INDIAN MEALS TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY IN JANUARY

Every time January comes around, we are all guilty of promising ourselves that we will go on a diet and join the gym.

The New Year is a chance to start a fresh, and indulge in foods you may not have tried before, and an opportunity to start on a healthy note.

Healthy foods

We’ve put together a range of Indian meals that will keep you healthy in January.

Chickpea Curry

Healthy meals don’t have to be boring, and with Indian food you’re never short on different flavours and spices.

This chickpea curry will be keeping you in shape throughout the whole year!

Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

Method

  1. Pour the oil in a pan and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger on a low heat until the onions start to brown.
  2. Add the tomato puree. Let it cook on low heat, stirring continuously, until the oil starts to appear on the top of the sauce.
  3. Add the chickpeas and the water. Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  4. Now add in the Spice Drops® and mix well. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves or chopped spring onions or fresh chives.
  5. Serve hot with naan bread or steamed basmati rice

Lamb and Vegetables Curry 

Curry is one of our most loved dishes, and this recipe by TIANA shows us how to achieve a perfect, flavoursome and healthy lamb curry.

Lamb and Vegetables Curry  - indian meals

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons TIANA Fair Trade Organic Pure Coconut Cooking Butter
  • 150g green beans, halved
  • 1 medium (120g) carrot, sliced
  • 1 large (350g) red capsicum, sliced
  • 425g can baby corn, drained
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 5 (400g) lamb fillets, sliced finely
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour
  • ½ cup (125ml) water
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Method

  1. Heat half of the TIANA Fair Trade Organic Pure Coconut Cooking Butterin large saucepan; cook beans, stirring, 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Add carrots, capsicum and corn; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from pan.
  2. Heat remaining peanut oil and sesame oil in the same pan; cook garlic and curry powder until fragrant. Add lamb, in batches; cook, stirring, until tender
  3. Return lamb and vegetables to the pan with blended corn flour and water, crumbled stock cube and soy sauce; stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly.
  4. Leave to cool, and then plate it up to enjoy!

 

Charred Spiced Sweet Potato Salad (Courtesy of Anjum Anand – author of I Love India)

Switch up your potato habits, and incorporate sweet potato in your diet. It’s healthier and gives a much sweeter taste to your meals.

This is a quick and simple meal to make, and will make a great lunch during your work or school break.

Charred Spiced Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large Sweet potatoes (around 450g/1lb in total), scrubbed
  • salt and lots of freshly ground
  • black pepper
  • a little vegetable oil
  • 1⁄4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 Indian green finger chilli (chile), deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted in a pan until puffed up
  • 2 large handfuls of watercress or
  • rocket (arugula)

For the dressing

  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise, low-fat if you like
  • 2 rounded tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1⁄2–3⁄4 tsp chaat masala
  • 1 medium-small garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1⁄2 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds

Method

  1. Cut the potatoes into large wedges: the best way is to halve them horizontally and wedge each side. Place in a large pot of boiling salted water, return to the boil and simmer until the tip of a knife goes through easily, 8–10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, mayonnaise, yogurt, half the oil, the chaat masala and garlic; season to taste. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan, tilting it so the oil collects in one area. When hot, add the mustard seeds and reduce the heat. After 5 seconds, follow with the fennel seeds and cook until the mustard seeds pop, another few seconds or so. Stir into the dressing and season to taste.
  3. Drain the cooked potatoes and, once dry, place on a hot oiled griddle and cook for 1–2 minutes on each side, or until the wedges have lovely grill stripes. Add them straight into the dressing with the red onion, green chilli and most of the pumpkins seeds and leaves. Toss well, garnish with the remaining seeds and leaves and serve.

 

Hyderabad Baked Herby Chicken Korma (Courtesy of Anjum Anand – author of I Love India)

This recipe is a modern twist to the traditional Chicken Korma. With added herbs and veg, this is a meal that will keep you fit and healthy throughout the year.

