Healing Bytes

Besan Cheela is a beloved dish in North Indian cuisine due to its simplicity and flavour. This savoury pancake is traditionally prepared from besan (gram flour), chopped onions and basic spices. What makes Besan Cheela truly special is its versatility. We have added our twist to this breakfast item by adding ragi flour to give a nutrition punch. Packed with protein, fiber, and essential nutrients like iron and calcium, it is a great choice for those who want to try including ragi flour. You can customize it with various chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, or stuffing with paneer to enhance its taste and nutrient profile. We have used chopped onions and grated carrots in this version as it was readily available and we were short on time.   Whether enjoyed with a dollop of plain curd or chutney, Ragi Besan Cheela is sure to satisfy your taste buds while providing a healthy start to the day. Whether served as a breakfast, a quick snack, or even a light dinner, it never fails to satis...

In the recent years, including adequate protein in the diet has been a major point of discussion. A research by ICMR- INDIAB states the significance of increasing protein intake up to 20% in daily diet to reverse or delay diabetes. Given the vital role of protein in maintenance of optimal health, it is no brainer that many companies are selling protein supplements to meet the daily needs. However, meeting protein requirements through diet is not a rocket science if we have a basic understanding of dietary protein sources and do a bit of planning. There are two major categories of dietary protein source, namely animal- based and plant- based protein. Animal based protein provide complete proteins, whereas plant based protein provide incomplete proteins (exceptions to this include soyabean and quinoa). Before you ask, let me tell you; complete protein has all nine essential amino acids required by body. Cereals are deficient in lysine, whereas pulses are deficient in methionine, hence ...

Hello everyone, This is one dish that amma used to prepare whenever she prepared kozhukattai (modak) and had leftover dough. Though I used to enjoy them, once I understood that it was primarily carbs and did not provide any other essential nutrients required, I avoided it and began making excuses to prevent her from making them. But, something inside me told there has to be a way to make it healthy yet tasty. Years passed and during Ganesh Chaturthi (2022), amma again told that she would be preparing ammini kozhukattais for dinner. I could not tell her no; at the same time, nutritionist in me had to come up with an idea to make it healthy ASAP. She also told that there was some leftover paruppu vadai batter and asked whether she could prepare vadais ( dal vadas or lentil fritters). And BOOM! I had a light bulb moment and thought why not give it a healthy twist by adding steamed and crumbled dal mixture. Based on the availability of veggies, I decided to add capsicum for colour and...