Healthy eating needn't be boring!

A Happy New Year to everyone in and around Audlem. As the New Year Resolutions start to kick in and everyone begins to watch what they eat, we thought it would great to tell everyone about the health benefits of spice and many of the ingredients we use in our cookery classes!

For example, did you know that spices can actively speed up your metabolism? Or that many Indian dishes are not cooked using Ghee also known as clarified butter? Garlic and Ginger are both proven to have great healthy properties including the aeration of the blood and even helping to keep those winter colds at bay!

Lentils are also a big staple in Indian Cooking and they are a very good source of fibre, iron and protein.

So to that end we thought we would share a traditional Indian dhal with everyone:

Traditional Gujarati Dhal

• 400g red lentils
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or mustard seeds
• 1 birds ete green chilli
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Salt to season

In a pressure cooker, cover the lentils with enough cold water to come to around two inches above their surface. Bring to the boil (skim off any scum that rises to the top), and reduce to a simmer. Then stir in the turmeric and salt to taste. Then separately, in a frying pan, soften the onions in the oil along with the spices, chilli and garlic. Once soft, add the mustard/cumin seeds and cook until they start to splutter. Remove from the heat and add to the lentils and continue to cook over a low heat for around 5-10 minutes.

NB To finish off you can add a small knob of butter if you want to but if you're trying to be healthy then it will be just as delicious without.

Serve in a bowl and top with a fillet of fish or meat/vegetables of your choice!

If you're interested in learning more about Indian Cookery then all of our courses are on offer throughout the month of January 2018 at £35 per person (min 4 persons).

For more information and to take a look at all the different courses we offer visit our website www.rosepetalsandrice.com or email us letsgetcooking@rosepetalsandrice.com

Zalena
Rose Petals and Rice

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