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I walk on a road lush with dreams,
a road of forgotten and veiled dreams,
sometimes slowly, sometimes gaily,
sometimes lost, sometimes profound,
I walk a road of unknown mysteries,
fervently finding my way through the endless path.....

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Tangy Tomato Chicken - An iron enriched delight!


Iron is one of the most essential element for the human body. It is involved in numerous biological processes of the body. The average adult human contains about 0.005% body weight of iron, or abut four grams, of which three quarters is in hemoglobin- a level that remains constant despite only about one milligram of iron being absorbed each day, because the human body recycles its hemoglobin for the iron content.

Iron is most available to the body when chelated to amino acids and is also available for use as a common iron supplement. Glycine, the cheapest and most common amino acid is most often used to produce iron glycinate supplements.

According to World health organisation, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world, even through the mineral is present in a variety of foods.

Being a doctor, I come across patients with iron deficiency and low hemoglobin very frequently. 
The deficiency symptoms may range from nausea, weakness, ringing and buzzing sound in ears (tinnitus) and many other clear or vague symptoms.

But, a great deal of them can be covered by dietary changes alone. The good news is, iron is found in varying quantities in many a food items that we consume on a daily basis. 
In fact, most of the times, we don't even need to give special attention to our body's iron demand and needs as it is easily met on it's own.

Although, many a times, due to special circumstances specially in case of females, one needs extra iron as demanded by the body. Like in case of pregnant women, iron demand is increased and needs to be tackled by diet as well as supplements to keep the hemoglobin levels normal.

Talking about foods particularly rich in iron -Jaggary (gur) comes on top. It is regarded as the cheapest and richest source of iron. (Undoubtedly, delicious too).

There are many other cheap and easily available sources. Common ones being spinach,oats, nuts,soybean, fish, lentils, tofu , chicken, dates, bread etc. 

Out of these, I think, Chicken is my favourite source. Chicken is not just easily available but can also be cooked easily and is a very versatile food product.
One can eat it by simply boiling it or as a main dish, make rolls or fried snacks. The options are endless. And it tastes delicious early single time (remember KFC?) 

However, not all parts of a chicken provide the same amount of iron. Chicken liver supplies 11.63 milligrams of iron per 3.5-ounce serving, or about 65 percent of the nutrient’s daily value. Equivalent servings of chicken heart and chicken giblets supply about 50 percent and 36 percent of the daily value for iron, respectively. Chicken breasts and light meat broilers or fryers contain just over 1 milligram of iron each per 3.5-ounce serving, or roughly 6 percent of the daily value. Dark meat broilers or fryers have slightly more iron, providing about 7 percent of the nutrient’s daily value per 3.5-ounce serving. (Source -here)

Here I would like to share a very simple Chicken recipe that can be served as a main dish. It contains all the basic ingredients and can be cooked pretty quickly. No marination time, no lengthy procedures but a very delicious , tangy, rich and not to mention iron rich gravy.

I call it 'THE TANGY TOMATO CHICKEN'


Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 35-40 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients

Chicken : 1/2 kg or about 6 pieces
Tomato : 3 Large (Pureed) 
Onion : 2 Medium ( Coarsely chopped) 
Ginger - Garlic Paste : 1 Tbsp
Red Chilly Powder : 1 tsp or according to taste
Coriander Powder : 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : According to taste
Refined Oil ( you can use any other oil as well) : 2 tbsp
Water


Method

1) In a wok, take oil and add coarsely chopped onion. Fry it till golden-brown and then sieve through excess oil and keep it aside to cool a bit.( We need to grind it later) 







2) In the same oil , add chicken pieces, cook for about a minutes. Then add ginger-garlic paste, salt and Red chilly powder ( I add it to the chicken directly as it provides enhanced flavour and colour).






3) Fry it till raw smell of spices as well as chicken goes away ( usually 10-12 minutes) and it becomes brownish like this ,




4) In a grinder, add roughly chopped tomatoes, golden- brown onion and grind it to a smooth paste.

5) Add this paste to chicken and also add garam masala here.






6) Simmer the flame and cover it after giving a nice stir. 


7)) Let it cook for about 20-25 minutes, till chicken is soft and oil comes on the surface. Occasionally stirring in between. 
Doesn't it look simply mouth-watering? And believe me, it is extremely easy to cook and tastes delicious while being equally nutritious at the same time. 
x





8) Once the chicken curry is cooked completely, add a few drops of lemon juice if not sour enough. 

9) Take it off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. 




10) Serve hot with Roti or Naan. 






PS: I am helping in raising awareness against iron deficiency through these recipes with contain iron-rich ingredients in association with Livogen. 

For more details, check this out -  http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef/


Wishing you a happy, healthy and nutritious life!




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