Bay Leaves for calming nerves

Bay leaves or tej patta as we call it in Hindi was considered the most glorious herb in ancient times.  Legend is that Apollo, Greek God of medicine, loved the beautiful nymph, Daphne but she hated him.  When Daphne begged the gods to protect her from amorous Apollo, they transformed her into the bay laurel.  Lovelorn Apollo declared the tree as sacred.  He bestowed bay laurels wreaths on poets and warriors of distinction.  At the first Olympics in 776 B.C., winners were crowned with laurel wreaths.

The Roman physician Galen considered bay leaves as a therapeutic herb for many ailments particularly arthritis.  In the 17 century England herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended bay for joint pains, menstruation, cough, itching, shortness of breath, and infectious diseases.  In the Middle East, tincture of bay leaf in brandy was rubbed on sore joints.  American Indians used bay to treat arthritis, headache, stomach ache, urinary problems, insect bites and skin wounds.

 

Modern herbalists continue to recommend bay oil for arthritic joints.  Like most aromatic spices, bay leaf oil kills fungi and bacteria.  For minor household cuts and scrapes bay leaf can be used externally.  Talking of its household uses, bay is also very effective as cockroach repellent as bay leaves have a chemical compound called cineole which repels these pesky insects.  Crush some bay leaves and spread them around the kitchen cupboards to deal with the cockroaches.

For a relaxing aromatic infusion with a good taste, use one to two teaspoons of crushed bay leaves in a cup of boiling water, strain it, put some music on and have this tea to calm your nerves.

Bay belongs to the Lauraceae family; other members of this family are cinnamon and nutmeg.  Its botanical name is Laurus nobilis and it is also known as laurel, sweet bay, green bay and Roman laurel.  Its leaves are used as an herb.   

ASAFOETIDA: for colic problems

Asafoetida or Hing as we call in Hindi is one such herb which has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw but in the cooked dishes it adds to the flavor and aroma.

This herb is used as a digestive aid in food and in pickles.  Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous micro flora in the gut, thus reducing flatulence.

Asafoetida’s English name is derived from the Persian word asa, which means resin and Latin foetida refers to its strong sulfurous odors.  Because of its strong pungent smell, it’s being called by many unpleasant names like the Devil’s shit (in French), the Devil’s dung (in English) and the Devil’s sweat (in Turkish).

The resin-like gum which comes from the dried sap extracted from the stem and roots is used as a spice.  This resin is grayish-white when fresh but turns to dark amber in color after it dries.  Asafoetida resin is crushed between stones before using although now, it is sold in powder form also.

Asafoetida is acrid and bitter in taste but when cooked in oil or ghee, the flavor is a blend of garlic and onions.  In Indian cuisine, it is mainly used in vegetarian and lentil dishes.  Asafoetida is a great healing herb; it is known to alleviate stomach ailments, cold symptoms, anxiety issues, chronic fatigue, yeast infections and painful gas and flatulence.

Some healers believe that a regular dose of asafoetida before and during early pregnancy can help lessen the risk of miscarriage.  If an infant has gas or colic problem, it is recommended to add a pinch of asafoetida powder and mix it with ¼ teaspoon of water.  After heating this mixture and letting it cool till room temperature, rub it on baby’s tummy.  This will give instant relief to the infant.

Asafoetida belongs to the Umbelliferae, also called Apiaceae family. Other members of the same family are dill, celery and caraway.  Its botanical name is Ferula asafoetida.

Rocky Road Chocolate Bars

When we get biscuits or cookies from the market, we open the wrapper and put all the cookies in a box.  In a month's time, we generally find crumbs and broken pieces of these biscuits on the bottom of the box.  These crumbs seemed little annoying till I discovered how to make use of these in making a chocolate bar.  So let us try my no bake ten minute  rocky road chocolate bars.

Ingredients:
Crumbs of about 24 biscuits, 1/2 cup of baking chocolate(grated), 1 tblsp of milk, 1/4 cup of walnuts(chopped), 1/4 cup of cashews(chopped), 2 tsp of sugar(if your crumbs were semi sweet), 3/4 cup of condensed milk.

Method:
Put crumbs of biscuits in a bowl.  In case you don't have crumbs, break 24 biscuits and powder them coarsely.
In a double boiler, put grated chocolate and a tblsp of milk.  Once it melts, pour this on crumbs.
Add condensed milk to it and mix it very well.  Add sugar and nuts and mix again.
Grease a pie plate.  Transfer mixture to the pie plate and press with hands.
Refrigerate for two hours, take it out and cut into small pieces.
Now place the pie plate in the freezer for another hour or so.
Now enjoy these yummy chocolates.

