Tag Archives: Indian Dietitian Online

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Drumstick Leaves Upkari (Moringa leaves stir-fry Mangalorean Style)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India Tags : 

Did you know that the leaves of the drumstick tree are edible and are loaded with nutrients? Drumstick leaves are a common green leafy vegetable in most Indian homes especially down South.  It is known as Murungai in Tamil, Nuggekai soppu in Kannada, Muringa in Malayalam. Long known for it’s medicinal and nutritional properties in Ayurveda, it has of late been in the news in the West and is heralded as a miracle tree. Researches believe that the leaves can help in lowering blood sugars among diabetics, reducing cholesterol and also help in reducing inflammations, joint pain, constipation and cancers among others. Drumstick leaves are rich in calcium, potassium, Vitamin A &C and fiber. Drumstick leaves are sold in health stores in the form of powders and capsules.

I however love it as a stir-fry and make it whenever I find the leaves in the Indian store.

Here is a simple Mangalorean style stir-fry (upkari)made with drumstick leaves:

Ingredients for Drumstick leaves upkari:

  • Drumstick leaves: 1 big bunch (wash and separate the tiny leaves from the stalks)
  • Onion: 1 medium
  • Green chilies: 1-2 (as per your tolerance)
  • Coconut gratings: 2tbsp (fresh/frozen/dessicated)
  • Turmeric: 1/2 tsp (optional)
  • Mustard seeds: 1tsp
  • Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds: 1tsp
  • Oil: 3 tsp
  • Salt: to taste

Method:

  1. Chop the washed leaves as fine as possible.
  2. Finely chop the onions and slit the green chilies.
  3. Heat a kadai, add the oil, then the mustard, cumin seeds and urad dal.
  4. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the slit green chilies, turmeric powder (optional)then the chopped onions.
  5. Fry till the onions turn translucent. Then add the drumstick leaves and stir for a couple of minutes.
  6. Add some salt and mix well. Then add some water and let the leaves cook, stirring occasionally.
  7. Once the leaves are cooked, add the grated coconut, mix well and switch off.
  8. Since it’s a dry sabzi, it goes better with rice and a curry.

 

 

 


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Mangalorean Egg Curry (Eggs in spicy Coconut gravy)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India Tags : 
The Mangalorean Egg Curry is one of the dishes that usually features on my menu whenever I invite eggetarians (ovo-vegetarians) for dinner! It’s quick, simple (since I use coconut milk from a can) and a ‘sure to be a hit’ dish !! I always poach the eggs in the gravy-since I feel that it adds to the taste. But if you don’t like the look-you could boil the egg and then put them into the gravy!

Mangalorean Egg Curry

Ingredients for Mangalore Egg Curry (serves 4-6):
  • Eggs: 6 nos.
  • Potato: 1 medium boiled and diced
  • Onion: 1 big (finely sliced)
  • Tomato: 1 medium (diced)
  • Coconut milk: 1 can (I use the thick one not the ‘lite’)
  • Red chilli powder: 4-6 tsp (depending on our spice tolerance)
  • Coriander powder: 4 tsp
  • Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
  • Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
  • Salt: to taste
  • Oil: 1tsp

Tempering:

  • Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds/ jeera: 1/2 tsp

Method: 

  1. Heat the oil in a kadai, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the turmeric and sliced onions.
  2. Add the salt and fry the onions till they are translucent, then add the diced tomatoes and let it cook.
  3. Add the red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder, potatoes and mix well.
  4. Add the coconut milk and about a cup of water and simmer. Taste the gravy and then reduce the flame.
  5. Carefully break the eggs and drop the contents into the gravy one by one (leaving a little space between each). Cover and cook on a low flame for 6-8 minutes (DO NOT STIR).
  6. Once the eggs are cooked switch off.
  7. Serve the mutta curry (Mangalore Egg Curry) with rice and a side dish.

Note:

For those in a hurry and who don’t have time to make a separate vegetable side dish, you can add different mixed vegetables (add it after frying the onions) like french beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, etc to this dish itself.

