Bengali Style Healthy Chicken stew

Chicken stew for me is more than just that. It's a feeling of warmth and reassurance that no other food offers. Whether I am unwell, feeling a little down or just want to make myself something simple and healthy, chicken stew proves to be the best companion always. 

The best part is this comfort food is not unhealthy. Low in cholesterol, diabetic friendly, low in calories and rich in protein content, it keeps you full for a long time :)

I always believe in adapting the recipe according to my preferences. Mostly such stews are made with butter to add that extra flavour. I avoid adding butter to my stew to make it more healthy for both my parents and me. It helps me cut down on extra calories, Trust me, even without the butter, it tastes heavenly. I add papaya to the stew instead of potatoes to up the nutrient factor.

Let's take a quick look at the method:

Ingredients:

250gms chicken (I like chicken pieces with bones in my stew as the bones adds extra juice to the soup)
1/4cup of masoor dal
Raw papaya diced
Carrots diced
Beans chopped
Chopped tomatoes
1 small onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
1" inch ginger
Green chillies(as per taste)
Chopped coriander
Whole Garam Masala (I used cinnamon, clove,black pepper and elaichi)
a pinch of turmeric(optional)
1 tsp of Everest Chicken masala(optional; I like using it because it gives my stew a nice taste)
a pinch of oregano
1 tsp of oil of your choice

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken using salt, turmeric
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and add the whole garam masala
3. Fry the chopped onions till they turn slightly golden in colour.Add the chopped garlic and ginger
4. Add the soaked dal to the cooker now and stir fry the same
5. Now add the chopped veggies, green chillies and stir fry them
6. Add the marinated chicken along with the chicken masala and turmeric
7.  Lastly, add the chopped coriander and pressure cook for around 4-5 whistles
8. Let the steam settle down, garnish with more pepper powder, depending on taste and serve hot

You can have this lovely stew with steamed rice or with bread. I love having garlic bread with it. I often carry this for lunch as well and sometimes team it up with cheese chilli toast from Cafe Coffee Day. It tastes heavenly. 

Hope you like this recipe and do share how you make your own stew at home.I would also like to know what is the food you enjoy when on a diet.

Heart healthy Oats cheela

Oats is a wonder food. It has numerous health benefits and nutritionists swear by it. Rich in dietary fibre, it has great cholesterol lowering properties. It helps in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and keeps blood pressure in control. It is a boon for people looking to lose weight as it is low in calories.

Oats is one of the most adaotable ingredients and can be used in various forms in cooking. Therefore, with a little bit of imagination, one can easily come up with a delicious yet healthy recipe.

Here, I have listed a simple and quick recipe which promises to be healthy and yummy. It can also be regarded as a vegetarian omlette.

Oats cheela

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup dry roasted oats
2. 1/2 cup besan
3. 1 small onion
4. 1 small tomatoes
5. Chopped coriander
6. 3 cloves of garlic
7. Salt to taste
8. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method:

1. Mix the dry roasted oats and the besan with water to make a batter
2. Add the chopped onion, tomato and coriander with the batter
3. Add red chilli paste, salt, garlic etc and mix well
4. Heat about 1/2tsp of oil in a non stick pan. Once heated, pour some batter on the pan and make it circular in shape as in a omlette
5. Once one side appears golden yellow, flip it and cook well

Sprinkle some chat masala and the cheela is ready to be served.

Use of a non stick pan is recommended as it greatly reduces the use of oil in this recipe and the batter doesnt stick to the pan.

Serve it with ketchup or green chutney and a healthy, tasty breakfast option is ready in minutes.

Please do drop in your feedback.

Bengali recipe - Doi maach ( fish in yoghurt sauce )

This is primarily a bengali recipe but if cooked the right way, it turns out be very healthy.

Fish, as we all are aware, are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids which is considered to be great for heart health. Because if its healthy fat content, it is also a favourite amongst the people who are on a diet.

Yoghurt is also considered to be healthy and aids in digestion as it is rich in probiotics.

The best part is that it is cooked in minutes.

