Maneet Chauhan Reveals Her Favorite Late-Night Snack
Celebrity chefs really are just like us. Sure, they can cook way better than the average person. And yes, they all want to hangout with Bobby Flay – mostly to figure out how to beat him. But they also suffer from the ultra-common midnight munchies. According to ABC 13 out of Houston, Texas, the 2021 International Food Information Council Survey recently discovered that approximately 60% of American adults, ages 18 to 80, snack after 8 p.m. That's a lot of people noshing on pretzels, ice cream, chips, and other favorite snacks in the late-night hours.
One chef who is all too happy to share her go-to late-night snack is Maneet Chauhan, a judge on Food Network's reality food competition show, "Chopped," who hails from a small town in India called Ranchi. However, as Parade noted, you'll want to keep your hand out of the bowl of this chef's favorite late-night snack if she's wearing large earrings, as the jewelry indicates that it is best to "get out of her way."
Maneet Chauhan loves this Indian dish
The cookbook author shared with Food Network that she craves a bit of a sweet and savory treat when she is snacking late at night, and that's so relatable. Chauhan revealed her favorite late-night snack is masala popcorn, which is popcorn with Indian spices. If you are not familiar with masala, which also goes by garam masala, it is a blend of Indian spices that The Pioneer Woman describes as both "warm" and "fragrant." What does masala taste like? Well, per Feasting at Home, it can be made with a number of spices, including cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, fennel, and mace. So the taste can be a little savory and a little sweet. The best of both worlds!
According to Times of India, masala popcorn is easy to make and the taste has a huge payoff for your taste buds. The outlet shares this popcorn snack can be made in 15 minutes or less and is a real crowd pleaser. They also note the flavor is "zesty." And, what is equally exciting about this snack is that it is low in calories. A single serving of masala popcorn has 208 calories, which makes eating late at night a little less regrettable when you are counting calories.