Gopalkala – a perfect evening snack

We always learn a lot from our tradition. It’s not only the stories but also practical implementations that we can do in our day to day life. I have grown up listening to stories of Lord Krishna. There is so much learning from our mythological stories and history alike.

As we all know, Lord Krishna was brought up in Gokul where there was plenty of milk & milk products. He was considered notorious for stealing milk, butter, and curd in his childhood. In one of the folklores, it’s mentioned that Lord Krishna used to gather all the food stuff brought by his fellows and mix it up.

This gave birth to the dish – Gopalkala (Dahikala) which has different foods mixed up with curd. We celebrate ‘Janmashtami’ –Lord Krishna’s birthday is truly the way Lord Krishna celebrated it. All the goodies that he liked are prepared at home. Gopalkala or Dahikala is made and given in offering to him on this occasion and then served to the rest of the people.

Let me now give you the recipe for this tasty dish called ‘Gopalkala’. It’s easy to prepare and doesn’t involve cooking. At the same time, it’s nutritious & healthy. One can have it as an evening snack, mid meal or even perfect pre workout meal! You can even give this dish to your kids in their school tiffin box.

Ingredients:

Thick Poha or rice flakes- 1 bowl

Fresh curds- 1 bowl

Chopped Cucumber- ½ bowl

Groundnuts- ¼ bowl

Future or roasted chick pea- ¼ bowl

Pomegranate- ¼ bowl

Grated coconut/ Coconut pieces -¼ bowl

Grated ginger- 1 Tsp.

Chopped Green Chillies- 1-2 Tsp.

Chopped coriander- 1-2 Tsp.

Sugar 1 Tsp.

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the rice flakes in the sieve and keep it aside for 5 min. Let it get soaked.
2. In 1 big bowl beat the curd with sugar, salt, ginger, green chillies & coconut pieces.
3. Add rice flakes in this bowl. Let it soak for another 5 min.
4. Add cucumber, groundnuts, roasted chick pea, pomegranate seeds.
5. Mix well & top it with coriander.

Nutrition Value:

It’s a healthy filling snack, nutritionally well balanced. Poha or rice flakes contribute for carbohydrate content. Curds, groundnuts and roasted chick pea make up for the protein content. The curd is an excellent pro-biotic good for gut health and digestion. It doesn’t require added oil or ghee but has healthy fats from groundnut (MUFA) & coconut. It completes your salads & fruits quota too through cucumber & pomegranate. So don’t worry about the fibres, vitamins and antioxidants.

Worried about Poha is a nice product and its GI (Glycemic Index)? Please don’t the protein, fats and fibres in it will bring down the GI.

So what are you waiting for for…. Don’t just eat it as an” Offering to God”. Include it in your daily meals.