NUTRITION SPECIAL.... BRING BACK THE CARBS

BRING BACK THE CARBS

Carbohydrates have got a bad rep, but you shouldn’t throw the wholegrain out with the white rice

Giving up carbohydrates in the quest to lose weight is in vogue these days but as Nandita Iyer, a nutritionist and food blogger details in her new cookbook, The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian, that should apply that only to refined carbohydrates, which do nothing to improve your health. “On the other hand,” she writes, “there’s a world of good carbs, or complex carbohydrates, that are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, and come with a host of health benefits.” Here are four recipes using good carbohydrates from her book that will have you going back for a second helping:

OVERNIGHT OATS WITH SAUTEED APPLES

With all the goodness of a bowl of oats with the comforting flavours of an apple pie, I can never say no to oats in this form. Overnight oats have a much better texture as compared to cooked oats in my opinion. Do remember to prep for this the previous night. You can add extra toppings such as desiccated coconut, honey and a dollop of yogurt to make it even more irresistible.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1)

For oats::

instant oats …… .......................... .. ½ cup
(approx. 40 g)
yogurt ………… .............................…… 1 tsp
water or milk … ....................... … ¾–1 cup

For Sautéed Apple:

apple ……… ................…. 1 medium-sized
ghee ……… ................................. ….. 1–2 tsp

For the toppings:

powdered green cardamom ..¼ tsp
walnut bits, toasted …...........…….. 2 tsp

METHOD

1 In a serving bowl, mix the oats with the yogurt and water or milk. Cover with a lid and leave it on the counter top overnight. You can also mix this in a glass jar with a lid.

2 Scrub and wash the apple well. Cut the apple into half and slice finely, discarding the core and seeds. Heat ghee in a cast iron or heavybottomed pan. Layer the apple slices and cook over low heat for 10–12 minutes, till golden. Shake the pan and allow to cook for 5 more minutes. Add a spoon of water to dislodge any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.

3 Make a well in the centre of the oats. Add the caramelized apples and top with the cardamom powder and toasted walnuts.

STEAMED MILLET LOGS (MUTHIYA) WITH FRESH GREENS

My first memories of muthiya are from when I stayed overnight at my friend Surbhi’s house. We were studying together to tackle the mammoth subject, Medicine, for our final MBBS exams. Surabhi’s mother kept plying us with delicious food at regular intervals. I remember her running the grain mill at home, grinding chana dal into to a fine flour and preparing muthiyas with it. The aroma and flavour of this snack is something I can never forget. Here is my adaptation of the famous Gujarati snack. (This recipe needs a steamer.)

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4 AS A SNACK)

For the dough:

gram flour (besan) ....................................…. 1 /3 cup
maize meal (makkai atta) ......... … .............. 1 /3 cup
cup sorghum flour (jowar) …................ .. … 1 /3 cup
grated bottle gourd … ............................ . …….. 1 cup
small carrot …… ............................... ..... ……. 1 grated
finely chopped tender spring onion greens .. .. ½ cup
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves …… ¼ cup
grated fresh ginger .................................... ……. 1 tsp
white sesame seeds … ..............................……. 1 tbsp
baking soda ……… ............................................. .. ¼ tsp
lemon ……… ....................................................... 1 juiced
yogurt ……… ...................................................... .. 1 tbsp
salt … .......................................................…………. ½ tsp

METHOD

1 Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl. Using your fingers, bring the ingredients together to form a soft dough. The bottle gourd and carrot will release their juices. This, along with the moisture from the lemon juice and yogurt, provides enough liquid to make a dough. Divide into 3 portions.

2 Set up a steamer by filling a large pan with 3 inches of water. Grease the steamer basket with a few drops of oil and place it over the pan. Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil.

3 Shape the 3 portions of dough into logs, a little over 1” in diameter. If it sticks to your fingers, dip your hands in water before shaping them. 3 Place the logs carefully into the steamer basket, leaving some space between them. 4 Cover and steam cook for 10–12 minute

4 Pour in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Close the pressure cooker with the lid and the pressure weight plugged in. Turn off the heat when the cooker reaches full pressure (first whistle). The millets will continue cooking in the residual steam in the cooker. Open the cooker after the pressure subsides and stir through, separating the grains.

