Day 19 of Lockdown: Healthy recipes to make during quarantine to build immunity

While we all are staying at home due to the lockdown, it is the best time to indulge in healthy eating as much as we can to make our bodies healthy and strong as well as building our immunity. Here is a healthy meal plan for you to try so that you can make sure that you are eating right.

Breakfast Meal - Banana Apple Porridge

The Banana and Apple Porridge is a healthy breakfast dish rich in Calcium, protein, fibre, etc

Banana Apple Porridge Recipe:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup sliced banana
2. 1/2 cup apple cubes (unpeeled)
3. 1/4 cup broken wheat (Dalia), washed and drained
4. 1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
5. 2 cups low-fat milk, 99. 7% fat-free
6. 2 tsp low-fat butter
7. 1 tbsp powdered sugar
8. 1/4 tsp cinnamon (dalchini) powder

INSTRUCTIONS  

1. Heat some butter in a pressure cooker and add the broken wheat to it. Saute on a low flame for about a minute.
2. Add the oats and the salt. Saute on a low flame for about two more minutes.
3. Now, add the milk and a cup of water to it and stir it well. Let it pressure cook for about 2 whistles.
4. Let the pressure settle down on its own and then open the lid of the cooker.
5. Add the sugar and cinnamon powder to it. Mix and let it cool down.
6. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 1 hour.
7. Finally, add the banana and the apples right before serving and mix properly.

Lunch Meal - Mixed Dal

This delicious Pancha Ratna dal or Mixed Dals is full of proteins and has the nutritive qualities of 5 different dals.

Mixed Dal Recipe:

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup lentils consisting of equal amounts of

- Bengal gram dal (chana dal)

- green gram dal (moong dal)

- pink lentils (masoor dal)

- pigeon peas spilt and skinned (tuvar dal)

- black gram (urad dal)

2. 3 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
3. 2 small cardamom
4. 2 cloves
5. 1 green chilli, crushed
6. 2 to 3 red chillies, broken
7. ½ inch ginger, crushed
8. 1 large tomato, chopped
9. ½ tsp cumin seeds
10. ½ tsp turmeric powder
11. ¼ to ½ tsp garam masala powder
12. ¼ tsp asafoetida powder (hing)
13. 2 to 3 tbsp oil or ghee (clarified butter)
14. salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

- To pressure cook the lentils

1. Rinse all the dals for a few times in the water. 
2. Next, soak the lentils in water for about 30 to 45 minutes and after that, drain all the water and put the dal in the pressure cooker.
3. Pressure cook the lentils for about 4 to 5 whistles or until they are cooked properly.
4. Mash the dal gently. If the mixture is looking too thick, add more water to it and stir it well. Make sure you get a medium consistency.

- Making the mixed dal

1. Heat oil or ghee in another pan and add cumin seeds. After it splutters, add the cloves, cardamoms, and broken red chillies.
2. Saute it till the red chillies change their colour. Add the crushed ginger and green chilli and saute till the raw aroma of it goes away.
3. Now, add the chopped tomatoes, asafoetida, turmeric powder and the garam masala powder to it. Saute the masala on a low flame till the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. After the oil or ghee separates, add this tempering mixture to the lentils and mix very well.
5. Now, let it simmer for about 10 minutes during which all the flavours of the spices will be mixed with the dal.
6. Add salt as required and mix it. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and top it with 1 to 2 teaspoons of ghee in a bowl.
7. Serve it along with rotis, rice, jeera rice or dal bati.

Dinner Meal - Low-fat butter chicken

A low-fat butter chicken is yummy and one of the best dishes you can make while at home. Get the flavours of butter chicken without using butter.

Low-Fat Butter Chicken Recipe:

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1. 400 gms chicken chunks, sliced
2. 4 large onions
3. 2-3 Cinnamon sticks
4. 4 Cloves (laung)
5. 2 Tej pata / bay leaves
6. 1 tbsp garlic paste
7. 2 Cardamom
8. 5-6 large red tomatoes
9. Salt as required
10. 1/2 tsp red chilli or more as required
11. 1/2 tsp coriander powder
12. 1/4 tsp Haldi / turmeric
13. 3-4 green chillies (slit from the middle and de-seeded)

- For garnishing

1. Fresh coriander leaves
2. 1/4 cup yoghurt/curd
3. 2 tsp oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Don't add too much oil as the chicken will also release some.
2. Add thinly sliced onions, cinnamon, tej pata, cardamom, and garlic paste to it. Saute it in the oil till the onion turns brown in colour.
3. Switch off the flame and wait till the onions cool down. After that, blend this mixture along with the chopped tomatoes and the curd and make a smooth paste.
4. Use the same pan in which you cooked the onions and saute the chicken in the leftover oil of the fried onions.
5. After the chicken is cooked, add the onion paste along with the chicken and let it cook.
6. Next, add the salt as required, red chilli, coriander powder, Haldi, and green chillies.
7. At last, let the chicken cook and stop when you see the oil coming out and floating on its top.
8. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

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