thecookscottage

Spain and the World Table

The food section in most bookshops is growing larger and larger. On a recent visit to the biggest book shop in Pune I was delighted to see 5 sections allotted to the subject with several shelves devoted to international cooking as well. Plus a respectable assortment of renowned books on food and wine. This is quite a change from the ubiquitous regional cooking booklets sold in most shops till a year or two ago. A peremptory nod in the direction of "World Cooking" in the form of a old tome of Larousse Gastronomique and one Chinese cookbook by Kenneth Lo just about defines it.

While Chinese food still tops the list of international cook books available here, Italian and Thai tie for place at a close second and Mediterranean food comes in at a respectably placed third.

As Indians travel further it becomes clear that some cuisines find particular favour with us. Spain is a popular holiday destination after Thailand and I am sure it is because, at least in part, we are partial to the flavours of the country’s cuisine.

It is no surprise then to find a substantial stack of cook books on Spanish Cooking in our favourite bookshop here.

Worth looking at is a new book “Spain and The World Table”. As always with a Dorling Kindersley publication, it is well illustrated and designed. Although it is a sort of commemorative volume on the occasion of the Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavour International Conference and Festival, which starred Spain in 2006, it works just as well as an introduction to Spanish cuisine.

We have all heard of the visionary Spanish chefs both in America and the country of their birth. Several of them attended the festival and many of their favourite recipes have been adapted for this book. These form a nice introduction to the regions of Spain, each with its characteristic ingredients. So we have a Hot Garlic Soup from Manolo De la Osa the owner of Las Regas in Las Pedroneras, in the Castile-La Mancha region which is the garlic capital of the country,  as well as Pigs Trotters stuffed with veal and wild mushrooms from Nando Jubany a Catalan chef from Vic, Catalonia. One recipe I particularly liked was the Seafood Rice typical of Valencia contributed by Maria Muria Lloret who’s restaurant Ca’Sento in Valencia makes inspired use of the seafood the region is famous for. 

The book includes interesting short segments on typical Spanish Ingredients- Cheese, Salt cod, Saffron, Rice, Olives, and Chocolate and so on. Concise descriptions of the cuisine of different regions like Asturias, the Galician Coast, Murcia and Andalusia, give an insight into the history and traditions of each area, something noteworthy for anyone who plans to visit the country and explore it through its food.

The fabulous photographs are inspiration enough to try cooking up some of the dishes most of which are fairly simple.

I made the typical Basque Piperada as the ingredients were easily available. It turned out beautifully and tasted brilliant served as a sauce on filleted steamed pomfret dusted with freshly ground pepper. It is so much like the beginning of a curry...onions, garlic, tomatoes.I didnt bother to peel the bell peppers after roasting them and added chilli flakes for some bite. If you are serving this as an entrée you could prepare the sauce ahead of time your dinner will be totally stress free.

I cannot wait to try many of the other recipes. Since it is written by Martha Rose Shulman, the author of many award winning cookbooks, one is pretty sure of the outcome.

The layout of the book makes it easy to use and attractive to browse through. Spain and the World Table is a significant addition to cookbooks making international cuisine more accessible to the average cook.

Stuffed Bitter Gourd- Karela Sabzi a la Asha

In Bombay recently I visited an old friend where I was lucky enough to catch Asha cooking lunch.
It is a pleasure to watch her cook, very calm and collected and precise. Without making a mess in a four foot area for preparation and cooking ,she  produced three dishes in precisely half an hour. They were all simple recipes, without chilli and just delicious with red rice and a glass of buttermilk.

Ingredients:
6 small karelas/ bitter gourd
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp amchur / raw mango powder
1 tsp jeera powder/ cumin
1 tsp dhania powder/ coriander
1/4 tsp haldi / turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Water

Wash the karela well and grate the peel down. Add the salt, mango powder/amchur, the cumin and coriander powder and haldi / turmeric  and mix with the grated peel. Slit each karela down the side and scoop out the flesh and seeds. Mix with the grated peels and spices.Stuff each karela with the mix.
Heat a  3 litre pressure cooker and add  the oil.When hot fry the karela in the oil for a few minutes. Add one and a half cups water and shut the pressure cooker putting on the weight.Let it cook for three whistles then turn fire to low and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Take the cooker off the fire and check if cooked/. If there is too much water cook until the water evaporates.

