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Ever imagined that a single ingredient could transform potatoes into an aromatic, mouth-watering jeera aloo recipe. Well, in the case of this all-time favourite Punjabi jeera aloo recipe, the secret ingredient is jeera.

One vegetable that’s found abundantly in most Indian kitchens are potatoes. They are quick and easy to prepare, soak up any kind of flavour and also pair well with most ingredients as in jeera aloo recipe. Also, this starchy vegetable is quite filling. Every household has different ways to prepare the humble potato and transform into a delicious sabzi.

This jeera aloo recipe requires a handful of ingredients and can be made for a quick lunch so. If you are making Punjabi jeera aloo in the morning to take it to work for lunch, you can boil the potatoes a day prior and store in the refrigerator to fasten the cooking process instead of cooking them on the stove top.

You can even lightly roast the jeera and crush it in mortar pestle to bring out maximum flavor and perk up the flavour of this zingy jeera aloo recipe. Though boiled potatoes makes the job quicker, it is the potatoes fully cooked in the pan with spices and cumin powder that give the real authentic flavor to the jeera aloo recipe.

Do not overcook the potatoes, otherwise they will become mushy. Punjabi jeera aloo is a perfect meal during fasts/vrats since it is a no onion no garlic recipe and tastes amazing along with a bowl of fresh curd.

Also, you can roll Punjabi jeera aloo in a roti and have it as a wrap or sandwich it between two breads and relish it. It is super versatile. As jeera aloo is dry in nature, it can also be packed as a tiffin treat.

While the cumin seeds define the flavour of jeera aloo a dash of lemon and green chilli paste are also added to enhance the experience further. Enjoy jeera aloo hot and fresh, with Puris or Rotis.

Is Jeera Aloo, Punjabi Aloo Jeera healthy?

No, this is not healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Benefits of Cumin Seeds ( jeera) : The most common benefit of jeera known to many is to soothe the stomach, intestine and the entire digestive tract. Cumin seeds are apparently a very good source of iron. A tbsp. of cumin seeds can fulfil nearly 20% of days iron requirement. Even small quantity of cumin seeds has huge amounts of calcium ( see calcium rich Indian foods ) – a bone supporting mineral. They aid is digestion, weight loss and help reduce inflammation. See detailed benefits of cumin seeds, jeera. 

2. Green Chillies : Antioxidant vitamin C in green chillies protects the body from effects of harmful free radicals and prevents stress. It is probably the high fiber which helps in controlling blood sugar levels. This it is a welcome addition to a diabetic diet. Suffering from anaemia? Add green chillies to your list of iron rich foods too. For complete details see benefits of green chilli. 

3. Turmeric Powder (Haldi) : Turmeric helps in digestion of food thus helping to overcome indigestion. Haldi may help in reducing the growth of fat cells in the body. Turmeric, being rich in iron, is highly valuable in the treatment of anaemia and both the root as well as the powder should be a regular part of an anaemic diet. One of the health benefits of turmeric is it’s anti-inflammatory property due to the active compound, Curcumin, which helps to relieve inflammation of the joints and thus is a ladder to relieve pain related to arthritis. The curcumin in haldi also helps to ward of the bacteria’s causing cold, cough and throat irritation.  Turmeric benefits in diabetes management by lowering blood glucose levels. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are useful in the treatment of diabetes patients.  It is known to be a good brain food and keep diseases like Alzheimer’s at bay. See here for detailed turmeric benefits.

4. Lemon, Lemon Juice : Lemon is a very good source of Vitamin C and thus helps in the production of  white blood cells and antibodies in the blood which attacks invading microorganisms, prevents infection and builds immunity. Therefore, Lemon juice is given to prevent common cold. The ascorbic acid in lemon juice helps in absorption of iron from the food. So if you’re iron deficient or have anaemia squeeze a lemon on iron rich recipes. See detailed benefits of lemon, lemon juice.

What's the problem?

1. Potatoes (Aloo) : Potatoes being high in simple carbohydrates will lead to weight gain and are not good for people with diabetes, heart problem and obesity. Potatoes are recommended for malnourished children and people with low weight. See full details on why potatoes are bad for you.

2. Vegetable Oils : To some vegetable oil is only soyabean oil, while some promote it as a mix of oils like soyabean, canola, sunflower, corn and other omega-6 rich oils. These are often cheaper options than many oils, but they are highly processed oils. They are undoubtedly not to be reached out for, whether you are looking for salad dressings, sautéing or cooking.  The 5 best oils used in cooking are olive oil (low temperature short time cooking), avocado oil, canola oil, coconut oil and peanut oil. You must read the super article to find the facts of  which oil is the healthiest avoid vegetable oil. 

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and overweight individuals have Jeera Aloo, Punjabi Aloo Jeera?

No, this recipe is not healthy and good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Potatoes being high in simple carbohydrates will lead to weight gain and are not good for people with diabetes, heart problem and obesity.

Can healthy individuals have Jeera Aloo, Punjabi Aloo Jeera?

No, this recipe is not healthy and good.

What is a healthier sabzi or dal option ?

Here are some very healthy sabzis like paneer labadar , dahi bhindi ki sabzi recipe, chana palak, mushroom mutter masala, mooli ki sabzi recipe and bhindi masala recipe. 

Mooli ki Subzi

Here are some super healthy dal recipes like palak toovar dal, khatta urad dal recipe, suva masoor dal recipe, hariyali dal recipe and healthy kadhi recipe.

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet. 

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

Skip having Indian junk foods like pav bhaji, bata vada, pakoras, gulab jamun as they cause your body to have insulance resistance. The resultant is your body will store more carbohydrates as fats, causing storage of fat in the stomach causing a paunch and slowing down of our fat burning process. So its a bad cyle which causes you more more hunger and fatigue every time you eat junk food. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. Stress. The easiest way to kill your immune system is chronic stress. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. Workout builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss, builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away.

One serving of Jeera Aloo, Punjabi Aloo Jeera is high in

1. Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 

2. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 165 calories that come from one serving of of Jeera Aloo, Punjabi Aloo Jeera?

Walking (6 kmph) = 50 mins
Running (11 kmph) = 17 mins
Cycling (30 kmph) = 22 mins
Swimming (2 kmph) = 28 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.