Ever tried dishing out jackfruit seed soup or beetroot ‘pulka’ or ragi pizza? All it takes is a little bit of innovation to camouflage different ingredients and add a new meaning to your culinary skills.
A team of trainers at Avinashh, natural and alternative systems for health and healing, donned the role of chefs to introduce the health-consciousness to the concepts of simple and nutrition-rich food that leaves one asking for more.
Interestingly, most of the dishes can be prepared in a jiffy, explains Murali Mohan, a yoga instructor at the centre. “Make a puree of sliced beetroot. Knead the dough using the puree. The dough can be rolled out either to make pulka or chapatti,” he suggests.
He prepared an oil-free side dish using a cup of soaked sprouts by following the steps: sauté finely chopped onions, tomatoes and chillies in a pan over a low flame for a few minutes. Add soaked sprouts, required salt and stir well. Pour a cup of beaten curd and garnish it with coriander leaves.
Avinashh director B. Pragnanand comes up with a soup preparation made of jackfruit seed which are packed with good sources of potassium and vitamins A, B6 and B12 and C. Method: Soak the seeds in water overnight. Peel off the skin and prepare powder by grinding the seeds without water in a mixer. Boil four cups of water, add a cup of powdered jackfruit seed and required salt. Cook for five more minutes.
Similarly pizza made of ragi and corn flour base is cooked on both sides over a pre-heated tawa. A little portion of mayonnaise cheese is spread over one side of the base. It is topped with sliced olives, capsicums and carrot and seasoned with chilli flakes and oregano.
It took a few minutes for Ruth James, another trainer, to bake delicious cup cakes by blending equal portions of oats, powdered ragi, maida, chocolate powder, grated carrot and jaggery, sugar, butter, two cups of milk, half a tsp of both baking powder and cooking soda before baking it at 200 degree C in a oven for about 12 minutes.