Zhunka Bhakar and the House of Your Dreams

My car has a mind of its own. It takes turns whenever it pleases. Suddenly I find myself somewhere...and its not over the rainbow. Its in some strange place. I slow down and readjust the wheels of my mind...they are in a different gear obviously and my clutch is screeching blue murder. I dont blame myself. I dont blame the car. Look, everyday the landscape changes. We have a glass mall with a food court reaching up into the sky where  a jhopad patti (slum) used to be.We have a Barista where  a Cafe Good Luck greeted you, at the corner, with a bun maska and a masala chai. We have a McDonalds in the hinterland of Hinjewadi- bang on the spot , as I recall, where a buffalo shed hung lazily out, its inmates chewing the cud contentedly.
Then we have buildings in all shapes, sizes and colours sprouting up everywhere. On every bit of land, garbage pit, gutter, and soon on every bit of river I'm sure.
Apartment blocks, residential societies, bungalows,villas .
Are the names given to these eruptions indicative of the aspirations of our people or their builders?

Corinthian, Palladium,Coliseum, and other nouns descriptive of a style so quintessentially Maharashtrian wouldn't you say? Or have our builders travelled to Vicenza or Corinth and picked up on the lifestyle of the rich and famous many centuries ago.
Then we have Wellington Mews, Marble Arch,Victoria Garden, Castlemaine,Windsor Avenue, Kensington Court,.....  just short of having amche swathache Buckingham Palace up for sale.
Other wonderfully titled flats are Daffodil Avenue,Tulips, Iris, Magnolia, all, oddly enough, flowers that do not grow in India, let alone Pune.

Grandiose appellations reign: Spacia, Gracia, Eternia,Sophronia, Sicilia,Palacia.
Luminous gems glitter on the horizon; Emerald City, Sun City, Diamond Park, Pearl Towers, City Crown.

Now we are Going Green in a city shorn of its trees. We have Springfield Park ,The Woods, The Meadows, Oakwood Hills, Laburnam Lane, Yellow Blossoms, Ozone Villas, Orchard, Hill Mist and Timberland, to make up for  lack of the real thing.

Last but not least, my favourite of all time, Posh Ville. Kind of says it all. Keeping up with the Jones's or should I say Joshi's, is the developers idea of a major selling point in towns today.

No doubt builders imagine that residents of these elevated homes with marbonite floors, Italian kitchens, and French furniture eat off gold plate and feast on stuffed quail. Closer to reality, however, the average Joeshi  would be happy with a plateful of Zhunka Bhakar to be found, thankfully, in little stalls all over the state. Delicious stuff and so easy to make.

ZHUNKA

400 gm carrots, peeled and chopped medium fine
4 tsp oil.
1/2 tsp hing (asafatoeda)
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seed)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp gur (jaggery)
Salt to taste.
4 tbsp besan (gram flour)
1 tbsp chopped hara dhania (green coriander)

(For variety add drumstick pieces, or a cupful of methi (fenugreek) chopped fine or even methi (fenugreek) seeds)

Heat oil in kadhai. Add mustard seed and let them pop. Add hing now. Add carrots and lower heat.
Add haldi and chilli powder. If carrots are sweet, no gur is needed, otherwise add 1/2 tbsp gur .
Stir a couple of times then add salt. Cover till carrots are cooked...on low heat. Do not add any water. Carrots should have a bit of bite and must not  be mushy when done.
Now take 4 tbsp besan, or a little more, sprinkle on to carrots as you stir gently, till carrots are coated with besan. Cover immediately and cook for 5 minutes or until besan 'smells' cooked. Stir once or twice gently. Remove and add dhania.

You could add a mixture of large chunks of tomato, onion and green chilli instead of carrots, for a change.

Link to Bhakri/ Jowar Roti.

