21 November,2010 11:47 AM IST | | Ratna Rajaiah
MBA, former ad professional and columnist Ratna Rajaiah weaves recipes from her mother's kitchen, health commandments of Ayurveda and historical food trivia to bring you a recipe book of a different kind
Because it is never served hot, it makes a great summer day appetiser
Ingredients
>>u00a0I ball tamarind the size of a marble
>>u00a01/4 kg whole mung (green gram), cleaned and washed
>> 7 cloves of garlic
>> 1.5 to 2 tsp salt
>> 5 green chillies
>> 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped (For tempering)
>> 1 tbsp oil
>>u00a01/2 tsp mustard seeds
>> 1 dry red chilli, broken into pieces
>> 8 curry leaves
>> 1 tbsp lemon juice
>> a pinch of asafoetida
Method
Soak the tamarind in a quarter cup of water for 15 minutes. Squeeze, extract the juice and keep aside.
Roast the mung on a low fire till it turns brown and emits an aroma. Cool and cook in a pressure cooker till very soft (9 whistles) Roast the garlic and green chillies in separate pans till the skin turns brown in places. Grind the mung and chillies into a coarse paste. Peel garlic, crush and add to paste along with tamarind and salt. Add water to give it a thick broth-like consistency. Add chopped coriander and mix well.
For tempering, heat oil, add mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add asafoetida and curry leaves. remove from heat and add to broth. Add lemon juice if you want to up the tartness.u00a0 Eat it with bread sticks at room temperature, or you could cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Up health benefit
The most nutritious way to eat mung is after your sprout it. Sprouting not only multiplies the wealth of minerals and vitamins, it also makes it easily accessible to the body. It unlocks the cache of Vitamin C, which is unavailable in unsprouted mung.
An Indian summer without kairi panha is unthinkable
Ingredients
>>u00a01 cup unripe mango, peeled and dried
>> 1.5 cups sugar (you can replace this with grated jaggery for a more delicious, healthy drink) (For flavouring)
>>u00a01/4 tsp saffron
>> 1.2 tsp cardamom powder
>> Pinch of nutmeg or 3/4 tsp chaat masala
>>u00a01/4 tsp black salt or pepper
Method
Peel raw mango, cut into pieces and boil till soft. Blend in a mixer till smooth. Add sugar/jaggery and bring to a boil, stirring continuously till it dissolves. Add your chosen flavouring and mix well.
Cool and store in a clean, dry bottle. It can be stored for over a month. To serve: Add a tbsp or more to a glass of chilled water. Decorate with a sprig of mint leaves.
Variation: For a wonderful smoked version, instead of boiling, roast the whole mango with skin on till the insides are cooked and squishy. Then follow the rest of the recipe.
Au00a0poet's favourite
From Kalidasa to Amir Khusrau and Tagore, the mango has inspired many a lyricist and poet. But it was perhaps Mirza Ghalib who was its biggest fan. He would demolish a dozen in a single sitting. His passion for mangoes was apparent in this line: Aam meethe hon aur bahut se hon (Mangoes should be sweet and plentiful).
Adding methi to dals, chapati dough and rice is a great way to up nutrition. This dish is named after the author's mum
Ingredients
>>u00a01/4 kg rice, cleaned and washed
>> 2 tbsp oil
>> 1 dried red chilli broken into pieces
>> A pinch of asafoetida
>> 1 tsp mustard seeds
>> 1 tsp urad dal
>> 1 tsp chana dal
>> 3 green chillies, chopped
>> 8-10 curry leaves
>> 3 bunches of small methi, washed and finely cut
>>u00a01/2 tsp turmeric
>> 1 tsp salt
>> Juice of 1 lemon
Method
Cook the rice and allow it to cool. Heat the oil, add red chilli, mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, add the two dals, green chillies and curry leaves and fry till the dals turn golden brown.
