Bath (බත්) Packet 2.0
Redesigning a venerable institution
For most Sri Lankans (and an increasing number of non-Sri Lankans), nothing beats a good Bath (බත්, rice) to quench hunger. And ubiquitous Bath (බත්) Packet (or BP for short), available everywhere, from a humble way-side hawker to the poshest five-start hotel, is a fairly convenient and efficient way to imbibe a Bath into your system.
The Problem
However, the venerable BP in particular, and the way we consume rice in general, has a serious downside. When you open a BP, you will notice the mountain of rice. Perhaps 80% or more of its calorific content is from rice, which itself is mostly carbohydrates. This excess of carbs, along with a spike in the consumption of refined sugars, is causing a diabetes epidemic and a host of other related disorders like heart and kidney disease.
The excess of carbs also means that the BP is deficient in other things, especially protein and vital minerals like Iron. The lack of the latter has also resulted in severe growth stunting, particularly in children, and Anemia, especially in women.
The Root of the Problem
The excess of carbs is not surprising, given that for much of history, most Sri Lankans were farmers or engaged in similarly energy-intensive professions. Today fewer and fewer Sri Lankans are farmers, and more and more Sri Lankans have desk jobs. However, the farmer might have left the farm for the office, but hasn’t given up the farmer’s diet.
What if we can redesign the venerable BP to be more healthy? And particularly adapt it to our current lifestyle, which is far less energy-intensive? What if we can also use it to address other problems like protein deficiency?
The Solution (BP 2.0)
What would be the “characteristics” of a healthy BP? I assumed the following:
- About 800 Cal (given that an adult male needs about 2,000 Cal per day)
- 55% of calories from Carbs, 25% from fat, and 20% from protein.
- 2 portions (or 160g) of vegetables
Also, assuming a fairly standard set of ingredients, I got the following “recipe”*:
- Rice (73 g uncooked, about ⅓ cups or hundus)
- Soya Meat (54 g)
- Dhal (16 g)
- Egg (half an egg)
- Brinjal (40 g)
- Pumpkin (40 g)
- Carrot (40 g)
- Onion (40 g)
- Coconut (29 g)
- Coconut Oil (7 g, or one and a half teaspoons)
- Green Chilli (8 g)
- Lime (4 g, or about a teaspoon)
[* For simplicity, I’ve excluded spices and salt, which shouldn’t impact the price and nutrition much]
The raw ingredients (i.e. not counting labour and energy) would cost about Rs. 85, assuming Narehenpita Retail Prices published in the Central Bank’s Daily Price Report published on May 13, 2021. Adding labour and energy, it would probably cost close to Rs. 150.
Concluding Observations
The most obvious observation is that how drastically different BP 2.0 is from a “normal” BP. For example,
- About half the plate would be vegetables
- About a quarter by sources of (Soya Meat, Eggs, Dhal)
- And only a quarter would be rice
Given this drastic change in ratio, the “curries” (i.e. soya, dhal, and vegetables) would have to have far fewer spices and far less salt; otherwise, the meal would be uneatable.
As you might have noticed, to keep things simple, I didn’t address Iron and other deficiencies. I’ll address those in a v2.1.
Finally, I haven’t cooked this recipe, so please point out if there are significant “impossibilities”. I have already been told that the “coconut oil budget” is far too stingy.
