Monday, March 31, 2014

The Broccoli Story



Hi. As promised I'm back with a yummy healthy recipe - Broccoli Paratha

I literally stumbled upon this recipe. Although I'd heard a lot about the health benefits of Broccoli, I'd never found it attractive enough to add to my list of healthy food. Now that's a bit too much for a health and fitness freak.

Yesterday I suddenly realised that I had run out of my supply of sweet potatoes, which I eat regularly. Now that makes for a separate story. Anyway, coming back to the Broccoli story, it goes like this. It was around 9.30 pm when most fruit and vegetable vendors offer the last of their stuff at a really cheap price. Perhaps, this chap thought that I would the right person to palm off his last few pieces of Bell Pepper and Broccoli to. He offered me the Broccoli and Bell Pepper for 20 bucks. The peppers, unfortunately, were pale yellow and red and were a complete no-no. The broccoli looked interesting at 10 bucks for 250 gms.

My instant reaction was - Broccoli Stir Fry. But then I thought I should get a little creative with them. So I googled some recipes and settled for Broccoli Paratha.


Broccoli Paratha
Ingredients
Wholewheat flour - 1 cup
Broccoli - 1 bunch
Onion - 1/2 (minced)
Garlic - 1 clove (minced)
Green chillies - 2
Garam masala - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
oil/ghee- for making parathas
Method
Wash the broccoli and cut into florets.
Bring some water to boil and add the florets to it with some salt.
After 2 minutes remove the florets and grind it into a fine paste with turmeric powder, garam masala and green chillies.
Add wheat flour, the ground mixture, minced onions, garlic, carom seeds, salt and 1/4 tsp oil.
Knead it like chappatti with required water.
Let the dough rest for some time.
Make small balls and roll out each ball to make chapattis.
Heat a tava and put the paratha on it. Pour few drops of oil/ghee on top. Cook till both sides are browned. 
Serve with pickle, curd or sabzi.

Now for some health benefits of Broccoli:
Enhanced health is one advantage of eating broccoli.
-          Broccoli is bursting with vitamins A and vitamin C, which are antioxidant vitamins
-          Broccoli helps to improve heart health. The high content of vitamin C can help lower unhealthy cholesterol levels, decreasing the risk of stroke and heart attack
-          Its high vitamin C content helps in bone strengthening. Vitamin C promotes the production of collagen, one of the body’s basic building blocks. It is essential for building sturdy bones, blood vessels, tendons and ligaments
-          Regular consumption of broccoli also gives a person anti-aging benefits. Collagen also replenishes the skin. It wards off wrinkles and helps to transform stored fat into energy
-          The vitamin A and vitamin C in broccoli maintain the health and strength of hair and nails.
-          Broccoli also has Isothiocyanates, Indoles and Flavonoids - phytochemicals that may help prevent cancer

No comments:

Post a Comment