How to make Rasam more special? - The Art of Cooking Tip # 2

The Art of Cooking

Tip # 2

How to make Rasam?

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Want to know the secret of that delightful taste of Rasam at weddings, Temples? 

While preparing the Rasam powder, keep the quantity of Jeera more and use Byadagi Menasinakai. And take care to grind it coarse so that the chilly flakes are visible. It is said that we first taste with our eyes and then with the tongue. Food that is delightful to watch never fails in its taste. 

Happy Cooking :-)

How to make Rasam Special? - The Art of Cooking - Tip # 1

                                                                         

Tip # 1

Have you wondered why somebody's Rasam always smelt, looked and tasted better? Here is the secret.

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While preparing the Rasam, first mix tamarind juice with jaggery and water and let it boil. While boiling add some curry leaves, coriander leaves and boil some more. Later you add other ingredients. Be warned of neighbors peeping in to know the secret of that wonderful smell! Happy Cooking!

Happy Cooking :-)

Saaru ..The Rasam

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Rasam! The quintessential part of the South Indian food has as many flavors as the people savoring them. Irrespective of the other dishes in the menu, Rasam holds its place of pride in every South Indian meal. Be it a regular daily staple food or the wedding lunch or the reception dinner, the South Indian meals can never be complete without delicious cups of Rasam. Come,let us check out the variety of the Rasams being prepared in South India.

How to make Garam Masala Powder ?

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The main place of pride in any South Indian food is held by Sambar and Rasam and since they are prepared almost everyday and go well with both rice as well as Roti or chapati,the garam masala used for them is generally prepared in a larger quantity and used over months by keeping them in airtight containers. Besides rice and Sambar, there are other South Indian delicacies like Ennegai Palya, Huggi and Vangi Bhaat for which Garam Masala can be prepared and stored - to use in need of a hurry or unexpected guests or even for that Sunday Special Lunch.Here are those recipes that add spice to your palate.

     Ennegai Palya Masala Powder

                                       Preparation Time :     30 Minutes

                                     Ingredients           :

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Roasted groundnut seeds                     4  cups

Red Chilli Powder                                2  Tablespoon

Sambar powder                                   3  Tablespoon

Jeera                                                  1 1/2 Tablespoon

Tamarind                                            1  Small Lime size

                                        Jaggery                                               1  Big Lime size

• Dry roast groundnut seeds over medium heat  to golden brown.
• Let it cool. There is no need to remove the healthy husk.
• Grind th roasted groundnut along with all other ingredients to a coarse consistency.
• Store in a airtight container.
• While making the Ennegai Palya, you can stuff this inside the brinjals and also add some more for gravy.

PS : Not just for brinjals, you can use this powder to make curry, gravy with any other vegetable.

Rasam Powder

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Preparation Time :     30 Minutes

Ingredients           :                   

Coriander seeds                                 4 cups

Byadagi (Red)  chillies                        3 cups

Jeera                                                1 ½ cups

Black Pepper                                      1 cup

Fenugreek seeds                                1 tablespoon          

Instructions :

• Roast over medium heat all the above to golden brown.
• Switch off the gas and let everything cool.
• Grind to a coarse consistency.
• Store in an airtight container.

Sambar Powder

                              Preparation Time :     30 Minutes

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Ingredients           :

Coriander seeds                                 4  cups
Byadagi Red Chillies                           2  cups
Guntur red Chillies                             2 cups
Bengal Gram Dal                               1  cup
Urad Dal                                           1  cup
Jeera                                                1  cup
Fenugreek seeds                               1/2 cup
Mustard seeds                                  1/2 cup
Grated dry coconut                           ½   cup
Cinnamon                                        4-5 pieces
Moggu (kapok buds)                         10-15
Asafetida                                         1  teaspoon

Instructions :

• Roast over medium heat all the above to golden brown.
• Let everything cool.
• Grind to a coarse consistency.
• Store in a airtight container.

