New Year's Eve 2024: From diet chaat to oil-free chole, 5 lip-smacking low calorie recipes for a guilt-free celebration

From savoury starters to satisfying mains, these recipes are crafted to let you indulge without the guilt, making it a memorable way to ring in the New Year.

With New Year's eve just around the corner, we are sure you have got your plans in place. Some of us like to party and make the most of the last few hours of the year. For others, it might be cooking a delicious meal to share with the family, or curling up in their pyjamas with a mate, a good book or a furry friend. Regardless of your plans for New Year's Eve, one thing that unites all the festivities is the delicious cuisine that serves as the focal point of the celebrations. While it is customary to overindulge in the New Year, none of us wants to wake up on the first day of the year with a headache caused by sugar or alcohol.

New Year's Eve 2024: 5 tasty low calorie recipes for a guilt-free celebration

Low calorie recipes for New Year's Eve

With these delicious and calorie conscious dishes, you can ring in the New Year in a healthier way and ensure a pleasant start to a promising year ahead!

1. Healthy Wrap

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Healthy Wrap(Unsplash/Ryan Concepcion)

Ingredients:

¾ cup mixed sprouts (green moong sprouts and moth beans sprouts), boiled and mashed

4 ready-made whole wheat rotis

1 large sweet potato, boiled, peeled and grated

1 small onion, chopped

½ tsp chopped garlic

½ tsp chopped ginger

2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander leaves

½ tsp chaat masala

1 tbsp corn flour

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2-3 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp blanched spinach puree

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

Rajma humus for applying

Toppings

Ice berg lettuce leaves as required

Pickled carrot as required

Pickled white radish as required

Pickled English cucumber as required

Pickled beetroot as required

4-5 pickled gherkins, cut into thin strips

Crushed black peppercorn to taste

To serve

Salad as required

Method:

1. Take mixed sprouts in a bowl, add sweet potato, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander leaves, chaat masala, corn flour, turmeric powder, green chillies, spinach puree, red chilli powder, and salt and mix till well combined.

2. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball. Slightly flatten each ball to shape it like a tikki.

3. Heat sufficient oil in a non-stick shallow pan.

4. Place the tikkis and shallow fry till golden brown, and crisp from both sides. Drain on an absorbent pepper.

5. To make the wrap, place a whole wheat roti on a worktop. Apply some of the rajma hummus and spread it evenly. Place a few ice berg lettuce leaves, place 2 tikkis and lightly mash them. Arrange pickled carrot, pickled white radish, pickled English cucumber, pickled beetroot, and pickled jerkins. Sprinkle crushed black peppercorns and tightly roll it.

6. Diagonally cut the roll in half. Serve with salad.

2. Soya Kebab

(Recipe by Chef Kunal Kapur)

Soya Kebab(Chef Kunal Kapur)

Ingredients:

Soya chunks(dried) – 1 cup

Onion chopped – 2 tbsp

Mint chopped – handful

Green chilly chopped – 1 no

Coriander seeds – 2 tsp

Sattu (Channa) – 2tbsp

Potato (boiled & mashed) – 2 tbsp

Coriander chopped – handful

Cumin – 2 tsp

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder – 1tsp

Garam masala – 1/2 tsp

Mustard oil – 2 tbsp

Ginger chopped – 2 tsp

Chaat masala – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – to drizzle

Method:

1. Soak soya chunks in hot water for half hour. Now squeeze the water out and place it in a blender.

2. Add channa sattu, chopped onions, mashed potato, mint, coriander, green chilly, cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, chilly powder, garam masala, mustard oil, ginger chopped, chaat masala and salt.

3. Mix it well and divide into small portions of the size of golf balls. Heat a pan and add ghee and shallow fry the kebabs till it is brown on both sides.

3. Oil Free Chole

(Recipe by Chef Sanjyot Keer)

Oil Free Chole(Freepik)

Ingredients:

2-3 nos. Green cardamom

1 tsp Black peppercorns (5-6 nos.)

