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The frenetic work-from-home routines that many of us have switched to while coping with the COVID-19 situation have compelled us to cut corners in our daily nutrition. We have often chosen to eat whatever is quick and convenient instead of ensuring that our daily diet is healthy and wholesome. But with the right outlook and a bit of smart planning, one can create healthy food in one’s kitchen – without sacrificing taste and enjoyment.
Today, we are going to make a delicious curry from the dazzling range of dishes that comprise Avadhi cuisine – but we shall “re-engineer” the recipe to create a healthy, vegetarian version that cuts calories to just 66 per serving.
Let’s get started on gathering the ingredients that you will need.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 3, large
Onion: 1, large
Vegetable Mix (see below): 100 grams
Mustard Oil: 2 tablespoons
Sugar: Half-a-teaspoon
Coriander (Dhania) Seeds: 1 tablespoon
Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 tablespoon
Poppy Seeds (Khus-Khus): 1 tablespoon
Fennel (Saunf) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Green Chillies: 2
Ginger (Adrak): One small piece (one centimetre long)
Cardamoms (Illaichi): 3
Cloves (Laung): 3
Cinnamon (Dalchini): 3 small sticks
Salt: to taste
The vegetable mix that is used in the traditional Avadhi dish is made of various seasonal vegetables – but since we are “re-engineering” the recipe to make it healthy, we recommend chopped French Beans, Carrots and Cauliflower.
The poppy seeds mentioned in the ingredients are called Khus-Khus is most parts of India; in Bengal, it is called Posto and is widely used in cooking.
The ingredients mentioned above are for six servings; adjust the ingredients proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.
Preparation:
Wash and peel the onions and finely chop them.
Finely chop the green chillies.
Boil the chopped mixed vegetables (French beans, carrots and cauliflower).
Use a traditional mortar and pestle (a blender tends to be less effective) to grind the onion, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, green chillies, ginger, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon into a paste.
Method:
Chop the tomatoes. In a pan take around 300 millilitres of water. Add the chopped tomatoes and boil till the tomato pieces become soft. Next, pass the boiled tomatoes through a sieve to drain the excess water and make tomato puree.
Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on a High flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point and wisps of white smoke rise up from it, turn the flame down to Medium.
Add the spices paste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree, mixed vegetables, sugar and salt. Cook till the vegetables are done.
Your delicious low-calorie Avadhi style curry is now ready to be served. If you want to stay on the healthy eating bandwagon, you should have it with plain Roti – but this curry is usually eaten with Paratha.
You would have noticed that the entire recipe is crafted to appeal to health-conscious people. It uses a selection of healthy vegetables along with a combination of spices that brings the flavour out and requires less salt. Plus, the cooking medium is cold-pressed Mustard Oil which is known to have an amazing range of health benefits.
For more such recipes, please visit https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/
