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]