"Garden fresh” is what will come to mind when you try out the following recipes. All the vegetables used in the following recipes can be grown at home, ensuring even more goodness. Capsicums, tomatoes, pumpkins and eggplant are laden with vitamins. The three-grain roti is made with beans which are a good source of protein and rich in fibre. This can be a regular healthy meal for your family, at least once or twice a week.

GREEN TOMATO SOUP

INGREDIENTS

4 big, raw green tomatoes or 1/2 kg very small ones
1 big onion, sliced
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (add or reduce according to taste)
Blob of cream (optional)

METHOD

In a pan, put olive oil and sauté the onions. Add chopped tomatoes (since the soup is strained you don’t have to peel them). Then add enough water to cook them till tender. Let it cool and then blend. Strain and pour back into the pan. Add stock and let it boil. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Check for seasoning and add lemon juice. Serve hot, in individual bowls, and add cream just before serving.

Healthy eating habits start with making the right food choices

STUFFED CAPSICUMS IN TOMATO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

6 medium-sized capsicums
1/2 kg tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 onion, chopped
250 gm cooked mince (beef or mutton)
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
A few curry leaves (karri patta)
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup oil

METHOD

Wash and cut off the tops of capsicums, remove seeds (keep them whole) and leave them upside down to drain. To skin tomatoes put them in boiling water, drain and remove the skin. Blend onion and tomatoes to a paste. Fill the prepared capsicums with pre-cooked mince. Put some oil in a pan, add nigella seeds and curry leaves. When they change colour, add blended tomato mix and ginger-garlic paste. Fry till oil separates. Arrange the filled capsicums in the pan and add a cup of water. Reduce heat and cook till capsicums are done. Don’t overcook and make sure that the capsicums remain whole. Shake the pan, instead of stirring with a spoon, so that the mince stays inside the capsicums.

Serve hot with three grain crepes (recipe follows) or boiled rice.

Both the curry and the roti have a unique taste.

THREE-GRAIN ROTI

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chickpeas
1 cup red kidney beans
1 cup white lobia

METHOD

Wash and dry out the three beans. When completely dry, put them in a processor to roughly break them into granules. Then put them in a grinder and grind to a fine powder. The process is a bit tedious but the end result is amazing. It will keep fresh for up to two weeks in an air-tight container. You can also grind in small quantity the same day when you need them — but equal parts of each.

Make rotis of this mixed powder as you make of regular flour.

RECIPE FOR CREPES

INGREDIENTS

2 cups bean flour
1 tablespoon maida
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste
Oil to make crepes

METHOD

In a bowl, mix well all the ingredients, except the oil, to pouring consistency. Brush the surface of a frying pan with oil, pour two tablespoon of the batter, swirl around to the shape of crepe. Put a little oil on the sides and cook till done on both sides. Use all the batter in the same way and keep warm in a plate. These crepes are a very good accompaniment to the capsicum curry.

You can knead the batter into soft dough and cook as rotis also.

Note: The dough can be used for making pizza base, using yeast, and adding toppings according to your taste.

To make the base for pizza
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons flour (maida)
1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in a little warm water and 1/4 tsp sugar
1 tablespoon oil
Mix all and knead to a soft dough using a little water.

RATATOUILLE

INGREDIENTS

2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 eggplants, cut into small pieces
3 capsicums, seeded and diced
2 small pumpkins (green kaddu), cut into pieces
4 tomatoes, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup oil

METHOD

In a pan, heat oil, add onion and cook. Keep stirring until translucent. Add garlic and cook until they are soft. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, cook a little, and then add eggplant, capsicums, bay leaf, oregano and salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, cook till vegetables are done but not mushy.

Serve hot with rice. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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Published in Dawn, EOS, September 16th, 2018