Rice can be used for preparation of 13 meals including poha, dal rice and idli
Highlights
- You can add diversity to your diet with just rice, wheat and lentils
- The three can be used for preparation of a variety of meals
- They are nutritious, inexpensive and are easy-to-cook
Quarantine meal plan: In this period of lockdown, one can fall short of ideas of meals in a day. Staying at home all day means you are consuming most of your meals at home, which means that you need more ideas for different meals every day. Coming to rescue you all is celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar. In a recent IGTV, she talks about the variety of foods that can be prepared with some simple Indian foods like rice and wheat. "This quarantine period should be used to review, relearn and revive our culture. This entire period should be used to rethink how we live our life," Diwekar says in the video.
Quarantine meal plan: How you can make variety of healthy meals with just a few Indian foods
Rice
Rice is a staple part of people's diet in India. Following are examples of ways to utilise rice for preparing your meals.
Rice can be used for preparing:
- Dal rice
- Curd rice
- Rice roti (with rice aata) - This can be beneficial for people with gluten intolerance
- Sweet rice (by adding jaggery)
- Idli
- Dosa
- Poha (flat rice) (you can have it like chivda, with curd or milk)
- Murmura (puffed rice) (sev puri, jhal muri, or just ghee roast it with some rock salt)
- Pulao (prepare with a variety of vegetables)
- Kheer
- Rice soup
- Rice can easily be considered as the Indian superfood, which can come to your rescue in these difficult times. It is inexpensive, nutritious, non-fattening, can be cooked in multiple ways and is easy-to-cook.
Also read: 21-Day Lockdown: 10 Diet And Workout Tips That You Can Follow
Wheat
Wheat is a staple food commonly found in most Indian households. This humble grain can be used for the following
- Roti
- Parantha (Ajwain, cauliflower, peas, onion, potato, raddish, carrot etc)
- Shakkar/Namak para
- Poori (deep fried)
- Matthri
- Halwa
- Dalia
Also read: Quarantine Tips: Yoga Asanas To Get Rid Of Knee, Back Pain And Some Effective Ways To Make The Most Of Your Time At Home
Lentils
The mention of Indian food is simply incomplete without the mention of dals. Following are the multiple ways you can use lentils for your meals:
- Moong dal
- Chana dal
- Toor dal
- Dal soup (with leftover dal)
- Moong dal dosa
- Cheela
- Dal halwa
- Dal barfi
- Dal laddoo
- Dal chutney
- Dal parantha
Lentils are also diverse in nature and can be used for a variety of meals
Photo Credit: iStock
Ragi/Kuttu/Jowar/Bajra
All these grains can be used for preparation of roti, kheer, halwa, dosa, laddoo.
Now for the preparation of all of the aforementioned foods and meal ideas, you need a few common ingredients:
1. Spices (all of them as they have been traditionally used in your family)
2. Salt
3. Oil
4. Ghee
5. Sugar
All of these foods, meals and ingredients can make your diet extremely diverse during this quarantine period. "See how many dishes you can prepare with these ingredients as per your culture, practical usage and creativity," says Diwekar while giving an interesting equation for this:
Indian food all-rounders (x) culture, practical use, creativity = health, happiness and togetherness for the entire family during the lockdown.
Also read: Coronavirus Quarantine Tips: Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal Shares A Weekly Diet Plan For The Lockdown Period
(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.