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Healthy Eating: Masala Gur – The Best Winter Dessert

Masala Gur

Winter is the favorite season for many of us but it brings the challenge of keeping our bodies warm and staying healthy enough to fight off infections. On the other hand, it also leaves the body craving for food. You’ve noticed being hungrier during winter, especially for something sweet. Keeping this in mind, let’s look at a recipe that can help us satisfy that sweet craving, keep warm and boost immunity. Let’s learn how to prepare Masala Gur (Jaggery)! 

What You Will Need 

  • Jaggery – 100 gms 
  • Makhana (fox nuts) – 10 to 12 
  • Ghee – ½ tsp 
  • Sonth (dry ginger powder) – 1 tsp 
  • Ajwain (carom seeds) – ½ tsp 
  • Pinch of Black Salt 
  • Raw Peanuts – 2 tbsp 
  • Almonds – 10 to 12 (roughly chopped) 
  • Jeera – ½ tsp

How To Prepare 

  1. Grate the Jaggery into a bowl and keep it aside 
  2. Take a pan, add half a tsp ghee and roast the makhana in it till crisp. Move them to a bowl.
  3. Next, dry roast peanuts and rub their skin off. 
  4. Now, add the grated gur into a non stick heavy bottom kadai and let it melt on medium flame. 
  5. When you feel the gur is melted and is in a semi-liquid state, add the ajwain, sonth, jeera and black salt one by one into this melted gur. Stir well so that the spices blend well with the melted gur. 
  6. Next, add the makhana, peanuts and roughly chopped almonds to it. Switch the gas off and mix well. 
  7. Grease a thali or a plate and pour this hot gur mix in it and let it cool. Once it cools down and gets hard again, break it into small pieces. Your Masala Gur is ready! 

Benefits of the Masala Gur Recipe 

  • This masala gur can be a healthy substitute to high fat and refined sugar desserts
  • The saunth, jeera, ajwain and black salt aids good digestion, improves metabolism and provides heat to the body 
  • This treat should be enjoyed in small candy size pieces

We hope you enjoy making and eating this tasty Masala Gur winter dessert. Do try it and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play. 

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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Healthy Eating: Immunity Boosting Ladoos

immunity boosting ladoos

Are you craving for ladoos but do not want to buy them because of the pandemic? The question is – why control this craving? Don’t worry. We’ll help you out with an awesome, tasty and delicious immunity boosting ladoos recipe that will rev up your immunity and help you enjoy this treat guilt-free! 

Preparing The Immunity Powder (1 tbsp = 15gm) 

  • Organic turmeric powder – 7 tbsp 
  • Cumin seeds – 4 tbsp 
  • Coriander seeds – 4 tbsp 
  • Fennel Seeds – 7 tbsp 
  • Whole black pepper – 2 tbsp 
  • Cardamom – 3 tbsp 
  • Dry ginger powder – 2 tbsp 
  • Cinnamon powder (dalchini) – ½ tbsp or 1 stick

Method: Lightly roast all the ingredients (except turmeric powder and dry ginger powder) on a slow flame till you get a nice aroma. Once cooled, transfer them in a grinder and grind them to a powder. Add turmeric and dry ginger powder to it and mix with a dry spoon. Store in a clean, airtight glass or steel jar for 4-6 months.

How To Make The Immunity Boosting Ladoos 

Ingredients (1 cup = 200gm) 

  • Sattu powder – 1 cup 
  • Ghee – ¼ cup or 3 tbsp 
  • Immunity powder – 2 tbsp 
  • Grated jaggery – ½ cup 

Method: 

  1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. 
  2. Add 1 cup sattu powder. Mix it and roast it for only 2-4 min on low flame. Shift in a bowl.
  3. Add ½ cup grated jaggery.
  4. Add 2 tbsp. Immunity powder and mix it very well.
  5. Then, add 2 tbsp. ghee (room temperature). Mix it  well.
  6. Shape into ladoos while the mixture is still warm.
  7. Store these immunity ladoos in an airtight steel or glass jar for a week.
  8. Enjoy 1 immunity boosting ladoo daily as a mid-morning snack/ post workout meal/ early morning on empty stomach for energy as well.

Tips while making the Ladoos

  • If you do not have sattu powder then grind roasted chana dal to a fine powder, sieve it and use it.
  • You can also use jaggery powder. If there are granules in jaggery powder, grind it in the mixer grinder to make fine powder.
  • If you are not able to bind ladoos, add a few tsp. ghee as required.
  • If you are allergic to sattu/chana dal flour you can have ½ tsp immunity powder with 1 glass warm water in early morning or with 1tbsp ghee or can be used as garam masala in gravy.

Health Benefits of the Immunity Boosting Ladoos  

  • Sattu is known as the “Poor man’s protein” and is loaded with protein, calcium, fiber, iron and magnesium. It helps in building strength and muscle mass rapidly. 
  • It is excellent for bone health to prevent osteoporosis, cleans out the colon and stomach. Is an excellent cure for constipation and aids fat loss. 
  • It has cooling effects on the body.
  • Ghee is full of fat soluble vitamins, helps to  build strong bones. 
  • Jaggery is loaded with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. It boosts immunity and guards the body against harmful pathogens.
  • Turmeric aids in the healing of osteoarthritis, CVD, diabetes, asthma, allergies, skin diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer diseases. 
  • Cinnamon helps to improve glucose and lipid levels. 
  • Cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds are rich in antioxidants and help in relieving digestive issues like bloating and indigestion. Piperine in black pepper can increase absorption of nutrients like selenium, B- complex vitamins, Beta carotene and rich in potassium, manganese and iron. 
  • Dry ginger powder contains thermogenic agents that help burn fat and reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.

