It is often believed that, eating healthy keeps you feeling good and gives your baby the essential nutrients they need in the womb. During pregnancy period you could be more hungry than usual but that doesn’t mean you should be eating for you & your child. You need to concentrate on the quality of the food that you eat rather than the quantity of food on your plate.
Maintaining a healthily diet means changing the quantities of different foods you eat so that your diet is varied, rather than cutting out all your all-time favorites. Doctors also recommend to eat plenty of fruits & vegetables as these provide equal quantity of daily dosage of vitamins, minerals along with fiber content. Also it is recommended to drink ample quantity of water combining with fresh fruit juices in regular intervals. We have curated few easy to cook recipes which can come in handy, do take a quick glimpse to pamper your taste buds.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup curd (dahi) at room temperature
- Half cup regular cooked rice (short grained rice variants like sona masurior or surti works better than long grained rice)
- Half chopped cucumber (kheera) (optional)
- Split green grapes (angoor) (optional)
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (anaar dana) (optional)
- 1 tsp black mustard (rai) seeds
- 1 green chilli (hari mirch) chopped
- 1 to 2 whole dried red chilli (sabut lal mirch)
- 5-6 curry leaves (kadi patta)
- Half tsp Bengal gram (chana dal) (optional)
- Half tsp black gram (urad dal)
- Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to mix rice with curd, salt along with chopped cucumber (or grapes if available) and keep aside. Now comes the simple tampering part, heat the oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the lentils, split red chilies along with pinch of asafoetida. As soon as they turn light brown, add the green chilies and curry leaves. Then immediately take it off the flame, pour the tampering over the mixed curd rice & cover with lid for the tampering to it give a dum kind of effect.
*Serve garnished fresh with fried cashews or pomegranate seeds if available.
Tips: If required, you could add lukewarm milk to the curd rice. The milk prevents the curd rice from becoming curdling or too sour after a while. You could even cut down on the green chilies part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup crumbled tofu (extra firm variety)
- Fresh Coriander leaves chopped (humble serving)
- Half tsp pepper (kali mirch) powder
- One fourth tsp green chilli (hari mirch), finely chopped
- Half tbsp roasted garlic (lehsun) flakes
- Half tsp oregano flakes (optional)
- Half cup potato (aloo), boiled and mashed
- 1 tsp lemon (nimbu) juice
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to combine all the above ingredients to make a firm dough. Refrigerate the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then divide the dough into equal ball-shaped portions and flatten them to make cutlets shape and coat these with the bread crumbs. Fry in a hot pan with minimal oil till the cutlets turn crispy and golden brown in colour. Similarly, as per convenience you can bake these easy to make cutlets in a grill or oven. Just sprinkle generous amounts of lemon juice and serve with any dip or tangy tomato sauce.
Tips: You could cut down on the green chilies part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup chickpeas (chhola) soaked overnight
- Half cup soya chunks
- Half tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- Half cup onion (pyaaz), chopped
- Half cup tomato (tamatar), chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun) paste
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- Half tsp cumin (jeera) powder
- Half tsp dry mango powder (amchur) powder
- Half tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
- One fourth tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder
- Half tsp garam masala
- Half tsp chaat masala
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (hara dhaniya), chopped
- Water as required
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to soak the soya chunks in salty warm water for 10 minutes, drain well and wash. Drain and wash the chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. In a clean pressure cooker, mix the chickpeas, soya chunks, turmeric powder and salt. Add normal water till the chickpeas are completely submerged upto 1& half inch above and cook for three to four whistles on medium flame or till the chickpeas are completely cooked. Now comes the tampering part, for that heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, as they crackle, add the onions and saute till they turn light golden brown. Now add tomatoes and fry till they become mushy, then add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry further till raw smell disappears. Once tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste are fried thoroughly, add the dry spices starting with red chili, coriander, cumin, garam-masala, dry mango powder and mix well. Stir fry on a medium flame to cook properly for a couple of minutes.Transfer the cooked chickpeas and soya chunks from the pressure cooker to a fry pan. Add a little water to get a semi-gravy like consistency. After few minutes as you see a boil in the consistency add in the dried fenugreek leaves along with chat masala. If you are looking for a drier version, you can up the heat level till the water consistency has completely dried out. Now turn off the flame and cover with a lid for further five minutes so that the dish cooks evenly in its own heat.
