Comforting Indian cuisine gets a modern update that is gorgeous, gourmet and good. We tap the best in the industry to plan healthy meals throughout the day.
Brimming with fragrant herbs, healing spices, and nutritious vegetables, The Indian pantry is innately healthy.
It’s about time we skipped the boring curry-naan for food that is truly wholesome. We bring you four Indian healthy comfort foods with a gourmet twist.
Dosa Waffle for brekkie
You’ll need:
½ cup urad dal
2 cups rice
EVOO spray
½ tsp salt
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Method:
- Soak fenugreek seeds, dal, salt, and rice in water for 4 hours.
- Drain. Grind it until a smooth batter is obtained. Keep the dosa batter aside for the night in a dry and clean place.
- Once the batter is fluffy, heat the waffle maker. Spray a generous amount of EVOO on its grids.
- Once hot, pour the batter and let it cook for 8 minutes.
- Add any topping- tomato salsa, cured salmon or mint, and onion. Serve hot.
Red Rice String Hoppers with Mango Chilli Prawns
You’ll need:
For hoppers:
1 tbsp oil
A cup of red rice (should be soaked in water for 2 hours)
Salt as per taste
For mango dressing:
60ml olive oil
150gm mango-chilli sauce
Salt as per taste
Pepper as per taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the prawns:
2 finely chopped basil leaves
Salt as per taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
5 prawns
Method:
- Blend salt, oil, water, and rice until a smooth paste is obtained.
- Press the dough in a hopper maker. Steam for fifteen minutes or until done.
- For the mango dressing, mix its ingredients and whisk. Let it rest.
- Mix prawns, salt, basil leaves, and lemon juice and let it marinate for about 10 minutes. Toss it in a shallow pan and cook until done. Top it with mango dressing.
- Serve hot.
Parsley-Besan Chilla with Bell Pepper, Tomato, Vegan Bacon and Coulis
You’ll need:
For chilla:
20 gm arrowroot powder
100g besan
1 tsp chives, chopped finely
1 tbsp parsley, chopped finely
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
240 ml water
¼ tsp pepper
For the vegan bacon:
10 ml olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
200 g oyster mushrooms
For bell pepper coulis:
5 ml olive oil
170 g bell pepper (red)
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
5 ml lemon juice
1 minced garlic
For the tomato coulis:
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp rosemary
250 g heirloom tomatoes
1 tbsp roughly chopped basil
15 ml olive oil
30 g red onion
Method:
- To make the chilla, mix its ingredients in a bowl and set aside for thirty minutes.
- Take another bowl and mix garlic, heirloom tomatoes, rosemary, olive oil, and onion. Roast it at 175° C for twelve minutes. Once done, blend it for thirty seconds. Next, add basil leaves and let it rest.
- For bell pepper coulis, roast bell peppers at the same temperature as that of the heirloom tomatoes for fifteen minutes and peel off the skin once they’re done. Dice the bell peppers and add garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- For the vegan bacon, roast the mushroom for twelve minutes at 125° C for 5 minutes.
- Heat a pan. Use the chilla mix to make pancakes. Add the toppings of crispy mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Serve hot.
Kohlrabi and Cholia Burger in Yeast (Ragi) Buns
You’ll need:
1 cup cholia
1 tsp olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
100 g kohlrabi
A pinch of sumac powder
30 g garlic
2 slices each of onion, lettuce, and tomato
2 ragi buns
1 cup yogurt (low fat)
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup semolina
30 g chopped carrot
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Method:
- Heat water in two separate pans, and blanch kohlrabi, and cholia. Drain and let them rest.
- Heat cold-pressed olive oil in another pan and saute garlic, onions, cholia, sumac powder, garlic powder, carrot, and kohlrabi.
- Continue to cook until all the leaves release the excess water and have dried. Add salt and pepper. Mash evenly.
- Once it cools down, shape them into patties and cook evenly on both sides.
- Mix salt, yogurt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Slit the buns. Spoon this filling on the inside.
- To plate, place the patty along with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onion. Serve hot.
Related Article: Delightful Recipes.
