Hindustan Times Palate Fest: Get tuned to healthy bingeing

When hunger pangs strike, visions of comfort food start dancing in the mind, and we often end up eating junk that induces guilt and higher digits on the weighing scale. But, you can keep all these worries aside when you head to Hindustan Times Palate Fest 2018, for the theme this year is ‘Healthy Bingeing’. Keeping this mind, there will be celebrity chefs interacting with the visitors about way to indulge in healthy bingeing. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who will conduct one such session on the final day of the fest, says, “I will have a quick session to tell those present on how they can mix ingredients for a quick chat or taco for a finger snack.”

The concept of healthy bingeing is also promoted by the chefs in general. Chef Sabyasachi, says, “When it comes to healthy bingeing, fruits and dry fruits are the best, eternally. One can also have dehydrated mangoes, but they shouldn’t have added sugar in them. One should also avoid trans fat, and the best way to do so is by eating something fresh, like a cucumber-tomato salad; you can also pair something healthy with your snack like an apple salsa dip it with chips.”

When keeping a check on one’s bingeing, it’s also important to cut down on the sugar and salt intake. Chef Nishant Choubey shares an easy trick to remember whenever in doubt about what to eat. He says, “The formula is to avoid 3Ws and 3Ps — white flour, white sugar and white salt, and pickle, papad and pakora. So, first and foremost is to control salt because we, Asians, eat six times [the amount of salt] to what we require in our daily life! There are recipes that don’t require salt… ingredients such as garlic, ginger, onion, raw turmeric, and spinach have natural salt. We can substitute salt in pickles with lemon and vinegar, which helps store it longer.”

It’s also important to avoid white flour, and the chef advises millet as a replacement. “Jowar, ragi and quinoa can used be used in our daily life since they give enough protein. Also, the intake of carbohydrates in the form of potato and bread should be reduced as much as possible. Basically, anything in moderation is good,” adds chef Nishant.

Alongside healthy bingeing options at this festival, there will also be great music to satiate your soul. So, look forward to live acts by popular artists such as Daler Mehndi, Jasmine Sandlas and Tulsi Kumar.

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