*Garnish with coriander leaves before serving. Serve hot with roti’s of your choice, kulcha, paratha or even plain rice goes well with this dish.
Tips: You could cut down on the red chilies, ginger-garlic paste & garam masala part for a less spicy version.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups curd (dahi)
- One fourth cup gram chickpea flour (besan)
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- One fourth tsp cumin (jeera) powder
- One fourth tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- One fourth tsp mustard (sarson/rai) seeds
- One fourth tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tbsp garlic (lehsun), finely chopped
- Half tsp ginger (adrak), grated
- 1 dry red chillies (lal mirch)
- One fourth tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder
- 1 tbsp coriander (dhaniya) leaves, chopped
- A few curry leaves (kadhi patta)
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to blend together the curd and the gram chickpea flour (besan) in a mixer. Add in water, chili, cumin, turmeric powder along with salt and mix well. Next heat oil in a pan, add whole chilli, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds, as they start to splutter, add in cumin seeds, garlic & ginger and stir fry. Saute for further 20 seconds and pour in the curd-besan mix while stirring continuously to avoid any lumps from forming. Keep stirring on low flame till the raw smell of the gram chickpea flour (besan) disappears. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to get a semi-gravy like consistency. Leave on for a couple of minutes and remove from the flame upon reaching desired semi-gravy like consistency. Garnish with curry leaves & coriander leaves.
*Serve hot with roti’s of your choice or even plain rice goes well with this dish.
Tips: You could cut down on the red chilies, grated ginger & garlic part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 cups green gram (hari moong), split with skin
- One fourth cup gram flour (besan)
- Fresh Coriander leaves chopped (humble serving)
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tsp green chillies (hari mirch), finely chopped
- 1 tsp dry raw mango powder (aamchur) (optional)
- Half tsp turmeric (haldi)
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- Water for making the batter
- Oil for frying
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to soak the green gram for 2 hours and drain, later blend with gram flour, turmeric and some water in a mixer to make a smooth batter that is not too runny consistency. Transfer this batter to a bowl, add the asafoetida, green chilies, salt and mix well. Now using a round serving spoon, pour one spoonful of batter on a non-stick pan or flat-bottomed pan. Spread the batter in a circular motion to form a round roti shape. Cook evenly till the cheela turns in light brown colour on both sides. Add oil as per need and remove from flame. Repeat the above process to make more moong dal cheelas.
*Serve hot with raita, mint, coriander chutney or tangy tomato sauce.
Tips: You could cut down on the green chilies for a less spicy version. Pre heat the pan on high flame, later after pouring the batter, cook on medium flame to cook evenly.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup mixed sprouts
- One fourth tsp black mustard (rai/sarson) seeds
- 2 red chillies (lal mirch)
- 1 tsp curry leaves (kadi patta)
- 2 tbsp coconut (nariyal) flakes
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- Water as needed
- Oil for frying
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to pressure cook the sprouts for two whistles and remove from the flame. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add in the split red chilies, curry leaves, along with asafoetida. Then add in the cooked sprouts, coconut flakes, salt & stir fry in medium low flame for a while and serve hot.
