food for thougths: veg Fry and Thai salad

food for thougths: veg Fry and Thai salad: I sliced few vegetables, as shown in this pic. It was done in haste. More colors would be better. More the color more it will be healthie...

ghuinya? root vegetables can also be a good option: Traditional dishes

While preparing the vegetables for sambhar or sambar I got the idea shall i use any root vegetable in this sambar? Since sambar is a traditional dish of South India. i thought whether they use any of the root vegetable in it or not? Though carrot, radish, turnip, beet root can be considered as root vegetables. these all I use in sambar.   There are other root vegetables such as Potato, Sweet Potato. these also i use in sambar. I call sambar as the kichidi खिचड़ी of vegetables. 

There are many root vegetables as i know them by names such as घुइंया banda बोंडा। I dont know their names in English? But they look like this:- Is it also called Taro? There are many vegetables which we can consider as root? Only problem I have with these Ghuiyan and banda is that my throat gets irritation after eating it. Thus we can add mango powder while cooking

 These pictures are all very tempting? 

Preparing Ghuiyan घुइयाँ requires skill. since peeling it is a little bit of problem. It gives irritation to skin, but traditionally in India, Mustard oil is used. Applied on hand before peeling it. It is also used while cutting the Jack fruit. 
Thus first take some mustard oil or dip fingers in mustard oil and rub over palm and back side of palm, this will save sensitive skin from irritation.

peel it and cut into thick pieces as shown in this picture, as i do. Use your own imagination, how you want to cut it. After this peel onions, garlic, ginger(if you like) green chili, as shown here below. I used the green onion also- so called spring onion.

Then put all things into jar of your grinder/mixer. 
But still i can say that taste comes only when you use stone crusher? Try it yourself?   After few rounds of blades you will get a paste. Check for your required consistency. If you feel that everything has become paste and you can eat it without noticing any thick particles, then remove it 

It should look like this as shown here in picture. I usually put other required spices in it while mixing/grinding. such as turmeric, coriander powder. 
Most essential spice in this dish is अजवाइन Ajwain, (caraway, carom seed). it's name is Trachyspermum ammi of species aplaceae. 
Its smell is must while cooking this dish. Ajwain is used as medicinal plant in traditional Ayurvedic medicine; primarily for stomach disorders such as flatulence but also for its antispasmodic and carminative properties.(from wiki)

Since this ghuiyan is said to be very heavy to digest thus to remove bad effects or to remove flatulence,  Ajwain is always used. This tradition has been carried forward from families to families all through generations and continues for centuries. Thus our Indian kitchen is a storehouse of centuries old traditions  which are preserved by our mothers/ladies of house.

Heat a pan on stove. put some edible oil for medium. put this paste into the pan and fry it in the hot oil. Salt to taste. the normal test is to check whether the oil is leaving the paste. or just check whether paste is roasted/fried enough and not overdone. Usually we get indication just by smell that dish is cooked now. But one has to be experienced to be able to judge simply by smell. Add the cut pieces of the root vegetable ghuiyan. Cook for some time at least for ten minutes- but always check for consistency. If it becomes dry then add little water. It is better that cook under your vigil eyes. 

There is another traditional dish made out of the leaves of Ghuiyan. 

Wash leaves properly. 
For this dish you need either Besan बेसन or any other flour whichever you like. Traditionally besan-the gram flour is used.  Take few spoons of besan-gram flour, add little water so that it can be made into a thick paste. Only test is that it should not flow? it has to be sticky since it has to be applied to the leaves. Spread out the leaves of ghuiyan(taro) and apply a thin layer of the paste of Besan. In the paste if you like you can add little salt, chili or any powdered spice to taste(such as garam masala गरम मसाला ). Then slowly try to roll the leaves.  After you have enough leaves rolled then put aside. 

Put a wok or pan on stove. I use kadhai कढ़ाई for this dish. I arrange sticks of arhar dal in such a way that a mess or net like structure is visible in wok. Onto this mess of sticks keep those rolls of leaves. Put some water inside pan. After few minutes water will start steaming. And from this steam these leaves are to be cooked. 

Now days we have so many utensils for cooking. varieties of steamers are available in market. choose any steamer and cook leaves into steam for few minutes until cooked. Take out rolls and cut into pieces. 
Now add oil in another wok/pan, fry these pieces into brown or as you wish as per your choice. the dish is ready to serve. Serve in plate either with any chutney or sauce or tomato ketchup, options are many. But the traditional dish should be kept alive. Just try it at your home.

