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Ruchira tells us how a healthy vegan breakfast, chilla, helped her reduce weight, without compromising on taste. An exclusive for Different Truths.
One fine morning nearly four years ago, I had discovered, to my horror, that my weight had touched a staggering 94.8kgs. I admit I have always been plump; you could say a tad overweight, but this was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back. With steely determination, I got in touch with a couple of nutritionists and dieticians (whatever you may call them) to get back into acceptable shape. They asked me to get a whole-body checkup done. The test reports revealed that I was pre-diabetic, with a moderate level of cholesterol.
Having gone through the reports, the two of them forthwith got down to chalking out a diet chart for me. At the very outset, I had told them I was a hardcore non-vegetarian, had little or no interest in fruits and sweets but with a strong penchant for any or all kinds of spicy (aka chatpata) eatables. Also, that I was hooked on snacking. They designed the diet menu accordingly. I was prescribed a maximum of two eggs per week. With the yolk on, that is. However, minus the yolk I could eat as many eggs as I wished to. But what would I do for the remaining five days? So, very considerately they jotted down Chilla and that’ s how my romance with this adorable item began.
Besan Omelette
For the uninitiated, chilla in the simplest of terms is nothing but Besan (chickpea flour) Ka Omelette. Yes, because Besan, which replaces the egg has the same basic content i.e., protein, so essential for life to thrive. Just as in case of egg omelettes you can vary the ingredients, while preparing the batter for chilla – chopped onion, green chilli, tomato, red chilli powder, fresh parsley leaves, etc. You could add half a teaspoon of carom seeds / bishop’s weed (the ubiquitous ajwain) to further enhance the taste.
If you would like your chilla to be a little more filling and wholesome, add two to three tablespoons of plain oats to the batter.
If you would like your chilla to be a little more filling and wholesome, add two to three tablespoons of plain oats to the batter. Again, just like omelettes you can vary the size and thickness as per your requirement.
Interestingly, the dietician duo enthusiastically promoted the concept of ‘Vegan’ diet, which is gaining global popularity. I pooh-poohed the idea. But they cajoled and persisted. Ultimately, we reached a consensus on eggs. I was thrilled to learn thatasection of the Vegan brigade is open to including eggs in their diet, christening it as ovo-vegetarian. That’s okay with me because egg-laying is a painless natural process for hens. (Veganism abstains from any type of physical torture, agony or bloodshed inflicted on living creatures at any step or stage).
Tasty Discovery
This led to yet another tasty discovery. You can take three to four tablespoons of plain oats and moisten them with water for a few minutes. Thereafter an egg and a pinch of salt (add chilli powder or black pepper powder also if you wish) are to be mixed with the oats to compose the batter. The next step is lightly frying the batter in vegetable oil and voila! you have a crispy, healthy omelette that is both nutritious and light on the stomach.
Believe it or not these recipes have contributed in a big way … towards my weight reduction.
Believe it or not these recipes have contributed in a big way (along with other healthy stuff of course) towards my weight reduction. Most importantly these satisfy my craving for non-bland stuff. I would therefore highly recommend these for one and all.
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Feature picture from dreamstime.com
