Sunday, April 28, 2013

Mrs. Arjani's veggie cutlets

This healthy cutlet comes from a close friend who is always on the lookout for healthy recipes:

1 each potato, zucchini.
2 carrots (opt).
1 onion.
Garlic.
1/2 Tbp. whole dhania (coriander seeds)...crushed.
1 tsp Til ( brown sesame seed).
Whole (fennel) one tsp.
Green coriander.
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (if using salted/spiced breadcrumbs use caution with salt in cutlets.)
2 tbsps oil.
Oil for frying ( I use a mix of olive oil and vegetable oil).

Peel and grate potato, zucchini and carrots
Finely chop onion and cleaned green coriander/cilantro
Peel, grate/crush garlic
(My variation:  Toast fennel, crushed dhania and sesame seed till color changes and you get a great aroma.
Heat 2 Tbsps oil (or 1 Tbsp in a non stick skillet) and fry onion.
Add garlic and fry a few mins.
When light brown add coriander, veggies and fry for 5-10 mins).
Add salt, chilli powder or chopped green chillies (fry with garlic) and lime juice to taste.
Shape into round or oval cutlets/patties, half an inch thick.
Dip in eggs and then in breadcrumbs.
Shallow fry in an inch of oil.
My variation:  I place on a foil lined tray sprayed with Pam, then spray cutlets with Pam.
I bake this at 400 degrees for seven mins, turn when brown, spray other side and bake till golden brown for 7 to 10 mins.
Sometimes I broil the cutlets till color changes to a golden brown, watching carefully.



HEALING FOODS

Nature is always the best healer and healers have always turned to Nature for medicine.
Today we call this alternative medicine in the USA and slowly the idea is gaining hold that allopathic or western medicine is not the only way to ultimate healing.

In India some of the alternative methods were:

Home Remedies: These were tried and true and passed down through the ages from generation to generation.

Homeopathic remedies: Originating in Germany this was what my mother used for herself and us when we were chidren. We happily ate the medicine that came in tiny balls or tablets, wishing we could have more.

Ayurvedic

Unani

Reiki

Yoga

For the housewife, home remedies are available as close as her kitchen.
It isn't just the healing power of everyday spices we add to our foods but the things we include in our diet that can make a difference and reduce the amount of medicine we need for any condition. Of course nothing should be substituted for medicine without proper supervision and care. One positive proof of improvement in any area would be blood test results/x-rays and change/improvement of symptoms.

Here are some tips from the show Yoga For You by Dr. Smita Naram.

Broccoli and broccoli juice prevents breast cancer, raises haemaglobin levels.

Horse radish (white mooli/mulangi) and the leaves, help expel kidney stones

Masoor dal (red lentils) are anit-carcinogenic and prevent blockages in arteries, prevent calcification and improve circulation.

Whole moong dal soaked and sprouted, eaten raw, helps diabetics control blood sugar.

Eggplant corrects spleen enlargement.
She suggest 'bharta' for this: broiling eggplant and using the fleshy inside mixed with onions and spices.

Yam reduces gas and helps with piles.

Barley: a juice made with barley helps kidney and urinary infections, prostate problems and prevents water retention.

From Dr. Pankaj Naram:

A suggestion for diabetics:
Stimulate the pancreas to increase insulin production : soak overnight... 3 almonds, 3 tsp fennel (somph)seeds and 3 cardamom. In the morning make a paste of all these ingredients and eat it.

From this blogger:

Look for more healing foods and include them in your daily diet to help your body fight disease and enjoy good health.

Whichever diet you follow, do so in moderation.

"A day off' is no crime as long as it happens once in a way and you get back on track right away.








A pickle by any other name is STILL a pickle.


"I'm in a pickle," said the cucumber from it's jar on the shelf.
"You're in a pickle', retorted the lime.  "You don't know what you're saying.  Try being in some salt and chilli powder and other stuff and then you'll know what it's like to be in a REAL pickle!"

 Here in the States a pickle is a cucumber in brine, eaten with sandwiches, hotdogs, burgers or as the precious 8 and 6 year old grandkids tell me, "By Itself!"
They look at me with hope in their burnt caramel gazes, wondering if I'll bring out the pickle jar and let them have a pickle party!

