Makhana Raita

 

Perfect as a light lunch side or cooling snack. Lightly roast makhana and mix it into chilled yogurt with cucumber, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and coriander. 

 

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The Spice Cheat-Sheet

 There's usually a good reason for everything, like for the phrase, 'the spice of life', or for why spices used to cost a fortune in days gone by. Spices can make even the most ordinary recipe burst into life with exciting tastes, and turn an average dinner into a gourmet feast, delighting the tongue with exotic flavors from far-flung places. That's why the following spice guide is so useful, and will let you know which spices to mix with which food, so you'll be able to ascend the lofty heights of culinary delight!

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Dry Masala-Stuffed Eggplants

 

 Ingredients 

6 small round eggplants/ brinjal 

chili pdr 1 tsp

 

turmeric pdr 1/2 tsp

 

cumin pdr 1 1/4 tsp 

 

amchur pdr 1/2 tsp 

veg. oil 2 tbsp divided 

 

coriander pdr 11/2 tbsp 

Kosher salt 

 

 

Preparations

 

Slit eggplants lengthwise into quarters, taking care not to cut all the way through. The stem should still hold the entire vegetable together. In a small mixing bowl, combine red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, coriander pdr, and 1 tablespoon oil into a paste. Season to taste with salt.

Gently open each eggplant, spoon 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the paste (depending on the size of the eggplant) into each and spread with your fingers until it lightly coats the inside. Heat remaining oil in large heavy bottomed saucepan on high heat until shimmering. Carefully slide eggplants into oil. Stand back while doing this. Wait 20 seconds until one side is lightly fried. Gently turn each eggplant over to lightly fry the other side. Wait 20 seconds. Turn heat down to medium and cover. Allow to cook until completely tender, about 12 minutes total, opening once to turn eggplants over. Remove from heat, drain excess oil on a paper towel, and season with salt to taste. Serve hot with rotis (Indian bread) or with white rice and dal (lentil soup).

 

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Sattu Cheela For A Power-Packed Breakfast

  

 Health Benefits Of Sattu:

Sattu (or roasted chickpea flour) is known to be packed with protein, fibre, iron manganese and several other healthy nutrients, which are dubbed to boost our body with instant energy. Sattu is also known to promote weight loss due to its high protein and fibre content. It helps in accelerating better digestion and overall gut-health.

Ingredients:

Sattu- 1/2 cup

besan 1/2 cup

Sooji- 1/3 cup

Curd-1/2 cup

Water- to bind (as needed)

Onion- half (finely chopped)

Tomato- half (finely chopped)

Green chili- 1-2 (finely chopped)

Fresh coriander leaves- 1-2 tsp (chopped)

Salt- as per taste

Ajwain-1/2 tsp

Haldi- a pinch

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Sugar- a pinch

Method:

Take sattu, besan, sooji, curd and water in a mixing bowl and prepare a dosa-like batter.

Add the rest of the ingredients to it and mix.

Heat a tawa and brush some oil/butter on it.

Pour some batter at the centre of the tawa and spread it out. Cook on medium flame till the edges are golden brown in colour.

Flip and fry the other side. Drizzle some oil if needed.

Serve it hot with dahi and coriander chutney. Click here for a quick recipe of this chutney.

Try this sattu cheela at home and give a healthy start to your day!

 

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Brain-Boosting Lentil Stew

Dr. Rasouli didn’t reinvent the wheel. His stew is based on the principles of the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet mentioned earlier. Studies have shown that adhering to a menu tailored to these methods may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 53%. “It’s not magic—it’s simply understanding what your body needs and giving it that regularly,” says the doctor. “I make the following dish at the end of the week, and it lasts almost the entire week,” he shares. “It’s convenient, healthy, and gives me peace of mind—both in body and mind.”

Ingredients:      

 

1 cup dried red lentils (a source of fiber and plant-based protein) 

 

1 small onion, chopped (a source of B vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals) 

 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

 

2 cups chopped spinach (a source of folic acid and vitamin K) 

 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (a source of omega-9 and polyphenols) 

 

1 tsp turmeric (a powerful antioxidant) 

 

1 tsp coriander (optional) 

 

3 cups vegetable broth 

 

Salt, black pepper, and cumin to taste

Preparation:  

1. Heat the oil in a medium-large pot, add the onion, and sauté until translucent. 

 

2. Add the garlic and spices—sauté for a minute until the pot releases a fragrant aroma. 

 

3. Add the lentils and broth or water with vegetable stock powder, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

 

4. Add the spinach and cook for an additional 5–7 minutes. 

 

5. Serve hot—as a light dish or a full meal alongside quinoa or brown rice.

In Summary 

 If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Dr. Rasouli, it’s that you don’t need a medical degree to start protecting your brain—just good intentions and one simple pot. This dish won’t permanently or completely protect your brain from dementia or Alzheimer’s, but it reminds us that big changes start with small steps: the right seasoning, smart dietary choices, and care for our health. So, before you head out shopping next time, it might be worth adding some spinach, lentils, and turmeric to your cart and cooking for yourself and your loved ones something that could become a small, nourishing tradition for good memory, in body and soul.

