Besan halwa

I've always loved besan halwa, and when this one came with the additional tag of being good for a cold, I had to try it. Not sure of the effectiveness, but definitely high on taste.

For each serving:

3 tbsp besan

4 tsp ghee

2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup water

Almonds for garnish 

Method:

Heat the ghee, add besan and on a low flame, roast till lightly browned. 

Heat the water and make a syrup with the sugar. 

Add sugar syrup to the roasted besan and mix well. Turn off the flame 

Serve, garnished with chopped almonds

Nightcap to aid digestion

There are those days when you know you have over indulged on rich and spicy food too close to bedtime. You know your stomach is not going to thank you for it the next day, but you really don't have much choice after the deed has been done. Or do you? This drink speeds up digestion, and makes you feel slightly better. Most effective after a meal, you can even have it first thing in the morning to start your da with a dose of healthy.

1/2 tsp ajwain seeds

1 tsp saunf seeds

1 1/2 cups water

Method:

Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the flame, add the ajwain and saunf seeds, and let it simmer for 10 minutes, till the water is reduced to 1 cup. 

Turn off the flame, and let it seep for an additional 10 minutes. Have warm. 

Aam Panna, with jaggary

My mother used to make Aam Panna when I was a child, and I have strong views on what it should taste like and do not like deviating from my norm. But when I saw a recipe for a version which used jaggary instead of sugar, I wanted to try it out. The mix of spices gives it medicinal properties too, but me being me, I will only have it if it tastes good, and it does.

1 raw mango
1/3 cup jaggery
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp saunf/ fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
1 green cardamons
Rock salt to taste

Method:
Peel the green mango, slice it into pieces. Cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes till soft.
Meanwhile, dry roast jeera, saunf, ajwain till well roasted, but not burnt. Dry grind and keep aside.
Powder the cardamons and keep aside.
Blend the cooked mango pieces (with the water), and jaggery till well mixed.
Add rock salt and powdered spices.
Store.

To serve, add 1 part of squash to 4 parts water, mix well and serve. You can also use soda instead of water.

Milagu Jeera Rasam/ Pepper Rasam

When you have a cold, few things can beat the comfort of hot milagu rasam. Unfortunately, I had moved out of home before I really started appreciating a milagu rasam, well made. Which is why I got this recipe from my mother- the next time I fall sick, I will be able to nurse myself with a taste of home.

For first ground masala:3/4 tsp peppercorns
4 red chillis (I reduce to 2)
2 tsp dhania
1 tsp dhania
1 tsp oil

For second ground masala:3/4 tsp jeera
1 sprig curry leaves

1 lime sized ball of tamarind
Salt to taste

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli
1 tbsp ghee

Method:Fry the ingredients listed under 'first ground masala' in a little oil, and grind to paste.
Gring curry leaves and jeera with a little water.
Soak the tamarind in water, remove and discard the pulp, then dilute with water to get 1 glass of tamarind extract.
Boil tamarind extract with salt and first ground masala till the raw smell goes.
Add second ground masala and 2 glasses of water, bring to boiling point, but do not boil.
Season ghee with mustard and red chilli. After the mustard stops spluttering, pour over the rasam and close.
This is particularly good for treating colds.

Sukku kaapi

A couple of months back, I was given a bottle containing an ayurvedic mixture that was supposed to help keep colds at bay. While the concoction was effective, it was too exorbitantly priced (not to mention, unavailable locally) for me to make it my 'go to' drink to ward away colds. As the powder was getting depleted, I was getting ready to go back to my regular "Madam Pomfrey's Potion", when I came across a reference to Sukku Malli Kaapi. It seemed to have a lot of ingredients in common with my ayurvedic concoction, so I decided to give it a try.

After having three cups in a single day, I am almost ready to swear that it works. That and lots of rest, and other fluids!

1/2 cup dried ginger powder
1/4 cup coriander seeds (whole)
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole jeera

Method
Dry roast coriander seeds till golden brown.
Dry roast jeera and peppercorns together till nice aroma rises. 
Keep aside, and let them cool down completely.
Grind the roasted coriander seeds, jeera and peppercorn to a fine powder.
Mix with the dry ginger powder, and sieve a few times till well mixed.
Store in an airtight jar.

To make sukku kaapi, bring 11/2 cup water to a boil. Add 1 heaped tsp sukku kaapi powder, and let the concoction boil for 2-3 minutes. Strain the infusion, add panakalkandu (or honey), and drink.

Masoor dal with cauliflower leaves- the Ayurveda way

Everytime I buy a cauliflower, I end up paying for a whole lot of leaves that I never use. What if the leaves could be cooked separately, I asked myself, and decided to experiment. As luck would have it, I found this nice recipe for an Ayurvedic soup, which I adapted to make this dal.
The jury is out on whether we liked it or not.

 

1 cup red masoor dal

Leaves of 1 cauliflower, chopped fine

Haldi powder

1 inch piece of ginger

1 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

 

For the tempering 

1/2 tsp of Whole Cumin/Whole Jeera
1/2 tsp of Whole Fennel/Whole Saunf,
6-7 whole Fenugreek seeds/Whole Methi seeds
and a pinch of asafoetida/Hing.

 

Method

Pressure cook the dal with cabbage leaves, haldi and sufficient water, till well cooked. 

Heat the ghee, and temper the ingredients listed under "for the tempering". Pour the tempering over the cooked dal.
Grate the ginger, and add to the dal along with the coriander powder, and salt to taste. Add about 2 cups of water, and let the dal come to a boil.

Adjust for seasonings, and squeeze juice of a lime quarter.

Serve with rice/ rotis, or drink it as a soup.

Potion for keeping the cold at bay

The monsoons are lovely when you are viewing it from the safety of your covered balcony, but unfortunately, we need to get out of the house too, and when we do, the sniffles follow us back home. This is the potion that is keeping me alive.

Dry roast 1 tbsp dhania powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp peppercorns, and roughly pound it.


Take 2 cups of water.
Add a 2 inch piece of ginger roughly sliced, and the ground spices, and bring to boil. Lower heat, and let it simmer till the volume becomes half.
Have it hot, but not boiling hot.
Add 1 tsp honey, for taste, if required.

Madam Pomfrey's Magic Potion

I have the Marathon coming up next weekend, and I have a horrible cold. If I want to be sure of gettinr rid of it, I should be on antibiotics, but if I get on them, I can say goodbye to recovering before the race. So I'm overdosing on Madam Pomfrey's magic potion, and hoping the cold will go away.

Take 2 cups of water.
Add a 2 inch piece of ginger roughly sliced, 8-10 peppercorns, 6 cloves, and bring to boil. Lower heat, and let it simmer till the volume becomes half.
Have it hot, but not boiling hot.
Add 1 tsp honey, for taste, if required.