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5 min
11/08/2025
Not everyone's idea of celebration involves diving into a pile of mithai, and that's perfectly fine! If your siblings are the type who'd pick a crispy samosa over sweet ladoos any day, this one's for you. From the likes of chaat that'll make your taste buds go gaga, to the addictive namkeens that disappear faster than you can refill the bowl, we've got the ultimate savoury spread that'll make your Rakhsha Bandhan bash the talk of the family WhatsApp group!
Festivities are all about the mithai, and the savoury spreads almost feel like an afterthought. But not everyone in the family gets excited about the mandatory sweets that come with Raksha Bandhan. While the mithai boxes pile up and the sugar rush becomes real, there's always that one sibling (maybe it's you?) who's eyeing the kitchen, wondering if there's something with actual spice, some crunch and no sugar items on the menu. Good news: Rakhi celebrations don't have to be all about ladoos and barfis. This year, why not shake things up with a spread that'll have even the most devoted sweet lovers reaching for seconds?
Pakoras are a Rakhi-time go-to, and for a good reason. They're easy to make, can be customised with vegetables like onion, potato, or spinach, and can be upgraded to non-vegetarian fare too with fish, chicken, or eggs. They are best enjoyed hot off the kadahi, so if busy is your middle name, order them in and enjoy the pakoras hot with chutney. They are usually made with gram flour, so they also offer a bit of protein and fibre. As Rakhi always falls during the monsoon, pakoras feel comforting and familiar. If making at home, they don’t take much time and go well with everyone catching up over tea and snacks.
If you’re looking to explore the international side of the menu, then onion rings are a perpetual crowd pleaser. Crispy battered slices of onion that deliver just the right crunch in the crust and a softer caramelised onion flavour inside. They're satisfying and distinctly more-ish, perfect for serving alongside burgers or as a starter with a dollop of ketchup or aioli. But if you’re not keen on all the clean-up that comes with preparing these treats, look no further than ITC Master Chef’s Crispy Onion Rings which can be shallow fried or even air fried to deliver your Rakhi feast in a fraction of the time.
Take a break from the deep-fried cousins of samosas, kachoris and pakoras with dhokla, which is a steamed snack. It’s perfect for those who shrivel up their nose at fried items, like they do for sweets. Dhokla is made from fermented gram flour, which aids digestion and provides a decent amount of protein. It’s spongy, mildly tangy, and topped with a simple mustard seed tempering that adds a nice aroma without overwhelming the dish. Since it tastes good warm or at room temperature, dhokla can be made way ahead in the day and served whenever.
No one eats just one, and like some fares (dhokla), dal kachoris show up early on Rakhi and somehow survive till the very end. They taste good fresh, perhaps even better when cold, retaining their flakiness that is still getting dipped in chutney like they’re fresh off the stove. That moong dal filling doesn’t just taste good; it carries the snack table. You can throw in sweets, chips, even fancy baked nonsense, but without kachori, it’s just not a proper spread. They're messy, filling, and unapologetically extra, like most sibling relationships.
Kebabs are the overachievers of the Rakhi spread. The vegetarian option can be made with spinach, peas, and dal all packed into a patty, pretending to be indulgent while sneaking in nutrients. For a non-vegetarian option, you can save some time with ITC Master Chef’s Chicken Seekh Kebabs which are ready in a snap and deliver all the satisfaction of homemade kebabs. Spiced just enough to impress the adults, and still easy for the kids to demolish with ketchup.
Every Rakhi needs a little chaos, and that’s where chaat comes in. It’s a glorious mess: curd flying, chutney dripping, someone always yelling “don’t mix mine!” It’s snack and entertainment rolled into one. Chickpeas bring the protein, yoghurt cools things down, and sev? Sev is just there to cause good trouble. Nothing else gets people hovering near the table like a DIY chaat setup. Add a squeeze of lemon, and suddenly everyone’s a food critic.
Chakli is one snack that pretends to be background noise but ends up stealing the whole show. Over conversations, babysitting, running around, managing your Rakhi bash, these are the little pops of fun you end up grabbing. Chaklis are also the ones you grab ‘just to taste’ and suddenly half the tin’s gone. It’s crunchy, salty, and satisfying in that ‘I didn’t even know I was hungry’ kind of way. Made from rice flour and lentils, so technically it has nutrients, not that anyone’s counting. The best part is that it lasts for days if someone manages not to finish it in one sitting.
Mathri doesn’t care about trends; they’ve been unaffected by them like that super cool elder sibling, with the best one-liners. It’s not trying to be photogenic, or healthy, and it's thick, crisp, and has ajwain, which quietly becomes the thing everyone wants with their tea. Like a solid elder sibling, it’s an easy go-to, like how they play therapists to everyone, with low drama and always there when you need them. Mathri keeps for weeks, goes with everything, and doesn’t need chutney to prove its worth. On Rakhi, where everything’s about tradition and familiarity, mathri feels exactly right.
These snacks aren’t just festive fillers; maybe they are, but their fun crunch between sarcastic one-liners, the quiet peace offering after an argument, the edible nostalgia that shows up every year without fail, are worth the addition. Rakhi snacks don’t need reinvention, nor do they need any sprucing up or some fusion makeover. They need space on the table, room to disappear fast, and maybe a nap after. The snacks might not be remembered, but the memories and a full heart and belly surely will.
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