Potato and Sooji Snack | Healthy Indian Teatime Snacks
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These potato and sooji squares are the tea-time snack I make when everyone is hungry at 5 p.m. and dinner is still an hour away. The base is semolina (sold as sooji at Indian grocers) cooked down with vegetables, then bound with mashed potato and cheese, chilled, cut into squares, and crisped in a shallow pan rather than deep-fried. Soft and savory inside, golden and crisp outside, and the shaped squares hold in the freezer for a month, so the snack is ready whenever hunger hits.
Why This Potato Sooji Snack Works
- One pan, ingredients you already track. Semolina, a cup of mixed vegetables, potato and cheese; nothing exotic to source.
- 5 minutes hands-on once the potatoes are boiled. The mixture chills on its own while you do something else, then it is a quick pan-fry.
- 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving from the semolina, potato and cheese base, at 176 calories a serving.
- Crispy without a deep fry. A thin film of oil in a hot pan gives the golden crust; the inside stays soft from the potato and semolina.
- Freezer-friendly. Shape the squares now, fry later, so the actual cooking at snack time takes minutes.
Full quantities are in the recipe card. These are the ones worth a word.
- Semolina (sooji). Sold as “semolina” in the flour or baking aisle at Whole Foods, Walmart, and most Indian grocers. Bob’s Red Mill sells a widely stocked bag if your store does not carry the Indian brands.
- Vegetables. Use what stays dry when cooked: onion, peas, green beans, carrot and mushroom all work. Skip cabbage or bell pepper, they release water and keep the mixture loose.
- Cheese. Any melting cheese you already have (cheddar, mozzarella, or a mix) binds the squares; a sharper cheese adds flavor without extra add-ins.
- Equipment. A wide nonstick or cast-iron skillet makes flipping the squares easier without sticking or breaking.
How to Make Potato Sooji Squares
1. Sauté the vegetables, then roast the semolina. Onion first in hot oil, then peas, green beans, carrot and mushroom for a few minutes. Push the vegetables aside and roast the semolina alone for a minute so it loses its raw flour taste, then stir it all together.
2. Cook into a thick mixture. Add water, salt and mixed herbs, plus a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir over low heat until it pulls away from the sides of the pan.
3. Stir in the potato off the heat. Add boiled mashed potato, green chilies, mint, cilantro and grated cheese once the pan is off the heat, so the cheese melts without scorching.
4. Chill, then cut. Spread the mixture on butter paper or an oiled plate, press it flat, and refrigerate 30 minutes before cutting into 1½-inch squares.
5. Pan-fry until golden. A thin layer of oil in a hot pan, 2 to 3 minutes a side, flipped once, until both sides are crisp and golden. Drain briefly and serve.
Rekha’s Note
The one thing that ruins these squares is moisture. Any vegetable that weeps water while it cooks, cabbage or bell pepper especially, keeps the mixture too loose to hold its shape, so I stick to onion, peas, beans, carrot and mushroom. Each square carries 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber from the semolina, potato and cheese, more staying power than a typical fried snack.
Rekha
Sooji Veggie Squares
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup semolina sooji
- ¼ cup Onion Chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh Peas
- ¼ cup green Beans Chopped
- ¼ cup Carrot Chopped
- ¼ cup Mushroom Chopped
- 2-3 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1-2 teaspoon Mixed Herbs
- 1 cup Potatoes boiled and mashed
- 2 Green Chillies Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Mint Leaves Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Cheese Grated
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a pan and sweat chopped onions, then add veggies like peas, green beans, chopped carrot, mushrooms and saute the veggies for a few minutes,
- Then make some space in the pan to add semolina, now roast the semolina for a few minutes, then combine with the rest of the veggies and roast on slow heat.
- Then add water, salt to taste and season with mixed herbs. Mix well with everything and squeeze lemon juice in too.
- After the semolina and veggie mixture have become thicker, add boiled potatoes, green chillies, mint, coriander, grated cheese and mix everything.
- Let the mixture cool and flatten it on butter paper by pressing gently and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then cut this into 1 & 1/2 inch squares.
- Now heat some oil in pan and pan fry the semolina potato squares. Flip to cook & brown both the sides evenly.
