Mixed Vegetable Salad

It won’t take more than five minutes for you to make this mixed vegetable salad. Not only this assortment appears good to eyes but tastes equally delicious and also keep you fit and healthy....

Ingredients:

50gms French beans
3-4 carrots
1 small cabbage
100gms broccoli
(cut into florets)
1 capsicum
Salt to taste
1 tomato (cut into thin rings)
2 green chilies (slit vertically)
Finely chopped coriander leaves
1 lemon juice
Black pepper powder to taste

Method:

Cut and steam the vegetables.
Add tomatoes, green chilies salt, pepper powder and lemon juice, and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Source: TOI

Young Turmeric Bekti with Chenin Blanc

Ingredients

Baby fennel, 1 bulb
Young turmeric, 1 piece
Bekti, 180 gms
Juice of 1 lemon
Late harvest Chenin Blanc, 45 ml
Kokum, 10 gms
Ajwain, 2 gms
Jalapeno, 10 gms

Method

Infuse the young turmeric in warm oil to extract the colour and flavours. Make a marination of the flavoured oil, fennel puree and lemon juice and salt. Marinate the fillet and pan sear in a frying pan. Seal both the sides and bake at 180 degrees C. Cook till the core temperature reaches 60 degrees. Reduce the Chenin Blanc and the kokum together with a little ajwain and jalapeno, till it forms a glaze. Saute some spinach and assorted leaves to form the base. Place the cooked fish on top of this and lightly drizzle some of the reduction. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a dill sprig.
Note: Other serving options — make a dry okra and garlic sabzi and serve the fish on it with the drizzle.

Source: TOI

Lamb shanks with mashed potato

Ingredients (for the marinade)

Paprika, 1 tsp, Garlic, 3-4 cloves Rosemary, 1 sprig, Thyme 1 sprig, Oil, 1 tbs, Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the mirepoix)

Carrot, 1 I Celery, 1 I Onion, 1 I Leek, 1 I Tomato puree, 250gms I Red wine, 100 ml I Lamb stock, 500ml I Bay leaf, 1 I Peppercorns, 6-7 I Thyme & rosemary, a few sprigs

Ingredients (for couscous)

I Couscous, 100gms I Veg stock, 150ml I Parsley, 50gms I Red pepper, ½ I Lime juice, 1 tbs I EVO 1tbs I Salt, to taste.

Method

Marinate the lamb shanks with all the mentioned ingredients. Wash and clean the mirepoix vegetables. Roughly cut them. Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan, add oil, bay leaf, peppercorn, and vegetables sauté till brown. Add tomato puree, carrot deglazed with red wine, add the lamb stock, bring it to boil. Seal the lamb shanks golden brown in a separate pan, add to this mix, cover with greaseproof paper and aluminium foil, cook at 180 degrees C for four hours or until the flesh falls off from the bone strain the liquid reduce further. For the couscous, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Pour over the couscous and cover with the plastic film. Remove the cover after five minutes and loosen the couscous with a fork. Mix in the lime juice, EVO, chopped red peppers, parsley and mix well. Serve the lamb shanks on top of the mashed potato and eggplant puree. Spoon over the sauce on top of it. Sprinkle with cardamom powder, drizzle over some rose water and garnish with fresh rose petals.

Source: TOI

Rasmalai-Mascarpone Cheese Cake

If you think hilsa should be dipped and eaten only with thick mustard sauce or kulfi should be had only with faluda, then think again! Here’s a palate of contemporary fusion cuisine for the global Indian, who likes a bit of tartar sauce on his dum aloo or gulab jamuns dripping in chocolate fondue!

