Here’s all you need to know about the ‘girl dinner’ fad that’s created a global buzz; and how to give it a desi twist with the right mix of flavours
Girl dinner is a creative way of making meals. Representation pics
When it comes to health and fitness, there are a lot of trends that become the topic of discussion. While some are just oddball trends or passing fads, the latest, from the world of social media is the ‘girl dinner’ trend that has taken Tik Tok by storm, after a US-based influencer posted a video about this. Soon, #girldinner videos on this video-sharing app was garnering roughly 61.7 million views. But what exactly is the trend?
Snack or dinner?
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It’s a system of ‘no-cook’ snacks set up on a platter in a mish-mash style, showcasing a variety of foods like olives, cherry tomatoes, pistachios, grapes, cheeses, almonds, figs, salami, bell peppers; and eating this upscale-looking snack platter for dinners. It is dubbed as the ‘girl dinner’ because this is mainly prepared by women professionals living alone, who, at the end of the day, don’t have the time or the mind space to cook a meal.
While the platter looks delightful and delicious, is it really healthy? “As a working woman myself, I think the girl dinner/snack concept is a very practical approach that enables both a fusion of culture and health on one plate. The only critical aspect would be to balance the meal composition in such a way that it provides carbohydrates that are rich in fibre, good quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients,” says Tiana Rodrigues, nutritionist and diabetes educator.
Echoing her thoughts is Karishma Chawla, a nutritionist and lifestyle educator, who believes that if one is smart about the meal, it proves to be a no-effort healthy meal, “The concept of easy meal prep using balanced meal ingredients in a meticulous way is essential. It’s all about ‘my plate, my rules’. It is a creative way of eating food rather than making it a compromised meal. My emphasis is on a snack that is of great quality and not processed,” she shares.
The Indian thali can be your reference point to prepare a platter
Make it at home
Though it’s a trend that’s quite popular in the West, it is possible to create an Indian version of it. “There’s no need to directly replicate the international trend with the ingredients that they use. Let the Indian thali be your reference point, just that you will put it all in one pot,” says Rodrigues. Her go-to options for an easy dinner include salad with vegetables, fruits and handful of nuts with peanuts in coconut oil dressing; roasted ragi khakra with chutney (similar to hummus and vegetables) or a vegetable open sandwich with buttermilk.
Karishma Chawla
Chawla suggests having some cooked leftover quinoa or roasted quinoa with salad leaves, olives, nuts, with a dash of cheese and adding some form of protein; or another example of fiber would be some kale chips with salad and nuts with cheese. As an alternative. she suggests, “If you like jowar crackers, add some guacamole to it along with carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes with some cured meat (sparingly as they are high in fat and sodium).” Yet another option is if there’s leftover grilled chicken or fish, then it can be clubbed with avocado as a salad; or make a platter with lettuce, chicken pieces, veggies, cheese, herbs and spices with carrot sticks or zucchini chips.
Tiana Rodrigues
How I I whip it up
We speak to Indrani Khanvilkar, Mumbai-based ad-tech professional, to share her versions of the snack dinner and some hacks that you can try at home
>> It takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes to make these meals. The trick to prepare a girl dinner is to keep a stock of salad leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, light soya, black bean sauce, and a pack of Thai-herb mix handy. With these, I can whip up a quick dinner platter, without actually having to cook much.
A quinoa salad bowl
>> On a platter, I usually have lettuce or rocket leaves and add any vegetables that I may have at home. This can vary from tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots,to avocados; you could replace veggies with seasonal fruits such as mangoes, strawberries, peaches to make a sweeter version. Make it extra luxe by adding burrata or goat cheese. Over this, I sprinkle a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and honey. Add any nuts from your pantry for some crunch.
>> Depending on how much time I want to spend in the kitchen, I sauté fish or prawns with a little bit of butter, garlic, basil and drizzle some black bean sauce and have that along with some sticky rice or quinoa poha. This only takes about 10 minutes.
Indrani Khanvilkar
>> Another dinner option that I quite often opt for, is where I use cucumbers and add a dressing made with light soya sauce, honey, salt pepper, ginger, garlic and thai red chillies, and pour this over a slab of silken tofu. You could eat this as an entrée or with a side of boiled noodles or steamed rice. This becomes a really nice Asian dinner, but without any elaborate cooking.
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