'The Gutless Foodie' Gives People Another Reason To Fall In Love With Indian Cuisine

After a long surgical process and eight days in hospital, Natasha Diddee was told that her entire stomach had to be removed, along with perforated ulcers and a tumour, to save her life. Not one to be daunted by life’s challenges, the trained chef decided to share her story as ‘The Gutless Foodie’ and started uploading the food she cooked daily. Today, she is an Instagram star with over 44,000 followers. Here are some ‘Gutless Foodie’ dishes that will make you fall in love with Indian cuisine!

Mixed veggies, the fun way

For Natasha, every day in the kitchen is an art project and everything she cooks is an experiment with taste. Here, The Gutless Foodie has hatched a brilliant plan to feed our bodies the greens it needs, in a fun way! This dish is super easy and you can customise it with greens of your choice.

TGF’s Tip: This is a great way to sneak in veggies your loved ones won’t normally eat. While puréeing, add milk then give it a boil. The soup will become creamier and now has added calcium!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX-wycll1Jk/?taken-by=thegutlessfoodie

Kottu Paratha, from Sri Lanka to India

Having no stomach means Natasha’s body doesn’t produce vitamin B (which helps the brain’s memory), which means Natasha learns new things about food every day! She experimented to make her own version of a Sri Lankan dish called Kottu Roti by adding some Indian spices to it and the result was a tasty, easy-to-cook dish.

TGF’s Tip: Cut leftover rotis/parathas cold because they cut better and make ribbons instead of roughly breaking them because you can pick it up better with a fork and the masala coats thin strips well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXqK7_DFD78/?taken-by=thegutlessfoodie

Chettinad meat curry

For a person who cooks around nine dishes every day, Natasha sure knows some useful kitchen tricks. She wanted to make something new with chicken leftovers and what she came up with was a protein packed Chettinad style curry with chicken and eggs.

TGF’s Tip: Add boiled eggs to a leftover chicken curry to make it delicious. It’s a great way to improve an already cooked dish and this way, you can add extra protein.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQIr8oEDeOf/

Indian fish tacos

The Gutless Foodie invented this dish when she had some parathas and fried fish in the fridge she needed to use – she made some easy and delicious fish tacos. The best part about Natasha’s dishes is that she doesn’t always include exotic ingredients; she sources her vegetables and other ingredients locally.

TGF’s Tip: This is a super yum way to use leftovers while toning it down. Also it makes for a great high protein tiffin box for kids.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVkJOCcFFKJ/?taken-by=thegutlessfoodie

Omelettes and flat breads, Maharashtra style

Natasha’s stories about food, how she felt when she tried something for the first time and her childhood memories, all make her food special. This particular dish took her back to the day when her parents had guests over for dinner, but her dad quietly went into the kitchen to make some of it for himself!

TGF’s Tip: Pour the egg into the pan, add the toppings and then place the roti/flatbread on top. This way when you flip, there’s minimal egg splash. This is also a great way to reuse leftover rotis, and the egg and cheese provide added protein.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQVMw6cBogg/

Fish pulimunchi

Natasha says she has numerous cookbooks (all gifted to her), but has read none of them! Not one to conform, The Gutless Foodie added her own twist to a traditional Mangalorean dish by adding curry leaves, coconut, onions and garlic. The result was delicious and something new.

TGF’s Tip: Always marinate fish with salt and vinegar, then wash off before cooking. It reduces the fishy smell.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTWOVRpBD0-/?taken-by=thegutlessfoodie

Pickled teasle gourds

Teasle gourd are not half as bitter as bitter gourds and if experimented with, like Natasha does, can turn out super delicious! Natasha added pickle oil and her own tweaks to make the dish unique.

TGF’s Tip: They are a great source of vegetable protein and iron. Add coriander to improve the flavour.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSJUgGuBefn/?taken-by=thegutlessfoodie

Chutney Fenugreek Dish

Natasha makes up new dishes all the time. She made a coriander chutney with coconut and peanuts and cooked fenugreek in it.

TGF’s Tip: Don’t chop the leaves. Just pluck them and the tender stalks and cook without cutting. The methi won’t taste so bitter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSRH40-ARpS/

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