As far as history goes, here's an interesting source to catch with the places and people who have used and loved pickle for centuries. http://www.pickleguys.com/historyofpickles.php
The early Egyptians, the Jews and the English included pickles in their diet regulary.

How much Indian pickles differ can best be illustrated by this story.  I notice the older I get, the more interesting stories I have collected.
An American friend came over and as I was putting food on the table, she saw the bowl of lime pickle I had put out and asked, "What's this?
I had barely finished saying lime pickle and was embarking on an explanation of how must it differed from the pickle she knew, when her actions cut me off.  She'd picked up a fork, speared a bit of lime pickle and put it in her mouth.  It was interesting to see the shades of red that her complexion and even her neck deepened to, while I gave her a napkin and said, "Spit it out, don't swallow."
It took 3 glasses of water, a trip to the bathroom to washout her mouth, followed by a chocolate to make her comfy again.  It took the rest of the evening for her mouth to unpucker and she approached every dish with the caution of a soldier in a mine field.  Her loud pronouncements warning other guests to beware of the pickle had us all hiding grins.  By the time dessert came around (gulab jamuns) she had forgiven me and herself.  She fell in love with what she called the 'thingummyjigs' and when she called to ask/tell me she was coming over, she would say, "And may I have some thingummyjigs?"
It was interesting that every time I mentioned the word pickle her face would redden.

Pickle has been a part of Indian tradition forever.  I could challenge the source above and research when they were first used in India but the answer is, "Forever."
The traditional South Indian meal has to have a little pickle on the banana leaf, next to the salt.  Omitting it is a culinary faux pas.  For those in Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka a traditional meal is finished with yogurt or buttermilk, rice and pickle.
Every state in India has it's own variety of pickle but though we generally start out with mixing rock salt and the vegetable in general, after a few days in the sun, this mixture gets treated to chilli powder, seasonings, oil
and different spices in different parts.  Contrary to popular belief that all are hot, some are sweet.
Some cultures in India pickle pork, fish and meat and of course shrimp.
The states in India that were very dry, pickled whatever they could in season to have the vegetables year round.  At a Gujrati friend's house I was once served three different pickles with the meal and loved them all.
They told me their grandmother pickles just about anything and makes a new pickle each week.  As pickles are generally stored for a year in big earthen jars originally and now in glass bottles in the refrigerator, I imagined a room filled with these jars.

In our home, lime pickle was the traditional pickle made every year.  My mother would rely on her relatives or friends to give us some Andhra mango pickle as she said she couldn't make it well.
My mother always said, lime pickle needed a special hand.  She had the hand and so did my dear sister but not I.  To this day my lime pickle goes bad.  Luckily for me the MTR brand makes pickle close to my mother's and I am content.
Here are my favorite pickle recipes, tweaked through the years.

Last year some friends visited us bringing with them another couple.  One look at the other lady and I knew I was meeting an Indian Master Chef.  It's just a certain look about the older ladies in India that sets the experts apart.
She watched quietly as I served the first meal, joking about how my MTR pickle was running out and I needed to conserve it.   In the evening while I worked on dinner she said, "I can make you some lemon pickle."  Wondering if I should tell her about my jinx with pickles, I said, "what will you need for it?"
"These lemons on your counter and some things every kitchen has."
It was an instant pickle and we are ate it before they left, as it was so delicious.  The next day she asked for limes and made a lime pickle before we went out.  By then, so impressed by her prowess and her quiet insistence to override my objections that I didn't want to put guests in the kitchen, I couldn't get her the things she needed fast enough.  Not since my mother's visit had I had someone so talented and so willing to make things in my kitchen, visit me.  My friend cheered on,"Let her make whatever she wants.  She is a pro!"

So I am starting with Mallika Arasu's lime pickle and instant lemon pickle with a very grateful heart and thanks to our friend Jessie for bringing her here.  Come visit again soon as I need to learn more.  Just writing this brings the happy memories back.

Instant lemon pickle...

