Eat, cheat, repeat

Are you cheating yourself by not indulging or have you been eating healthy even on your cheat meal? Anu Abraham tells you how to go guilt-free and yet, not hurt your diet

Loaded nachos

Cheat meals are scheduled meals included in our diet. They are indulgent meals that we are not permitted to consume when we are on a diet. To choose a less unhealthy cheat meal would be better than indulging in a completely rich and calorie-rich meal. Sometimes, cheat meals are helpful for our body when we are on a diet. A cheat meal will increase the insulin level in our body, which aids in better digestion on that day. A change in the number of calories we take helps to elevate the body’s metabolism. Muscle formation aids the fat-burning process, and a cheat meal helps in muscle formation. So, the next time you bite into a cheat meal, relish it with a guilt-free attitude. Some good cheat meal options would be sweet potato fries, loaded nachos, homemade multi-grain burger, homemade aloo tikka, plain popcorn, masala sprouts, or any sweet made with jaggery.

Making homemade nachos is not rocket science. Nachos originated from a small Mexican village called Piedras Negras. A chef named Nacho had to innovate when a group of US military wives landed at his restaurant when all other restaurants were closed. Nacho was his brainchild made with leftover tortilla chips, shredded cheese and some jalapeno put together in the oven for a few minutes.

Nachos

Heat water with a pinch of salt in a pan.

Add rice flour and mix well.

Switch off the stove and close the lid. Allow the dough to cool.

Roll thin Indian flatbread (roti) with this dough and cut it into triangles.

Heat oil and deep fry the chips.

Coat the chips with a mixture of cheese powder and chilli powder.

You can also make the dough with 1 cup cornflour, water and 2 tbsp wheat flour with a pinch of salt.

Roll into thin rotis and make triangles. On a hot girdle, cook the triangles on both sides till the triangles are not raw.

Deep fry them and coat them with a mixture of cheese powder and chilli powder.

An overload of indulgence

“My mother is not a big fan of cheese. She, like typical mothers, is very particular about ensuring that we don’t eat junk food at all. Although she does not approve of cheesy goodness, her heart melted with cheese when she had this recipe I made with all my heart to change her opinion about cheese.

On one Father’s Day, I decided to make something special for her as she is the one who usually cooks delicacies for us. My mother is not just a seasoned cook but an incredible one too, so I was very nervous to offer her store-bought nachos that were loaded with the ingredient that she was not very fond of — cheese.

I received many compliments for this dish from my father and brother. But I was eagerly waiting for the praise that mattered the most to me, a compliment from my mother. And when I saw the sceptical look on her face change to a smile of approval, I was so thrilled. This dish has become her favourite snack in the recent past, and I am sure you will enjoy this dish as well. Do try this recipe and enjoy its cheesy goodness.

Loaded nachos

Ingredients (Serves 4)
A big bag of plain nachos or flavoured ones.
1 tomato, diced very finely
1 onion, diced very finely
Cheese (grated)
A packet of cheddar cheese
A packet of mozzarella cheese
Chipotle sauce /Barbecue sauce

Method
Take a non-stick pan and cover it with one layer of nachos. Cover the nachos with a layer of grated cheese and make sure you use both. Keep making the nacho layers and covering them with cheese until you have finally finished the nachos. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top layer. Now cover your nacho tower with your choice of sauce. Sprinkle your diced vegetables on top. Set your oven to 180° C and preheat the oven. Place your pan in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes and turn it off. When it comes out, the cheese should have melted. Do not keep it in the oven for more than 10 minutes as the nachos could lose their crunchiness. Serve it hot!

For seasoning
I mixed our vegetables with the spicy sauces to give it a spicy tang. If you have extra grated cheese, sprinkle it on top after removing the pan out from the oven.

(Recipe courtesy Shivani Pandit.)

One ingredient, one recipe

This column celebrates food and explores the possibility of forming an invisible chain that will bind us together as a family. Picking the most important ingredient of ‘love,’ we would want readers to send us a unique recipe that has either a childhood memory attached to it or, an interesting fact, or even a food philosophy they learned from their ancestors. We will hand-pick one unique recipe and publish it along with this column the following month. Please share your heritage recipe and story in 300 words with “Food Family: Love” mentioned in the subject line to [e-mail] by November 29.