I have recently taken a good deal of interest in finding healthier options to eat around the city, and one of my favourite places to be is Cafe Pranah at Ballygunge, Kolkata, which is owned and run by Rahul Arora. I have known him for quite a few years, and he has battled with weight for years. However, he decided to take charge of his body and started to eat right, and, as we speak, has lost over 30 kilos of weight, ever since he opened Cafe Pranah a year back. His secret? Eating right, and making things lower in calorie count.
Keeping this in mind, Rahul has recently started to take cooking classes to make healthy and tasty food. I witnessed him in action, when he made a few dishes in his cafe which were both healthy and tasty. Together with that, a few new items on the menu of Cafe Pranah was launched, including a fig and date kulfi, which was, in one word, wonderful. Rahul took a cooking class, which was presided over by Sreenanda Shankar, danseuse and actor, and she talked about the problems she had faced while losing weight.
“I had to lose weight. I had no choice in the profession I had chosen. So I did what I had to, started eating healthy, working out, and basically, everything I could to ensure that my weight stayed down. I love food, but I eat less. So, everything in moderation is the key,” Sreenanda Shankar noted as she spoke to the class.
Rahul prepared a number of dishes, including a rather amazing ribbon salad, low-calorie nachos, and a pomegranate and ginger iced tea, which was both tasty and refreshing. I am going to share the recipe of the iced tea with you in this post.
Pomegranate and Ginger Iced Tea
To make a glass of Pomegranate and Ginger Iced Tea, start by brewing a batch of green tea, and let it cool down. While that is happening, in a glass, take a little bit of honey (enough to sweeten your tea, although not much is required), and mix it with 60 ml. of pomegranate juice. You can also skip the honey if you want it to be really low-cal, or use sugar free, if you wish. Rahul uses freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, because that’s the healthiest. Muddle this with 1/4th teaspoon ginger juliennes with the back of a spoon or a muddler, and add a few cubes of ice. Stir well. Then, add 60-80 ml. cold green tea, and, if you like, a squeeze of lime. Stir again. Finish by garnishing with pomegranate kernels and fresh mint.
If you want to join these classes, then keep an eye on Cafe Pranah’s facebook page, where you can get an update about upcoming festivals, specials, and classes, which would be featured very soon! Also, you should ideally check out their tasty Tuna Crostini and rather decadent Fig and Date Kulfi , which, I still cannot believe is sugar free.
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee was invited to Cafe Pranah’s cooking class.
