Vegetable Pickle

Vegetable pickle is high in dietary fiber along with vitamin A and C. Raw pickles may offer additional health benefits. According to author Rebecca Wood, pickling can make vegetables more digestible, neutralize naturally occurring anti-nutrients, and replenish the gut flora needed for smooth digestion. Wood notes that the unpasteurized pickles eaten on a raw food diet are more healthful than pasteurized varieties, because the heating process destroys the helpful micro-flora that grows during the pickling and fermenting process.

It’s thought the first pickles were produced over 4,000 years ago using cucumbers native to India. Ever since, people around the world have touted their nutritional value, and even healing power.
And, while the idea of pickled vegetables may sound vaguely distasteful, this ancient form of preparation and preservation can actually give really delicious results. The idea of pickling is to create an environment that is inhospitable to the microbes, which would normally cause food to decay.
This is usually done using a combination of salt, acid, and/or fermentation with bacteria. In some cases, spices, oil, and sugar are also added.   This is the original pickling method, which has been an essential part of healthy human diets for thousands of years.
On the one hand, the fiber in pickled vegetables is roughly the same as with cooked vegetables. Fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, are also retained during pickling and thus providing extra nutrition.

Ingredients:

3 cups of water, 1 ½ cup white vinegar, 4 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp white sugar, one glass jar of 3 liters, 4 -5 medium size carrots, 3 turnips, 3 small beets, 2 medium size cauliflower, 5-6 cloves of garlic.

Method:

Wash, peel off and cut all the vegetables into pieces except cloves of garlic.

In the glass jar put these vegetables tightly till the brim.

Mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a separate jar.  Shake it well.

Pour over the vegetables.

Leave the jar in the Sun for one afternoon and then put it in the refrigerator.

Black Carrot Kanji Drink

Black carrots are a rich source of anti oxidants and nutrients.  They are a great anti dote to LDL (bad cholesterol).  Black carrots are appetizing, good for digestion and have vitamin B.  They are rich in calcium, potassium and iron in them.  Black carrot juice is an excellent blood cleanser and it is good for eye sight and blood circulation. Due to its highly fibrous nature, it keeps the alimentary canal clean.  It acts as a moistening agent and tones up the skin.  It is good for treating acne.

Kanji is a popular drink made in the Northern India during the winter and spring as that is when the black carrots are available in the market.  It is a drink with a fermented aroma so everyone does not like it.  It is highly nutritious and is very good for stomach.

I remember I never liked it in the childhood but as time went by I acquired the taste for it.   Kanji should be taken in moderation (not more than two glasses a day) even if you like the taste of it.  It is very simple to make.  Kanji can be preserved only for a week.

Ingredients:

6-7 black carrots, 3 liter water, 4 tsp brown mustard seeds (rai), 4 tsp rock salt, 2 tsp red chili powder.

Method:

Wash and peel off the carrots.  Cut into pieces lengthwise.

Grind the mustard seeds and mix with salt and red chili powder.

Mix all the ingredients in a glass jar or a terracotta pot but never in a metal pot.

Stir well.  Let it sit in sun for three days.

Shake the jar 5-6 times a day.  It should be ready in 3 days.

Check the taste before serving.

Stir well and pour into a glass with 2-3 pieces of carrots.

Makka Roti(Corn bread) with radish and fenugreek

Makka in Punjabi stands for maize and roti is Indian flatbread.  Generally makka roti is eaten during the north Indian winters along with sarson ka saag(mustard greens).These are prevalent during the North Indian winters.  

If you prefer to eat Makka roti with some twist, try it either with radish or with fenugreek leaves or a combination of both.  In this case you don’t need mustard green to accompany this makka roti.  You can enjoy this with lots of butter and yogurt.  Makka roti is unleavened bread and the lack of gluten makes it hard to roll out and make it like a traditional roti.  My mother and grandmother made this hard to make roti with their bare hands like a magician.  I don’t have that magic in my hands so I decided to experiment making the makka roti between the zip lock bags.  It is rightly said all is well what ends well.

Ingredients:

Makki Ka Atta (Corn Flour) 2 cups, salt 1 tsp, ajwain (Carom Seeds)  1 tsp,  Wheat flour ½ cup, grated ginger ½ tsp,  peeled and grated radish (muli) ¼ cup,  cleaned, washed and chopped methi leaves(fenugreek leaves) 1 cup, hot water ½ to 1 cup, cooking oil for frying, butter or ghee to accompany the cooked roti.