Punjabi Kadhi

When I was a little girl, Kadhi-Chawal(rice) used to be my favorite lunch.  When Mom used to make pakoras(dumplings) of besan, I will come in the kitchen and eat them before even they were put in the liquid part of the dish.  As time passed, my tastes changed.  Queen of fried food turned into a princess of salads and less oily foods.  Nevetheless, love for Kadhi stayed.  When I got married I came to know my husband also loved Kadhi and rice combination for the lunch.  There is so much variation in how one can cook the Punjabi Kadhi.  Some people prefer Kadhi to be thick so they use more besan(chickpea or gram flour) but I like it little bit more liquidy so I use less besan.  Over the years I have realized besan flour is not an easily digestible flour.
Kadhi Ingredients:
2 cups of yogurt(curd), 3 1/2 tblsp of besan, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, 2 tsp of coriander powder, 2 tblsp of cooking oil, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds(methi dana),1/2 tsp cumin seeds(zeera), a pinch of asafoetida (hing), 1 medium sized onion finely chopped, 5 or 6 cloves of garlic(minced), 1 tsp of grated ginger, 1or 2 green peppers(hot chillies) finely chopped.
Pakora (dumplings)Ingredients:
1 cup besan, 1/2 cup water(approximately), 1 big onion chopped finely,  3 cloves of garlic finely minced, 2 green peppers chopped, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam massala, 1/4 tsp mango powder(amchoor powder).

Method:
Mix yogurt, besan, salt, turmeric, coriander powder and five cups of water. Blend this mixture using a hand blender.  Make sure there are no lumps of besan in it.

In a big heavy bottom non stick pan, heat oil.  Add asafoetida, fenugreek and cumin seeds.  When seeds turn light brown add ginger, garlic and onion and green peppers.  Cook on slow heat till onions turn light brown.  Now add yogurt mixture to it.  Stir continuously till it boils.  After one boil, lower heat and let it simmer for good 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When Kadhi is being cooked, prepare pakoras.  For that mix besan with water so that it makes a thick paste.  Beat well.  Add other ingredients like onion, garlic, green pepper, red chilli powder, salt, coriander powder, garam massala and amchoor powder.  Heat oil and drop spoonfuls of batter.  Deep fry pakoras on medium heat till golden brown.  Add pakoras to boiling kadhi.

When cooked tranfer it to a serving bowl and add a teaspoon of hot ghee and sprinkle ground roasted cumin powder and a pinch of degi pepper(red mirch) to it.  Serve with plain boiled rice.

Healthy chocolate chip cookies

I used to make the best chocolate chip cookies with white all purpose flour.  In every office party I used to take these cookies.  My friends loved these cookies so much that they nick named me "cookie monster".  But as time passed I became more health conscious.  I have started looking for ways to replace white flour, which is full of gluten,  with whole wheat or muti grain flours which are full of fiber.  I must say I have successfully done that when it comes to baking  everyone's favorite chocolate chip cookies.  So here is my recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or cooking oil, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla essence,  1/2 cup of white flour, 1 1/2 cup of wheat flour, 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal(ground), 1/4 tsp of salt,1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 cup of walnuts and cashews.

Method:
 In a bowl mix white flour, wheat flour, oat meal, salt, baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside.  In another big bowl cream together butter or oil, white sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla essence and beat some more till the mixture becomes very creamy.  Now add flour mixture to the creamy mixture.  Pour only one or two tblsps at a time and mix with a wooden spatula.  When this mixture is well blended, add chocolate chips and nuts.

 Make small balls of the dough and place them on a ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.  These cookies will expand when baked.

Bake cookies in a pre heated oven at 375 degree F or 230 degree C for 8 to 10 minutes.  It will make approximately 55  cookies.

Enjoy them with a glass of cold milk.

Cumin the aromatic spice with health benefits

Cumin, known as Zeera in Hindi, has been used since ages not just in India but all over the world.  Even 5000 years ago its health benefits and medicinal uses were well known.  Even to this day, Cumin is used in Ayurvedic healing.

Cumin seeds are rich in iron and help stimulate the secretion of enzymes from the pancreas which help absorb nutrients in our system.  One study proves that cumin boosts the power of liver’s ability to detoxify the body.  This herb can help with digestive disorders, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, morning sickness and indigestion.  As a remedy for indigestion, boil one teaspoon of cumin into one cup of water, add black salt and drink slowly like tea.  If you have soar throat, add a piece of fresh ginger to this mixture.

Cumin seeds can be used as whole or in ground form.  They give a very distinct aroma to soups, curried and yogurt dishes.  They are used in Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, North African, Sri Lankan, Cuban, Mexican and some Chinese cuisine.  Cumin is used in some Dutch cheese and French bread also.

Cumin has been used since ancient times.  It has been established by the fact that in ancient Egyptian archaeological sites cumin has been found.  Cumin was originally cultivated in Iran and Mediterranean countries.  Ancient Greek and Romans also used cumin.  Greek and Moroccans kept cumin at the dining table like we keep salt and pepper today.

During middle ages it was believed that if bride and groom kept cumin in their hand during the wedding ceremony, happy married life awaited them.

Cumin belongs to the Apiacae family and other plants of this family are parsley.  They are oblong in shape and brown in color.  The botanical name of cumin is Cuminum cyminum.