Amtis and Uncles

We had a family get-together some time ago. Actually, our clan is so large now, we were able to connect with just a fraction of them, those who live in Pune. A couple of aunts and uncles, one lot of first cousins, two lots of second cousins - children of the sons of our grand uncles, and already we were  spilling out of the living room into the large patio outside. Many of them I had not seen for years and yet they looked so familiar. We all shared some facial characteristics, such as the nose, or teeth, or smile, but most prominently - the wrinkles. It was exciting to exchange memories with each other, jokes which ran in the family about our not-too-distant ancestors, legendary tales of bravery, high spirits and misdemeanours. One favourite story which had made its way down each branch of our family tree was the one about an uncle (who was not known for his brilliance at studies) and who, with immense faith, arranged his books under the pillow before settling down to sleep, in the hope that the wisdom contained in those tomes would transfer itself to his brain in the course of a couple of nights. Suffice it to say this did not happen. But he was a man of such great good humour that he remained a favourite with all of his nieces and nephews.

It was pot luck for lunch and we had all brought a dish or two for the table, which, considering our number, was fairly groaning with food. We had decided to keep it simple, and so it was. And then we also discovered that we shared yet another thing - a cuisine. Our masalas were so similiar that while swapping  information on ingredients we found we used the same amounts  in the preparation of the godha masala, a standard  used to produce the amti we all ate regularly, and which is famously delicious... I have been sworn to secrecy about its ingredients by the family, so for the following typically Maharashtrian dish I suggest you add a godha masala of your choice. They are available ready made.Of course they taste nothing like our family's......

Ingredients

1 cup toor (yellow split lentils) or masoor dal (red split lentils).
2 tbsp oil
Imli (tamarind), a walnut-sized piece. Soak in water for 10 minutes and then remove the pulp.
A sprig of kari patta (curry leaves)
1/2 onion chopped finely
* Optional: Add 1 medium chopped brinjal (aubergine),or a handful of methi (fenugreek leaves), or  1 chopped mooli (white radish). Note that if you add the methi, then you must add garlic and dry red chilli, crushed to counteract the bitter taste of the methi.
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seed)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
A pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1 1/2 tsp godha masala
Gur (Jaggery), 2 walnut-sized pieces
1 tbsp chopped dhania (fresh coriander leaves)
Salt

 

Cook the dal (lentils) first. When cooked add the imli (tamarind) pulp to the dal and mix well.  Heat the oil in a kadhai.

Now add the mustard  seeds, curry leaves and onion pieces. Stir well. If you would like to add vegetables like brinjal, etc, add them now too. Let onions get slightly pinkish. Now add the haldi, red chilli powder, and godha masala. Stir well. When the onions are soft, add the dal, thick or thin, as you like it, and bring to a boil. Cut dhania (coriander) while the dal is boiling.

Add salt, gur (jaggery) and dhania. Boil for at least 10 minutes to bring out the best of the flavours.

(Recipe and Cooking by my lovely cousin Mohini )

P.S Mohini makes goda masala to order. You can now contact her to place your order on 26850230.

Soya, Sunflower seeds and Whole Wheat Muffins

 

For a person who is inherently resistant to moderation in anything it is pretty tough to write this with conviction- "A balanced diet is essential to a healthy and happy life".  Sadly considerations of health hit  everyone, sooner or later. Hopefully for you, dear reader, it will be later.

So while I'm on this health kick, here are a few tried, tested and tasted  recipes.First up- another simple and yummy muffin recipe. It makes a quick breakfast for those watching their calories and their cholesterol.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soya flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp cane sugar

1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup milk

2 tbsp chopped orange peel

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil and lightly flour the muffin pan or line with paper muffin cases. In the meanwhile mix the flours with the salt,sunflower seeds, baking powder and sugar. Beat the egg, milk and oil together. Stir into the dry ingredients swiftly, add the chopped peel, and mix with a wooden spoon or a hand beater until the flour is just mixed in. Spoon into prepared muffin pan. Bake until done 12-15 minutes. Let them cool and then store in an airtight container. Makes 12 muffins.

