healthy breakfast – TASTE MEMORY

In today’s day and age, we have access to huge streams of knowledge that pours in from all social media pages, mobile apps and informative websites. Still, it remains a challenge when it comes to eating healthy. Let’s accept it, implementing a nourishing diet on a daily basis can be daunting, and one might feel the urge to remove the packet of noodles or ready-to-eat food item so that you can bring some kind of food to the table on time. Distraction is easy, but remaining attentive can be tough. Have a mother at home who likes to feed you good food? In that case, I envy you. As I and my husband have to depend on each other for this.

So, recently, I have begun keeping my breakfast the healthiest meal of the day. It’s usually multigrain rotis (I mix around five to six flours like jowar, bajra, chana, makki and wheat flour) that we have with curd and pickle. Multigrain rotis are filled with fibre and can also help those who have constipation.

During our breakfast time, we also like to have a fruit or two like banana, kiwi, pomegranate or chikoo (in season now), and a handful of soaked nuts like walnuts, raisins, almonds and figs. We finish off our breakfast with a glass of milk.

When I’m too lazy to cook, we like to have a banana with milk as our mini morning meal. During summers, it can be a filling smoothie comprising soaked nuts, seeds, banana, peanut butter and cocoa powder.

Also, before stepping out for work, my husband grabs a spoonful of pumpkin or flax seeds. I keep munching on them and on some salted watermelon seeds (we call it coolie in our language) that my mum keeps sending me.

Some days, I like to make stuffed Parathas (options like grated cottage cheese with onions, boiled potato masala, cooked radish or cauliflower, or some boiled and mashed green peas) and serve it with fresh curd and a tsp of lemon pickle. On other days, it’s Poha, Upma or even Dalia.

Also, a bowl of fresh, homemade curd is a must for me! I like to have it plain. Curd has good bacteria, and it is good for your gut health as well. Also, if you’re recovering from an illness or feel low in energy, a glass of coconut water can help too. I had it this morning myself. Usually, I struggle to finish off my fruits in the morning, but then, I have them during the day.

Today, I had a few veggies in the fridge, like half tomato, a small piece of beetroot and carrot, and a bowl of frozen green peas. So, I thought, why not make some vegetable Dalia and use the leftover veggies that can go ignored soon? Frankly, it’s rarely that I make Dalia, but I keep reminding myself of the resolution I took up this year: finishing off what I have in my kitchen pantry. And a jar of Dalia was stuck in one of the shelves since ages. So, it will be best if I finish it soon.

My recipe of vegetable Dalia is inspired by Pramila’s Cook Book, a YouTube channel that I follow for Rajasthani recipes. Pramila, who seems to be based in Jodhpur, is too good, and she deserves more followers than she already has. Do check out her channel if you like Rajasthani cuisine. This is my version of the vegetable Dalia and you can give it a twist with whatever is available on hand.

Having said all this, there are days when we go off track and end up forgetting the nuts or a fruit. But we should keep striving for a healthy diet, as much as we can, right? What did you have for breakfast today?

Recipe: Vegetable Dalia

Ingredients

¾ cup – Dalia or broken wheat (Pramila suggested toasting dalia before soaking it for an hour)
veggies of your choice – I used chopped onions, finely chopped carrots, a handful of frozen peas, half a tomato and half beetroot.
curry leaves (optional)
ghee
salt to taste
spices (½ tsp each – turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder)
2 tbsp – split green mung dal (soaked for an hour)
a pinch of asafoetida
¼ tsp – cumin seeds
coriander leaves – for ganish
½ tsp – ginger (crushed)
1 green chilli (chopped)

Method

1. In a cooker, heat some ghee. Add the asafoetida and cumin seeds. Let this crackle and give it a quick stir.
2. Next, add in the curry leaves, ginger, green chilli and onion. Give it a mix. After about a minute, add in the other veggies as well. Now, keep tossing it or stirring it every 20 seconds or so.
3. After about 2-3 minutes, add in the soaked Dalia (make sure you wash it thrice), split green dal, salt and spices. Give it a mix and keep roasting it for another minute.
4. Now, add in some water. I like to cover the Dalia so much so that I can see one and a half inch of water. Now, give it five to six whistles.

I’m in absolute love the way my plants are coming back to life and blooming; especially the bougainvillea and lemon balm. And, this week, I went to art class without any sweater! It was such a great feeling to drive my two-wheeler without any jacket or muffler. Winters are almost gone. And I’m so happy the summer wave will hit us soon.

I have been listening to a lot of spiritual chanting tracks of late. Singing makes my heart weep, and I get really emotional when I sing these classic spiritual numbers, like the Ram Stuti written by Tulsidas, I believe. There is a nine-year-old girl called Sooryagayathri who sang a few lines from this Stuti and I downloaded it on YouTube to hear it again and again. Solace, I must say.

This year, I wanted to use more of pulses and lentils in my kitchen, and not stress only on vegetables. And this Monday, I happened to see this jar of coarsely pound split green mung dal. It then struck me that mum must have sent me this for Korme ki Roti. So I called her to know the recipe, and had it for breakfast. She always used to make Korme ki Roti for our travels and even for those hectic or slow holiday mornings.

Korma

Korma soaked in water

coriander seeds

Korma is nothing but slightly ground split green mung dal. Take a few cups of it in a jar, and grind it once or twice to get a coarse and slightly powdered texture. It’s made in Rajasthan, and is a common kitchen ingredient. You need to soak it for an hour before making this Roti. Also, I love the texture that coriander seeds in my Korme ki Roti. I’m used to eating the dry and slightly grainy Korme ki Roti since childhood, and it’s really filling.

So, if you’re looking for healthy breakfast recipes, you know what to try next. My mum used to make lots of Korme ki Roti and keep it wrapped in a muslin cloth in a Roti box for later. Perfect for those 4PM hunger pangs! I have to have something at 4PM; it’s dreadful for me when I find nothing to eat in the kitchen. So, a Roti box is a no else blessing.

Let’s make the dough! Oh, where is Korma?

Recipe: Korme ki Roti

Ingredients

wheat flour – 2 cups
spices (coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder) – as your preference
coriander seeds – 2 to 3 tbsp (coarsely ground)
Korma – 3 to 4 fists (soak it clean water before an hour; strain the mung flakes and water and then add it to the flour)
salt to taste
oil – 1 tsp (optional; we use it to make a tight dough)
bajra flour – 1 tbsp (optional; this makes the Rotis softer)

Method

1. Make a dough with all ingredients. But, be extra careful when you add water. Somehow, it’s extremely easy to bind these ingredients together and this dough takes less water. So, you can add ¼ cup of water, or may be less, initially. And then add more water, if required. After about five to 10 minutes, knead it for 30 seconds with a hint of oil to make it easy for you to roll the balls.
2. Now, just as we make rotis, you need to make one with a small ball of this dough. Roast it with a hint of oil or ghee on the griddle.
3. Serve your Korme ki Roti with mango pickle or garlic chutney. I love it with plain curd. And make sure you make some extra rotis for later.

TASTE MEMORY

Tag: healthy breakfast

Morning mantra

Hello, Spring!