Mumbai Food: City chef makes gluten-free pasta and noodles

Restaurateur Shraddha Bhansali owner of 'Candy And Green' in Breach Candy tells you how to make noodles and pasta using the freshest of vegetables

It was on a vegan blog that Shraddha Bhansali, founder and MD of Candy and Green, Breach Candy, stumbled on a substitute for noodles and pasta. While she's not vegan, as a restaurant owner, she often comes across guests who request vegan dishes. "Since a lot of people have begun to shift to a gluten-free diet, it was essential to find substitutes. And, what I loved about this technique was its simplicity," she says. The most effective way to make the spaghetti substitute, according to Bhasali, is to make it with a spiraliser that's easily available online. "It's a low-cost tool that is so diverse that you can use it to make spaghetti-like strands from firm vegetables, like zucchini, sweet potatoes and carrots," she says.

Shraddha Bhansali likes to toss carrot noodles in a Thai sauce

Here, you cut ends of the zucchini and place it in sideways so that one end meets the blade. You then push the blade into the zucchini. While holding the zuccini firmly in place, rotate the handle with the other hand, feeding the zucchini into the grating blades. "Keep turning until the zucchini is completely spiralised," she says. If you don't want to invest in a spiraliser, a vegetable peeler comes equally handy. "Apply light pressure with a vegetable peeler along the sides of the zucchini and you can create wide, fettuccine-like slices. You can also use a grater for short rice-like zucchini noodles," she says.

The technique is not only simple, but also healthy. According to her, a cup of cooked spaghetti has 200 calories and 40g of carbohydrates as opposed to a cup of raw zucchini noodles, which has 20 calories and 5g of carbohydrates. Bhansali usually prefers to toss carrot noodles in a Thai salad with a light soy dressing, or use the zucchini noodles in a pesto sauce. But before you make these, she has a piece of advice. "Do not use the soft seeded core of the zucchini or your zoodles will end up mushy. Also, be sure that the zucchini ends are cut properly [like a cucumber] to ensure you don't end up with bitter noodles."

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