How to make healthy dishes at home

And just like that, 2026 has begun, and if you are in the mood to have a healthy New Year, then wherever you intend to eat all things nutritious, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has got your back. In a recent post on his website, he shared a full healthy New Year menu, which features breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, evening snack, dinner, and dessert recipes. As per his post, beginning the year with simple, wholesome recipes can create an energizing and positive tone for the months ahead. With easy-to-make dishes and a thoughtfully curated menu, stay motivated and enjoy every bite effortlessly.

Breakfast: Mooli ka Paratha

Ingredients: 1 large white radish with the greens, 1½ cups whole wheat flour, salt to taste, 3 tsps ghee, 2-3 green chillies, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 tsp dry mango powder, and a pinch of carom seeds

Method: Trim the top of the white radish and finely chop the radish leaves. Peel and grate the radish in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and mix well, and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Take whole wheat flour in a large bowl, add salt, 2 tsps ghee, and ½ cup water, and knead to a soft dough. Add remaining ghee and knead again, cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water from the grated radish using a muslin cloth and transfer it into a bowl. Add green chillies, red chilli powder, chopped radish leaves, and onion, and mix well. Add dry mango powder and mix. Sprinkle carom seeds, mix, and set aside. Divide the dough into equal portions and shape each portion into a ball. Stuff each ball with a portion of the radish mixture. Dust with flour and roll into a paratha. Heat a non-stick tawa, place the paranthas, cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, apply ghee on both sides, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the paranthas onto a serving plate, drizzle ghee, and serve hot with yogurt.

Mid-morning snack: Strawberry Fig and Burrata Salad

Ingredients: 8-10 strawberries, 2 fresh figs, 100 grams burrata cheese, 1 medium avocado, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, salt to taste, crushed black peppercorns to taste, 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs, 2-3 tbsps balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsps honey, 3 tbsps olive oil, 10-15 mixed lettuce leaves, 2-3 toasted bread slices
Method: Hull and halve the strawberries. Cut figs into wedges. Halve an avocado. Take some cold water in a bowl. Add strawberries and rinse well. To make the dressing, take Dijon mustard in a glass jar. Add salt, crushed black peppercorns, Italian mixed herbs, balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Close the lid and shake well. Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Arrange figs and strawberry pieces on top. Scoop out pulp from the avocado and add it on top. Break the bread pieces and arrange them on top. Place burrata cheese pieces on top and cut open. Drizzle prepared dressing on top and serve.

Toovar Dana Toast

Ingredients: 1½ cups fresh pigeon peas, 4 white bread slices, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1½ tsps chopped ginger, 3-4 garlic cloves, 2 green chillies, ¼ tsp garam masala powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, salt to taste, ½ tsp sugar, 1 small onion, 2-3 tbsps coriander leaves, butter for cooking, and black sesame seeds to sprinkle
Method: Transfer toovar dana to a grinder jar. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, green chilies, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of water, and grind to a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion, coriander, and mix well. Place the bread slices on the worktop and apply the toovar dana mixture evenly. Heat a non-stick tawa. Add the butter, and once it has melted, place the bread slices. Sprinkle black sesame seeds and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Flip, add some more butter,, and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes. Cut into triangles and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Lunch: Bajre ki Khichdi

Ingredients: 1½ cups soaked bajra, ½ cup split skinless soaked green gram, 2 tbsps ghee, 1½ tsps cumin seeds, 2-3 green chillies, 7-8 curry leaves, ¼ tsp asafoetida, 1 large onion, 1 large potato, 1 small carrot, 4-5 French beans, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsps red chilli powder, salt to taste, ¼ cup green peas, and 2 tbsps coriander leaves
Method: Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, and let the seeds change colour. Add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add onion and sauté till translucent. Add potato, carrot, and sauté well, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add French beans and sauté well for 1 minute. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, and mix well. Add bajra, moong dal, green peas, chopped coriander, and mix well. Add 8 cups of water and mix well. Cover and cook till 5-6 whistles are released. 

Multigrain Methi Thepla

Ingredients: ¼ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tbsps finger millet flour, 2 tbsps pearl millet flour, 2 tbsps sorghum flour, 2 tbsps gram flour, 2 tbsps oats flour, 2 tbsps maize flour, 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves, ¼ cup yogurt, ¼ tsp carom seeds, 3 tsps white sesame seeds, 1½ tsps ginger-green chilli paste, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1½ tsps coriander powder, salt to taste, and ghee for cooking
Method: Take whole wheat flour on a large plate, add nachni flour, bajra flour, jowar flour, gram flour, oats flour, maize flour, chopped methi leaves, yogurt, carom seeds, white sesame seeds, ginger-green chilli paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, and ghee, and mix well. Add ¾ cup water, mix, and knead to a soft dough. Cover with a damp muslin cloth and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Take a portion of the dough, shape it into a ball, and slightly flatten it. Dust the worktop with some whole wheat flour, place the dough portion on it, and roll it into a thin disc. Heat a non-stick tawa. Place the disc on it and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Apply ghee on both sides and cook for a few seconds on each side. Place the multigrain methi thepla on a serving plate and serve hot with pickle, onion rings, and green chillies.