The mutta curry also goes well with phulkas/chapathies.


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New BMI Guidelines for Indians/South Asians/Asians

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Online Dietician India Tags : 

The Body Mass Index(BMI) is a measure of weight divided by height.
BMI= weight (kg) / [height (m)]2
For years there was a debate with regards to whether the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved BMI parameters which stated a BMI of 30 and above as obese, were correct for Asian populations.
Indians as a race, have been known to have a higher body fat than their western counterparts and until now, using the global standards meant a large part of the population went scott-free even though they were at a greater risk for lifestyle related diseases. “Indians have a very different body, genetic and metabolic composition from westerners. Therefore, the parameters for obesity also have to be very different. This will bring more people under the overweight and obesity bracket. The revised guidelines would benefit 6 to 8 crore people. That in turn would lead to substantial prevention of diabetes and heart disease,” said Dr Anoop Misra.
Now,the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the advice of the WHO has issued new parameters for Indians:
If the BMI is-

  • <18.5:underweight
  • 18.5-22.9:Normal weight
  • 23-24.9 :Overweight
  • >25 :Obese

So,if you are an Indian(or for that matter of South-Asian origin) and stay overseas,it is important that you bring this change to the notice of your doctor.Chances are that they might not be aware of the change and still use the western BMI parameters on you(literally-“phir bhi dil hain Hindustani”)!


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Kale Mallung / mallum with radish (Sri Lankan style stir fry)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India Tags : 

Kale Mallung or mallum is actually made with just… kale 😉 I had one radish left-over after making the radish sambar and didn’t know what to do with it so I finely chopped it and added it to the mallung. It added a nice crunch to the mallung, but can be omitted as it’s not really a part of the original recipe.

Kale is a power house of nutrients and contains complex carbohydrates, high quality protein, Vitamins A,C,K and folate. Adding a dash of lime juice at the end helps the body to better absorb the iron from green leafy vegetables. This is a Sri Lankan easy stir-fry recipe and can be made with any green leafy vegetable(palak,radish leaves, amaranth, laal saag, mustard leaves) or even cabbage.

Ingredients for Kale Mallung with Radish:

  • Kale: big bunch (remove the stalks and chiffonade the leaves)
  • Radish: 1 small finely diced (optional)
  • Red chili flakes: 1 tsp (or to taste) or 1-2 green chilies slit
  • Mustard seeds: 1tsp
  • Cumin seeds: 1tsp
  • Coconut: 2-3tbsp freshly scraped/frozen/desiccated
  • Turmeric: 1 tsp
  • Lemon juice: 1tsp
  • oil: 2tsp
  • Salt: to taste

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a kadai, add the mustard and jeera. When the mustard starts to pop, add the slit green chilies or the red chili flakes and the turmeric.
  2. Then add the finely chopped kale and radish(optional) and stir-fry till the kale is cooked.
  3. Add the salt and coconut and cook for another minute.
  4. Switch off, then add the lime juice and mix well (this is to increase the absorption of iron from green leafy vegetables)
  5. Serve as side with rice and curry.

Here’s another mallung/mallum recipe with turnip leavesTurnip leaves Mallung/mallum

 


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Mullangi Sambar (Radish and lentil curry)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India Tags : 

A good way to increase your vegetable intake (or if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to dish out a vegetable sabzi along with the protein) is to be creative and :

  1. try and add it into dishes that you would normally make without vegetables-for example, instead of plain khichdi, upma, biryani,noodles, pasta-add different vegetables (always keep frozen veggies-saves a lot of time)
  2. if you have time-grate vegetables and add it to dosa/idli batter, chapathi/roti dough.
  3. add frozen palak (chopped), methi can also be added to dosa/idli batter, chapathi/roti dough,
  4. add different vegetables(or frozen mixed vegetables) to your gravies/dals/curries