Anthony Bourdain in India

We are now being treated to a plethora of food shows.They are proliferating across all channels. Some are better than others.Some are awful.You have the Reality type; chefs freaking out in the kitchen for a seriously doubtful 'dream' job. Casting: One gay, one lesbian, one foreigner, one latino, one retard. Parental approval suggested  i.e. Strong language. Then you have  the Travelogue type;some history, some geography, some eating, some drinking, something, hopefully, disgusting.  The Serious Cook type; details about food ingredients, techniques of cooking, close close ups , low budget production. And finally  the Amateur type; good cook, bad presentation, not enough lights, dirty pans. Regardless of the type of show, most are very successful.

Since cooking at home is becoming a distant memory in many houses these shows are quite riveting. I mean- fresh food! In gorgeous technicolour.! Plump tomatoes, golden syrup, brown country eggs, green  kiwi fruit...all lit like Greta Garbo. Irresistable.

Let it be clear though that the main ingredient in all these programmes is undoubtedly the presenter. A food show needs someone at least slightly edible.  Most men will agree that Nigella and Padma Laksmi fit the bill.And most women will agree that Vir Sanghvi does not. His weighty, pontificating  and humourless style is not appetising. His statements, sometimes, in very bad taste.
Now take Anthony Bourdain. Very different story.  I have no reservations in saying he is the ice cream on the cake of food programming.
For one thing he does not pretend to be an intellectual. Unpretentious, often downright uneducated about the country he visits, his reactions are honest, very human and frequently funny.  He takes his food as it comes. And his people too. He is no gourmet in this series and doesn't pretend to be, though he knows what tastes good and what he likes. He is not , never ever, supercilious. His humour is self deprecatory which is attractive as against Vir Sanghvi's self congratulatory style. ( Read 'Rude Food' for a taste.)

Bourdain's shows in India were interesting in that they showed a different side to several well exposed places and people. Rajasthan revealed a take on Gaj Singh which was funny, dinner at a Royal wedding, a look at the home life of a chef and his wife (while no quarter was given to the annoying child), a visit to a soothsayer and a  meal in his home where any preconceived notions about fortune tellers were quickly destroyed. A meal at a roadside dhaba where the presenter seemed quite at home, a hair raising ride on a bus, a drink of bhang. Nothing unusual about the choice of scenes. Kind of typical. Maharajas and palaces, poverty and population, traffic and drugs, fortune tellers, spice merchants and bargaining in the bazaar.  What is unusual is Bourdain's attitude and interpretation. Not ordinary.

  I once called Bourdain a culinary warrior for eating the untried , untested, unknown. Now  its  the "thing" to do,  like " Lets eat what these foreigners eat. Ooh isn't it foul."

Only with Bourdain it is .."Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. I could actually develop a taste for this."

Opinionated, thank god, what a relief in this age of "lets be polite and sit on the fence and  not challenge anyone's beliefs", not one to mince his words, Bourdain's comments are always interesting whether the viewer agrees or not.

No Reservations is a series worth watching.

P.S.The book is worth reading too. No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach

Wheat Grass Juice and a Diet for the after effects of Radiation

This is for all those who have written in asking for healthy juice recipes. While these juices are not the tastiest, they do a world of good, as all those who have imbibed them on a regular basis will testify.

Making wheat grass:

Prepare 6 small flower pots, filled with earth and organic manure.Keep ready.

Soak two tablespoons of whole wheat grain overnight. Next morning tie the grain in a muslin cloth and keep aside. See that the cloth is kept damp by watering  it from time to time. When the grains sprout, which may take from1 -3 days, remove from the muslin and sprinkle into small pots .

Cover with a light sprinkling of earth. Water gently.

Within 5-7 days the grass will grow. When approximately 5 inches in length cut a handful of the grass.

Wash well and put in a blender with a tablespoon of water. Blend till  pulped. Now add a glass of water and blend further. Strain and drink the juice immediately.

Repeat the process in a cycle of three days to get fresh juice everyday.

The grains sometimes sprout twice and you can get another lot of grass from one planting but I have been told this is not advisable.

