Air fryers are a phenomenon that has taken most home kitchens by storm! This tiny little contraption is a miniaturised version of a convection oven made first by Philips in 2010. It hasn’t been with us for a very long time, but it has left quite an impact. The best thing about this oven is that it cooks things faster and with very little additional fat. This makes the air fryer a great tool, and I love it! Sharing some fun little recipes from the blog and a fab podcast episode where Shirin and I discuss all things air fryers!

Crispy Bhindi Chips

These Crispy Bhindi Chips are super crunchy and made with no oil at all! I love eating this with my dal chawal or literally anything that needs a little extra crunch.

Ingredients

250 grams of okra washed and sliced thin

1 tablespoon besan (or chickpea flour)

1 teaspoon amchur

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Start by slicing bhindi thin and mix all the spices. in a bowl, add the veggies and the spices. Mix well and let it sit for five minutes

2. Preheat the air fryer to 160 celsius. Add the bhindi into the basket and fry for 30 minutes. Take it out every 10 minutes and give it a good shake

3. Take them out and let them cool slightly so that they can get nice and crunchy

Corn and Cheese Dip

This is a hack for making a cheesy bake dip. Akin to an artichoke dip but made with something far more accessible — the humble corn. It’s a fabulous pairing with some nachos. Eating fried corn with a bite of fresh corn is such an amazing textural journey!

Ingredients

1 cup corn, boiled

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 cup mozzarella

A pinch of salt

A handful of fresh parsley (optional)

Method

1. In a bake-safe dish, add corn and add all the other ingredients

2. Preheat the air fryer to 160 celsius. Add the dip and let bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm!

Crispy Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chickpeas, Canned or made fresh both work

2 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 teaspoons salt

Spices

3 teaspoons of the spice mix

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp Tumeric

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 dried rosemary powder

Method

1. Preheat your air fryer to 220°C

2. Pat the chickpeas very dry with a clean dishtowel or paper towels. They should look matte and feel dry to the touch; if you have time, leave them to air-dry for a few minutes. Remove any chickpea skins that come off while drying, but otherwise, don’t worry about them.

3. In a bowl add oil and salt along with the chickpeas and mix well. Add to the basket and let it bake for 15 minutes until the chickpeas are dry to the touch and have a dark brown colour on all sides

4. While the chickpeas are in the oven, make your spice mix. The spices listed above are merely suggestions. Add spices that you like!

5. Sprinkle the spices if using over the chickpeas and stir to coat evenly. Serve while the chickpeas are still warm and crispy. They will gradually lose their crispiness as they cool, becoming addictively chewy. Served best hot and a great garnish on salads.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

10-15 mushrooms

2 tablespoons of pizza sauce

Handful of mozzarella

Handful of parsley

Method

1. De-stem and clean the mushrooms thoroughly

2. Add pasta sauce to the wells. Add some mozzarella and bake in an air fryer for 10 minutes at 160 celsius

Honey Soy Glazed Chicken

Ingredients

500 grams of chicken thighs boneless or breast

2 tablespoons veggie oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (if you are using salted butter, then use only 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon table salt

Method

1. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place your chicken. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This is a quick air brine. It takes out the moisture from the skin and makes the chicken crispy while leaving the interior moist

2. Preheat your air fryer to 200 celsius. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, occasionally stirring, until softened, 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and honey and simmer, occasionally stirring, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, then whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Remove the chicken from the freezer. dd half the glaze and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and toss the chicken to coat. Arrange in an even layer, skin side up, and roast until browned, 10 minutes.

4. Brush the chicken all over with 2 tablespoons of the remaining glaze. Roast until golden and cooked through about 5 minutes.

5. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining glaze (if any is left) and serve with lemon wedges