Win curries
May 8th 2011 04:26
Krissi’s chickpea tikka masala
Okay this is not a traditional curry of any cuisine, however it very tasty and suitable for herbivores like myself. I quite like this recipe because it quick and easy to prepare, low in saturated fat, and high in protein. The chickpeas supply a source of protein, calcium and fibre, tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and rice is a source of carbohydrate. If you want to make this extra healthy, use brown rice. Brown rice is much more nutrient dense than white rice, it has higher levels of fibre, B vitamins and zinc.
Ingredients
• Asian Home Gourmet Tikka Masala paste
• Can of chickpeas
• One onion
• One cup of Jasmine or basmati rice
Method
Cook rice according to the instructions on the packet. Dice up the onion and brown in frying pan. When the onion is browned, add drained can of chickpeas, tomatoes and spice paste. Bring to boil and allow it to simmer for 15 or minutes. Serve on top of rice. If you would like something hotter, try using a vindaloo spice paste.
If this recipe isn’t appetising, I recommend using a premade curry paste as the meal base. Go for a spice paste that is low in sodium. Often the packets have a recipe on or serving suggestions on the packet. The recipe may not be the healthiest, so make sure you use a lean cut of meat (or cut off the visible fat), use tofu or chickpeas and swap full fat milk or cream for low fat, unsweetened yoghurt or low fat coconut milk, and go easy on the oil and butter. Add plenty of vegetables for a more filling dish with more fibre and vitamin C.
Something that you probably didn’t know about Indian cooking is that curry powder is not common ingredient used. A common ingredient used in Indian cooking is garam masala, which is made from a combination of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, black cumin seeds, dry ginger, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and crushed bay leaves.
And because I’m running out of things to say and I need to reach my word limit, I thought I would take about the other benefits of the ingredients of curries. Did you know that chilli, a common ingredient in Thai, Indian and Mexican food is considered an aphrodisiac? Chilli contains a chemical called capsaicin, which causes people to sweat and raises pulse rate. Remind you of something? Tomato is considered an aphrodisiac as well. It has been suggested that it’s an aphrodisiac because the colour and shape is a reminder of aroused body parts. I’m not sure how effective these foods are, but why don’t you make a dish with these ingredients and find out.
If you have any questions then email me at nutrition.advice@gmail.com or post it here.
Krissi
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