7 healthy no-oil Indian recipes for an electric cooker

Healthy Indian cooking doesn’t need oil to taste good. In an electric cooker, rice, lentils, and vegetables soften evenly, spices bloom gently, and flavours deepen without a drop of fat. The result is food that’s nourishing yet flavourful, the kind you finish without feeling heavy. These are dishes you can eat day after day and still look forward to. Here are seven recipes that prove no-oil doesn’t mean no-taste, each simple enough for a weeknight but satisfying enough to serve proudly.

Rinse ½ cup moong dal and ½ cup rice until the water runs clear. Add both to the cooker with 2 cups of diced vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower), ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp salt, and 4 cups of water. Cook until soft, then fluff gently and finish with a squeeze of lemon and chopped coriander. If you like a thinner khichdi, add ¼ cup extra water before cooking - and let it rest covered for 10 minutes so it settles into a creamier texture.

Soak 2 cups idli rice and 1 cup urad dal separately for 6–8 hours, grind to a smooth but slightly airy batter, ferment overnight; pour batter into wetted idli moulds (use water, not oil), set them on the cooker’s steam rack over 2 cups hot water and steam 10–12 minutes. Quick tip: the toothpick test never fails, insert one in the centre and it should come out clean. Let it cool for a bit before unmoulding, then serve warm with coconut chutney or sambar.

Dry-roast 1 cup semolina until fragrant and set aside; bring 3 cups water, 1 cup mixed diced veg (carrot, peas, beans), 1–2 slit green chillies, 1 tsp grated ginger, a few curry leaves and 1 tsp salt to a boil in the cooker, then slowly sprinkle in semolina while stirring to avoid lumps; close and let the cooker finish the cycle, open, fluff with a fork and finish with lemon juice and chopped coriander - the steam cooks veggies gently, so no oil is required for softness or flavour.

Soak 1 cup chana dal for 30–60 minutes, then drain and add to the cooker with 3 cups water, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 crushed garlic cloves, and 1½ tsp salt. Cook until the dal is tender, mash lightly for body, then fold in a handful of chopped spinach or methi until wilted. Finish with a squeeze of lemon - the dal’s own starch thickens the stew, giving you a rich mouthfeel without any fat.

Finely shred 3 cups cabbage and toss with 1 chopped green chilli, a few curry leaves, ¼ cup grated coconut and ½ tsp salt; put it in the steaming basket with a tablespoon of water and steam 4–6 minutes until just tender and still bright, then toss gently to distribute the coconut and finish with chopped coriander and black pepper - it keeps the texture lively and the flavours clean, no oil needed.

Rinse 1 cup brown rice and ½ cup split yellow moong dal, dry-roast the dal briefly; combine rice and dal in the cooker with 5 cups water, 1 tsp crushed black pepper, 1 tsp grated ginger, a couple of curry leaves and 1 tsp salt and cook on porridge/slow rice until the grains break down into a soft, porridge-like consistency; stir through steamed vegetables or toasted nuts for contrast and finish with lemon juice instead of ghee for brightness.

Rinse 1 cup red masoor dal and add to the cooker with 3 cups water, 1 chopped tomato, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 1 tsp salt; cook a single dal cycle, mash slightly for a smooth body, then fold in ground coriander, and add a pinch of garam masala and chopped coriander at the end, serve with steamed rice or phulkas. A final squeeze of lime lifts the flavours the way a tadka would, without oil.