Tips: You could cut down on the red chilies part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch spinach (paalak) leaves, washed and chopped
- 1 medium onion (pyaaz) chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic (lehsun) chopped
- One fourth cup milk
- 1 small green chilli (hari mirch) chopped
- 2-3 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 1 tsp lemon (nimbu) juice
- Half litre of vegetable stock
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then add in garlic and saute for about half a minute, next add the onions and stir fry till they turn soft and translucent. Later, add the green chillies & black pepper and saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped spinach leaves and cook with the vegetable stock for about 1 minute on low heat. Do not overcook as the spinach could lose its nutrients along with color.Remove from the flame and allow it to cool and then transfer in a blender jar to form a smooth puree in a mixer. Pour the mixture in a pan, then add the milk and cook on a low flame for a minute. Remove from the heat and serve warm, if required you could also add in few drops of lemon juice before serving.
Tips: You could cut down on the green chilies & black pepper part for a less spicy version.
- 3 tbsp rice (choose any variety you normally use)
- 2 tbsp jaggery (gur) powder
- One fourth cup almonds (badaam)
- One fourth cup seedless dates (khajoor)
- 2 cups double-toned or low-fat milk, boiled
- Half tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
- Half cup chopped pistachios (pista), raisin (kishmish) & almonds (badaam) ( optional )
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to soak the rice in 2 cups of water for about half an hour. In a separate dish, soak the dates in one cup of warm milk for about an hour. In a separate glass bowl soak the almonds in hot water for fifteen minutes and then remove the peel. Drain the rice and grind to a paste along with the peeled almonds and soaked dates. Add one part milk to make it a slightly runny paste. Leftover milk can be used to soak the dates. Next, put a saucepan on the stove and keep the flame low and pour the entire paste slowly. Add the leftover milk while stirring constantly so that no lumps form & cautiously do allow the mixture to stick on the pans bottom. Cook on low flame for about 10 minutes, and till the rice is completely cooked. Add the jaggery and cardamom powder and remove from flame. Top it with chopped dried fruit and nuts and serve warm or chilled.
Tips: You could cut down on the jaggery part for a less sweeter version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped drumsticks (sajjan ki phalli/sehijan)
- 1 cup chopped yam (jimikand/ suran)
- 1 cup chopped carrots (gajar)
- 1 cup chopped green beans (beens)
- 1 cup chopped yellow pumpkin (kaddu/ sitaphal)
- 1 raw plantain (kacha kela), chopped
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- 1 cup curd (dahi)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (kadi patta)
- Three quarters cup of freshly grated coconut (nariyal)
- 3 green chillies (hari mirch), sliced
- Half tsp oil, coconut (nariyal) oil or normal cooking oil
- Water, as needed
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to coarsely grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds, curry leaves and few chilies into a paste by adding little water. Now cut the drumsticks, yam, carrots, green beans, and yellow pumpkin into long rectangular pieces. For the plantain, peel the ridges keeping the outer skin untouched & chop these into rectangular pieces. Cook the chopped vegetables in a covered pan filled with water till they become soft.To this add turmeric powder, curry leaves, green chilies and salt as required. Add in the previously grated coconut based paste and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in the curd, oil, and cumin seeds to the mix and leave on for a couple of minutes, till it reaches to a semi-gravy consistency, then serve hot with rice.
Tips: You could cut down on the green chilies part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup cow peas (lobhia)
- 1 cup mushrooms (khumb), sliced
- 1 cup onion (pyaaz), chopped
- 1 cup tomato (tamatar), chopped
- One fourth tsp green chillies (hari mirch), chopped
- 1 tsp garlic (lehsun), finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger (adrak), finely chopped
- One fourth inch piece of cinnamon (dalchini)
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- Half tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
- One fourth tsp cumin seeds (sabut jeera)
- One fourth tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing) powder
- One fourth tsp pepper (kali mirch) powder
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (hara dhaniya), chopped
- Half tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 1-2 tsps oil
- Water as required
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method: To prepare this dish, you need to soak the lobhia in water for about four hours, later drain & wash. Soaking in hot water for around four hours will aid the cooking process. Pressure cook the lobhia with salt and water for around three whistles or more till they turn soft & turn off the flame allowing it to rest for some time. In a pan, heat some oil and put in half the cumin seeds and asafoetida, as they start to crackle, add the onions saute until the onions turn golden brown. Then add the ginger, garlic and green chillies, & stir for a few more minutes. Next add the tomatoes and keep frying till they turn mushy and the oil starts to separate. Remove from the flame, allow to cool and grind this masala mixture into a fine paste by adding little amounts of water if required.In a separate pan, heat some oil, add in the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and the remaining cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to crackle, add the blended paste to it and mix well. Now add in the turmeric, coriander, red chili, pepper powder and salt while mixing it well and cooking it for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the cooked lobhia and sliced mushroom and mix well. Add in some extra water if required to get the semi-gravy like consistency. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for another five more minutes & remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or rice.
