Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services. Cooking Tips for Healthy Eating in the South Asian Community

Transcription

1 Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services Cooking Tips for Healthy Eating in the South Asian Community

2 Making lifestyle changes such as eating healthily, increasing activity levels and stopping smoking can help reduce your risk of developing a number of serious health conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes, which are very common within the South Asian community. The following cooking tips will help to make traditional dishes healthier. 2

3 d COMMONLY EATEN FOODS When making chapatti s try to: When making thepla try to: When making papad try to: When making poori try to: HEALTHY COOKING TIPS Use less or no oil in the dough. Tip: make the chapatti with a little boiling water and some skimmed or semi skimmed milk instead of oil, and serve whilst warm. Chapatti s can be kept hot and soft in foil. Avoid spreading saturated fat such as butter/ghee on them. You could try a polyunsaturated or monounsaturated spread such as a sunflower or olive oil based version. Look for low fat options and remember to use sparingly, better still try them dry. Use different types of flour such as number 3 as this will increase the fibre content of your diet, or you can now buy a blend of white and wholemeal chapatti flour. Fibre is needed in the diet to keep your bowel healthy. Make thicker theplas, as less fat will be used to cook the same quantity. Cook in a non-stick chapatti pan, over a medium heat. Make sure both sides are cooked. This can be done with less oil using a teaspoon measure than a tablespoon. Serve with natural low fat yoghurt. Use less salt in the dough. Try coriander or chilli to add flavour instead. Cook them in the microwave - sprinkle 3-4 drops of water, and heat as instructed on packet or alternatively grill them. Instead of serving papads with a pickle why not try to serve them with an onion and tomato mixture. To make the mixture: cut small pieces of onion and tomato and mix together with lemon juice, coriander and a touch of red chilli powder. Or serve with a low fat dip like cucumber and mint raita (see page 5) Try to limit your intake of these foods are they are high in fat and can cause weight gain. Make the dough using wheat flour and a little hot warm water the dough needs to be stiffer than for chapatti s. Try to avoid adding salt to the dough. Use a monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oil to fry the poori such as rapeseed, olive or sunflower oil. Shallow fry rather than deep fry each poori Make sure the oil is hot or the poori will not puff up. Try gently pressing down with a slotted spoon and the poori will puff up turn and wait for the other side to gently brown. Drain/blot on a paper towel to remove excess fat. 3

4 When making curries try to: Meat Use vegetable based oil e.g. rapeseed, olive or sunflower oil rather than ghee/butter when cooking. Avoid products labelled cholesterol free as these are often misleading. Use less oil in cooking. Even if you use vegetable, olive, sunflower or corn oil they are all high in calories. Tip: measure the amount of fat you add with a tablespoon, rather than pouring the oil straight from the container (e.g. for vaghar which is a blend of spices, purified in hot oil and then added to the dhal) and gradually reduce the amount you use. Try using a maximum of 1 tablespoon of oil for a family of four. Try spray oils. Use a non-stick pan to reduce the amount of oil needed. To prevent the food from sticking, use a lower heat. This will enable you to use less oil when you start cooking. Fry spices and pour off extra oil then continue cooking. Drain off any excess oil floating on the surface of the curry. Add extra vegetables or pulses (peas, beans, lentils or dhals) or serve the curry with salad. Try to avoid re-frying previously cooked curries as this will increase the fat content. Remember to change the oil in your oil pan frequently, as it quickly becomes saturated with every use (Maximum 4 uses). Follow the cooking methods already described to make a curry. Buy lean cuts of meat and remove all visible fat before cooking. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey before cooking. If making keema drain off excess fat once the meat has been browned. Try tandoori-style, dry roasting, grilling or baking meats instead of making curries. Good alternatives to meat are beans, peas, pulses, lentils, soya, tofu or mycoprotein e.g. quorn or textured vegetable protein (TVP). These are low in fat and maybe fortified with vitamin and minerals to make them nutritionally equivalent to meat. 4

