Read Full article by Natasha Celmi@The Telegraph Photo credit: Sourced by The Telegraph
Quarantine food” is the new entrant in the culinary vocabulary. It is the trending “cuisine” which we all are scrambling to get an understanding of in one way or another. What to stock up on, how much to buy, how to extend the shelf life of the fresh products and so on. Are these the questions on your mind as well? Fret not, as here are some guidelines which will help you manage your kitchen while eating healthy during these trying times. Of course, as none of us want to be subjected to eating dal chawal every day, here’s how you can get creative with whatever is available. After all, necessity is the mother of invention!
Dry beans and lentils
These plant-based proteins make excellent salads with just some onions, tomatoes, olive oil and lime. Cook rajma with tomato puree and chillies for a Mexican-inspired beans and serve it with some brown rice or millets. Blend some chickpeas (kabuli chana) with garlic, olive oil and sesame seeds and you have a delish hummus bowl to dive into. Middle Eastern falafels are simply chickpea and flour tikkis and are a universal favourite. Add half a cup of lal masoor or moong dal to any vegetable soup (whatever you have handy) and it goes to another level, while adding a boost of protein.
Millets and other whole grains
Foxtail millets, proso millets, barley and quinoa are good carbs to fill you with energy. Since we are burning less calories these days, it might be a good idea to replace rice with these whole grains. You can cook them like a north Indian pulao or a hearty South Indian lemon rice or upma. Go international with an Asian fried rice, using barley instead or a spicy Mexican rice, using quinoa. I like adding a cup of cooked millets to a chopped salad to make it filling and wholesome.