5 Remove and store in a casserole which will keep the dish warm. Don’t let the cooked millets sit in the pressure pan or any utensil you cook it in. It will dry out and turn lumpy. Fluffing it up and transferring to a casserole will keep the grains separate. Serve it as is for breakfast or with a cup of raita for a light lunch.

SAVOURY WAFFLES WITH CUCUMBER CHUTNEY

Savoury waffles can be prepared with a mind-boggling variety of flours and flavours. They can be prettier versions of the traditional Indian pancakes. The inspiration for this recipe comes from the Andhra pesarattu which is made with a moong bean batter. The cucumber chutney makes these waffles so much more fun to eat.

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 LARGE WAFFLES)

For the dough:

moong beans, soaked for 4 hours
.....................................................................… ½ cup
quick-cooking oats … ......................…….. 1 cup
sorghum flour (jowar) …… ................ 2/3 cup
green chillies, roughly chopped ................ 2–3
salt … ..................................................... …… 1 tsp
baking soda …… ...................................…. ½ tsp
baking powder … ............................ ………. 1 tsp
oil … .................................................. ……… 2 tbsp

For the cucumber chutney:

medium-sized cucumbers ………. .................... 2
packed cup fresh coriander leaves ............... 1
green chillies, roughly chopped …….. ........... 2
yogurt … ..................................... …………… 4 tbsp
lemon ……… ......................................….. 1 (juiced)
roasted gram (or roasted peanuts) ...............
........................................................................3tbsp
salt ……… ................................................ ……¾ tsp

METHOD

1 Preheat a waffle iron or the oven (if you are using waffle moulds) at 220°C. Blend all the waffle ingredients with 1 cup of water till you get a smooth, pourable batter.

2a If you are using a waffle iron: Brush the surfaces of the preheated waffle iron with oil. Spoon in the batter. Close the lid and cook till the indicator light changes colour or the waffles are goldenbrown.

2b If you are using a waffle mould: place silicone waffle moulds on a baking tray and pour the batter into the moulds till they are filled. Put the tray in the centre of the oven preheated at 220°C and bake for 15 minutes until they are cooked through. Remove the tray from the oven. Invert the waffle moulds over the baking tray, gently peeling the moulds off. Bake the reverse side for 5–6 minutes.

3 Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds. Dice the cucumber flesh. Put the cucumber along with the remaining chutney ingredients in a small mixer jar. Blend to make a smooth chutney. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

MILLET FENUGREEK SALAD

Bye-bye, quinoa and kale! Hello, millet and methi (fenugreek). I love the surprise on my students’ faces when I combine Indian greens and grains in my salad workshops. You can make a salad with whatever you have on hand. There’s no need to go hunting for fancy or expensive ingredients, and this millet-methi salad proves it. It stays good for a few hours after mixing, so feel free to pack this in lunch boxes too.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 3–4)

For the salad:

1 large carrot

cooked foxtail millet (kangni) ..1½ cups
cooked chickpeas (kabuli chana) ..1 cup
tender fenugreek leaves (methi), without stems ...¾ cup
fresh pomegranate arils ........½ cup

For the dressing:

extra-virgin olive oil ......2 tbsp
white wine vinegar ...2 tsp
panch phoron powder (Bengal fivespice powder) ...½ tsp
freshly ground black pepper.....½ tsp
salt ....½ tsp
honey ...1 tbsp

METHOD

1 Ensure that both the millet and chickpeas are cooked through but not mushy. Fluff up the millet grains as soon as they are cooked and refrigerate in an airtight container, till ready to use.

2 Scrub the carrot and peel it. Grate the carrot coarsely using a box grater. Mix the grated carrot with the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.

3 In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients till thick and creamy.

4 Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. The millet and chickpeas absorb the flavours better if you refrigerate it for an hour. Use tender fenugreek leaves for this salad. Avoid the stems and tougher leaves.

5 For the panch phoron powder, lightly toast a tsp of panch phoron over low heat. Once cooled, grind to a coarse powder. You can also use mustard powder or grainy mustard paste instead of panch phoron powder.

—Excerpted with permission from Nandini Iyer's cookbook The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian, published by Hachette India

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