5 Oily Fish Potato Paneer When making dhal: When cooking rice: Try to have oily fish e.g. salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout and herring at least once a week. You can make curries using oily fish like sardines and mackerel. They can be made simply by heating the spices, onions and tinned tomatoes in a pan see tips making a curry (see page 4) and adding the tinned/fresh fish (it is best to use fish tinned in tomato sauce rather than oil to keep the calories down) once the curry base is made gently heat the oily fish to avoid mashing up the fish. Or you could try other curry dishes made with fish like tikka fish. Follow the cooking methods already described to make a curry. Slice the potatoes into thick wedges. Cook the potatoes with their skins on, as the skin contains fibre. Follow the cooking methods already described to make a curry. Paneer is high in fat hence should be eaten occasionally. It can be made with semi skimmed or skimmed milk which will reduce the fat content. Replace recipes that call for paneer with firm tofu. No one will notice the difference! Follow the cooking methods already described to make a curry. If making dhal with yoghurt or cream replace with a low fat yoghurt instead. Choose peas, beans, lentils and dhals more often as these are naturally low in fat and high in fibre. They are also a good source of protein. When boiling rice try not to add oil, ghee or salt. Try to avoid adding butter/margarine to the cooked rice. Choose boiled rice more often than fried rice and avoid re-frying previously cooked rice. Try brown rice occasionally or a mixture of brown and white rice. Add boiled vegetables such as carrots, sweetcorn and peas to the rice. 5

6 When making raita try to use: Use natural low fat plain yoghurt. If you make homemade yoghurt try using semi skimmed or skimmed milk. Many people think that low fat milks will not curdle properly, however this is not true! The lower fat milk curdles just as well. To help, add skimmed milk powder to the milk after boiling as this will help the milk curdle (use approximately 1 tablespoon skimmed milk powder to make a large bowl of yoghurt). To increase your fruit and vegetable intake try to add extra grated/chopped vegetables and fruits to raitas. Avoid adding salt. Try freshly chopped mint or ground cumin to taste. When making mixed bhajias: When making samosa/kachori: Try to limit your intake of these foods are they are high in fat and can cause weight gain. Make a thick paste with the gram flour and all the other ingredients (potatoes, onion, cabbage, lemon juice, chopped coriander, yoghurt, crushed chillies turmeric, black pepper, cumin seeds, and carom seeds). Add a little water if required. Spoon the mixture into a non-stick frying pan and cook until brown, turning as necessary. Try to shallow fry using a monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat if possible for e.g. sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil rather than ghee. Try to limit your intake of these foods are they are high in fat and can cause weight gain. Avoid deep-frying samosas. Try baking or grilling them instead, brush on a little oil. Turn once to ensure both sides are lightly browned. Try adding extra vegetables to fillings rather than meat. Use less butter/ghee in the pastry and use a polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat for example sunflower, corn, olive or rapeseed based spreads and oils. Try frozen filo pastry as this can be a low fat option. Cook in the oven for a crunchy samosa. 6

7 When making kheer try to: When making carrot halva try to: Drinks Use semi skimmed milk. Use a maximum of 1 tablespoon sugar/artificial sweetener (for 4 servings) or add carrot, vanilla or rose essence for flavouring. Cook in a non-stick pan on a low heat to prevent sticking. Add a tablespoon of dried fruit e.g. sultanas at the end as this will help increase fibre in the diet. Use semi skimmed milk instead of full fat milk or cream. Use a maximum of 1 tablespoon low fat margarine (for six servings) instead of ghee/butter. Cook in a non-stick pan on a low heat to prevent sticking. Use a maximum of 1 tablespoon of sugar/artificial sweetener if required. It is important to drink at least 8 glasses of fluid per day! You could try to drink more water or unsweetened diluted fruit juice. Lassi can be made in several different ways. In Punjab, people drink sweet lassi and fruit-flavoured lassi. In Gujarat and the South, it s savoury with salt, cumin and mint. When making your own lassi try to use semi skimmed or skimmed milk and use less salt or sugar. Salt Reduce the amount of salt you use when cooking i.e. curry, rice, salad, and lassi. Avoid adding salt at the table. Use different flavours as an alternative to salt, e.g. black pepper, fresh herbs, mixed spices, chilli, garlic, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Cut down on foods such as cheese, sev, chevda, pooris, pakoras, salted nuts, pickles, crisps. For further information please contact: Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Service Units 11/12 Warren Park Way Enderby Leicester LE19 4SA Developed by Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services Reviewed February 2014 Crown Copyright Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Access our website at 7