Recipe: How to make healthy French fries

Integrative nutritionist and fitness expert Payal Kothari shares her recipe. 

• Can french fries be healthy? Yes, it's possible!

Healthy fries with herbs and olive oil, served with beetroot ketchup

Ingredients:

Serves: 2

• 2 big potatoes
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• Fresh coriander
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For beetroot ketchup:

• 2 cups cubed and cooked beetroot
• 1 tomato
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar/jaggery
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ red onion
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper

Method:

• Parboil the potatoes in a vessel. Put a fork through them to make sure they don't get overcooked.
• Remove from water and slice carefully into the length of French fries.
• Add chopped rosemary and coriander to the olive oil and gently brush on the potatoes.
• Arrange on a pre-greased tray and put into a pre-heated oven for 7-8 minutes at 200 degrees.

For beetroot ketchup:

• Heat all ingredients over a medium flame in a saucepan until all the liquid has thickened.
• After letting it cool for a couple of minutes, blend the mixture till it has a smooth ketchup like consistency.

Vegetable Pad Thai

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• ½ packet flat, wide rice noodles
• 1½ tbsp soya sauce
• ¼ fresh lime juice
• Red chilli flakes, crushed
• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp jaggery
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 bowl cabbage, grated
• 1 turnip, grated
• 1 cup of bean sprouts
• 2 tsp roasted peanuts
• 1 clove of chopped garlic
• ½ cup of diced semi-firm tofu
• ½ cup broccoli
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Boil noodles according to the instructions on the packet. On a wide pan put oil to simmer, add garlic and grated vegetables to semi-cook.
• Add the soya sauce, jaggery, salt and lime juice to the cooked vegetables in the pan.
• Toss in the noodles and sprinkle peanut powder, chilli flakes and tofu on top.
• Toss once again gently without breaking the tofu.