1 lemon chopped small
1 c water
(cook lemon in water with 1 Tbsp salt)
2 tiny spoons (1/3 tsp) rai and methi (mustard seed and fenugreek seeds)
Roast separately and powder
Heat ½ cup oil
Add 2 tiny tsps rai (2/3 tsp.)
Add ⅓ level tsp hing.  (if it’s the strong 303 brand reduce this to ¼)
Add 1 ½ big Tbsps chilli powder and powdered rai and methi

Add cooked lemon with water and simmer one minute.

Remove, cool and bottle.

************

Lime pickle...Mallika Arasu

10 Limes, quartered.
1 Tbsp each rai and methi
Fry till brown and grind to a powder

Heat ¾ cup til oil
Put in methi & rai powder and ⅓ tsp hing.
Switch off stove
Add limes
Add 6 rounded tsp chilli powder
Add 1 tsp haldi and 2-3 Tbsps rock salt

Mix well.Store in a glass bottle in refrigerator
Shake every day till soft. 

(This is the traditional way of picking up the bottle or jar and shaking it in an up and down motion so the pickle gets tossed/mixed. It can be done with a dry wooden spoon.)
Ours was ready to eat in three weeks.
(Ready to eat is when the rind is softened but it can be eaten earlier too).
I still had this pickle in the refrigerator nine months later, enjoying it on hot days with curd rice!
Thanks Mallika and Jessie.

**************








Jag Himamshu's Raw Mango Chutney

Here's another five star recipe from my collection.
I tasted this on  a trip to India for the first time in my life and fell in love with it.



1- medium size green mango.
2- tbsp grated fresh coconut
3- green or red (dried) chillies
1- tsp whole jeera (cumin seed)
1/4 tsp whole dhania (coriander seed)

To season: Rai, jeera and karipatha.

Roast chillies, add jeera & dhania
Peel & grate the mango or chop fine.
(I slice the mango in the traditional Indian way...3 pieces longitudinally and grate in the food processor)
Add salt to taste.
Grind everything to a semi coarse paste using very little or no water.
Add 1- lime sized ball of grated jaggery and blend. 
(Limes in India are small with a one inch diameter so add a small ball of jaggery). 
Heat one tsp oil.
Add 1/2 tsp rai (whole mustard seeds). When it splutters add 1 tsp. urad dal & a few curry leaves.
When urad dal turns brown add this seasoning to chutney.

This chutney keeps well in the refrigerator.
TOMATO CHUTNEY

With summer hovering on the horizon, the tomato boom will be upon us soon.
This chutney adds to summer fun by being a great spread, dip, or sandwich filling.
One of HD's favorite meals is chappattis and chutney.
I love this with idlis or as an accompaniment to a meal that needs a little spice.

A cousin from hyderabad shared this recipe with me when I visited her.
Hyderabad, being part of Andhra Pradesh, is known for it's extra hot dishes.
I changed her suggestion of 10-20 red chillies to 3-4, but other than that, this is a great chutney.

Ingredients

1Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp rai (whole mustard seeds)
2 tsps urad dal (split black lentils which are white without their skin)
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
A pinch of hing (asafoetedia)
10 curry leaves (karipatha)
Red chillies to taste.
1 medium sized garlic pod, peeled.
10 medium sized vine ripe tomatoes.
(Tomatoes have to be really ripe or add 1/2 a can of whole peeled tomatoes to them to get the right flavor).
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste.

Heat oil in a non stick skillet.
Add rai.  When it pops add urad dal, jeera, hing, karipatha and red chillies.
When jeera and urad brown add garlic and tomatoes.
Fry on medium high till mix thickens to a semi solid consistency.
Blend this.
Add peanuts, tamarind and salt.
Blend to a semi coarse consistency...fine is also okay.
Enjoy.
This chutney freezes well.

Tips: Don't add any water while blending...the tomatoes will give you all the liquid you need.

Roasted peanuts taste better in this dish though raw can be used.
In a pinch I've used the bottled roasted peanuts, being careful about the salt I add, if peanuts are salted.
Roasting raw peanuts at 300 for ten mins is easy.

Red chilles have to be fried to blend well...also fried red chillies gives a better flavor than chilli powder, unless the latter is home made.