Here’s a recipe for Radish sambar-remember don’t throw away the leaves of the radish. They are edible and can be used as any other greens or try out this ‘radish leaves sabzi‘.Radish Sambar

Mullangi Sambar/ Radish Sambar

Ingredients for Radish Sambar:

  • Tur dal: 1/2 cup
  • Tomatoes: 3 small
  • Radish: 2-3 medium chopped into circles or quartered(keep the leaves for another day or make this Sri Lankan Mallung recipe)
  • Onions: 1 medium (cubed)
  • Sambar powder: 2-3 tsp (or to taste)
  • Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
  • Salt: to taste
  • Oil: 1 tsp

For tempering:

  • Oil: 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds: 1tsp
  • Cumin/jeera seeds: 1tsp
  • Urad dal: 1 tsp
  • Chana dal: 1tsp
  • Hing: a pinch
  • Curry leaves: a few

Method:

  1. Take 1.5 cups of water and cook the dal, turmeric along with whole tomatoes(do not chop) in a pressure cooker(three whistles).
  2. In the meanwhile, add the oil into a cooking pot, add the onions and saute till translucent.
  3. Add the chopped radish and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Once the pressure drops, open the pressure cooker and take out the whole tomatoes and add to the onions and radish. Mash well.
  5. Add the salt, sambar powder and mix well.
  6. Mash the dal well and then add it to the onion, radish and tomato. Add a cup or two of water (less if you like the sambar thick or more if you want it thin)
  7. Let it boil for 10 minutes.
  8. Switch off. Get the tempering ready (heat the oil, add mustard,jeera,urad+chana dal-when the mustard pops add the curry leaves and hing and switch off).
  9. Add the tempering immediately to the sambar and cover the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  10. Serve with rice, idli,dosa or you can even have it as a spicy soup.

 


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Baked Sweet Potato Snack

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India,Recipes-Snacks/Dips Tags : 

There are different varieties of sweet potatoes available: purple and orange coloured. The purple colour is due to a pigment called anthocyanins and the  orange-colored sweet potatoes owe their colour to beta-carotenes which gets converted to Vitamin A in the body. The best way to get the health benefits of these are by either steaming or baking them.

If you like fries and sweet potatoes-here’s a healthy snack that look like fries but are actually baked. Kids will love the sweet taste of the sweet potatoes while adults can sprinkle it with a little chili powder for that extra kick!

Ingredients for Baked Sweet Potato Snack:

Sweet Potatoes-2 big* (washed,scraped and cut into strips/wedges)

Salt: 1 tsp (or to taste)

Oil: 3tsp

Red chili powder: 1/2-1 tsp (optional)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
  2. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss till the sweet potatoes are coated.
  3. Spread out onto a baking tray in a single layer.
  4. Bake till they turn golden (about 30-40 minutes).
  5. Serve as a snack or as a side with your meals.

*Note: 

  • You don’t have to scrape the sweet potatoes if you scrub them well with a brush.
  • Sweet Potatoes can be substituted with other root vegetables like beetroot, carrots, parsnip or turnips.
  • You can experiment with spices & herbs like garlic powder, cumin powder,rosemary, Italian seasoning, etc.

Here are other Healthy Snack Ideas:

  1. Crispy Kale Chips
  2. Baked Carrot Fries/snack
  3. Fruit Chaat/ Fruit Salsa 
  4. Khaman Dhokla
  5. Handvo
  6. Fish Cutlets/Patties

 

 


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Pumpkin and bhindi/ladiesfinger sambar (Palakkad style)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India Tags : 

We had this awesome sambar at a friends place during the Diwali weekend. It was made by my friend’s mother and she had used pumpkin and ladiesfinger/okra for the sambar. The family has it’s roots in Palakkad,a town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Being Palakkad Iyers their cuisine is a unique blend of the cooking styles from both the states (Kerala and Tamil Nadu).
I’ve always used the popular ready-made sambar powder to date and had never made the sambar from scratch(roasting and grinding the masalas). I had to get the recipe and it turned out so well that I’ve decided to make sambar the ‘hard-way’ instead of taking the ‘easy way’ out henceforth.
This sambar is typically made with any two of these seasonal vegetables: ladiesfinger/okra, arabi/taro root, pumpkin, capsicum and drumstick.
Here’s the recipe as given by Ms Sarda Ramakrishnan:

