Ingredients for tuna kebabs (makes 15):
3 cans of tuna
3 medium sized potatoes
1 small brown onion
Handful of fresh coriander
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
200g Breadcrumbs
Ingredients for salad:
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
Handful of coriander
1 tsp fish sauce
1 lime
1 tsp soy sauce
Method:
Place a large pan of water on the boil. Peel and chop the potatoes and put into the pan of boiling water and cook until potatoes are soft. Drain the potatoes and put in a bowl to cool down.
Whilst the potatoes cool, chop the brown onion into small cubes.
Peel the fresh ginger and mash using a hand blender until a small paste is formed.
Mash the potatoes until smooth. Put the tuna into the bowl with the chopped onion, ginger, spices and fresh coriander.
Mix and combine all the ingredients with your hands until they come together to form a dough.
Split the dough into 15 portions and mould each portion into a circular flat kebab shape.
Dip each kebab into egg and then into the breadcrumbs.
Place a pan of olive oil on the heat (enough to coat the kebabs) and once hot place the kebabs in the pan. Shallow fry until the kebabs are golden brown.
For the salad- chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion into cubes and mix with a squeeze of lime juice. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and mix. Serve alongside the kebabs. These kebabs can be eaten hot or cold.
Tasneem's top 5 tips:
Tomatoes are enriched with lycopene- a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits including sun protection which is even more important in these summer months. Increased exposure to UV, increases the risk of skin cancer. Don’t forget to put the sun cream on too!
Tomatoes also contain vitamin C important for collagen synthesis of the skin. Cooking tomatoes increases the lycopene but reduces the vitamin C present. Conversely, keeping tomatoes raw increases the vitamin C and reduces the lycopene. Try to eat tomatoes in a variety of forms to gain maximum benefit.
You should eat 1 portion of oily fish a week! Tuna is an oily fish which contains polyunsaturated fats omega 3 and omega 6 which play a vital role in skin protection against UV and reduce inflammation.
Olive oil is great for cooking! It is made up of mono-unsaturated fats which play an active role in reducing inflammation and protecting the skin.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! You should aim for 6-8 glasses of water a day and you can get some of this fluid from fruit and vegetables. Keeping hydrated is particularly important in summer as your fluid output is much higher due to increased sweating. There are many health reasons for keeping hydrating for example, maintaining healthy skin and elasticity.
Tazneem is a registered associate nutritionist and a junior doctor. Her specialism is promoting a healthy diet for the prevention of disease. She would like to help you by coming up with healthy and unique recipe ideas to contribute to a healthier lifestyle.