- Once done, drain the excess oil & serve!
Rekha’s Notes
- To make perfect shaped veggie squares one has to saute all the veggies first to dry out any moisture from veggies and cook them.
- Roast the sooji/semolina along with the veggies to remove the raw flavour.
- When the sooji is cooked switch off the heat and then add boiled mashed potatoes, coriander leaves, cheese and other ingredients.
- Since I refrigerated the semolina and veggie mixture prior to frying I used butter paper to spread the mixture evenly.
- You can always use a flat surface or a plain plate brushed with oil to spread the mixture evenly.
Apply oil on your hands before flattening the mixture.
Nutrition
- Squares falling apart? Moisture is almost always the cause. Sauté vegetables until any water has cooked off before adding the semolina, and give the shaped mixture the full 30 minutes in the fridge before cutting.
- Raw semolina taste? Roast it alongside the vegetables for a minute before adding water; do not skip this step.
- Mixture sticking to your hands while shaping? Oil your hands, or use butter paper or a plain oiled plate to press and spread it evenly.
- Want a different shape? Cut into triangles or use a small cookie cutter for rounds instead of squares. The frying time stays the same.
Variations
- Higher protein. Fold in paneer or tofu along with the potato for a more filling square.
- Air fryer instead of pan. Brush lightly with oil and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, for a slightly drier, less oily result.
- Milder or spicier. Drop the green chilies for a kid-friendly version, or add a pinch of red chili powder for more heat.
- Different shape. Cut into triangles, or use a small cookie cutter for rounds instead of squares.
Serve It With
- Cilantro and Mint Chutney for a cooling contrast to the crisp, savory squares.
- Chili Crisp Greek Yogurt Dip, another 5-minute recipe, if you want a protein-rich dip alongside.
- A bigger tea-time spread with Crispy Potato Triangles, the same make-ahead logic cut into a different shape.
- Or Air Fryer Rice Paper Pop Chips on the side for a crunchy, no-oil-bath contrast.
Meal Prep and Storage
These sooji squares are excellent for meal prep. Make the full batch, shape and refrigerate the unfried mixture for up to 2 days before pan-frying. Once fried, store cooled squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place in an air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for 4 to 5 minutes to restore crispness; microwaving makes them soft. For longer storage, freeze unfried shaped squares on a lined tray for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Fry directly from frozen, adding 3 to 4 extra minutes to the cook time.
Common Questions
What Are Some Easy Snacks To Make In 5 Minutes?
The fastest snacks are the ones where the work happened earlier. These semolina potato bites are shaped and chilled in advance, so the evening step is 5 minutes in a pan. The same is true of a yogurt dip whisked while vegetables are cut, or rice paper chips that puff in an air fryer in about 6 minutes.
Niceand healthy recipe i wl try surely
Hi How much in cups do we use for the mashed potatoes please thank you
Can we air fry this
Awesome
Hi. Looks like a nice recipe surely want to try it. Could the squares be roasted instead of frying 🙏🙂
Thank you Aditi, it really tastes good. I would suggest air frying over roasting. You can even bake them but taste and texture will alter to some extent.
Wonderful & unique recipe.
Awsome dish thanku so much i m loving it….
Tasty and delicious
I liked the recipe for it’s simplicity
This was really easy. Thank you so much!
My children love it. Really tasty and healthy. Thanks
This recipe is super cool. Read more about tea and snack combination.
Turned out to be super yumm!!
The recipe looks delicious. The recipe also has good nutrition value. Its complete recipe for snack time. The recipe takes few minutes to get prepared. I really like this recipe and thanks for sharing it. Keep sharing more recipes. You can try some spicy taste for your recipes with our variety of spices at https://annapurnaspices.com.
Light tea time snacks full of vegs.
I’m not that much of an internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back down the road vegetarian indian starters
It looks good & healthy will definitely try
Loved the recipe. Will definitely give it a try. How much oil should I add? And which oil?
Very nice recipe. Thank Rekha mam🥰
Made these squares .. taste wise they were delicious but didn’t turn out crispy. Tried all methods .. frying. Shallow frying and even tikki type. Where am I going wrong ?