Pumpkin Sambar Palakkad
Ingredients for Palakkad Sambar: (Serves 8)

  • Coriander seeds: 2tbsp
  • Fenugreek seeds:1 tbsp
  • Channa dal: 1 tbsp
  • Dry red chillies: 5
  • Tamarind pulp: walnut sized (soak in water and squeeze out the pulp),
  • Tur dal: 2 cups (finely mashed)
  • Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup grated
  • Pumpkin: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2″ pieces)
  • Ladiesfinger/Okra: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2″ pieces)
  • Hing/asafoetida: 1/2tsp
  • Salt: to taste

For the tempering:

  • Mustard seeds: 1tsp
  • Curry leaves:5-6 nos.
  • Oil: 2tsp

Method:

  1. Roast the coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds,channa dal and the red chillies in a pan till the fenugreek and channa dal start turning red.
  2. Let it cool and then grind to a fine paste along with the grated coconut.
  3. Cook the pumkin and okra pieces in the tamarind pulp along with salt and enough water till the vegetables are half cooked.
  4. Add the cooked tur dal and the ground masala paste to the vegetables. Add enough water to bring it to a sambar consistency.
  5. Bring the sambar to a boil and add the hing powder.
  6. In a separate pan,heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When it starts to sputter,add the curry leaves.
  7. Pour this tempering over the sambar.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

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Mangalore Cucumber and Moong Sprouts Gassi (curry)-Mangalorean Style

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Online Dietician India Tags : 

Another favorite Mangalorean dish-the sprouted moong/mung and Mangalore cucumber ghassi. Gassi is the Mangalorean term for ‘curry’ or gravy. The Mangalore cucumber is also called the ‘Malabar Cucumber’ is a commonly seen vegetable in South India.

Mangalore cucumber Gassi
Ingredients for Mangalore Cucumber and Moong Sprouts Gassi : 

  • Mangalore Cucumber: 1 medium size
  • Moong Sprouts:200gms
  • Tomato: 1 big or 2 small (chopped)
  • Coconut: 1/2 or 1 cup grated
  • Red chilli powder: 4-5tsp(add more/less according to your tolerance level)
  • Coriander powder: 3tsp
  • Cumin powder: 1/2tsp
  • Salt: to taste

Tempering:

  • Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
  • Cumin /Jeera seeds: 1tsp
  • Turmeric:1/4th tsp
  • Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaves: 8-10nos.
  • Garlic: 2-3 crushed

Method:

  1. Wash and cut the Mangalore cucumber into half-scoop out the seeds from the centre(check if it’s bitter, if bitter than make sure you scrape out all the seeds and fibre around it).
  2. Cut them into 1″ cubes. Take a saucepan and cook them along with the sprouts with enough water and a little salt.Cover and cook till the Mangalore cucumber almost turns translucent (or is almost cooked),then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft.
  3. In the meanwhile, grind the coconut with the red chilli powder, coriander and cumin/jeera powder to a fine paste.
  4. Add the coconut paste to the saucepan, mix well, test for salt and cook for about 6-8mins.
  5. Switch off.
  6. Take a smaller saucepan/tempering pan and heat the oil, add the mustard,jeera and urad dal. When the mustard starts to sputter, add the turmeric, curry leaves and then the crushed garlic.
  7. Add the tempering to the ghassi. Close the saucepan immediately.
  8. Serve the Mangalore Cucumber and Moong sprouts ghassi with rice and a side dish/chutney.