5-6 nos. Cloves

1 no. Black cardamom

1 Cinnamon stick

1 tbsp Garlic (chopped)

1 tsp Ginger (chopped)

1 tsp Ajwain

500 ml Water

Black tea concoction (Boil 2 tbsp black tea powder in 500 ml water)

½ tsp Baking soda (optional)

1 tbsp Roasted besan

1 tbsp Coriander powder

1 tbsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Jeera powder

3-4 nos. Slit green chillies

1 inch Ginger (julienned)

2 tbsp Homemade chana masala

1 tsp Aamchur powder

1 tbsp Anardana powder

1 tsp Kasuri methi

Method:

1. Wash the chick peas with fresh water and soak them for 5-6 hours or overnight. Strain the excess water and wash it once again with fresh water.

2. Set a cooker on medium heat, add onions and salt and cook the onions until golden brown, add a splash of water if the onions start sticking to the pan.

3. Add the soaked chickpeas, salt, whole spices, garlic, ginger, Ajwain, water and strained black tea concoction, mix well and add mor water if required to cover the chole 1 inch above the chickpea.

4. Add baking soda stir once and pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium flame.

5. Switch off the flame and let the cooker depressurize naturally to open the lid. Give it a nice stir.

6. Switch on the flame once again and bring it to a boil, add roasted besan, coriander powder, red chilli powder, jeera powder, slit green chillies, ginger and homemade chana masala, stir & mix well.

7. Add amchur powder and anardana powder and cook for 8-10 minutes on low flame. You can add hot water to adjust the consistency of the gravy and bring it to a boil, add kasuri methi and stir once again for 1-2 minutes.

8. Your no oil chole is ready to be served, serve hot with paratha or roti and rice.

4. Kabuli Chana Biryani

(Recipe by Chef Tarla Dalal)

Kabuli Chana Biryani(Pinterest)

Ingredients:

For Kabuli Chana Biryani

2 1/4 cups cooked brown rice

1/4 cup chopped coriander (dhania)

1/4 tsp saffron (kesar) strands

1/4 cup warm low fat milk

salt to taste

For The Kabuli Chana Gravy

3/4 cup soaked and boiled kabuli chana (white chick peas)

2 tsp oil

1 tsp ginger (adrak) paste

1 tsp garlic (lehsun) paste

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

3/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies

salt to taste

1/4 cup whisked low fat curds

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the ginger and garlic paste and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.

2. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and 1 tbsp of water and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes and green chillies, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

4. Add the cooked kabuli chana and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring occasionally.

5. Switch off the flame, add the curds and mix gently. Keep aside.

6. Combine the saffron strands and warm milk in a bowl and mix well.

7. Combine the brown rice, coriander, little salt and saffron-milk mixture in a deep bowl and mix well.

8. Put half the rice mixture in a baking dish and spread it evenly. Put the kabuli chana gravy evenly over it and spread it evenly.

9. Finally put the remaining rice mixture and spread it evenly.

10. Cover with an aluminium foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°c (400°f) for 20 minutes.

11. Serve the kabuli chana biryani hot.

5. Diet Chaat

(Recipe by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor)

Diet Chaat(Pinterest)

Ingredients:

1½ cups dried white peas (safed vatana), soaked for 6-8 hours

½ tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1 small onion

½ medium tomato

Green chutney for drizzling

Date and tamarind chutney for drizzling

Red chilli-garlic chutney for drizzling

Chopped raw mango as required

½ lemon

Black salt to taste

Chaat masala for sprinkling

Roasted cumin powder for sprinkling

Chilled yogurt for drizzling

Chopped fresh coriander for garnish

Method:

1. Take white peas in a pressure cooker, add turmeric powder, asafoetida and 3 cups water, mix well. Cover and cook till 4-5 whistles are released.

2. Finely chop onion and tomato. Set aside.

3. Open the pressure cooker once the pressure has reduced completely. Mix well. Transfer into serving bowls.

4. Sprinkle chopped onion, drizzle green chutney, and date and tamarind chutney. Drizzle red chilli-garlic chutney and sprinkle chopped tomato, raw mango and squeeze lemon on top.

5. Sprinkle black salt, chaat masala and roasted cumin powder. Drizzle chilled yogurt and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve immediately.