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Posted on 23 December 2011 |
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A foodie’s guide to a light Dinner
Author Shubhra Krishan share tips and recipes on how to make your lavish dinners healthy and lighter on your waist
Riya Chakravarty
New Delhi
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Photo: Naveesh |
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JOURNALIST-TURNED-author, Shubhra Krishan is a foodie and in her newest book, Thinner Dinner, presents a pot-pourri of delicious food that can make for a sumptuous dinner without adding much to the waist.
TEHELKA managed to have a small chat with the author on the importance of a healthy dinner, street food and about her favourite dish – dal and chawal. Edited excerpts.
What made you write a book on dinners?
I have written four books before this. But, I really wanted to write a cookbook. The interesting mismatch between dinner being a great opportunity to eat well and also being a time when you need to know how much you are consuming appealed to me. One really needs to strike a balance. How does one overcome that challenge? So that’s when I thought why not put a book which is interesting and works as a friendly dialogue between the readers and me.
Indians have a tendency to eat a lot of rice and fried food. How important is it for us to have the right kind of dinner?
It is very important. People who eat a lot at night don’t sleep well as they feel heavy. You wake up feel lethargic. Some people will either skip breakfast which is bad idea or eat heavy. I feel the smart thing to do is eat good food, make it delicious to cut it down on calories.
Even if you are having your staple food, as I have mentioned in the book that I love dal chawal because it’s hot, delicious and tastes hundred times better when you are sitting in front of the tv. I didn’t want to give up dal-chawal because I knew I would not last on soup for long. So, I decided to make it healthy simply by cutting down my daily intake. Earlier I used to have a big bowl of rice; and later I cut it down to a quarter bowl and having lots of dal. It is very satisfying and you eventually enjoy your staple diet.
In your book, you suggest on indulging into street food. Why is it so?
The good thing about Indian street food is that it is healthy. For instance, bhel puri is a healthy snack. If you have it at 4pm or 5pm, you don’t feel hungry for dinner, which is a very good thing. Then you will be happy with some toast and soup for dinner
You can have papri chat and golgappa which is not fattening. At home you can have roasted chana murmura with little mustard oil and salt. A little bit of spice and it tastes so good! So that is the kind of food for an evening snack: you don’t have to think hard about what to make for dinner. You automatically tend to keep the dinner light. If you are still hungry, pop in a few almonds which are filling. Enjoy your street food, but choose the right one. If you binge on samosas, that is something to worry about.
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‘One has to strike a balance between eating well during dinners and how much one is eating’ |
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You have written the book in an interactive way, using doodles and illustrations. Was it a conscious effort?
That’s how I write and since I am not a boring person I can’t write boringly (Laughs).
I know what boring is as I have been through that and I have seen books that put me off because it’s so heavy. I certainly won’t like to inflict something like that on my readers. I would like to be gentle and that’s the whole fun.
I enjoy interacting and sharing and I guess that comes through the book. The illustration makes it peppy and colourful and that’s the way your dinner should also be.
After dinner, what is your next serving?
I am nearly done with my next book. It’s called the Delhi Restaurant Cookbook. It will feature signature recipes of chefs from New Delhi’s best restaurants.
I had a lot of fun writing it. I spent time with lot of chefs and shared tips. I have a very interesting buffet of recipes to offer to my readers. I want to eat well, cook well and write well.
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