Month: May 2022

Detoxifying Plantain stem and pomegranate juice:

May 20, 2022

Raw vegetable and fruit juices are helpful in the rejuvenation of all the organs of our body. These juices are beneficial in restoring health effectively. If one can include this juice in the early morning in your diet after working out or walking with an empty stomach, it helps to remove the toxins from our body.

You don’t need a high-end juicer or any exotic veggies/leaves to whip up these super healthy drinks. All you need is locally grown vegetables and a simple mixer grinder or blender.

 

Now we will see how I do this:

Ingredient:

Chopped plantain/banana stem – ½ cup

Pomegranate seeds – ¼ cup

Ginger powder – ½ tsp.

Water – 1 cup

Salt – ¼ tsp.

Basil or Pudina leaves–for garnishing (Optional)

Method:

-Remove the outer cover of the plantain/banana stem, cut 6 to 7 thin slices and chop.

-blend chopped plantain stem, pomegranate, water, ginger powder, and salt. If needed, add any form of sugar and grind nicely.

-Sieve this mixture and collect the juice, garnish with chopped basil leaves. Enjoy your nutrition-rich, power-packed juice is ready to kick start your day.

Basale bendi / Malabar spinach and jack seed curry :

May 15, 2022

I have shared some Basale / Malabar spinach recipes and jack seed recipes in my previous posts. If you are interested in finding out more Mangalore-based recipes, such as basale Chutney and basale with raw papaya curry, the method to preserve jackseed, hummus, the side dish with coloured cucumber, dry curry with bamboo shoot and Rasam. Please click the hyperlink and check it out.

As we all know, basale is rich in iron, fibre, and vitamins and low in calories. When combined with jackseed, natural plant protein is an added benefit; cooked jackseed is creamy in texture, tasty to the palette and healthy for our bodies.

Here is the most amazing Malabar spinach and jack seed recipe from my family to yours, which is a perfect pair with Hot Rice or traditional red rice rotti or Rotti using rice flour.

Ingredients:

Malabar spinach – 250- 300 grams

Jack seeds – 12 to 15 ( crushed and shelled) OR Soaked black-eyed peas (white)

Onion – 1 sliced (medium)

Turmeric – 1tsp

Salt – as required

Jaggery – ½ tsp (optional)

Red chilli powder – 1tsp

Tamarind – small gooseberry size, soaked in water.

For the Masala Paste:

Grated fresh coconut – 1 cup

Red chillies – 4 to 6 ( Byadagi)

Coriander seeds – 1 tbl spoon

Cumin – 1 tsp

Garlic – 2 cloves (optional)

For the seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tbl spoon

Mustard – 1 tsp

Red chilli – 1

Crushed garlic – 8 – 10

Curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

-If you use Pieces of stems from the Malabar spinach, cook those stems with salt in a pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistles. Add Jack seed or Black-eyed peas and chopped Malabar spinach greens, tamarind water, salt, jaggery, and red chilli powder when the pressure releases.

-cook further in an open vessel or close the lid of the pressure cooker and give one whistle.

-Now, make masala. Heat a coconut oil, coriander, cumin, garlic, and red chillies, and fry until crisp. Now, grind these fried items with coconut and make a smooth paste.

-Add the ground masala to cooked veggies, boil, and season.

-For seasoning, heat coconut oil, splutter mustard, add crushed garlic and red chilli, and fry until it turns light brown; add curry leaves and pour it over the curry. Enjoy with Dosa, Rotti, or rice.  

Kithul Flour- Sweet and Savoury Drinks:

May 10, 2022

Kithul tree is found all over south India while travelling in and around our native, at fields,  ghat section or any hilly area. Kithul palm, commonly known as Solitary Fishtail palm, sago palm, Toddy palm, jaggery palm etc.

Scientifically, Caryota urens is a species of flowering plant in the palm family from the Indian Subcontinent and South-East Asia.       

 In Kannada, it is called as ಬೈನೆ ಮರ /baine tree.

In and around Mangalore, it is known as ಈ0ದು /Eendu.

It is famous for Folk medicine in our region.

What is Kithul flour?

Starch extracted from the pith of the Kithul tree is “Kithul Flour” and known for its benefits in traditional “grandmom’s remedy” to control many ailments such as reducing body heat during summer, remedy for Sevier acidity, stomach ulcers, headache due to stomach ailments etc. in our villages. It is high in fibre and antioxidants. Hence, it helps to regularise gut health.

Extraction of Kithul flour is a tedious process; hence, we need to be extra cautious while buying the product.

Luckily, I have found a farmer who follows the traditional farming method and manages to prepare Kithul flour conventionally.

Kithul flour Porridge: One of the most popular breakfast porridge/puddings in Srilanka.

Rich in fibre and healthy Sri Lankan breakfast porridge, usually prepared by cooking kithul flour with sufficient water, then enhanced the taste by adding coconut milk, jaggery and crushed cashews or grated nutmeg.

The benefits of usage of this flour are endless.-

-Stops lose motion.                                                                   
-Reduces body heat and mouth ulcers.
-Reduces the painful periods
-Regulates acidity and improves gut health.
-improves the nerve health

Method: which I followed is straightforward.

-Take a glass of water, and add a spoon of Caryota powder and a pinch of salt or sugar or jaggery. Boil the mixture until the content is cooked and turns shiny.

-Adjust the consistency by adding hot milk. Garnish with cardamom powder and roasted cashews.

If you don’t like sweet and prefer to have it savoury, one can also make the salted version.

Boil 1 tsp of kithul flour with water, add sufficient salt and cool a bit. Add buttermilk and make a chaas / thin version of buttermilk like consistency. You can add crushed jeera or jeera powder, chopped coriander or hing.

I prefer cumin and salt. Drink as a thirst quencher and enjoy this summer drink with an added benefit for your health.