I'd like to take the opportunity to share a letter with you from a dear friend who was diagnosed with cancer and recently underwent radiation. Today she is glowing with health and energy, has gone back to her  work- a full day heading a university department and her hobbies which include vigourous dance practice.

It is a little long and quite graphic in its details but might be helpful for any cancer patients who have undergone the same reaction.

When I was undergoing radiation I went through severe reactions to the radiation. (Reactions to radiation are individual - more for some, less for others;  different for different parts of the body and for different types of cancer. Friends of mine with breast cancer sailed through with no problems at all. ). I was given 25 sittings of radiation over five weeks and then two more  at intervals of a week each. I was operated upon for cancer of the uterus so I was radiated in the
region of the intestines and bowels and bladder. For the first week it was kind of OK - I even managed to go to work in the morning and take small evening walks. Then in the second week I began to get diarrhoea which increased in intensity. The doctors asked if I was passing mucus in the stools. I said yes. So they gave me antibiotics even though these are rarely given during radiation as the body's immunity is already weakened and this weakens it even more. The diarrhoea only increased - 15 - 20 times a day . To curb that the doctors prescribed Im.......  and told me I could take it up to three times a day. (And this by the way is a banned drug abroad. I took it even though I knew it merely paralyses the bowel movement and doesn't really get to the root of the problem). After two weeks of radiation I got intense stomach
cramps. So intense was the pain that it is impossible to describe. The doctors prescribed Sp............... as a pain reliever. It did relieve the pain but only marginally. Again was told I could have 3 a day if
necessary. To counteract the effect of the drug I was given antacids.
Sp......... is a very strong drug and can become addictive.
By now I began to feel nausea and could not retain food. I began to vomit. I was constantly told to make sure I eat so that I would have enough strength to handle the radiation. I began to worry - how would I do that if I could not eat? They had told me to eat a lot of proteins - so I began to  add meat and chicken and cheese etc. to my diet. The doctors also told me to have lots of fluids - to keep a jug of lime-juice and sugar and sip it through the day. I did that too.

But the cramps at the end of the second week were becoming unbearable and there was no way I could eat. My strength was being sapped and I was becoming very weak. The cramps were the worst. I felt I just could not go through with it. The diarrhoea increased . I once even called my doctor to say I could not go through with the radiation. But she was firm and said I should make the effort.

Then out of the blue my homeopath called me to check how I was and asked me what I was eating. She suggested I stop all the meat and chicken etc. and begin eating only fruits and salads. This sounded
familiar. I had done this type of diet before for two months once before and it had felt very good. It was Vijaya Venkat's diet.  But it was so tough I had given it up. She said just try it again. What about
the proteins I protested? She said if you have to, then have moong sprouts. She also suggested that I stop the Im....... I did all she suggested just for one day. The diarrhoea increased and the cramps
continued but on the whole I just felt so much better. In the next two days two other people also suggested I contact Vijaya Venkat or her daughter Anju Venkat. When I look back I feel it was really Providence at work.  I kept trying to get through for a few days but could not. I began to get desperate - the pain of the cramps was driving me crazy and I was getting weaker.
And then one evening I got a call from Vijaya Venkat. She spoke to me with so much compassion in her voice that my depression and negativity disappeared. She assured me I would be healed and that nature had in abundance whatever was needed to  heal me. I moved from despair to optimism and the conviction that I would be OK.
She roughly gave me a diet plan and told me what to do. She said Anju would give me more details the next day.

Anju called the next day. I felt I was talking to an angel - a  modern day intelligent and smart angel. For me she is no less. I feel I  owe my life to her. She told me what to do in great detail. I will outline
what I did  but not in so much detail. She told me to eat a single fruit every hour ( mono fruit)  and have a single raw vegetable for lunch and dinner. Whenever I felt weak I was to eat khajoor (dates). I
said again what about the proteins? She said all fruits break down into aminoacids which are the building blocks. She said I was incapable of digesting anything excepts fruit. And that only fruits would be fine.
Fruits are the easiest to digest and give all the energy the body needs. I had to have a different variety of fruits - a rainbow of sweet, watery, acidic and sub acidic.  I also had to stop adding the sugar in the lime-juice mixture the doctors had recommended. Refined sugar was absolutely out.

