A.A. Milne in 1925-1928…
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” 
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
Cut to late 1970s-late 1990s…
“Mom!! What’s for breakfast?” asked one of the three sisters.
“Aloo da parantha”, said Mom.
“What will you make tomorrow?”, asked the second one
“Gobhi da parantha”, said Mom without missing a beat.
You get the drift! Stuffed paranthas. It was THE breakfast that was made and served everyday at our home! We Punjabis love our paranthas and our breakfast is incomplete without it! Crisp golden brown paranthas with a dollop of butter and curd is sheer divinity.
Cut to late 1990s to the present time…
KG on weekdays (on weekends, the kitchen is all his), “What are you making for breakfast?”
“It’s methi (or paneer or mashed peas or radish or besan or egg….) ka parantha”, I would inform him.
You see, if there’s one thing that is difficult to change in a Punjabi is their breakfast of paranthas. And this does not change even if you are married to a Marwari. We believe in eating breakfast like a king, ie a meal that is rich in calories, is full, tasty and heavy. And we believe that this can be achieved only through paranthas.
But since the last few months, both KG and I have been thinking of cutting down on our early morning high calories intake and opting for a lighter, healthier fare. Also the ghee, butter and oil has started showing at unflattering places.
And then we saw, Guptaji’s family.
They sure know how to whip up the perfect breakfast for any occasion. We’d like to go to their house for nashta! While we are stuck to a pattern of paranthas as breakfast, they have such a huge variety of healthy and nutritious breakfast on their dining table. I was amazed to see the number of breakfast recipes Mrs Gupta makes for her family. I liked the breakfast recipes for Almond Strawberry Cornflakes, Apple Cornflakes Pancakes,
Cornflake Walnut Chocolate Muffin, Banana Milkshake, Basil Curd Dip, Choco Cornflakes Peanut Chikki, Chapatti Cornflakes Chivda, Cabbage Corn Salad in Basil Curd Dressing, Cornflake Sesame Modaks/Dumplings,Cornflake Dahi Upma, Cornflakes Anjeer Porridge, Cornflakes Sheera,Grilled Cornflake Polenta Sticks,Oats Veggie Omlette, Narkeler Bonda to name a few! All these recipes are so simple, yet so healthy. These dishes are packed with the goodness of a well-balanced diet as they contain, grain (whole grain, whole wheat, brown rice, oats), fruit, vegetables, proteins and dairy!
Also, all these breakfast recipes are low in fat, which helps to manage weight and heart health. And these certainly should be on our agenda, after all we are not getting any younger!
The breakfast cereal used in all the recipes is high in fibre and is essential in promoting health, aids the digestive system and prevents diseases viz diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, colon cancer, anxiety and depression. Also it is high in complex carbohydrates, which provide vital energy to the body. Cereals are usually fortified with vitamins and minerals, thereby helping to meet the daily requirements of these essential nutrients. And last but not least, they are mostly consumed with milk which helps contribute to your calcium and protein intake.
Needless to say that all this not only gives a lot of energy to start a new day, but is also linked to many health benefits, including weight control and improved mental performance. It’s high time we make way for this powerful breakfast, in our daily schedule.
We are going to have Nashta with Guptaji’s family. Kya aap aayenge? #KelloggsWaleGuptaji
[tweetthis]We are going to Guptaji’s house for nashta. Kya aap aayenge? @guptajikifamily #KelloggsWaleGuptaji [/tweetthis]
16 Responses
Hah! I understood one or two words in the video! No matter, with the rest of your post, I got the gist. And I’m all behind having a healthy breakfast to fuel one’s day! There is even an Indian grocery in Louisville where I could pick up some of the ingredients to try out the yummy looking recipes!
So sweet of you to watch this video which is in Hindi, LuAnn! ♥ Oh yes, a healthy breakfast is a must! These recipes are made with breakfast cereal as the main ingredients. So you can try them at home too 🙂
I can go to anyone’s house for nastha as long as I don’t have to cook at home Shilpa 😀 😉
LOL 😀 You are too much, Nabanita 😀 I can join you on some days 😉
Healthy breakfast is essential. I learnt one thing today. I did not know aloo parantha is a breakfast dish. My wife makes an excellent one. She often makes it for dinner. (Ala, Idli is a breakfast dish. But many South Indians eat Idli for dinner also.
For Punjabis stuffed/regular paranthas = breakfast! But of course, it can be had at any meal of the day! Just as we have idlis and dosas as lunch/dinner too 🙂
I feel aloo paratha or any other paratha is healthier if had once or twice a week. I personally hate cornflakes. I would prefer my weekday breakfast of eggs and toast anyday.
Even I am not a great fan of cornflakes. I think, I would love to have idlis and dosas daily 😀
As south indians, we need our idlis/dosas/ appams 😀 regularly. Once in a while, I do make upma with oats though, so I guess the guilt gets balanced out 😀
I think I must visit your home, rather than Guptaji’s!! 😀 I love South Indian breakfast food! 🙂
Have heard of latest addition to Paranthas family?
It is Chocolate Paranthas.
It’s an invite to you,come over and my wife will give you the best ever fillings….you name a filling and she has it.
Then you might want to repeat Nasta at Chowlaji instead of Guptaji.
Have heard about Chocolate Paranthas, never had one though!
Aha! That’s nice. Thanks for the invite, will drop in sometime 🙂
Oh how much I crave for paratha. But need to eat the healthy stuff. Parathas are luxuries now!
Come over, we make them daily 😀
Aloo ka parantha is my daughter’s favourite shilpa; and I used to regularly make twice a week for her to school. Now she does not like aloo… so I am back to dosa, upma, poha roti…. now I feel its a long time since I made aloo ka parantha , hoping to try it some time again… enjoyed reading this post.
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