We hope you enjoy these immunity boosting ladoos! Do share your experience in the comments below! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads within the GOQii App or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce 

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Healthy Eating: Sauerkraut (Fermented Cabbage)

sauerkrautNothing is more important and essential than maintaining immunity during these pandemic struck days. If it is good immunity that you’re seeking, you should definitely try this Sauerkraut recipe which is basically chopped cabbage that undergoes anaerobic fermentation and gives you major health benefits. It can be a side dish to your main meals or you can add it to your meats and sandwiches. It originated in China over 2000 years back but is very popular in Germany. 

What You Will Need: 

  • Raw Cabbage – 1
  • Mason Jar – 1 (750 ml to 1 L)
  • Pink Salt or Normal Salt –  1-2 tbsp

How To Prepare:

  1. Take a medium sized cabbage and remove the outer leaves and keep them aside. Cut the cabbage into 4-5 pieces and remove the white core.
  2. Shred the cabbage or chop it in a food processor. We need it really thin and finely chopped.
  3. Take a big mixing bowl, add the cabbage to it.
  4. Add the salt. Salt will stop the breathing of any unhealthy micro-organism and will start the formation of lactobacillus bacteria which will help us in this fermentation.
  5. Mix the cabbage and salt well with your hands for a few minutes and then keep it aside for 7-10 min to allow the brine to ooze out. Let it set in the bowl.
  6. Pound the cabbage for a few minutes to allow any more liquid to ooze out, hit it well.
  7. Take a glass jar which is clean, freshly washed and pack the cabbage very tightly.
  8. Clean your hands and start keeping the cabbage in the jar. After adding some, take a wooden spatula or glass and push it in to avoid any air pockets between the cabbages. Repeat the process till the cabbage is over.
  9. Now, take the outer cabbage leaf and tuck it over the cabbage kept in the jar just like you are covering it hard to not allow any air.
  10. Next, add the brine we collected after mashing the cabbage, leave the top 1 inch of the jar free, do not pack it with brine tightly.
  11. Close the lid of the Mason jar (it is okay to close the jar not very tight so that the cabbage can breathe) and keep it in a bowl, there are chances of liquid oozing out after fermentation starts.
  12. Keep this for 3 days and then you can refrigerate and eat it. It should be a bit yellow and tangy.

Highlights of the Sauerkraut Recipe 

  • Eat this with every meal to improve digestion and add in good microbes.
  • It has a very long shelf life and a great way to boost immunity and better digestion.
  • 70-80 % of your immunity is located in your gut and hence it is very important to keep an eye on what you are eating. This is the best probiotic just like curd to help you with it.
  • Sauerkraut is enriched with nutrients, minerals and a lot of fiber. It helps in boosting immunity, digestion, can aid weight loss, helps in stress reduction, improving brain health, may reduce risk of cancer and promote good heart health.

We hope you enjoy this Sauerkraut recipe. Do try it out and leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to cooking sessions on GOQii Play. 

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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Healthy Eating: Golden Vegetable Bites

Golden Vegetable BitesToday, let’s look at an extremely flexible recipe where you can use the veggies of your choice or based on availability as there’s an issue with most groceries during lockdown. These Golden Vegetable Bites will take a little time but they’re definitely worth the wait. Here’s your go-to Golden Vegetable Bites fit for a snack as well as a meal. 

What You Will Need 

  • Water: 2 cups
  • Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
  • Grated carrot: ½ cup
  • Peas: ½ cup
  • Grated ginger: 1 tsp
  • Green chillies (finely chopped): 3-4
  • Curry leaves: 4-5
  • Roasted semolina: ½ cup
  • Chopped onion: ½ cup
  • Boiled + grated potato: ½ cup
  • Shredded paneer: ½ cup
  • Chopped coriander: ½ cup
  • Salt as per taste
  • Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
  • Turmeric: ½ tsp
  • Garam masala: 1 tsp
  • Chat masala: ½ tsp
  • Lime juice: 1 tsp
  • Rice flour: 3 tbsp

How To Prepare

  1. Heat a pan and add 2 cups of water. Add in jeera and boil for a few minutes.
  2. After the water starts boiling, add the carrot, peas, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Let it cook for 2-3 min.
  3. Pour ½ cup of roasted semolina, stir well and let it soak the water. Stir continuously.
  4. Cook the semolina for a while and then add salt with ½ cup of onions. Make a medium-thick consistency.
  5. Off the flame and mix in potatoes, paneer, coriander, salt, lemon along with masalas.
  6. In the same mixer, add rice flour for binding and mix well.
  7. Now take a tray and grease it well with oil or apply greased butter paper on the tray. Spread the mixer over the tray and let it be of medium width, not too thin and not too thick. Keep this in the fridge for 1 hour.
  8. After an hour take it out and cut it into squares using a sharp knife.
  9. Now heat a pan and brush some oil, put the veggie squares on it to roast.
  10. Once golden brown, flip the side and cook it well. Once it is brown on both sides, take them out.
  11. Enjoy it with green chutney.

Highlights of the Golden Vegetable Bites 

  • Gives you the required satiety and a great variety for a snack.
  • A good combination of protein, fiber and carbs.
  • Easy to make with minimum ingredients.
  • You can also add a little bit of cheese! 

We hope you enjoy this recipe and do let us know your thoughts and experience in the comments below! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to GOQii Play. 

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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