Ingredients :
1. Rohu fish or any fresh water fish
2. 1 onion ( sliced )
3. Yoghurt (about one cup)
4. Turmeric powder
5. Red chilli powder
6. Coriander powder
7. Cumin powder
8. Coriander
9. Green chilies
10.  Garlic paste
11. Aniseed (a pinch for tempering)

Method :
1. Marinate the fish with a lil turmeric powder and salt
2. In about 1 tsp of oil, lightly grill the fish pieces and keep aside
3. In a non stick wok, heat about 1/2 tsp of oil, add aniseeds for tempering.
4. Add onion, garlic paste and lightly fry it till it turns brown
5. In the yoghurt, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well
6. Add the yoghurt paste to the wok
7. Put the fish pieces in the yoghurt paste
8. Add water as per your requirement in the paste if you want more gravy
9. Add salt as required
10. Cook for about 7-8 mins
Garnish with coriander

Smart snacking series I - Sprouts salad

Snack time is often the time when  we are  tempted to binge  on unhealthy  stuff.

Whether you are at your  work desk  or at home chatting with  friends or   catching up with the latest book , you often look for the perfect snack to give you company .

Remembering to eat healthy even when giving in to ur urge to eat is the idea here. Therefore, we bring to you a snack series wherein we will discuss some healthy yet tasty snacking ideas.

Here goes the first one - sprouts salad. Its not just tasty but is loaded with necessary fibres and can be put together very easily. You just need to remember to soak the ingredients overnight.

Ingredients :
1. 1 cup black fram or chana
2. 1 cup whole moong
3. 1 cup matar
4. 1 onion ( sliced )
5.  2 tomatoes ( sliced )
6. 1 cucumber ( sliced )
7.  2tsp chaat masala
8. Green chilies as desired
9. Juice of one lemon

Method :
1. Soak the chana , moong and matar overnight to get  the best results. 
2. Mix all the sprouted pulses  together . 3. Add in the onion , cucumber, tomatoes together
4. Add the lemon juice , salt   and chaat masala
5. Mix well and the sprout salad is ready to serve
6. You can add chopped coriander leaves also for added flavour.

This salad is loaded with proteins , fibres and vitamins . This helps in lowering cholesterol levels too. Its a favourite with people who want to lose weight.

Coriander Chutney / Dhaniya ki Chutney

For a healthy lifestyle these days, we often avoid oily food.


However, sometimes we miss the extra spice of pickles alongside our main course.However, we cant always give in to our temptations as pickles contain a lot of oil.

So, here is some healthy & quick alternative that will definitely add that extra zing and is no less in taste as compared to pickes.
Coriander Chutney

Things you need: 

1.Coriander leaves - 1 bowl finely chopped
2. Lemon juice - 3tbsp
3. Green chillies - 2
4. Sugar - a pinch
5. Salt - to taste

Process:

1. Grind the coriander & green chillies together
2. To the paste, add the lemon juice, sugar and salt.


Mix well and your spicy chutney is ready to be served.

Coriander not only adds a great flavour to all your dishes, it also has numerous health benefits. It also lowers LDL(bad cholesterol) cholesterol and increases HDL(good cholesterol) cholesterol levels apart from aiding in digestion, curing intestinal gas, preventing nausea & urinary tract infection. It lowers the blood glucose levels in diabetics and prevents skin problems too.

Rava idli

This is a breakfast recipe loaded with loads of health and taste.

A simpler yet quicker version of the regular idli recipe, this instant version of the idli can be made within 20 mins.

Lets take a look :

Things you need :

1.suji or semolina - I cup
2. Curd - 1/4th cup
3. Curry leaves
4. Sesame seeds
5. Water - 1cup
5. Salt to taste
6. Coriander
7. Soda bicarbonate - a pinch

Process :
1. Mix the suji with the curd and water and keep for 10 mins
2. For the tempering, heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves and the the sesame seeds
3. Add the tempering to the suji batter and coriander
4. Add the soda bicarbonate to the batter
5. Grese the microwave safe or steel idli stand with a little oil and steam

Healthy and tasty breakfast is ready to be served. Serve hot with  sambar.