Some Indian households have always been doing it, using vegetables in all forms including peels. Interestingly, scientific evidence suggests that many fruits and vegetables’ peels are more nutritious than fruit/vegetables.
If you want to use the peels, ensure that only washed peels should be used, preferably from organically sourced vegetables and fruits, especially considering the pesticide risks involved. Washing them in lukewarm water is a good idea to ensure this. Here are some vegetables and fruits whose peel is quite healthy.
1 Orange– Its peel has always been used in baking to get the flavor of orange. Dry the orange peels, and a tinge of it can add a dash of flavor in cakes and tarts and even your cocktails and punches. They could also be used in homemade chocolates or even made out into sweetened candies for kids. Clean the orange peel to remove as much as pith as possible and sundry them for a few days. These can be stored as-is or powdered. Alternatively, you could also microwave the cleaned and cut peels at 200 degrees F for 30 minutes or a little more.
2 Lemon– They are bitter, but they too add a lot of flavor to certain dishes and drinks. They can be used in baking, desserts, and cocktails/mocktails, apart from making flavourful teas with them. They could also be used to make pickles or candies.
3 Watermelon– This is one of those fruits which we can eat almost all parts, the flesh, the seeds, and the rinds. It is not exactly the peel that we use here, the thick rinds inside the peel that we cut off and throw can be used for making a variety of stuff. They can be pickled, made into jam, or halwa; they can even be ground along with dosa batter to make dosas, soft, fluffy, and flavourful.
4 Potato- Many people use potato with peels, but just in case you are throwing it away, here is a rethink. The peels can be soaked for a while in the water, drained and used to make fries, just like you would do potato chips. The same goes even for sweet potatoes. Alternatively, if you want to avoid frying, you could roast them in ovens, and they make for a good and healthy snack for young and old alike.
5 Ginger– While a few use ginger with peels, most wash and peel the ginger before use. These peels, too, are equally flavourful; they could be washed and dried and powdered and stored for some time. The ginger peel powder can add flavor to your dishes, tea, broths, soups, and even some baked product.
6 Pumpkin– Its peels can also be used in various ways; you could simply mix them with a few other vegetables for a quick stir fry. You could make chutney or add them to jam or soups to add flavor and thickness. Pumpkins can be baked in oven with the peel as and used in other dishes. The same can be done with ash gourd to make stir fries or chutneys. Even ridge gourd peel chutneys are very common in south India.
7 Apple– They are almost always discarded; however, if you could ensure the dewaxing of the peels by washing in hot water or mixed with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, you could put them to good use. You could make jam out of it, make flavourful apple tea or add a dash to the mocktails. Apple peel crisps can also be made, or you could add them to smoothies to bring in fibre content. They could also be used as salad toppings or used in baking.
8 Green Peas– The green peas skin/peel is commonly used in many north Indian houses to make Pakodas (Bhajiyas), sabjis, soups, and more. They need to be cleaned patiently and thoroughly before being used. You could even dish out a chaat with matar ke chilke.
9 Onion-You just may not believe this, but even onion peels have their value. With these peels, you need to extra careful to ensure no residue of pesticides and source onion from safe and organic vendors only. These can be roasted in the oven and powdered and added to soups and gravies to make them thicker and flavourful. Onion skin tea is supposed to provide relaxation, and a dash of it while cooking rice adds a subtle and smoky flavor to the rice.
10 Mango– What do you do with the peel of the king of fruits? Very few prefer to eat it as is without peeling, but it is very beneficial if you do. These peels can be used to make pickles, jams, syrups, salads, and more.
11 Pomegranate– Perhaps, this is one peel that has been used commonly in India since ancient times. They are considered to be highly medicinal and are always dried and stored for further use. They are used to make Kadhas and tea to address many common digestive issues as home remedies.
12 Carrot– It is best used without peeling; however, if you do peel them, use the peels to make crisps like that of potato or use them in your soups and broths. Again, these can be added to your smoothies to add fibre content, even made into a stir fry. A good idea would be to freeze these peels and use them in combination.
So above are a few vegetables/fruits peel which can be added to your diet.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
2nd March 2022