As we embark on 2025, here are some recipes that are bursting with health and nutrients to make the best start to the year.
Healthy cooking is not about restriction, it is about exploration, creativity, and joy. Each meal is an opportunity to nourish your body and delight your taste buds.
Make thoughtful choices based on your nutritional needs. For instance, instead of adding ghee and coffee shots to your routine just because it’s trending, consider your saturated fat intake and make an informed decision. If you’re snacking on potato chips despite having three healthy meals, switch to a whole fruit as a more nutritious alternative. Substitute mushrooms for a meaty texture in vegetarian recipes. Instead of refined sugar, try caramelized onions for a natural, sweeter flavor in your dish. Replace monosodium glutamate with a homemade vegetable stock made from cruciferous stalks to achieve umami-rich flavors. Use soy sauce, herbs, spices, or innovative options like orange rind powder or dehydrated tomato skin powder to reduce salt intake without compromising flavor.
Use fresh, seasonal ingredients for better taste and nutrients. Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming. You can also bake or air-fry instead of deep-frying. Processed foods can contain hidden fats and are best avoided. Enjoy the flavours of your favourite snacks without the excess oil and calories by baking or air-frying them. Choose whole almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or fresh fruits like apples, bananas, or pomegranates for a healthy and satisfying snack. Cooking at home can help you know exactly what is in your food and avoid hidden ingredients. It is important not to change or swap your diet too much all at once. Don’t eat too much before going to bed and remember don’t buy food from unlicensed hawkers.
Here are some recipes that are healthy and do not compromise on health.
Raw mango and Avocado Salad courtesy Girish Saklani – Head Chef, Mulberry Shades Bengaluru Nandi Hills
Ingredients
- Ripe avocado 1 no.
- Thai raw mangoes 50 grams
- Baby arugula 50 grams
- Coriander sauce 70 grams
- Slice roasted coconut 60 grams
- Chili sauce 20 grams
- Veg Aromatic powder 10 grams
- Fried salat 30 grams
- Fried Basil 5 grams
- Sweet chili sauce 125 grams
For the Coriander sauce
- Green Chili 20 grams
- Coriander 100 grams
- Garlic peeled 50 grams
- Salt 7.5 grams
For the Pickled Raw Mango
- Sugar 100 grams
- White vinegar 120 ml
- Thai raw Mango shredded 100 grams
- Thai Red chili 30 grams
Method
- To make the Pickled Raw Mango, bring the sugar and vinegar to a bowl and reduce until half and the rest of the ingredients and let them rest for two days.
- Wash baby arugula and drain water and dry on a paper towel.
- Take coriander sauce in a bowl and add juliennes of raw mango and baby arugula.
- Mix them thoroughly in a salad bowl.
- Cut avocado in slices and mix with coriander sauce and arugula on top of the salad.
- Take roasted coconut and mixed with chili powder, veg aromatic fried onion and basil mixed well and arrange it on the top of the salad.
- Serve chilled.
Amla/Gooseberry Chutney courtesy Syed Mehaboob, Executive Chef, Sterling Palavelli Godavari
Ingredients
- Fresh gooseberries (Amla): 4-5 medium-sized
- Jaggery (or sugar): 2 tablespoons
- Green chili: 1-2
- Ginger: 1-inch piece
- Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
- Black salt: ½ teaspoon
- Tamarind pulp: 1 tablespoon
- Roasted cumin powder: ½ teaspoon
- Coriander powder: ½ teaspoon
- Mustard oil (optional): 1 teaspoon
- Water: As needed
Method
- Rinse and chop gooseberries. Boil them in a small amount of water until tender.
- Blend boiled gooseberries with jaggery, green chili, ginger, tamarind pulp, spices, and salt until smooth.
- Adjust the sweetness and salt to taste. For added flavor, temper with mustard oil and cumin seeds.
Pumpkin and lemongrass soup with garlic and kaffir lime leave courtesy Chef Diwaker Balodi, Director of Culinary and F&B at Ananda in the Himalayas
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yellow Pumpkin, boiled and pureed
- 2 cup Vegetable Stock
- ¼ cup Coconut Milk, not, coconut cream
- 1 Tsp Garlic, chopped fine
- 1 stalk Lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 Leaves Kaffir Lime, whole leaf
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Pepitas, Roasted and crushed
Method
- Add garlic, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in a heavy bottomed pan and sauté without browning garlic on low flame.
- When garlic starts sticking to the bottom, add vegetable stock and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Now add pumpkin puree and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Add salt.
- Finish with coconut milk and do not cook further.
- Put crushed pepitas in a bowl and pour hot soup on top.
