method
1. Combine the chickpea flour, ground coriander, ground cumin, fresh coriander, garlic, green chilli, salt, pepper and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl with 200ml warm water and 100ml prosecco and mix thoroughly. It should resemble the texture of thick porridge so you may need to add some extra chickpea flour if too runny.
2. Set a large pan over medium-high heat and fill a third of the way up with oil - you know the oil is hot enough when you can drop a small amount of batter into it and it bubbles and floats to the surface.
3. For the dipping sauce, put the natural yoghurt, mint jelly and garlic into a dish and mix until smooth. Season with salt to your liking and serve with fresh coriander.
4. Toss the onion, sliced sprouts and cranberries into the batter, making sure they are fully coated. Carefully put spoonfuls of the bhaji mix into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, then turn and fry for a further 3 minutes or until they are an even golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels.
5. Repeat in small batches. Serve immediately with the fresh dipping sauce.