Try it and provide your feedback here? so that i can improve my blog with your experiences? Also provide feedback as to how you liked this blog?

   

When we wake up in morning, if you are in India, then you have to follow several routines. After some point of time you need to have food. Most often we get to eat roti-chapati, poori or Paratha or else upma, poha and lots of other things. These change according to region in which you are. 

Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir Ladakh, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh &down south the typical south Indian breakfast consists of idli, vada or dosa along with chutney and sambar. Many variations of these dishes exist such as Rava idli, vada with yogurt, sambar vada and masala dosa. Other popular south Indian breakfast items are pongal, sambar rice, upma. 

But now in 21st century India we find Megacities and with that metropolitan citizens. They have become more global rather than an Indian. With that more ideas from West or other countries are coming to our India. But thing is- here in India we already have great food. That is more near to nature rather than processed food. If we emulate foreign food habits then high standard of quality control should also be followed. 

 Regional variations somehow do not matter now a days for many. When i visit Chennai (Madras) i saw poori, chola-(channa) a variety of Bhature? I had never imagined that the poori will be so popular in Chennai?  

Now a days i am finding so many malls in cities and also the delivery boys travelling with their vehicles all around the city. in all these malls various food joints are available selling lots of food items. Most famous is pizza, burger, finger chips or french fries. With that some kind of soft drinks-i saw they add lots of ice cubs in the glass. End result is that persons are drinking only water? the soft drink is diluted by the melting of ice cubes?

As the urbanisation is going on at high pace so does the food habits of foreign land are being copied by these residents. The sub-urban residents are now trying to emulate the habits of Urban or Metro citizens, mostly in copying the dressing sense and food habits. Many small shops of such third grade food are being opened at every nook and corner of streets in these new colonies. 

Thus the children are at high risk of health hazards of such junk food. the contamination in water, unsafe water, added with the use of pesticide, insecticide in vegetables, and more so the applying of chemicals for ripening of fruits, showing vegetables more green so that it looks fresh, somewhere i have also seen that some wax kind of thing is added on Apple so that it shines, but underneath is the rotting parts,  All such things are leading to a point where children will get disease or allergies or any other kind if ill effects of such adulteration.

Thus it is high time that we start thinking of using our own traditional foods and also try to think that what we get to eat is fresh and natural or organic.  

GREEN PEAS FRY

There are many options of healthy breakfast. I have tried this simple dish from green peas. Fry green peas in any edible oil but i prefer mustard oil, which is being used in our homes since centuries?, take cumin, red chili or green, cut onion, grated ginger, cut pieces of garlic, cut tomatoes, green coriander leaves. 

When mustard starts sizzling add chili, onion, garlic, grated ginger saute for few seconds, add tomatoes. after that add salt to taste. if you like add some turmeric. Turmeric is  like magic option, it is very beneficial herb. so try to use turmeric always. People say it has steroids, so what we have been using it since centuries. 

Actually people eat this dish of green peas in evenings also. Most famous thing in dish is use of thinly chopped ginger thrown over the peas and squeeze lime juice. 
We know that our mothers have always been experts in kitchen experimenting. Thus there is no harm, if we experiment with these dishes. 
Our Indian kitchen were the oldest laboratory of chemical experiments and research. Have you heard how old is the kitchen of temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, Orissa?? almost thousands of years old is the tradition of cooking prasad in the Temple. People or historian can claim that the temple was constructed by so and so King? but can they tell actually when the cooking started at that very place? Temples after temples were constructed, reconstructed then renovated and all kings claimed for it?

Another dish which anyone or everyone can cook is that of Sabji of roti? have you heard of it?

If you have few roti or chapatis left from morning or previous night, then don't worry. Cut onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, tomatoes as per your taste etc. add if you can add some vegetables also?

Then heat oil, put cumin seeds, onion, green chili, (but with advent of newer taste from south India that is use of curry leaves) you can add that too. fry all this till brown or little cooked. Meanwhile take roti-chapati as you call, make small pieces, when all the ingredients in cooking pan is frying add these pieces of roti. Fry for some time. Just check that roti is not over done or get burnt. Switch off the gas/stove. Take out in a plate and enjoy the dish of roti? add tomato ketchup? i added few pea nuts or groundnuts to make it more healthy.

Now a days it is common to use sauces while frying for chowmein, noodles etc. Thus one can add sauces at the time of frying roti. this will add to taste.  

