Bio-wise and otherwise

Celebrating Cilantro

The spirit of Dasara festival is slowly setting in Bangalore. The Dasara festival is celebrated for nine nights and symbolizes victory of positivity over negativity. Nine nights of festivities which end in Victory to  Goddess Durga over a demon, will be celebrated with much pomp and splendor.

A depiction of the traditional Mysore Dasara procession

To be sure, no festival out here in India is complete with a whole lot of flowers- jasmine, roses, hibiscus, you name it. Joy overflows from every heart just as the riot of colors livens up every home.

 

   Woman selling flowers at the market

(Pic taken with permission from Kamat's Potpourri) 

It is also a time for calming one's mind, and reflecting on one's goals. To do this, one has to cleanse the body and spirit by eating light, and easily digestible foods. This will eliminate stress on the digestive system and make one active and alert.

According to the principles of Ayurveda, Satvic foods include fruits, fresh vegetables, milk, butter. Satvic diet increases alertness and keeps one active. But one should not get overactive, and so there are two more attributes to food that keep one balanced. Tamasic foods are the opposite of Satvic food and include onion, garlic, red meat, leftovers and packaged food. They are said to have little life force. Rajasic foods are said to be bitter, hot, sour, salty, pungent, hot and dry. Lemon, carrot, meat, sweets are included in the Rajasic food list. Generally, we tend to balance out all these three types of food since our body actually lets us know what we need, through a craving.

During festivals like Dasara, a true devotee or a health-conscious person (or both) tends to stay off Tamasic and Rajasic food altogether.

Coriander chutney is light on the stomach and can be eaten with rice.

Coriander leaves (or cilantro) are often sprinkled in Indian meals to enhance the flavor. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is rich in Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C and carotene. The leaf also is rich in oil content which comprises of coriandrol and geraniol. It is considered to be an astrigent, and improves digestion.

Here's a recipe straight out of the  ashram magazine (Rishimukh): You need a bunch of fresh mint leaves, a bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, a tiny cube of ginger, a couple of green chillis (medium size), a teaspoon of sugar, two teaspoons of lime juice and salt to taste.

Cut off roots and stalks from the mint and coriander leaves. Wash the leaves well and grind the leaves with the rest of the ingredients. You can also grind using a blender or a pestle and mortar (for that 'grandma-just -made-it' effect).

To Indian-ize it a bit more, you can go ahead and season it by heating up some oil, popping in some mustard seeds, and some fenugreek seeds. Add the seasoning to the chutney and enjoy that spicy aroma.

Chill the chutney a bit for that wonderful flavor to sink in good and proper.

Coriander mint chutney is great as side dish along with another Indian speciality- Samosas.

It can also be used as a  wonderful sandwich spread with cucumber slices sprinkled with pepper powder tucked in between the bread. So, what are you waiting for? Just take out that wheat loaf and slice that cucumber...

Posted at 10:11AM Oct 11, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]

Sprout salad for the soul

Come mornings these days, contemplative thoughts on the day's menu start sticking around in my mind like fluffy cotton lint. So, instead of concentrating on my my morning (spiri)ritual exercise, I end up visualizing all these meals.

That's when I resolved to plan my meals better to keep my meditative mind off food.

Seasoned Rice and lentil  is considered to be a great offering to Lord Krishna.

 

Pic of Lord Krishna in the battlefield with Arjuna. Source: ISKCON 

Vegetable broth with Indian bread is light on the stomach and prevents you from dozing off  in the afternoons. Spicy Rasam (seasoned tomato 'soup' which has a dash of tamarind juice added as well- a South Indian delicacy) and rice are great for holidays, when the family likes to nap after a meal.

Well, I started preparing  well in advance, for today's lunch. Yesterday morning, I had soaked a cupful of seeds like whole Green gram and Chickpea in water. Towards evening, I had drained out the water and washed the seed with fresh water. Then I transfered the swollen seed mix into a light, wet, muslin cloth. Left it overnight in a dark, moist corner on the kitchen counter.

While waiting for the seed to germinate, here's a story of sprouts and their nutritional value. Apparently, Chinese physicians used to prescribe sprouts for curing many disorders, more than 5000 years ago. Green gram is high in nutritional and fibre value.

Nutritional value of Green Gram (Per 100 grams)

Energy : 30 calories
Protein : 3 grams
Carbohydrate : 6 grams
Dietary Fiber : 2 grams 

The protein is especially rich in the amino acid, lysine, but it is somewhat deficient in sulphur-containing amino acids. The seeds are rich in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, folate and other B Vitamins. They also contain appreciable amounts of Vitamin C. Check this out for a general look into the nutritional value of pulses.

Early in the morning, I walked into the kitchen to check on my sprouts. I could see tiny white stalks emerge from the seed, a sign of mystic, vibrant life. I then transfered the sprouted seed into a nice ceramic bowl.  I tend to wash my sprout for just a few brief seconds in boiled water, to discourage any infections that might come about from any lurking bacteria.

I diced tomatos and cucumber nice and fine. Added it to the seed. There was a bright yellow lemon in the refrigerator and so I took it out and  cut it in two. I have this nice contraption in my kitchen that manages to squeeze out the lime juice from a lemon without  allowing the seeds to flow along with the juice. So I gently squeezed the juice on top of the salad and added salt to taste.

 

Pic taken from the web 

Now I like to season the salad lightly. So I take a small deep pan (called a 'Kadai' in India and the equivalent is probably a 'wok') and heat it on a medium flame. I add a spoonful of light oil (you can use olive or refined oil) and wait for the oil to heat up without getting too hot. I add a dash of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. I wait for the seeds to sputter before I add finely cut green chillis and coriander leaves.I then layer the salad with the seasoning before mixing it in.

After the fenugreek step, I use asafotida in my seasoning, since this recipe was brought down straight from grandma's cookbooks. But you can add a dash of garlic instead, if you like. Both work well to add that zing to your salad.

There, I had a nice simple sprout salad. I can serve it as a side dish, along with fluffy white rice and a light curry

Unlike eating meat (which is cut out from the flesh of dead animals), when we eat sprout and salads, we are energizing our body, mind and spirit with life. Sure to do great on our health. Just try it, you will find your mind alive and awake throughout the day with no signs of lethargy whatsoever.

Tomato, onion and cucumber salad

And while on the topic of salads, here's  a pic straight out of Rachel Ray's recipe- tangy tomato, onion and cucumber salad. (Love your style, girl!)

I enjoy watching all the vibrant veggie colors in a salad glint back at me in the warm sunlight streaming from my kitchen window. It always seems to be Nature's way of saying Hello.

Posted at 08:58PM Oct 01, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]