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Curry Sauce

 Ingredients 

• 2 large onion
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp  ginger chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper including red pepper chopped.
• 1 cup tomatoes crushed/puree
• 2 tbsp whole cumin seeds with coriander and fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp  ground coriander and cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 3 tbsp  oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• 

Instructions 

Prepare the vegetables by roughly chopping the onion, peeling the garlic, skin the ginger and chop the peppers.

In a saucepan or kadai, heat oil and add the onion on medium high heat. Sauté until becoming translucent then tip in the garlic, ginger and both peppers. Cook until the peppers are soft. Add in the tomato, and all the spices, sugar and salt. Further cook 2-3 minutes. Add dried fenugreek leaves.  Turn off the heat and let it cool. Place in the blender bowl or use an immersion blender and blend until you achieve a fairly smooth sauce. Adjust to your desired consistency.  

Storage

Store the curry sauce in a clean jar or airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze the sauce in batches for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave prior to use.

 

Easy Garbanzo Beans Curry

 You want a quick, healthy and filling dinner, this is what you must try. It takes only about 20 minutes of your time and the warm spices and coconut milk make it an incredibly tasty dish. It's wholesome and delicious and you will be polishing off the entire bowl before you know it! Serve it over couscous or basmati rice.

Ingredients for Curry: 

 

Olive oil - 1 tbsp. (or coconut oil) 

 

Yellow onion - 1 (finely chopped) 

 

Garlic - 1 large clove (minced) 

 

Ginger - 1 tsp. (peeled and minced) 

 

Baby spinach - 6 cup 

 

Canned crushed tomatoes - 1 (28-oz.) can 

 

Curry powder - 1 tbsp. 

 

Cumin - 1 tsp. 

 

Coriander - 1/2 tsp. 

 

Kosher salt - 3/4 tsp. 

 

Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - 2 (15-oz.) cans (drained) 

 

Coconut milk - 1/2 cup 

 

Method of preparing: 

 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic, ginger, and spinach. Sauté for 2 minutes. Stop when the spinach is fully wilted. 

 

Pour in the tomatoes to the mix, followed by the curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and the beans. Cook for 5 minutes until bubbly. 

 

Stir in the coconut milk. Remove from the heat when it's fully combined. Serve with basmati rice or with a side of naan bread. You can also have it without any side dish if you want.

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This "easy spice combo" chart will seriously up your cooking:

 

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Pumpkin soup

Ingredients

Serves = 8

Base recipe

1.5kg of any type of pumpkin cut in 3cm chunks, remove skin and seeds

4 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock OR water

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

See recipes tweaks for additional ingredients

Method

• In a large pot add pumpkin, stock and any other vegetables or flavourings from the tweaks section.
• Bring to a simmer and cook 20mins or until pumpkin is tender. Remove from heat and follow your stick blender’s instructions for blending until desired smoothness is reached.
• Place portions of soup in containers and refrigerate or freeze immediately. Reheat remaining soup to eat now.

Options

• Serve with bread or roll – fresh or toasted wholemeal/grain varieties will boost your nutrient and fibre intake.
  
• Add more vegetables: We love onion, leek, cauliflower and/or potato. Experiment with others! Add more water if needed so vegetables are just covered.
• Flavourings: add in 1 tsp ground coriander or cumin or paprika or curry powder or curry paste. A clove of garlic or a small amount of fresh/dried chili. Start with a little, you can always add more!
• Soup too thick? Stir in some skim milk or light coconut milk when reheating.
• Green toppings: green sauce, pesto, fresh herbs such as chopped chives, coriander or parsley.
• Crunchy toppings: add nuts, seeds, croutons.
• Waste less: you can use coriander stalks and roots too. Wash these well, chop and cook with the pumpkin, and blend.

 

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this isn't my recipe, wanted to share the soup with healthy options