Add methi leaves and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add turmeric, salt and stir-fry till the fenugreek is cooked.
Before removing from heat, stir in the lemon juice. Add the fenugreek mixture to rice and allow it to cool. Mix well without mashing the rice.
Weapon of war
It's probably the only price to be used in war! In ancient warfare, it was a common strategy to pour boiling water or oil to deter the enemy from scaling the walls of a city. But during the Roman siege of Jerusalem (70 AD), the Jewish defenders added fenugreek to the oil to make the walls even more slippery.
Every woman's friend
Fenugreek is a woman's best friend. It's the best source of iron, and provides a simple solution to anemia that plagues 60 per cent of adolescent girls in India. Packed with calcium, it helps prevent osteoporosis.
Great on bread, toast, chapati, roasted papad, crackers, or just by itself
Ingredients
>>u00a01/2 kg curd (made from skimmed milk) (For seasoning)
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 8-10 peppercorns, coarsely crushed
>> 1 tbsp fresh pudina, finely chopped
>> I heaped tsp cumin seeds, roasted and powdered
>> 2 cloves of garlic, ground to paste
>>u00a01/2 spring onions, finely chopped
Method
Spread a clean thin cloth over a large bowl so that it covers it completely, and dips slightly in the centre. Empty the curd over the cloth and let it remain there till most of the whey has dripped into the bowl. Tie the cloth around the curd to make a thick packet and hang it over the kitchen sink for 5 hours till all the whey has dripped out and you are left with a soft paste. Now put the curd paste into a bowl, add salt and any combination from the options of seasoning. Blend well. Store the spread in a dry jar where it will keep for 3 days.
Beauty
Buttermilk, like curd, is a skincare specialist. Some say Cleopatra bathed in it, so did Marie Antoinette to keep wrinkles at bay. Washing your face with buttermilk is a traditional remedy for lightening freckles and age spots and for treating sunburn.
History
Two references to curd in the Arthshastra are interesting. According to Kautilya, the way to judge the purity of silver is to check whether it is the colour of curd. He also recommends that the diet of best horses in the king's army include curd.
Goes well with idlis, dosa, and curd rice
Ingredients
>>u00a0100 gms dried red chillies (opt for Kashmiri if you want it less pungent)
>>u00a0 Ball of tamarind the size of a small lemon
>>u00a0 5-6 medium-sized garlic cloves (optional)
>>u00a0u00a01/2 dry coconut cut into small pieces
>>u00a0u00a03/4 cup grated jaggery
>>u00a0u00a01/2 cup oil (coconut oil gives it a delicious and distinct flavour)
>>u00a0 1 tsp salt
Method
Grind all ingredients except oil and garlic into a coarse paste. Add garlic and grind to form a smooth paste. Remove from blender, dribble in the oil, stirring constantly till the oil is completely absorbed into the chutney. Store in a dry jar.
(You can substitute the garlic with a tbsp of roasted sesame seeds or tilu00a0u00a0-- the black variety are the most flavourful. Roast them gently and grind them with other ingredients).
Spice meter
The pungency of a chilli is measured in Scoville units. The hottest chilli in the world was the Red Savina Habanero at a searing 580,000 units. This was until the Bhut Jolokia was discovered in 2000 in Assam. At 1,001,304 Scoville units, it's twice as hot as the Habanero. There are plans to use it in anti-mugging weapons like pepper sprays.
It's a vitamin pill
The chilli is red for the same reason that the insides of a pumpkin are orange. It is packed with beta carotene that is one of the best anti-oxidants. It's also highu00a0 in Vitamin C.
Ancient past
The chilli arrived in India just half a century ago thanks to travellers. But its remains have been found at archaeological sites in Tehuacan Valley in Mexico dating back 5,500 to 7,000 years.
Buy the book
How the Banana Goes to Heaven (and other secrets of health from the Indian kitchen). Published by Westland. Available at leading bookstores for Rs 395
