Health and Diet

All around us we see a spurt of health food and health food concepts. Physical Health has always been an important part of our well-being. It’s important to understand that food unfortunately bears the most brunt for our health issues and our lifestyle, of which our diet is only a small part. It’s time that we spoke about well-being and its relationship to lifestyle as a whole, rather than blaming a diet while just looking at our physical health. Here’s a couple of healthy recipes that can help you get there.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 Anjeer (dried figs) (soaked, drained and chopped)
I cum yam, boiled and mashed
1/2 tsp green chilies, chopped
1/4 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
A few coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp chaat masala powder
1 tbsp paneer, grated
1 tbsp hung curd
1 tbsp cashew nut paste
4 tbsp besan flour
1 tsp yellow chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
8 Samosa patti/ spring roll patti

Method:

1. Mix the curd, yam, cashew nut paste, besan, salt, yellow chili powder, garam masala and coriander leaves in a bowl. Add little water if required and mix to make a thick batter.
2. Mix the figs, green chillies, onions, ginger, chaat masala powder and salt. Take a portion of the yam mixture and stuff 1 to 2 tsp of the fig mixture in the middle. Shape into a round patty.
3. Heat oil in a nonstick pan and gently slide the kebabs and fry until golden brown. Remove and transfer to a serving plate.
4. Stuff the kebabs in samosa patty/spring roll patty and fold into triangle shape. Seal the edges. Dust a baking tray and arrange the samosas. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree C until cooked from both the sides.

Ingredients:

For The Green Chutney
3/4 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
4 green chillies
1 tsp lemon juice
For The Garlic Chutney
10 garlic cloves
2 tsp chilli powder
For The Sweet and Sour Sauce
3/4 cup jaggery (gur)
1/2 cup tamarind (imli)
1/2 tsp chilli
salt to taste
Other Ingredients
750 gms surti papdi (fresh vaal)
500 gms purple yam (kand)
250 gms potatoes
250 gms sweet potato
2 to 3 brinjal
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp ginger – green chilli paste
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 to 2 tbsp oil
lettuce leaves
salt to taste
Green chutney, garlic chutney, sweet and sour sauce, sev and oil (optional) to serve

Method:

1. For the green chutney, blend all the ingredients in a liquidiser. Keep aside.
2. For the garlic chutney, blend all the ingredients in a liquidizer. Keep aside.
3. For the sweet and sour sauce, blend all the ingredients except coriander in a liquidizer. If too thick, add enough water to get the right consistency. Keep aside.
4. String the papadi. Do not separate into two. Peel the kand and cut into big pieces.
Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes without peeling. Make slits on the brinjals.
5. Mix all the vegetables. Apply the ajwain, chilli-ginger paste, soda bi-carb and salt. Mix thoroughly and apply the oil all over.
6. In a small earthen pot (matka), put a few leaves of lettuce at the bottom. Fill with all the vegetables and cover with the remaining lettuce leaves. Cover the matka with an earthen lid and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree c (400 degree F) for 1 hour.
Alternatively, instead of cooking in a matka, wrap the vegetable mixture (without lettuce leaves) in aluminium foil and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree c (400 degree f) for 1 hour.
Serve with green and garlic chutneys and sweet and sour sauce, oil and sev.