While the Cannes Film Festival is synonymous with cinema and iconic red carpet moments, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt brought a taste of Indian kitchens to the global stage. In an Instagram reel shared by Marie Claire France, Bhatt demonstrated a simple ghee-jaggery based recipe that is a staple in many Indian households. She emphasized the importance of ghee in Indian cooking, stating, "In India, we cook our food in ghee, at least in my home, and a lot of people do, and it is great for the gut and it is great for the skin."
Bhatt introduced her "skin snack," a mixture of ghee with a bit of jaggery, crushed peanuts, and coconut. She claimed, "I have it so that my skin looks great and genuinely it works, it really works." Here is the recipe along with three other power snacks recommended by celebrities.
Alia Bhatt's Desi Skin Snack
Ingredients: 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp jaggery, 1 tbsp roasted crushed peanuts, 1 tbsp grated coconut.
Method: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, shape into mini balls, and consume fresh.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Energy Bar
Ingredients: 1 cup oats, 2 tbsp almonds, 2 tbsp cashew nuts, 2 tbsp walnuts, 2 tbsp pistachios, 2 tbsp flax seeds, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup chopped cranberries, 1/2 cup date paste, 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp butter.
Method: Heat a non-stick pan and dry roast oats on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same pan, dry roast almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to another plate. Grease a barfi tray with butter. In a mixing bowl, combine cranberries, oats, mixed nuts and seeds, and date paste. Gradually add honey and mix well. Transfer the mixture to the greased tray, spread evenly, and refrigerate for 1.5 hours. Cut into desired shapes, demould, and serve.
Virat Kohli's Salad Recipe
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp mustard sauce, 1/4 tsp chilli sauce, salt to taste, 1 cup rocket leaves, 1/4 cup puffed quinoa, 1/4 cup roasted bell peppers, 1 small bowl scooped watermelon, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts.
Method: Boil 1 cup water and add quinoa. Simmer for about 10 minutes, add salt, then drain excess water once quinoa is puffed. In a salad bowl, combine rocket leaves and puffed quinoa. Roast bell peppers directly on flame, chop, and add to the bowl. Scoop watermelon balls (about 1 cup) and add. For dressing, mix olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard sauce, and chilli flakes. Add salt to taste. Pour dressing over salad, top with pumpkin seeds and broken cashews, and enjoy.
Yasmin Karachiwala's Crunchy Almonds
Ingredients: 1 cup almonds, 1 tbsp cinnamon powder, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp coconut oil, salt (optional).
Method: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Air fry or bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight jar.