    There are many options of healthy food.

I must say introduction of fast food into Indian homes has brought some laziness in our homes. 
Earlier why people were gender discriminatory? people will ask? but in those times there were no Atta chakki? to make wheat flour. Thus to make chapati ladies of every households had to wake-up early morning and crush the wheat to make flour using the stone wheels atta chakki आटा चक्की। for hours they were making flour. And to make food for whole of households was a huge task without kitchen appliances as we have now days. Blender, grinder, chopper, juice maker, oven, even we have dish washer now.
Thus while doing so much hard labour they used their bodies so much so that it was like exercising or using gym?
they were much healthy also. 

impact of junk food is very bad/disastrous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food

http://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body  one can find something on this website?

I feel problem is that during these many years after independence not much research has gone into the quality, calorific values for our traditional food. Even there was AYURVEDA, a ancient work of lifestyle, health but on food also? 

If one tries to search for calorie value of different food item it is easy nowdays, thanx for google search etc search engine on internet.

Now there is flood of website where different types of recipes of food are available. such as like this site:-

http://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-for-healthy-breakfast-489

and this 

http://www.apollolife.com/tools/caloriesheetofcommonfooditems.aspx

 

Why is it bad to eat junk food?

These types of food are known as junk food. They are foods that are high in calories, low in nutrients and usually contain harmful synthetic chemicals. Most junk foods are processed food; thus, they are no longer in their natural state. In addition, they are stripped of certain essential nutrients.

Why Junk Food is Bad for Your Health | EnergyFanatics.co

energyfanatics.com/2008/06/15/why-junk-food-bad/

New odour- What happens when a new family moves-in the colony

While entering my house block I felt a new odour, that was emancipating in air. It was quite amazing; it had some smell of peanut oil. I have always been criticised by my wife for this ability, (of identify food items by smell)? Many times she gets irritated by this quality, when I comment “are you cooking bitter guard?” or “you have burnt the cumin seeds?” These very small things sometimes become the “masala” for a volcano later sometime in that day. Those who are married and are husband can better understand me and my situation?

My three storied house block has six houses(flats) and a similar block face our block. Daily, whenever I enter the block on ground floor my nose gets lot of smells. The best thing is that those engineers, who designed these houses placed kitchen in the staircase area. It means, when I enter the block first thing I see is a window of kitchen and there are two windows nearby on each floor.

Whenever I step on ground floor I get smell of “cooking” food of those two households. My house is on top floor. Similarly when I step out of my house I get lots of smell coming up from ground and first floor.

When I stand at ground floor I get very good smell of frying the masala & onion with green curry leaves, green chillies. One has to experience with their own nose, to understand as how frying green chillies in oil smell? There is also smell of tamarind? But I like the smell of Rasam the most. If I tell this to my wife she becomes angry. But my nose does not stop from enjoying the odour coming from those kitchens.

On ground floor Tamil Aunty always cook something fascinating. The breakfast, lunch and during evening time at around 5 or 6 I get many fascinating smells.  These act like an appetizer every time I step in the staircase. She frowns the moment I make sound of smelling something.

The moment Tamil aunty puts in the cumin, coriander seeds, black peppers, red chilies and curry leaves whole of the aura becomes so magnetic that it becomes difficult to resist myself from inhaling as much i can??? 

when we went on LTC to the South India from Kanpur to Kanyakumari, we got to taste whole lot variety of food across the route. 

Kanpur-Jabalpur-Reewa-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Tirupati-Chennai, Mahabalipuram,Ooty-Mysore- Madurai-Rameshwaram-Kanyakumari-Trivandram-Bangalore-Panjim(Goa)-Bombay-lonawala-Ellora-Surat-Gandinagar-Ahemdabad-AJMER-Delhi-Agra-Mathura-back to Kanpur in 1977.

Down South in most of the places we got to taste idli, dosa and variety of Sambhar and rasam. There was a drink made of butter milk which i bought in the Meenakshi temple complex. It was nice and spicy; we drank many glasses, whole bucket was empteied by children and families of our bus itself. it has some green leaves also in it. That time it sounded like "Varsha" something. later in chennai it was called "more".

Later as cities grew, people from various states migrated & settled in mega cities as well as small cities for employment. With people food habits also traveled. That's why i got to eat dosa & idli right at the gate of IIT Kanpur and in Kanpur city also. later while mixing with those families i learnt how to make sambhar.

