VIBRANT- VERSATILE & VIVID
Courgette is also called as Zucchini or baby marrow in various culinary applications and is a popular squash variety known to us. Ordinary zucchini is any share of green or yellow though both are equally popular in our kitchens for their inviting colour and texture. It is technically a fruit but treated as an exotic vegetable choice by most of us and its shape looks similar to a cucumber with a stump-like stem at the end.
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Courgettes or Zucchini have firm dark green or yellow outer skin which also offers a good amount of crunch and mouthfeel hence it is advisable not to peel them the inner part is much softer and juicy, slightly sweet with a very mild and delicate flavour. It is not only being used in salads, stir-fried dishes, soups, curries and baked dishes but are also widely being used in breads, muffins, desserts and cakes too!
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Let us check on a few Health Benefits of COURGETTES OR ZUCCHINI:
- Courgette is a great option to include and adapt into our diets for a weight loss regime, being low in calories.
- Courgette is heat-healthy food and is recommended to be consumed once in a while blanched in salads, stir-fried versions.
- Courgette is also good for the eyes and vision and has benefits to offer eye health as well.
- Courgette is full of antioxidants which are beneficial to us in a number of ways.
- Courgette is cholesterol free, fat-free and low in sodium content as well.
- Courgette is packed with a number of vitamins, and minerals which are truly an add-on to our healthy dietary needs.
- Courgette is also a gluten-free ingredient and can be incorporated in a number of dishes and recipes.
- Courgette is also regarded as high in fibre content and good for our nervous system as well.
Here are a Few Culinary Uses of COURGETTES or Zucchini:
- Courgette is great to add to our day-to-day cooking be it Indian recipes, subzis, curries etc it is easy to add it in just to ensure we do not throw away the skin but use it intact for maximum benefits and eye appeal.
- My experience with courgettes has been very interesting from having it in a rainbow subzi jhalfrezi, stuffed Achari aloo zucchini cups with korma gravy, zucchini kadai masala, coconut and water chestnut curry with zucchini.
- Speaking of courgette being used in soups and broths add it to your minestrone, into tomato dhaniya shorba, zucchini almond soup served chilled and flavoured with basil or fennel is great during all seasons.
- Courgettes in baked dishes sliced, quartered, cubed, stuffed and filled topped with a nice cheesy sauce, olives, herbs, and breadcrumbs flashed into a hot oven done just right to go the continental way.
- For the vegan lovers and whole food/ plan, food-based foodie’s courgette does a great job of being converted into noodles and pasta being dressed and tossed in a number of sauces with crunch and bite for a great delightful experience.
- Courgette tava pulao, sauté zucchini cubes tempered with coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies, and fennel seeds and steeped into beaten minted curd served chilled as a raita concept with a meal is just so very refreshing change to a Lauki or kakdi ka raita.
- Courgette fritters, cutlets, koftas, tikkis, stuffing for parathas, tortilla wraps, filling for taco shells, adding them to savoury pancake batters and roesti and hash brown potato mixes.
Here are a few interesting concepts and recipes with Courgettes:
Recipe-1] COURGETTE & ALMOND SOUP
Recipe-2] STAR ANISE SPICED COURGETTE TOSS
Recipe-3] COURGETTE CHICKPEA CURRY WITH RICE
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