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Dry Bhindi Sabzi (Spiced Okra recipe-Indian Style)

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Lunch Box Recipes Healthy Indian,Online Dietician India,Recipes- Side Dish Tags : 
Do your kids turn their nose up at the mention of ladiesfinger/Okra/bhindi? Try out this tasty and easy recipe of dry bhindi sabji (Dry okra recipe) and watch them gobble it all up. This recipe is something I learnt from my friend Rohini’s mom, Meghana Ghatpande. Meghana aunty-thanks a ton for making this one of the kids favorite recipes 🙂
Okra is rich in both soluble and insoluble fibers which may help in lowering cholesterol, aid in digestion and also have folate and vitamin K along with Vitamin A, B&C.
Ladiesfinger Sabzi
Ladiesfinger Sabzi with Phulkas
Ingredients for the dry bhindi sabzi:
  • Okra/ladies finger/bhindi: 250gms
  • Cumin powder: 1tsp
  • Chilly powder: 1/4th tsp (optional)
  • Lemon: a dash
  • Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1-2tbsp chopped(for garnish)
  • Salt: to taste
  • Oil: 1tbsp

Method:

  1. Wash, pat dry and cut the okra.
  2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the okra slices.
  3. Stir occasionally till the okra is almost done (the slimy part goes away) .
  4. Add the cumin powder , salt and/or red chilly powder and mix well.
  5. Stir fry till done.
  6. Switch off. Squeeze a dash of lime and garnish with cilantro.
  7. Serve the dry bhindi sabzi as a side with rice and dal or with phulkas.

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Ragi Manni/ pudding (Nachni/finger millet porridge) Mangalorean Style

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Online Dietician India,Recipes-Snacks/Dips Tags : 

Ragi (English-Finger millet,Chinese-䅟子,Arabic- Tailabon, German-Fingerhirse, French-coracan) is a popular millet in Southern India and is made into different dishes like porridges, puddings, pancakes,cookies, etc. Nutritionally,it is rich in the amino acid methionine and is among the few grains which contains a considerable amount of calcium.
Ragi is also given to babies as one of first cereals after rice.My grandmother used to make ragi manni during summer, as it is believed in Ayurveda to cool the body.Traditionally it is made by soaking the ragi millet overnight in water,then grinding it to a fine paste and straining it in a cheesecloth.This is then cooked with jaggery and coconut milk,till it reaches a thick pasty consistency.It is then poured into huge plates and set aside to cool. The end product used to be simply amazing-a dark chocolate brown pudding(my gran used to tell me that it was Indian chocolate pudding,so that she could get me to eat it)that simply melted in the mouth.
Sadly,I could not find ragi millet here(not that I would have gone through the whole cumbersome process even if I had),but managed to get the ragi flour at the Indian store to make this instant version. I substituted milk for the coconut milk and the final product still was very tasty though it didn’t have the same rich dark brown colour.Also,since it’s not strained you can see brown specks of the ragi coat. The ragi manni/pudding can be eaten hot or cold(I love it cold)and had as a porridge for breakfast or served as a dessert or a healthy snack(if you can mange to control the portion size) for kids.
Ingredients for Ragi Manni :Serves 2

  • Ragi flour: 1 cup
  • Milk/Coconut milk: 2 cups
  • Jaggery: 1 cup (scraped): to taste
  • Cardamom powder: 1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt: a pinch

Method:

  1. Mix the ragi flour with the cold milk and make sure there are no lumps.
  2. Pour this into a saucepan and add the jaggery/sugar,salt and cardamom powder.
  3. Cook on medium heat stirring continuously(take care to see that it doesn’t form lumps).
  4. When the mixture starts to thicken, reduce the heat and keep stirring till you get a porridge like consistency.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Serve the ragi manni (finger millet pudding) warm or chilled.

Note:

  • You can substitute sugar for the jaggery, though it is more nutritious to use jaggery.
  • Adding a pinch of salt is supposed to make the dish sweeter (not sure if that’s really true).

Question: Do you feel that adding a pinch of salt to a sweet dish makes it sweeter or is it just an old wives tale?