(Serves 1 portion)

Ingredients

Rasmalai 2 pieces, Fresh mascarpone cheese, 40 gms , Whipped cream 40 gms, Gelatin, 1 leaf , sponge (as required for base), Nutmeg powder, small pinch, Raisins, (few, soaked in rum)

Method

Soak the gelatin leaf in the syrup of the rasmalai, warm it gently, cool. Cream the mascarpone to a smooth and thick paste, add raisins, nutmeg, and gelatin syrup. Also add half of the rasmalai cut into chunks. Fold in the whipped cream. Take an individual mould, line it with a thin layer of sponge at the base. Pour in the rasmalai-mascarpone mixture. Set for 1 hour in the deep-freezer. Take the mould out and top it with the slices of remaining rasmalai. Glaze, de-mould and serve.

Working mum? Watch your child’s health!

Children whose mothers work are likely to lead unhealthier lifestyles than those whose mums don’t, says a new research. Children of working mums are more sedentary and are more likely to be driven to school.

In the study conducted in UK, mothers were quizzed about the hours they worked and their children’s diet, exercise levels and sedentary activities. They were also asked how much time their child spent in front of the TV or computer each day.

Questions included how much sweets and crisps, sugary drinks, fruits and vegetables the child consumed and whether the child took part in organised exercise and how he/she got to school.

It showed that children whose mothers worked part or full time were more likely to primarily consume sugary drinks between meals than kids whose mothers had never worked. These children were also more likely to spend the least hours a day in front of the TV or computer, and they were more likely to be driven to school rather than walking or cycling.

Children whose mothers worked full time were less likely to primarily snack on fruit and vegetables between meals or eat three or more portions of fruit a day. “Our results do not imply that mothers should not work,” wrote the study authors, “rather, they highlight the need for policies and programmes to help support parents to create a healthy environment for their children.”

These findings were published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Source: TOI

Drink your way to health

It’s time to kick the cola and indulge in some pure fresh water. Especially in a hot and humid city like ours, body water is lost rapidly and requires regular replenishment. Our body consists of about 65 per cent water and just cannot do without it. A mere 2 per cent drop in body water can trigger signs of dehydration, short term memory loss and difficulty in focusing.

Natural healer
Blood circulation is affected when dehydration sets in. The problem only gets worse as dehydration causes the brain to become less active and body to feel tired and fatigued. Water keeps the digestive system in order and flushes out waste products. Water is the natural way towards achieving glowing skin. Drinking acts as a body purifier, removing toxins and waste from your body. “Water forms the basis of wellbeing and cannot be substituted,” says Dr Dilnaz Saini.

Weight loss
Water is an important catalyst for weight loss. “Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true ‘magic potion’ for permanent weight loss,” says Dilnaz, “Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolise stored fat.” Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase.

Fluid retention
Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. Elucidates Dilnaz, “When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to retain every drop.” Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cell). This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs — plenty of water.

Salt balance
Drinking a healthy amount of water helps the body get rid of unnecessary salts. As the water is forced through the kidneys it takes away excess sodium.

Cold is best
Water preferably should be drunk cold. It’s absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. “Avoid iced water. Drinking chilled water will quench your thirst fast but the body might actually require a lot more water,” says Dilnaz. Marcus A Clay
Source: TOI

Thandai

North Indian drink Thandai is entrenched with the tradition of Holi. It is a cool and healthy drink. It is a refreshing drink generally made of water, sugar, seeds of watermelon almonds, cashew nut, cardamom, rose-flower, white pepper, saffron and yes 'bhang' to make it intoxicating if require.

Preparation Time: 3 to 4 hrs.

Cooking Time: Nil.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 liter fat milk.

½ cup powdered sugar

10-12 peppercorns

a few saffron strands

To be ground into a fine powder ¼ cup almonds

2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)

2 tbsp fennel seeds (sounf)

½ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder

15-20 nos. white peppercorns

Method:

• Boil the milk and allow it to cool entirely.Keep aside.
• Add the ground powder and mix well.
• Refrigerate the mixture for 2 to 3 hrs.
• Filter the mixture through a sieve, add sugar, peppercorns and saffron and mix well.
• Serve chilled.