Are you looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle? Or are you willing to adopt a vegan lifestyle to save the planet apart from losing weight? If your answer is yes, roasted chana is your solution. When everyone around you is trying to eat healthy in today’s times, it can be motivating to eliminate junk food from your diet. But because everyone is so busy, they usually do not have the time to make a healthy diet. Here is a healthy snack that is tasty and everyone can enjoy it as well, irrespective of gender, age group, etc.
Consuming pulses are always an easy way to have a healthy and tasty diet which also improves weight loss. The reason behind it is that Chana, with its outer cover, is high in fibre and the pulse is very high in protein. This makes it hard to digest, thus keeping the person full for a long time. In short, Chana acts as a filler, preventing us from taking any more food for a long time, including things to munch on because we are full already. So, if you are looking to opt for a healthy and vegan option that can be your go-to snack, consider.
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So, how does Roasted Chana really help in weight loss?
Weight loss is a process where calories play a much bigger role than exercise. What we take in our food, how often we intake food, all of it plays a huge role. Chana is low on calories. It is high on protein and when had with its outer covering, makes it high on fibre as well. Higher fibre means better bowel movement. High protein means time taking to digest. This means, the consumer will be full for quite some time, all of it assuming it is had in a considerable amount. A longer time to digest means lower calorie intake.
Are there any other benefits of Roasted Chana?
Chana is always highly recommended by dieticians and nutritionists. It is not just because it aids in weight loss. It is because it has a lot more benefits than just high protein, high fibre and low calories. It has many other benefits. Like, it aids in lowering cholesterol, helps in maintaining a healthy heart, reduces inflammation, stabilises blood pressure. It also manages diabetes, blood sugar level, and improves immunity. It is also known to help in preventing cancer. The number of benefits offered by chana is more in comparison to other options. There is less trans-fat in roasted chana as compared to other roasted snacks.
Are there any side effects?
Anything in excess is bad. So yes, if have it in excess it does have side effects. Although the list of side effects is quite small, it is worth knowing. Bloating, cramps, diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal gas are all side effects of Chana. Some people may be allergic to it so it is always better to test it out in small amounts. Due to its unique taste, it usually becomes difficult to stop munching on roasted chana. However, one should be aware that other packages of snacks have way more side effects and ill impacts on your health.
Can it be taken raw? How many ways are there to consume it?
Raw Chana is very difficult to consume because of its hard outer cover. It can be boiled and taken. It can be served as a chaat with chopped onions, coriander leaves, chopped green chilly and black salt sprinkled on it or in the form of a curry. However, both these processes take away most of their nutrients. The best way to consume it is by roasting it. that way its inner core becomes soft, its outer cover becomes crunchy and chewable. This also keeps its nutrients intact. It should be kept in mind that consumption of hard and raw chana could lead to stomach aches as our digestive system attempts to break down the hard outer surface of the chana.
How much is excess? How much quantity should be ideally consumed?
Seeing it is hard to digest, per day it should be only a hundred grams. Any more and it will affect our health in a bad way. This is also a good amount to aid in weight loss
Can we consume only plain roasted Chana?
There are many ways to consume healthy roasted chana. It can be consumed plain as a snack. But on some days when you want a change, it can be taken as a chaat by adding chopped onions to roasted Chana. You can also add green chillies, chopped. It can be taken with puffed rice as well. There are many ways to consume it. Since it is food, there is no right way or wrong way. Food is an art, and just like art, there is no right or wrong way. There can be many ways to incorporate roasted Chana into our daily diet. One only has to find a way that suits them.
How to make it roasted Chana?
As the name says, the Chana needs to be roasted. The Chana that we are talking about here are the black grams which are small in size as compared to white Chana. Normally roasted Chana are available in the markets but in case you wish to make it on your own then simply add black Chana to a pan and roast it till its outer skin has become crispy. If wanting to add a little flavour, one can add a little hing when it is ready.
What are the different ways we can try to make it interesting?
It can be taken with puffed rice as an evening snack or used as a salad base as a side serving too. Here are a few recipes to make the consumption of roasted Chana interesting. Anyone can give these recipes a shot as one doesn’t need expert culinary skills to try these. It can also be a bonding time with your little one while making the recipes with their help.
1. Roasted Chana Tangy salad
o Ingredients
- Roasted Chana
- Chopped onions
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sprouts
- Chopped green chillies
- Lemon
- Chaat masala
- Black salt
o How to make it
- In a mixing bowl take one cup roasted Chana.
- Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies and sprouts.
