Healthy food
There is an easy way of finding out if the food you are eating is healthy or not healthy – trust your guts.
Unhealthy food is usually difficult to digest, there is a sense of being full but not nourished, you feel bloated, heavy and needing a nap afterwards – we usually rely on this kind of food because of; laziness, living habits and/or to fulfil a taste pattern.
Quite on the contrary when eating healthy food, it is easy to digest, there is a sense of ‘happy fullness’ and it feels nutritious – a general sense of well-being is created.
Yes, you can trust your guts, when it feels good, it’s good!
Cooked Millet with Seasoned Tomato Gravy
This meal is quick to prepare, easy to digest, it satisfies the taste butts and is nutritious – it clearly ticks some important boxes.
Tomato Gravy
Preparation and cooking 30mn
3 – 4 serves
– 1kg of red tomatoes
– 3 tablespoon of Cashews
– ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds
– 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
– 3 slices of green chillies (3 thin slices – better too little than too much?!)
– ½ inch of peeled ginger/ cut into very fine pieces
– ½ tablespoon of sugar
– ¾ – ½ teaspoon of turmeric
– 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
– 4 tablespoon of olive oil (the use of Ghee instead is a tasty choice)
– 3 tablespoon of fresh coriander
– 120 ml of vegetable stock (in water)
– 1 teaspoon of salt
- Cut a shallow cross in each tomato, then plunge them into boiling water for about 1 minute.
Slip off the skin, dices the tomatoes into small pieces, set them aside in a bowl. - Place the nuts, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a blender fitted with a metal blade. Pulse on and off until coarsely powdered. Add the green chillies, ginger, sugar, turmeric, tomato paste and enough water to yield 160 ml – 200 ml of ‘liquid’. Process until smooth.
- Heat up the oil (or ghee) over moderate heat in a Wok or a heavy saucepan. When it is warm carefully add the ‘liquid’. Partially cover and cook until a seasoned puree separates from the oil (few minutes – but be mindful and stir often).
- Stir in the diced tomato, half of the fresh herbs and the stock. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until gravy-like. Add the salt and the remaining fresh herbs. This gravy can be kept, covered and refrigerated, for 2-3 days.
[Recipe by Yamuna Devi]
Cooked Millet
Millet is a forgotten grain – it does not deserve it. It is gluten-free, easy to digest and is an excellent source for vitamins and minerals.
Preparation and cooking 30mn
- Measure millet and cooking liquid: You’ll need 1 cup of raw millet and 2 cups of cooking liquid (water or broth).
- Toast millet: In a large, dry saucepan, toast the raw millet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes (you might add a little bit of ghee to create a nutty taste)or until it turns a rich golden brown and the grains become fragrant. Be careful not to let them burn.
- Add the water and salt to the pan: Since the pan is hot, the water will sputter a bit when you pour it in. After adding water and salt, give the millet a good stir.
- Bring the liquid to a boil: Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer: Decrease the heat to low, drop in the butter and cover the pot. Simmer until the grains absorb most of the water (they’ll continue soaking it up as they sit), about 15 minutes. Avoid the temptation to peek a great deal or stir too much (unless it is sticking to the bottom). Stirring too vigorously will break up the grains and change the texture.
- Remove from heat and let stand: Like most grains, millet needs a little time off the heat to fully absorb the liquid. Allow it to sit, covered and removed from heat, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff and serve! After millet sits, fluff it with a fork. Taste and add additional salt if you’d like. Millet does not keep well and is best served warm.
www.thekitchn.com
Bon appetit