Back to my colony now.   Next door on ground floor is of a Muslim family. The smell of curry or gravy comes through their window. Often they cook Non-Vegetarian dishes. But the smell is like that we used to get at our Kanpur.

First floor houses a Bengali and another Punjabi mixed family. The smell of cooking “Paratha” in mustard oil comes very often together with bitter guard and Ani seeds. From their neighbour’s house lots of un-recognised smell comes up. But most horrifying smell is when they fry the dry fish of any fish. But my next door also lives a Bengali family. But amazing thing is that they do not eat the onion or Garlic. Sometimes I try to imagine as to how they are able to eat without onion & garlic. Many times “sanyasi” from RamKrishna Mission do visit their house. I heard from my wife that aunty cleans whole of kitchen first then prepare vegetarian food for swami ji. Often it is without onion or garlic. Amazing it looks to me that they eat fish & Chicken but not much of egg? So frying smell of green chillies along with “posta dana”  khas khas comes from her kitchen.

A new family has arrived in our colony. I know they are a Maharastrian family. Many images immediately came to my mind-The chiwda, Poha, poli, Modak etc.

In my school we had tasted poha and chiwda at fete or picnic organised by my school “Campus school IIT Kanpur”. 

Mrs Ghasias and Mrs Bapat were the most famous Marathi teachers. 

The IIT Campus was a mini India where families from each corner of country lived together. 

Marathas moved to various places in India either through military campaign or through migration. Many cities in Madhya Pradesh such as Indore, Gwalior, Raipur Rajnandgaon, Shivpur, Jhansi were all influenced by Marathas.  Even in Uttar Pradesh many cities were there where Marathas lived. Famous was my Kanpur where Nana Saheb Peshwa was exiled and lived in Bithoor. Where one of my great grandfather settled and lived as a “sanyasi” the "dandi swami” on Maharaj Ghat. 

I am eagerly waiting to get more smells from the block in front of our block if possible?

But now i am able to appreciate the richness of our Indian traditional foods. The vast variety is available in our country. But another problem is that when you enter any hotel and if they offer you any "thali" saying that it is a traditional thali. Then sometimes it becomes problem to recognize or identify the true dish among these thali. 
Can you identify any from the images below?

One dish that i experimented after listening the recipei is Saboo dana ki Khictdi? As shown here in this picture.

soak saboodana(Sago) in water for few seconds. or just try to wash them slowly with water. After few seconds they will soak little water. then put the plate slightly inclined so that water gets away on the slope. Meanwhile in the "wok" or  pan on the stove heat oil of choice. roast some cumin seeds or mustard seeds as per your choice. Add green chilies cut into small pieces. crush some groundnuts and roast in this oil. if you wish you can add boiled potato cut into small pieces. I have used un-boiled potato also. But first these potato have to be fried so that it can be cooked. after few seconds- i mean when you think that potato are cooked then add the cumin seeds/mustard seeds, groundnuts green chilies cut into fine pieces saute for some time(seconds). Then add the saboodana, water squeezed out and fry sometime. add salt to taste.

Actually this dish i used to make on the days when we used to keep "FAST" vrat or Upvaas. that time we add desi cow ghee and sendha namak -rock salt

Few aunties of my colony used to play prank with me. they used to call me and ask in a very polite voice-Kamles please tell how you cook saboodana kichdi?

in those moments i think that time (during 1977 to 1980) i could have done better than Madhur Jafri ji or Curtis stone, Nigella lawson etc. 

Now in this age I am able to cook sambhar also? Cut any vegetable you have properly. there is no hard and fast rule. The vegetables changes as per the convenience, place, tradition-family traditions also, often regional differences are also there. But in today's India we can add as many vegetables as we can-Democarcy? isn't it?

fry vegetables in a cooker with oil, mustard seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, fenugreek, coriander, cumin seeds, asafoetida and lots of green chilies. saute for sometime. Add salt, turmeric and/or the Sambhar Masala that is easily available in shops across India. After few seconds if you feel the vegatbles are little fried add the Arhar dal- that is called as Toor dal also soaked in water. pour enough water so that after cooking you get the required consistency of liquid. Close the lid of pressure cooker, wait for 2 or three whistles. remove the pressure cooker and let is rest for sometime.

By the smell of steam one can judge the quality and status of cooked dal. Later add the tarmarind water taken out from the soaked tamarind in little luke warm water by squeezing the pulp. take seeve and pour over it and let it added to the cooked dal. Put again on stove cook it for few seconds. Sambhar is ready?