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Enjoy your monsoon with these two traditional curries – they will go a long way in helping you keep healthy
Our bodies seem more prone to colds and coughs in the monsoon. A balanced diet goes a long way in helping us fight these. Ensure that you also consume a lot of colourful fruits and vegetables to hike up your antioxidant count. Consume more liquids and soups and add a good amount of spice to your meal Enjoy your monsoon with these lovely healthy curries on your plate from Greata Sherene Robinson, Executive Nutritionist with the Cloudnine group of Hospitals, Chennai.
Kollu Rasam
Rasam, in general, is a good immunity booster and is easy on the digestion. The spices in it help to combat cold and cough that are quite common during the monsoon. The horse gram in this recipe is a good source of fibre, helps in glucose control, lowers cholesterol and also eases cold, cough and congestion, making it a good rasam for the season. Pregnant women can have it in moderation.
Ingredients
2 tbsp horse gram
1 tbsp jeera
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 small onions
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 pinch ginger
1 tbsp mustard oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tomato, chopped
Water, as needed
Salt, to taste
Coriander leaves, to garnish
Method
- Dry fry the horse gram.
- Place it in a blender with the jeera, peppercorns, onions, garlic, coriander seeds and ginger, and grind to a fine paste.
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds and tomatoes and mix well.
- When the tomatoes are cooked, add the ground paste and water, and bring to a boil. Season to taste, allow to simmer for a while, then serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.
Tip: Serve with hot rice or as a soup.
Milagu Kuzhambu
This spicy pepper curry is known to have antimicrobial properties that help to fight infections and diseases. Pepper generally eases cold, cough and asthma-related issues, helps in overall digestion and prevents gastrointestinal issues. The fenugreek seeds work to help regulate glucose.
This pepper gravy can be eaten with steamed rice, vegetables and a protein source to make a complete meal. It can be safely consumed by pregnant and lactating mothers, but should be avoided by pregnant women who have issues with gastritis.
Ingredients
6 tsp gingelly oil (divided usage)
1½ tsp peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp toor dal
1 tsp urad dal
5 dried red chillies
1½ tsp methi seeds (divided usage)
1½ tsp jeera seeds (divided usage)
Pinch of hing
A fistful of curry leaves
Salt, to taste
½ tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of turmeric
2 tsp tamarind paste
Coriander leaves, to garnish
Method
- Heat one teaspoon of gingelly oil in a pan. Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds, toor dal, urad dal and dried red chillies and roast them well. Add one teaspoon methi seeds, one teaspoon jeera, hing and curry leaves. When they begin to splutter, turn off the flame and add salt to taste. Allow the mixture to cool, then grind it to a fine paste with a little water.
- Heat 5 teaspoons of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add half teaspoon methi seeds, half teaspoon coriander seeds, a pinch of turmeric and the ground paste. Mix well.
- Add the tamarind and water as needed and bring to a boil.
- Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.
Images: Shutterstock | for representational purposes
Also see: Made For The Monsoon: Yummy Coffee Recipes
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