- Mix them.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Sprinkle a half teaspoon chaat masala or as much as required according to the quantity of the salad.
- Sprinkle black salt according to taste.
- Mix again and serve the dish fresh.
Note: All the chopped ingredients are optional. One can alter them as needed.
2. Roasted Chana regular salad
o Ingredients
- Roasted Chana
- Chopped cucumber
- Chopped tomato
- Chopped onion
- Black salt (as per taste) or regular salt
- Black pepper powder
o How to make it
- In a mixing bowl take a cup of roasted Chana.
- Add the chopped ingredients (cucumber, onion, tomato)
- Mix the ingredients.
- Add salt as per taste.
- Sprinkle black pepper powder. If you wish to, this step can be skipped and can use spice of your choice. Green chillies may be used alternatively perhaps.
- Mix all the ingredients and serve the dish fresh.
Note: Use the veggies as per choice.
3. Puffed rice snack
o Ingredients
- Puffed rice (take it in large quantity as this is the base)
- Roasted Chana
- Roasted Peanuts
- Aloo bhujiya
- Black salt
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Mustard oil
o How to make it
- Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well
- Serve as an evening snack
Note: Use the veggies as per choice.
4. Spicy Puffed rice
o Ingredients
- Puffed rice
- Aloo bhujia / Mixture
- Chopped cucumber
- Chopped onion
- Chopped tomato
- Green gram sprouts
- Finely chopped Green chillies
- Back salt
- Chaat masala
- Tomato Sauce
- Green chilli sauce
- Half teaspoon lemon juice
- Tamarind sauce (optional)
- Chopped coriander leaves
o How to make it
- Add the puffed rice to a mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped cucumber, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, green gram sprouts and finely chopped green chillies.
- Sprinkle black salt as per taste.
- Sprinkle chaat masala as per taste.
- Add half a tablespoon of tomato sauce or adjust it as per the quantity.
- Add one tablespoon of green chilli sauce or adjust it as per the quantity.
- Add one tablespoon of tamarind sauce or adjust it as per the quantity.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Mix the ingredients.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately to avoid letting the puffed rice become too soggy.
Note: Use the veggies as per choice.
5. Green Roasted Chana
o Ingredients
- Coriander leaves (one cup)
- Mint leaves (half a cup)
- Green chillies (8-9)
- Ginger (one inch)
- Cumin seeds
- One tablespoon Lemon juice
- Water
- Roasted Chana
- Green gram sprouts
- Chopped onion
- Chopped tomato
- Chopped cucumber
- Chopped carrot
- Half cup corn
o How to make it
- In a mixer grinder add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, lemon juice and make a paste.
- Add a little bit of water to make a smooth paste. Make sure the paste is neither too flowing nor too rough. It needs to be a thick paste.
- In a bowl, add the roasted Chana, green gram sprouts, chopped onion, chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, chopped carrots and corn.
- Take one and a half tablespoons of the paste and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Mix well.
- Sprinkle a small amount of black salt, if needed. As per taste.
- Add half a teaspoon lemon juice, or as needed.
- And the dish is ready!
6. Papad chana mix
o Ingredients
- Plain or masala papad
- Roasted chana
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped red onions
- Chopped green chillies (optional)
- Chopped cucumber
- Chaat masala
- Salt
- Red chilli powder
- Dried raw mango powder (amchur powder)
- Chopped coriander leaves
o How to make
- In a mixing bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, chopped red onions, Roasted chana, chopped cucumber, chopped green chillies, chaat masala, salt, dried raw mango powder, red chilli powder.
- Roast plain or masala papad until they become crunchy.
- Take the Roasted papad and place the chana mix on each slice of the papad.
- Sprinkle. some chopped coriander leaves and chaat masala on top.
- Your papad chana is ready.
- Consume them instantly and you will be able to enjoy the crunchy and healthy snack.
Roasted chana is a great and healthy snack for even kids. These days, children get hooked on fast food and packaged snacks. Be it potato chips or an energy bar. Therefore, consider even offering your children Roasted chana to develop healthy snacking habits. The above-mentioned recipes can be made with the help of children and can therefore prove to be a bonding activity too.
Do not forget to encourage your friends and loved ones to try roasted chana. You could also make your own innovative methods of incorporating roasted chana in your daily diet plan. Even for guests who come over, you could serve them roasted chana along with a cup of tea. Even for diabetic members of the family, you could serve it to them without making them feel alienated with separate snacks.
Roasted Chana will always be a great snack and a great addition to a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. Happy weight loss journey with the help of roasted chana! Happy munching with roasted chana!
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