With A Healthy Twist

Healthy Twist to the Festivities

It's very easy to get carried away in the festive season and eat those extra calories which does show up on the body. I have found a happy balance between spluring and being careful. And eventually, this becomes a habit and eating completely unhealthy becomes difficult. So here's an attempt to give a healthy twist wherever possible without compromising on the taste

Wholewheat Modak

Ingredients

Outer Covering

Wholewheat flour - 1 cup

Maida – 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Warm water - 1/4 cup (more if required)

Stuffing

Fresh coconut (grated) - 1 cup

Jaggery (grated or powder) - 3/4 cup

Elaichi powder - 1 tsp

Soya nuggets (optional) - 1/4 cup

Method

Outer Covering

Mix the flours

Add salt and mix

Add ghee

Mix well and add water to form dough

It should be slightly tighter than a chapati dough

Keep it covered for 30 mins

Stuffing

Mix coconut and jaggery in a non-stick pan

Heat with constant stirring till jaggery melts and blends well with the coconut

Add elaichi powder

Cool

If you want to dry the stuffing, add powdered soya nuggets and mix well

Modaks

Make small balls out of the dough

Roll out each ball to make thin puri

Stuff each puri with the filling

Shape into modaks

Steam for 25 to 30 mins on medium flame till the modaks look translucent

Wholewheat And Mawa Modak

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour - 1 cup

Mawa - 3/4 cup

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Almonds, Pista (small pieces) - 2 tbsp each

Ghee - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Method

Mix salt and flour well

Add 1/2 cup ghee to a nonstick pan and heat

Roast the flour well

Add mawa and dry fruits and roast till done

Add little by little the remaining ghee if it feels dry

Cool it a bit

Add grated jaggery or powder according to taste

Cool

Shape it using modak moulds or with your fingers

Let it dry completely

Handle carefully

Chana Dal Kheer

Ingredients

Chana Dal (Bengal gram) - 1 cup

Rice powder (coarse) - 1 tbsp (heaped)

Milk - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Coconut milk (thick) - 2 cups

Jaggery - 100 to 150 gms

Cardamom (elaichi) - 5 to 6

Cashewnuts - 2 tbsp

Raisins - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method

Roast the dal in ghee

Add milk and 1 cup coconut milk and pressure cook for 4 whistles till almost done

Cool

Add salt, cardamom, rice flour and the remaining coconut milk and cook on slow flame for about 15 mins

Stir in between

Add cashewnuts and raisins and mix well

Add jaggery and mix well

Adjust the sweetness according to taste

Switch off the flame

Cover the vessel with a banana leaf and let it cool

Enjoy it warm or chilled

Health benefits of fibre

Blood sugar control. Slows down absorption of sugar in the body

Treats and prevents constipation

Helps in the digestive process

Health benefits of coconut

Contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) which are used as quick source of energy, not stored as fat

Has an appetite reducing effect

Helps in weight loss

Kickstarts thyroid gland functioning

MCTs also have therapeutic effects on several brain disorders