Method:
 Mix the salt, ajwain, ginger, radish and fenugreek leaves to the corn and wheat flour.
 Mix everything well. 
 Add in hot water, about ¼ cup at a time.

 Knead to make it a pliable so that you are able to make a ball.
 Take a plastic bag/Ziploc and cut it open. Place it on your rolling surface and wet it       .
 Place the ball and add a few more drops of water on top.

 Now press gently on the ball and flatten it with your palm evenly.
Carefully remove from the plastic and place on a hot griddle or tawa.

 Allow it to cook on the bottom.
 After a couple of minutes, put a few drops of cooking oil on top and flip.
 Cook the other side as well and take it off the flame and serve hot with a blob of butter or ghee and yogurt.

Raw Papaya Kofta Curry

Papaya is not just a delicious fruit; it contains abundant health benefits and medicinal values.  Papain enzyme present in green or unripe papaya is much more beneficial for our body than the ripened papaya fruit.  In fact,  green papaya juice helps in correction of bowel irregularities in a relatively short time including indigestion, constipation, acid reflux, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, and other more serious gastrointestinal disorders.

Recently, we went to farmland owned by my husband and his family and were overwhelmed to see mango orchards.  We were walking around picking radish, guava and some other fruits and vegetables.  I saw a couple of trees of papaya and asked the farm manager to give one or two raw papayas.  I thought if I wrap the raw papaya in a newspaper it might ripen on its own.  Its then I heard some words of wisdom that raw papaya can be cooked into varied ways.  It can be turned into Kofta curry.  Koftas are like small dumplings made of grated raw papaya along with some spices and condiments.

Ingredients:
For dumpling or Kofta:

1 medium size raw or green papaya peeled and grated, 1 medium size onion grated,  4 tsp besan or chickpea flour, 1 small green chili chopped finely,  ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp dry mango powder, oil for deep frying.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients very well so that it becomes kind of smooth.   Deep fry the dumplings in the heated oil by putting a small tsp of mix at a time.  You may fry five or six dumplings at one time, depending on the size of your pan. When all are done keep them separate.  Now prepare the curry for the dumplings.

Ingredients

For the Curry:

1 big onion, peeled and finely chopped, 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped, ½ inch piece of ginger grated, ½ tsp of cumin seeds, 1 ½ tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of garam massala,  1 tsp of red pepper(optional), 3 medium size tomatoes finely chopped, 1 tbsp of plain yogurt, salt to taste.

Method:

Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds to it.  When they stop spluttering, add ginger.  After 30 seconds add onion and garlic and reduce the flame to medium. Let this mix cook very well; add salt (keep in mind that dumplings are also salty). Once it leaves oil on the sides, add tomatoes and coriander powder.  When this is well blended, add yogurt.  Cook for another two minutes.  Put 2 to 3 cups of water in this mix.  Add red pepper as that will give color to the curry.  Once a boil comes, add fried dumplings to it.  Give another boil, add garam massala or curry powder and cover it.  Turn off the flame.  Serve hot with chapatti, Nan or rice.

Cherry Almond Shortbread

I wish everyone a very happy, healthy 2013.  Hope you invent new dishes and enjoy eating them as well.

Shortbread cookies are Scottish in origin.  These rich, tender and crumbly cookies were once served on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.  Once you have made the basic dough of butter, vanilla, white flour and sugar you may experiment by adding varied ingredients like fruits, chocolate chips or nuts.

I added almonds and cherries which were sitting in my refrigerator.  I was pleased with the result as small speckles of cherry shine through the baked shortbread wedges, thus adding beauty to yummy cookies.

  

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar, 1 cup butter at room temperature, 2 tbsp cooking oil, 2 ½  cups white flour, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tsp ground cardamom,  ½ cup peeled and chopped almonds, ½ cup chopped cherries (frozen or preserved)

For Glaze:

1 tbsp powered sugar, 1 ½ tbsp milk

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degree F (200 degree C).

Grease two 9 inches pie pans.

In large bowl, cream together sugar, butter and cooking oil with an electric beater.

Blend white flour, cardamom powder and vanilla essence into the creamed mixture with a spatula.

Mix cherry and almond bits with the dough very well.

Dough will be crumbly.  Divide the dough into two parts.

