Raksha Bandhan is around the corner. It’s not only a festival of joy but also full of emotions as it celebrates a beautiful bond between brothers and sisters. This day starts with our traditional rituals and ends with parties that have mouth-watering dishes which the entire family enjoys together. But children and adults nowadays prefer eating healthy yet tasty food even during festivals. Some families have their own secret recipes for it and some struggle to come up with such recipes. So we reached out to celebrity chef and cookbook author Renu Dalal, daughter of late Tarla Dalal, chef, Indian food writer and cookbook author, who shared some of her interesting and easy-to-make vegetarian recipes that can help us to make recipes that keep us healthy during the festival
Here are some items shared by her for Raksha Bandhan special meal,
For Starters
BEETROOT BUTTERMILK
This buttermilk is so healthy and tasty too.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup curds
- ¼ cup boiled, peeled and chopped beetroot
- 1 tsp mint leaves
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp jeera powder
- ½ tsp chaat masala
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor.
- Refrigerate and serve chilled.
- Garnish with mint leaves while serving.
- For garnishing
- Mint leaves
TRUFFLE FLAVOURED FRIES
This does add to the wow factor for the fries.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups French fries
- 1 tbsp truffle oil
- 2 tbsp grated cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- Add salt to taste on the fries and mix well.
- Drizzle the truffle oil and add the cheese and parsley.
- Serve immediately.
THREE BEAN SALAD
Chickpeas, kidney beans and vaalni dal make a very delicious and healthy combination.
It will boost your immunity with all the nutrition
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup soaked and boiled kidney beans
- 1 cup soaked and boiled chickpeas
- 1 cup soaked and boiled vaalni dal (field beans)
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped spring onions (white and green part)
- For the dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and chilli flakes to taste
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp chaat masala
METHOD
For the dressing
In a bowl mix all the ingredients of the dressing well.
How to proceed
- Refrigerate all the salad ingredients.
- In a serving bowl, place all the salad ingredients and mix them with the salad dressing thoroughly.
- Serve immediately.
INSTANT KHATTA DHOKLA
This is a quick version of the dhokla. It tastes great with aamrass.
INGREDIENTS
For the batter
- 1 cup idli batter
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
- ½ tsp ginger and green chilli paste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp yoghurt
- A pinch of black pepper
- To be added later
- 2 tsp Eno fruit salt
To sprinkle on the batter
Chilli powder
METHOD
- Mix all the ingredients for the batter together.
- Add the Eno fruit salt, mix thoroughly and let the batter froth.
- Grease a thali with oil.
- Pour the batter into the thali. Shake the thali till the batter is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle some chilli powder on the batter.
- Steam in a steamer for 8 to 9 minutes till the dhoklas are evenly cooked.
To serve
- Cool the cooked dhoklas slightly and cut them into pieces.
- Serve with green chutney or chilli oil.
For the main course:
PALAK PANEER
Everyone’s favourite, healthy and nutritious. It can go with your daily meal.
INGREDIENTS
For the puree:
- 2 bundles of spinach
- ½ tsp ginger-green chilli paste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp chopped onions
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp cream
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp jeera
- 2 tbsp oil
- 400 grams paneer cubed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
For the paneer:
Saute the paneer in olive oil and keep it aside.
For the puree:
- Boil the spinach in hot water till it turns tender. Add a pinch of soda bicarbonate to retain the colour.
- Let it cool and process in a food processor with ginger and green chilli paste.
- Keep the puree aside.
- Heat the oil in a vessel add the jeera, turmeric powder, chopped onions, and garam masala and saute for 15 seconds.
- Add the cream, spinach puree, water, and salt to taste and cook for one minute.
- Add the paneer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Serve hot with naan or paratha
So make this Raksha Bandhan extra special with these delicious meal plans!