Afternoon snack: Kand Ke Kaap

Ingredients: 300 grams purple yams, 2 tbsps ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander leaves, salt to taste, 2 tbsps tamarind paste, oil for shallow frying, ½ cup semolina, ½ cup rice flour, and 1 tsp red chilli powder
Method: Combine ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander leaves, salt, and tamarind paste in a shallow wide bowl. Add the purple yam slices and rub the mixture well on each slice. Mix semolina, rice flour, and red chilli powder on a large plate. Coat each slice of purple yams with the semolina mixture. Heat sufficient oil in a non-stick tawa. Place the purple yam slices and shallow fry on both sides till golden brown and crisp. Drain on an absorbent paper. 

Winter Salad with Amaranth

Ingredients: 1 cup puffed amaranth, 1 large white radish, 1 medium English cucumber, 1 medium turnip, 1 medium carrot, 2 inch fresh turmeric piece, 3-4 fresh green garlic greens, 1 orange, 1 tbsp kasundi mustard, salt to taste, crushed black peppercorns to taste, 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsps sesame oil, and toasted black sesame seeds
Method: Cut radish, cucumber, turnip, carrot, and fresh turmeric into thin strips and set aside. Boil 1½ cups of water in a non-stick pan, and add a few pieces of fresh turmeric. Add turnip strips and cook for 1-2 minutes, then drain into cold water. To make the dressing, take 1 tbsp kasundi mustard in a small jar, add salt, crushed black peppercorns, squeeze the juice of a lemon, sesame oil, cover, and shake well. Transfer all the vegetable strips, drain the turnip, and add to a large bowl. Snip green garlic shoots into 1-inch strips and add. Peel the orange and add the wedges, add puffed amaranth, and drizzle the dressing and gently toss. 

Dinner: Bathua Dal

Ingredients: 1 large bunch of bathua, 2 cups soaked whole black gram, salt to taste, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp asafoetida, 2 green chillies, 1 inch ginger, 2 tbsps ghee, 1½ tsps cumin seeds, 3 tbsps sliced garlic, 2 dried red chillies, and 2 tbsps coriander leaves

Method: Chop bathua leaves roughly. Heat a pressure cooker. Add the urad, bathua, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, hing, green chillies, ginger, 4 cups of water, and mix well. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover with a lid and cook on medium heat till 3-4 whistles are released. Open the lid once the pressure is completely released. Mash the dal lightly. Heat the ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and once they start to change colour, add garlic and sauté till it turns golden brown. Add dried red chillies and mix well. Add the cooked dal and mix well. Add coriander and mix well. Transfer into a serving plate, garnish with a coriander sprig, and serve hot with steamed rice.

Surti Papdi ki Sabzi

Ingredients: 300 grams surti papdi, 3 tbsp ghee, ¼ tsp carom seeds, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, salt to taste, 2 tsps coriander powder, 2 tsps chopped jaggery, ½ tsp garam masala powder, 1½ tsps cumin seeds, 2 tbsps garlic bulbs, 2 green chillies, ½ cup chopped green garlic stalks, and 2 tbsps coriander leaves
Method: Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Add carom seeds and sauté for 30 seconds. Add surti papdi and mix well. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt, coriander powder, and mix well. Add 1½ cups of water, jaggery, and garam masala powder, and mix well. Cover the lid and cook on medium heat till the pressure is released thrice. Open the lid once the pressure settles completely. Heat the remaining ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and once they start to change colour, add fresh green garlic bulbs, green chillies and sauté for 30 seconds. Add green garlic stalks, coriander, and mix well. Add this tempering to cooked surti papdi and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with a coriander sprig, and serve hot with chapatis.

Dessert: Purple Yam Porridge

Ingredients: 400 grams purple yams, 1 cup coconut milk, 2 tbsp cashews, 3 tbsp ghee, 8-10 black raisins, 1/4 tsp salt, ¾ cup sugar, ½ tsp cardamom powder, and ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
Method: First of all, steam purple yam pieces for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool. Transfer to a grinder jar, add 1 cup of water, and grind to a fine paste. Heat ghee in a nonstick pan. Add cashew nuts, black raisins and sauté till cashew nuts are golden brown. Drain and set aside. Add yam puree to the same pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add salt, sugar, green cardamom powder, and nutmeg powder and mix well. Cook till sugar melts. Add coconut milk and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer into serving bowls, sprinkle fried cashew nuts and raisins, and serve warm.