Debinna Bonnerjee has been in the spotlight ever since she shot to fame for playing Goddess Sita in the 2008 show Ramayan. She currently stars in the reality show Pati Patni Aur Panga alongside actor husband Gurmeet Chaudhary. The actress is particular about her diet and explains why she turned vegan. And when she finds the time to cook, her husband Gurmeet loves the stew and the jhol she makes, and is especially fond of Bhaate Bhat which Debinna says she makes by mashing potatoes and veggies in rice along with salt and sarson ka tel. She raves, “It tastes divine.”
My dietary preference: I was a vegetarian for a long time, and recently I have also turned vegan. I had heard that the gut is our second brain, so I took a gut test. I found out that because of the presence or absence of some bacteria, you get depression and anxiety. So I started a gut-healing diet. I turned vegan because milk and milk products are very harmful for the gut. I also eliminated wheat and any kind of gluten from my diet.
My favourite food: Broccoli soup. I have it for breakfast with a mix of chia seeds, flax seeds, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds. It has coconut milk and coconut chunks and I really love it … you guys must try it.
The first thing I have after waking up: Warm water with turmeric, lemon juice, ginger, black pepper and a little salt.
My breakfast: A chia seed ball with lots of nuts and seeds.
For lunch I have: Roti made of almond flour with a vegetable that always varies. These days I have zucchini, sweet potato or tofu -- things that are very good for your gut.
My evening snack: I don’t snack in the evening, instead I have an early dinner. If you have your dinner by 6.30-7 pm, that’s the best thing you can do for your health.
My dinner: Almond flour roti and baingan ka bharta or I will have some soup and a vegetable.
My favourite desserts: When I am not on a strict diet, it would be jalebi. Also a favourite is keto cheesecake from Farmers Cafe in Bandra – most celebrities go there and it has became very famous. When we really feel like having outside food, we eat from there because you don’t break your diet and the food is yum.
One thing I cook very well: Stew. Put everything in the pressure cooker and give it a whistle (laughs. And it’s healthy. Before pressure cooking, sauté some garlic which gives a good aroma and adds flavour.
Foods I consciously avoid: Fried food. I just get repulsed by the aroma. When people say that they love bhajiyas in the rains, I just can’t relate. I don’t like even the smell of bhajiyas being fried.
Representative image |
Recipe of Shukto
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chana dal (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
Sufficient mustard oil
1 drumstick (cut into 2-inch pieces)
1 medium-sized sweet potato (cut into medium-sized wedges)
1 medium-sized bitter gourd (karela, cut into thin strips)
1 raw banana (cut into medium-sized cubes)
1 medium-sized brinjal (cut into 4 to 6 strips or cubes)
1 medium-sized jhinge (ridge gourd — cut into cubes)
1 medium-sized radish (cut into cubes)
100 gms pumpkin (cut)
A pinch of Radhuni spice and 1 tsp ginger paste (mix well in 2 tablespoons of water)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon panch foran
1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 cup water
1 cup milk
Pink salt as per taste
1 tablespoon ghee
Method:
Grind the chana dal along with salt to taste and 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder to a thick paste. Add little water while grinding. Heat sufficient oil to a smoking point. Make medium-sized flat wadas and fry them on a medium flame till golden, and keep aside. In the same oil, fry the karela and brinjal on a medium flame till nice and crisp. Remove and keep aside. In the remaining oil, add bay leaf and panch foran. Once it crackles, add all the veggies and sauté for a few minutes on a medium flame. Add salt, ginger-garlic paste, hot water, milk, strained Radhuni-ginger water and fried wadas. Mix gently and cook on a low flame till the veggies are done. Add ghee on top and serve hot with steamed rice.
