Save water this season

At a time when conservation is the need of the hour, we asked nutrition consultant and food blogger Sangeeta Khanna for some tips on cooking with seasonal vegetables using less water.

At a time when conservation is the need of the hour, we asked nutrition consultant and food blogger Sangeeta Khanna for some tips on cooking with seasonal vegetables using less water.

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Ahe good thing in summer is that we get several 'watery' vegetables in season. Nature has compensated the dry weather with a bounty of vegetables with a lot of water content, especially the gourd family. So you can cook these vegetables in their juices or add some pasta, rice or dumplings if you like. The rice or pasta will cook in the juices of the vegetables itself and you won't require any water to be added to the recipe. Just take care to use one tablespoon of rice or other grains for every 300 gm of the 'watery' vegetable. This is because grains soak a good amount of water.

Add paneer or tofu or small bits of chicken or fish to one such pot meal and a balanced summer meal is ready.

Here is a recipe for a quick pressure cooked one pot stew that makes for a healthy meal. Cooking in one pot ensures lesser utensils need to be washed which further saves water. Pressure cooking also preserves the water content of the meal being cooked. This recipe is best when there's less water available and you want a hydrating, cooling meal.

- As told to Samar Khurshid