Tips: You could cut down on the green, red chilies & pepper part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour (atta)
- Half cup mixed sprouts boiled
- Half cup peas (matar), boiled
- One fourth cup onions (pyaaz), finely chopped
- 1tsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun) paste
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (hara dhaniya), finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- Half tsp green chillies (hari mirch), finely chopped
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- 1 tsp dry raw mango powder (aamchur)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Water as required
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to knead the whole-wheat flour with salt and water to form a soft dough & keep aside by covering with a damp cloth. Meanwhile, blend the onion and green chilies to make a paste & keep aside in a separate bowl. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, to this add the blended ginger-garlic paste and keep stir frying until the oil separates. Later add the turmeric, aamchur & garam masala powder along with boiled sprouts, peas along with salt and mix well. Add a little water, cover the pan and cook for five more minutes. Remove the lid and keep cooking until the water reduces, till the mixture becomes completely dry. Later remove from the flame, garnish with coriander leaves and allow to cool. Take the dough and split into medium-sized balls, now roll out into your desired shape, place about one to 2 tsp of the sprouts and peas masala at the center. Then carefully fold over and with light pressure roll out again so that the stuffing spreads evenly. Cook the parathas evenly on both sides using a non-stick pan or traditional cast iron with minimal oil or ghee.
*Serve hot with curd or favourite chutney of your choice.
Tips: Heat to the pan is to be shuffled between medium & low according to requirement. Mostly cooking on medium low heat cooks the paratha perfectly from deep within. You could cut down on the green chilies & garam masala part for a less spicy version.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Half cup soya chunks
- Half cup green peas (matar), boiled
- Half cup boiled potatoes (aloo) largely diced
- Half tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun)
- Half cup onions (pyaaz), chopped
- Half cup tomatoes (tamatar), chopped
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing) powder
- One fourth tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- Half tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
- Half tsp green chillies (hari mirch), finely chopped
- Half tsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (hara dhaniya), chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt as per taste
Preparation Method:
To prepare this dish, first you need to boil water in a pan and add in the soya chunks with a pinch of salt. Keep it on a rolling boil for about two minutes & remove from the flame. Cover it with a lid and let it sit for about 10 minutes & later drain the water and squeeze the soya chunks to remove excess water. Next heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds as they crackle, add the green chilies, onions, asafoetida, ginger-garlic paste, and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for two to three minutes until the tomatoes soften into a paste. Now add the turmeric, coriander & chili powder and mix well, later add the soya chunks, potatoes, green peas, & salt. Mix well and close lid and cook for further five minutes on low flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis, kulchas or rice.
Tips: You could cut down on the green & red chilies part for a less spicy version.
Summary: All we want to say, as a mother you need to be careful while choosing your diet during pregnancy as over eating even while you are not hungry could lead to digestive disorders. Eating in small quantities can be helpful & always remember to chew your food properly which will aid in proper digestion. It is often recommend to completely avoid caffeine, alcohol, undercooked meat and eggs during pregnancy. Remember as a mother you can cleverly tailor your diet to meet these demands and support a healthy fetal development.
*It is always a good idea to consult a doctor when planning a pregnancy diet.
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