DIET DELIGHT

Diet Delight - LEMON CHICKEN WITHOUT OIL

SAY NO TO OIL, for a change, EVEN FOR NON-VEG !

Sounds weird ?? Well, it does. But I can guarantee, you will be very pleasantly surprised with this healthy, yet tasty dish. AND simplest possible recipe, yummy looking , too !! There are certain dishes, which are tasty, but do not look great. This one does.

The only thing required for this recipe is your knack to know when to cook covered, when to stir-fry, when to increase flame, when to simmer and when to sprinkle water while stirfrying !! I know, every cook usually develops this knack somehow. For the beginners, messing up a couple of times does teach them these cooking tricks!!

I would give credit for this recipe to my sis-in-laws – I had heard it from them ( not tasted ) , experimented and did a lot of self-patting ( ha, ha) .

How I prepare it :

Wash & clean regular chicken pieces ( with bones ). In a non-stick pan, mix chicken pieces with finely chopped Onions, Ginger, Garlic flakes, green chilli and freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and salt to taste. Put the mix on flame – first cook covered on medium to low fire, so that chicken gets cooked. Initially, the mix will leave water of its own – keep on cooking by covering for some time and stir-frying uncovered for some time . Be careful about the flame , as there is no oil and no water . While stir-frying, to prevent sticking to pan or getting burnt, just sprinkle water to make it moist as it starts getting fried - Do this till the chicken is done and looks fried with a nice coat of onion & other ingredients – leaving the sides of the pan even without oil. ( don’t worry- it may stick just a little bit ). Taste to adjust salt and lemon towards the end .

L.oo. the dish is over .

A few tips : For 10/12 pieces of chicken, take about 2 to 3 onions( medium ), 10/12 flakes of garlic, 3/4^th inch of ginger, ½ of a small green chilli ( as quite a bit of pepper is going into it, decide on green chilli to suit how much hot you would like it – I recommend more of pepper). Basically,quantity of all these should be adequate to give a comfortable rolly-polly to the chicken pieces – erring on a slightly higher side ( except in salt, lemon juice & green chilli ) should be okay, rather than taking less of these than required. And chop finely.

Be careful about lemon juice – excess of it will spoil the taste. One small juicy lemon should be okay for the above quantity. Better, put about half of the juice first, after chicken is cooked (or when you can taste it), check and put the rest as required.

I promise, it tastes heavenly if ingredients go in right measure and frying is done properly to give it that nice blackish-red colour, even without red chilli. Onion with lemon juice gets that reddish colour.

I will come back with another recipe without oil for mutton (goat meat) ! Do not jump off your seat ( ha, ha) .

Diet Delight - Boiled Veggie

SANTULA ( ( BOILED VEGGIE WITH GARLIC SEASONING)

Here is a very common boiled vegetable dish of Orissa - absolutely healthy and tastes great if served right after it is done . Better to avoid storing this in refrigerator and serving after re-heating - as its flavour comes only from the seasoning and that is lost if re-heated .

SARU JAHNI POTOLA BADI

PAPAYA LAUKI

Ingredients : mixed vegetables ,one onion, one green Chilly , 7 to 8 Garlic flakes – crushed, one small tomato ( optional), Paanch Phutan , salt to taste , Badi ( 4/5 pieces , if available )

Recommended combination : potato ( not more than one for serving four people as other veggies together will make a large quantity ), raw papaya ( a little less than 1/4^th of a usual sized papaya ( or Lauki of Swami Ramdev fame - need not put both as both are watery stuff ), a small piece of Pumpkin, Muli ( Raddish), one Bringal, “ 3 / 4 pieces of “ Saru” ( called arbi in Hindi / perhaps colocassia in English ), a few pods of cauliflower( if available ), “Jahni” ( green gourd – something similar to Tori of North India ), Potolo ( Parval ), “ Chhueen” (Drumstick), Bhindi ( Ladies finger), Beans .

Actually , a marvellous combination of green veggies along with some really healthy stuff like papaya/ lauki go into this recipe . Except perhaps stuff like Capsicum, , carrot, cabbage, karela ( and I avoid plantain as it spoils the colour) – everything else can be combined . I know people who mix even carrots - I don’t like because of its sweetness . You can also mix some strands of Palak ( Spinach) and Pumpkin Flower .

Process : Heat enough water in a wide mouthed – deep pan ( Kadai ) – adding some salt . Cut the vegetables into thin slices or small cubes ( but all in a uniform manner ) - ONE By ONE in order of the usual time taken for their being cooked – and go on adding one by one . This way , by the time u complete cutting veggies, boiling also gets over . Further , this way u ensure that each veggie gets cooked just the right amount( Hum saath saath – Phir bhi Khaas khaas type , Ha, Ha ) avoiding the mix to be one big puddle of unrecognisable ingredients) . For example , first , put Saru( arbi) , then papaya, aloo, muli & pumpkin, drumsticks, beans, potol, janhi, brinjal, bhindi, some sliced onion & one green chillie . Cook covered . By the time u put the last veggie, everything is cooked .

Seasoning : Heat mustard oil , splutter Paach Phutan , add one whole red chilly , crushed garlic flakes ( about 8 /9 ), badi crumbs – fry and add to the boiled vegetables and cover immediately . Donot boil . Leave a bit of watery soup – many would like it that way . Badi adds to taste - but u may season without it too . Basic taste comes from the mix of the veggies & crushed garlic seasoning .

(Can also use refined oil for seasoning)

SERVE HOT WITH ROTI/ RICE . A simple healthy & tasty boiled veggie recipe . Worth trying by all . Especially, children should be made to eat this as these days they are getting very averse to green vegetables .