Press in the bottom of greased pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 10 minutes.  Cut shortbread into 15 wedges while warm.

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over cool wedges of shortbread.

Soya Kebabs

Soya Kebabs are a very healthy and tasty appetizer.  Soya granules contain 54.2 grams of protein, which exceeds the amount of protein found in meats, eggs, milk and wheat. Soya protein contains all the amino acids needed by the body, and is an excellent replacement for meat-based proteins. Animal proteins are generally higher in saturated fats. Soya granules can be beneficial to the growth of strong bones and teeth in children.   Soya granules when added with potatoes and other vegetables make an excellent dish liked by adults and children as well.

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes(boiled), 1 cup Soya granules, 1 carrot,  ½ green pepper(capsicum), 1 small onion, 1 garlic clove,  ½ tsp coriander powder,  ¼ tsp garam masala,  ½ tsp dry mango powder, salt to taste,  ½ cup bread crumbs, 1 green chili(optional), 1 tbsp sooji or semolina.

Method:

Boil Soya granules for 5-6 minutes.  Squeeze out all the water from the granules by pressing them between your hands.

Peel off and grate carrot, chop onion and green pepper into fine bits and crush garlic.

In a food processor, add Soya granules, carrot, green pepper, garlic, onion, green chili, bread crumbs, semolina, coriander powder, garam masala, dry mango powder and blend to a grainy consistency.

Now mash potatoes separately and add with the grainy mix to form a smooth and pliable dough.

Make small round kebabs of this dough and fry them in a non sick pan till they turn crispy and light brown.

Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

Note: Recipe of green chutney is in one of the previous blogs.

Raw papaya vegetable mix

Papaya is not just a delicious fruit; it contains abundant health benefits and medicinal values.  It is a refreshing diuretic with excellent antioxidant properties.  Papaya is unbeatable against almost all infections of the body whether internal or external.  It contains a very important active ingredient called Papain, which has the same effect on the digestive system that pepsin does for digestion.  Papaya also contains an active ingredient called fibrin that is rarely found outside animal body or human body. Fibrin is easily digestible and is particularly helpful in providing normal clotting of the blood in both internal and external wounds.

Papain enzyme present in green or unripe papaya is much more beneficial for our body than the ripened papaya fruit.  In fact,  green papaya juice helps in correction of bowel irregularities in a relatively short time including indigestion, constipation, acid reflux, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, and other more serious gastrointestinal disorders. Both papaya and its seeds contain anti-amoebic and antiparasitic activities.  When a crushed green papaya is applied as an adhesive substance to any laceration, wound, or cut on the skin, it helps in immediate cessation of blood and closes the wound so that it can heal quickly.
 It is advisable to eat a papaya after eating a fully loaded meal including meat, chicken, and fish for immediate elimination of fat.

Ingredients:

Raw or green papaya 1 medium size, 2 large onions, ½ inch piece of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 green chili (optional), 3 small tomatoes, 1½ tbsp of cooking oil, ½  tsp of yellow mustard seeds (methi dana),  ½  tsp of cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, 1 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, ½ tsp red chili powder(optional), 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam massala or curry powder, a few drops of wine vinegar, ¼ tsp of dry mango powder,  ¼ cup fresh green coriander leaves washed and chopped.

Method:

Peel off and cut raw papaya into small cubes.  Raw papaya has some kind of sticky stuff on the peel so make sure to wash it first before peeling it off.  It would be better to wear kitchen gloves while peeling off the skin.

Peel off onions, ginger and garlic and cut into small pieces. If you do not like ginger pieces coming in the mouth, grate the ginger.

Heat the oil, put asafoetida and after 10 seconds add mustard seeds and cumin seeds to the oil.  Once they turn light brown, add ginger, onion and garlic in that order and reduce flame to low.  When onion mix turns light brown, add turmeric and salt to it.  After 30 seconds, add cubes of papaya to this mix and cover the lid. Keep stirring from time to time till papaya pieces turn soft.

In the meanwhile puree the tomatoes into a mixer and add it to the papaya mix. Cover it again for a couple of minutes.  Add chili powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder and mix well.  Once all these spices blend well, add wine vinegar and garam massala or curry powder. Cover it for another minute or so.  Now add chopped green coriander leaves to garnish and turn off the flame. Keep the lid covered till you are ready to serve with chapatti or Nan.