You Are What You Eat

By Luke Coutinho
New Delhi, April 1 (IANSlife) Luke Coutinho, Co-founder of You Care Lifestyle shares some healthy recipes for Gudi Padwa.

Puran Poli

Puran Poli is a flat roti stuffed with sweet lentil filling made from split Bengal gram/chana dal and organic jaggery.

In Marathi, this sweet filling is called puran and the roti is called poli.

Ingredients:

For Puran:

1 cup organic jaggery (250ml) – 1 cup chana dal (skinned split Bengal gram soaked for 12 14 hours with water being changed every 6-7 hours) -3 cups water to pressure cook the chana Dal -2 tsp ghee (A2 organic ghee)
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp fennel powder – 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

For the Poli(roti):

1.5 cups organic khapali wheat 4 tbsp ghee (A2 organic ghee)
1/2 tsp pink salt
1/4 tsp organic turmeric
Water as required to knead the dough.

Method to make the Puran:

Rinse the soaked chana dal, in a pressure cooker

Preparing the poli(roti):

– Take a medium-sized ball from the dough prepared to roll it to 3 inches in circumference on the rolling board.
– Place the Puran mixture in the center.
– Bring the edges together and join all the edges.4.Sprinkle some flour and start rolling the dough till a medium-size poli is made.
– On a heated griddle, spread some ghee and place the poli.
– When the inner side gets brown flip it over and apply ghee.
– If everything is done well the Puran poli will puff and brown spots will appear.
– Serve hot with a topping off ghee on top.

Notes: Soaking of chana dal for 12- 14 hours releases the phytic acid and they become more easily digestible.

– Soaking helps in faster cooking of the chana daltoo and hence making it softer and easily digestible.
– Cardamom resolves digestive issues.
– Nutmeg boosts immunity and fennel powder hasanti-inflammatory properties.
– Organic jaggery is loaded with antioxidants andminerals.
– Puran Poli is loaded with iron, calcium and is acereal pulse combination which makes it acomplete protein.
– Khapali wheat is rich in complex carbs, fiber, trace minerals, and amino acids.

Alu Vadi

Pelting Mumbai rains call for the most comforting tea-time snack -Alu Vadi is a perfect tea- time match.

Equipment

Steamer
Sharp knife

Ingredients:

6 large fresh colocasia leaves arvi/arbi/taro leaves
200 g chickpea flour besan
50 g rice flour
50 g sattu flour
2 tsp ground cinna
1 tsp immunity powder
2 tsp ground Ceylon/Srilankan cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ajwain
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 inch ginger peeled and grated
2 green chillies optional
5 tbsp fresh tamarind pulp
100 g jaggery powder
500 ml water
For the tempering

For the tadka:

1 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil or unrefined mustard oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp asafoetida
2 tbsp sesame seeds
10-12 curry leaves
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

Instructions:

To prepare the colocasia leaves:

– Begin by wiping the colocasia leaves.
– Clean with a damp kitchen towel.
– Clean both sides thoroughly.
– Use a sharp knife to laterally trim the thick spine that runs down the leaf.
– Simply run the knife across the stalk to flatten it so it feels flat to the touch.
– Continue this process for all of the veins that branch out from the centre.
– Repeat the trimming for all the leaves.

To make the batter:

– In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour,sattu flour, ground cinnamon, immunity powder, ajwain,ground fennel seeds, ground cumin seeds, chilli powder, and salt.
– Whisk to combine.
– Add the grated ginger, green chilli paste, tamarind and jaggery powder.
– Slowly add the water, whisking all the time to ensure a smooth paste is formed without lumps.
– Continue whisking for 5 minutes until the paste is smooth.
– Set aside for 15 minutes.

To assemble the Alu Vadi-

– Organise the colocasia leaves by size.
– The assembly process will begin with the largest leaves to the smallest leaf.
– Take the largest colocasia leaf and lay it (dull side up) out on a clean, flat surface.
– Top with a large spoonful of batter.
– Use a rubber spatula, or your hands to spread the batter over the leaf.
– Take the second largest leaf and place it dull side-up in the opposite direction to the first leaf.
– It should look like a butterfly, the four corners resembling wings.
– Repeat the spreading process so that the second leaf is covered and place the next leaf in the opposite direction once again.
– Once all the five leaves are stacked, cover it finally with more batter.
– Fold one side of the leaves down to the center.
– Repeat for the other side so the leaves meet in the middle.
– It should form a rectangle.
– Cover with more batter.
– Starting from the short side, begin to form a tight roll.
– Ensure the roll is as tight as it can be without the batter squeezing out or the leaves breaking.
– Rub any remaining batter on the outside of the log to stick down any loose ends.

To steam the Alu Vadi:

– Heat up water and place the pot in a cooker.
– Grease a dish with a few drops of oil and place it in the pot.
– Place the rolls on the dish with the sealed side facing down.
– Close the lid and steam on medium heat for 15 minutes.
– Let it cool down and cut the roll into ½ in wide pieces.

To finish the Alu Vadi:

– Slice the cooled Alu Vadi into 1/2cm pieces using a sharp knife.
– If you prefer a lighter snack, you can eat them steamed too.

For the tampering:

– Heat the oil in a pan.
– Add the mustard seeds once they crackle, add asafoetida, sesame seeds and curry leaves.
– Arrange the Alu vadi slices in the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy all over.
– Remove from the pan and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
– Serve warm or at room temperature with masala chai.

Important Note:

– Do not consume taro leaves as a raw vegetable or in their raw state.
– They should be soaked first in clean water and then cooked for at least 30 minutes.

(Recipes by Luke Coutinho, Co-founder of You Care Lifestyle)

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Luke Coutinho/tb

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