Do we need a cookbook to help us prepare healthy vegetarian meals on a daily basis? One would assume that every other household is adept at doing this in its own way. But there’s always room to tweak tried-and-tested recipes to bring in new flavours and ensure a mix of good carbs, proteins and healthy fats.
So an everyday meal like wheat ravaupma/khichdi gets tweaked into ‘Broken wheat and mixed sprout khichdi with fried garlic’, and a variety of beans, traditionally used to prepare sundals , go into making hummus or a bean mash that’s combined with whole wheat pasta and roasted vegetables. Nandita Iyer, well known for her blog Saffron Trail, brings in the knowledge from her formal medical education with specialisation in nutrition, to re-look everyday cooking through the prism of optimum nutrition.
A note in the beginning of her book The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian — Delicious Meals from the Indian Kitchen (Hachette; ₹599) refers to Iyer’s entry into cooking, with constraints of space and cooking equipment, at a shared paying-guest accommodation in Mumbai 15 years ago. “I didn’t want to forget where I began my journey from,” she tells us. Perhaps because of this beginning and learning to cook simple meals step by step, in this book, she handholds those who are new to cooking.
“You can cook a variety of meals in a small kitchen,” she emphasises. ‘The absolute basics’, as she puts it, encourages beginners to cook healthy meals from scratch within 30 to 45 minutes. The book gives an idea of meal planning, how to avoid food wastage and stock up just the right amount of fresh produce that will be consumed in a week. For those adept at cooking, there are a variety of recipes that can be incorporated in their menus.
Nandita Iyer
The recipes listed here have gone through trials. “I asked myself if these recipes are practical enough to be made every day and are tasty enough to be repeated. Some beans, like black eyed peas, had an unpleasant aftertaste when made into a hummus, and such recipes were left out,” explains Iyer.
Corn bread to chickpea za’atar croquettes, sprouted moong chutney to avocado fruit crèmes, the recipes work with plant proteins and unprocessed foods, without getting preachy about the health factor. The recipes steer clear of refined white flours and sugar. Cold pressed oils and ghee get thumbs up, coming from Iyer’s belief that “our grandmothers and great grandmothers used healthy fats, including native oils, coconut and ghee . Anything in moderation works.” A section chalks out diabetic-friendly meals as well.
Iyer also has a few tips for those keen to have a small kitchen garden. “In some urban homes, there’s hardly any space for a kitchen garden, barring a window sill. You can grow fresh herbs — pea sprouts, methi , coriander… these make a world of difference to your food,” she signs off.
Millet Fenugreek Salad
(This recipe uses locally available ingredients as opposed to quinoa and kale)
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients (for salad)
1 large Carrot
1.5 cups Cooked foxtail millet
1 cup Cooked chickpeas
3/4 cup Fenugreek leaves, without stems
1/2 cup Fresh pomegranate
(For the dressing)
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp White wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Panch phoron powder (Bengal five-spice powder)
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Honey
Method
Grate the carrot coarsely and mix it with the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl.
In another bowl whisk together the ingredients for salad dressing till thick and creamy. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
The millet and chickpeas absorb the flavours better when the dish is refrigerated for an hour.
Tip: Ensure that the millet and chickpeas are well-cooked but not mushy. Fluff the millets as soon as they are cooked and refrigerate till use.
Grainy mustard paste or mustard powder can be used in place of panch phoron powder.