Baked Hydrated Herb Chicken Khorma

Ingredients

  • 20g (11⁄2 tbsp) roughly chopped root ginger
  • 6 large garlic cloves
  • 275g (1 cup) Greek yogurt
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 medium-small, bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (around 1.2kg/2lb 12oz)
  • 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
  • vegetable oil
  • 2 medium-large red onions, finely sliced
  • 40g (11⁄3 packed cups) coriander (cilantro) leaves and stalks, plus more to serve
  • 20g (3⁄4 packed cup) mint leaves (around 40g with stalks)
  • 1 rounded tsp garam masala (fresh if possible, see page 113)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
  • 2–4 green chillies (chiles), stalks removed, pierced with a knife
  • 4 tbsp single (light) cream

Method

  1. Blend together the ginger, garlic and yogurt and 1 tsp salt. Rub this under the skin of the chicken and leave to marinate for 1 hour, if possible. Pound the coconut in a mortar and pestle until it is powdery.
  2. Heat 4cm (1½in) of oil in a small-ish saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry until golden and crisp on the edges. Drain off the oil and set aside.
  3. Set aside a quarter of the onions and place the rest in the same blender container as you used for the yogurt mixture (no need to wash) along with 2 tbsp of the cooking oil (use the rest for cooking another dish, it will taste of delicious fried onions), the herbs, coconut, garam masala and lemon juice. Blend until smooth; you might need to add a little water to help the blades turn. Pour this over the chicken and mix well. Now, leave it for as long as you can to marinate, covered in the fridge, or at room temperature if it is just for 1 hour. If you are in a hurry, you can also just cook it now.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Place the chicken and marinade in a large baking dish that can take the chicken in a single, snug layer. Tuck in the chillies, if using. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until done, 40–45 minutes, basting every now and again. Once done, if the chicken doesn’t have any colour, place on the upper shelf for 5 minutes or so.
  5. Stir the cream into the pan juices and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot, sprinkled with the reserved onions and extra coriander, along with potatoes, rice or Indian breads.

Curried Chicken and Mango Salad

Bring your salad to life the Indian way. This recipe adds sweet and savoury together, which enhances the flavours and will make this salad to enjoy.

Curried Chicken and Mango Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken mini fillets
  • 1 can of Del Monte® mango slices
  • 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp mango chutney
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • zest ½ lime and 2 tsp of juice
  • Few leaves of lettuce ½ red onion, finely sliced
  • tsp toasted sesame seed

Method

  1. Toss the chicken in the oil and 1 tsp of the curry powder, season and mix well to coat. Bake for 20 mins until cooked through in a large pan. Leave to cool a little, then slice.
  2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a bowl, combine the remaining curry powder with the yogurt, chutney and lime zest and juice (add 1 tbsp water if the dressing is a little thick).
  3. To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on 2 plates. Top with the Del Monte® mango slices and cooked chicken, then drizzle with the dressing. Scatter with the red onion and sesame seeds before serving

Berry Chicken Kebabs

Berry Chicken KebabsAgain, this is a meal which has a fab spin from the traditional Kebab. Adding a few cranberries, makes a world difference and it’s a tasty new way to get one of your five a day!

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 1tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 1tbsp ground cinnamon
  • Three quarters of tablespoon of ground all spice
  • 300ml tahini
  • 100ml hot water
  • 100g pistachio nuts, shelled
  • 100g Crazy Jack Dried Cranberries, finely chopped

Method

1. Cut each chicken breast into 6 chunky pieces

2. Put half the garlic, half the lemon juice, the salt and pepper, the olive oil and spices into a shallow bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat, then leave to marinate for half an hour.

3. Meanwhile, mix tahini together with the remaining garlic and lemon juice. Add the hot water, season with more salt and pepper and whisk to a thick consistency.

4. Blitz the pistachios in a blender and place on a tray with the Crazy Jack Cranberries. Set aside.

5. Preheat a griddle pan, skewer the chicken pieces on 12 kebab sticks and cook in batches for around 5-6 minutes on each side.

6. Drizzle with a little olive oil and immediately roll in the pistachio mix, then serve with the tahini sauce.

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