For the cramps she said 'Just have lime juice mixed with in equal quantities with ginger-juice every hour or so.' The lime juice becomes alkaline when it enters the intestine and neutralizes the acidity. The
ginger would help the stomach muscles to relax. She also asked me to stop taking all the drugs if possible, as the Imodium was preventing the toxicity from being excreted, and of course the Spa............. was adding to the toxins and increasing the acidity. Although the cramps continued I gritted my teeth and stopped taking the drug. I began to feel slightly better but weaker. So I got worried. She said do not worry, just eat and sleep like a baby. I kept having doubts about what I was doing but there was a definite change in just two days.  But the cramps, although far less, were still there. Then I began to notice that whenever I had water to keep myself hydrated as I had been instructed  by my doctor to do I would feel uncomfortable. I told her this and she immediately said - stop the water! I couldn't believe I had to do that! No water?!  She explained that water diluted the digestive juices and I could not afford to have that happen at that time.  Within the next two days my cramps had gone! The miracle had happened! In just four days of her diet. And it was only lime-juice andginger juice that had done it!

I had a break from radiation over the weekend so I was worried that when I resumed on Monday I would get cramps again. She assured me I would not. She told me how to sip water-melon juice before the
radiation instead of water in order to get the bladder full which was necessary for the radiation. And yes that worked too. On Monday too there were no cramps! I could have kissed the ground Anju Venkat walkedon. The relief was so incredible!

But of course since the radiation continued the body became weaker and weaker under the assault. I had to get a haemoglobin test done to checkif I could withstand more. When I got it done my haemoglobin level after the diet had actually increased!  The doctors were surprised at my strange diet,  but seeing the effects said do whatever you are doing.  They were luckily quite open to my diet. As long as I was able
to handle the radiation they said, I could eat whatever I wanted. The rise in the haemoglobin level was due to the dates. Having dates immediately boosts the energy levels. To de-toxify, I was also made to drink pumpkin juice an hour before meals ( this lined the stomach and aided digestion)  and the juice of water-melon rind  thrice  a day . The mono fruits and vegetables slowly gave way to mixed fruits, then gradually mixed raw salads, then  she added wheat grass juice, then little by little I was allowed to eat nuts, then steamed moong sprouts and steamed corn. What joy!

For other small things too she would tell me what to do - for the burntskin - aloe vera, for building immunity add fresh haldi to the lime-juice, when I felt nauseous and could not eat, she said apply honey on the tongue and then rinse it out, that will enable you to eat the fruit. I  did and I was able to eat. If my mouth was dry - make orange juice and freeze it in cubes - then suck it. Oh it was heavenly and relieved the dryness.

What happened through the diet was that she first de-toxified me as much as possible so I could begin to digest food. She told me to be thankful for the diarrhoea which was throwing out the toxins. If I was
feeling weak she would say sleep, your body needs rest to heal.  Then gradually she began to build up the body's energy levels. She would talk to me everyday and encourage me. I would be depressed and she
would tell me to blow out those thoughts. Whenever I would call she would always respond. Often she would call to find out how I was. I really felt that she cared. It was an incredible humanistic reaching
out. And I know for certain how incredibly pressurised and busy she is.She was so positive I began to change. My energy levels increased day by day.

A month after the radiation I was ready to go on a holiday. Then she said no strict diet on a holiday - eat whatever makes you feel good. Just try to have fruits for breakfast, salad before lunch, fruits in
the evening and lime shots ( equal quantities of lime-juice and water) after dinner. I ate everything I wanted to, but soon I began to understand my body and know how much I could or could not handle. I had a wonderful holiday. But when I came back I began the strict diet againand began to feel much better. I realized how important the diet was.

Today,  thanks to the diet my energy levels are so good. I am back at work. I work a full day, I do rigourous classical dancing three times a week and yoga everyday. I have made a lifestyle change. And I feel on top of the world. I feel in many ways better after the cancer than before!

My diet today:

Early morning - wheat grass juice

Breakfast - fruits and dry fruits for breakfast. ( Nothing except
fruits till 12)

12 - Spinach Juice with Celery/Tomato/Cucumber  with lemon

Lunch: a dabba ( tiffen/ pre packed lunch) she sends me ( If you think this diet is not a tasty one has to try her food. It is creative and delicious!) which consists of raw salad, sprouts, rice/idli and a nut-milk preparation which seems like a daal.( lentil soup) I am amazed at the variety of things she sends.

After lunch : a lime-shot

Evening : fruits

Pumpkin juice an hour after the fruit

Dinner: salads with lots of nuts - no carbohydrates - steamed potatoes
and/or steamed whole daals or sprouts.

After dinner. Lime shot

Pumpkin juice an hour after dinner.

Is it tough? Yes - especially initially. It is labour intensive and  it requires discipline. And everyone around you thinks you are odd. But the effort is worth it! And the best part - whenever I feel tempted to have something, I can, but just a little. And about four meals a week nowadays - I can eat what I want. But now I feel tempted less and less because I feel so good with what I do eat.

IMPORTANT : The things to avoid completely - all the "NO"s

Refined Salt       ( a small quantity of sea salt or rock salt is OK)
Refined Sugar   ( gur /mollasses or honey in small quantities is OK). Khajoor  (Date paste is a great substitute)
Milk and milk products    (she gives me what seems like curd-rice but
is actually rice with nut milk! You honestly    cannot make out the
difference! Saw her doing it on a TV cooking demonstration)
Wheat ( Bajra and jowar are preferable, rice is the best)
Oil ( Sesame oil and olive oil in small quantities are OK). Freshly
grated coconut is great as an addition
Split daals  (lentils)- Ok but very occasionally .


Important dos of the diet

Lots of fruit - but not to be mixed with any other food
Lots of dry fruits - khajoor, anjeer, jardaloo, black raisins, raisins
etc ( not to be eaten or mixed with nuts)
Lots of nuts - e.g. almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachios ( peanuts
OK in some cases - but not yet for me)
Lots of fresh vegetable juices
Lots of raw vegetable salads
Freshly grated coconut
Lime-shots  -   the juice of one lime and an equal quantity of water.
(No furthur dilution as in a limboo pani. (lime juice ) That has no effect.

Additional things to remember - disinfectant and immunity builder - the juice of fresh haldi.( turmeric)"

Disclaimer: Diets can differ from person to person.This post is not meant to be a promotion of any particular health regime or person and you are advised to take the advice of your physician before making any changes to your diet.

More  Health Juice recipes

Bio Fuel from a butter tree

Simarouba is the new wonder tree. Its medicinal and other properties gives the neem and the tulsi a worthy Contender for the title of "Most useful plant in the World".

Strawberry Fields Forever

There is a glut of strawberries on the market this week and vendors with their colourful produce, neatly arranged in circular mounds are to be seen everywhere. Strawberries in baskets behind cycles, on the pavement, balanced on the head, in the malls...unbelievable. I can recall a time when strawberries were to be found only in the wild, in the hills ,and then, only by the hardworking or the obsessed.You can guess under which heading my friends and I could be classified.
With such abundance one can be irreverant. The strawberries can be mashed and moulded into  a dessert , a delicate pink concoction...a pretty and fluffy ending to a good meal.

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
12 gms / I tbsp unsweetened gelatine
30 gms/ 1/4 cup honey
350 gms/ 2 cups strawberries, mashed in a blender till smooth
(25 gms/ two tbsps double cream)

Beat the egg whites with salt (and a pinch of cream of tartar if available ),  till fluffy and in the soft peak stage.Dissolve gelatine in  warmed honey. Add the gelatine and honey mix to the strawberries. Mix well.Slowly add the mash to the egg whites while continuing to beat, adding as much air to the mixture as possible..When it becomes a light pink and holds it shape, spoon into bowls and chill till set. Top with a dollop of cream and /or a slice of strawberry.Serve straight from the refrigerator.

A Feast by Film Makers

This is one festival where I'd like to showcase a film..it is on food, Slow Food.