Vangi Bhath Powder

Preparation Time :     30 Minutes

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Ingredients           :

Coriander seeds                               4 cups

Byadgi Red Chillies                           4 cups

Bengal Gram Dal                              2  cup

Urad Dal                                          2  cup

Grated dry coconut                           2  cup

Cinnamon                                        10 pieces

Cloves                                             20

Asafetida                                         1 teaspoon

Instructions :

• Roast over medium heat all the above to golden brown.
• Let everything cool.
• Grind to a coarse consistency.
• Store in a airtight container.

PS : This is also called palyada pudi in kannada and is used instead of garam masala in sabji.

Huggi ( North Karnataka style Khara Pongal ) Masala Powder

Preparation Time :     20 Minutes

Ingredients           :

Grated dry coconut                          2  cup

Jeera                                              1  cup

Black Pepper                                   4-5 seeds

Instructions :

• Roast over medium heat all the above to golden brown.
• Let everything cool.
• Grind to a coarse consistency.
• Store in a airtight container.

How to eat Healthy ?

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The ancient Indian saints and sages have propagated the healthy way of cooking and eating. They have advocated the theory of eating solids like liquids and vice-e-versa. Wonder how? We should chew every bite slowly till it turns liquid and then swallow. This way the digestion process starts in the mouth itself and there is no possibility of overeating. It also prevents the body from accumulating the undigested food and thereby leading to obesity. If we gulp hastily or watch TV or read while eating again it may lead to overindulgence.

Our ancestors had the best way of cooking, burning firewood using logs of wood and cooking healthy food for themselves. They had the healthy recipes of fresh vegetables, greens and grains. The greens used to be an integral part of their diet. Today even though we are aware of this fact, we over look it while cooking due to paucity of time.

But at least during holidays, weekends or while we are on a healthy diet trip we can remember and follow certain facts. Most of us follow green food recipes while following the diet regime. Nutrition facts of vegetables like carrots and other red and yellow vegetables in providing vitamin D to the body has been always emphasized by the nutritionists and dietitians.

While following the health regime instead of following the diet blindly we should always be aware of the facts as to what are calories, what is nutrition and at every possible opportunity try to have our own backyard vegetable garden using the method of organic vegetable farming. Doctors always advise us to follow the practice of eating yellow and red colored fruits and vegetables to help increase the HB percentage in our blood and also fight the vitamin D deficiency.

How to cook healthy ?

The present day method of cooking in microwave oven and preparation of cake in cooker may have added the utility and save time and energy,but the native indigenous way of cooking had distinct health advantages.Many of us must have come across the AMC cookware which is a set of kitchen accessories where the cooking pots and pans are manufactured using surgical grade stainless steel cookware. 

AMC cookware is based on German technology and with its patented Akkutherm Molecular Base, manufactures cookware pans with lifetime warranty and has factories located in Spain, Italy and south Africa.While there is no second opinion about the quality of the product and its usage, the cookware is priced astronomically and not many can afford them and  even those who can,think hundred times before investing tens of thousands for a set of cooking pots and pans.

Those of you who were born and brought up in villages and small towns may remember your mother or grandmother cooking the vegetables in a most indigenous way. This is a method where the vegetables will not lose any of its nutrition but also retain their authentic and original color and taste.

If you are interested in trying out recipes which need cooking and eating vegetables in healthy way of eating and losing weight, this is the way to cook vegetables. This method not only tells you how to be healthy but also how to eat healthy and also how to lose weight in a healthy way.I believe the technology of the AMC cookware follows this very principle.

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As shown in this picture, use a thick bottomed kadai or cooker to cook the vegetables.Wash the vegetables and cut them into longish pieces. Place the cut vegetables in a thick bottomed cooker on a low heat. Don't put any water. The water used to wash the vegetables is enough. On the top of this kadai or cooker, place a vessel containing water and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your liking about the crunchiness of the vegetables.

While we cook the vegetables in a cooker, the vegetables tend to get soggy and lose their original color and crunchiness  But in this method the original color, taste and the nutrition is fully retained. Especially when we are preparing fried rice or like to eat vegetables in their natural taste, this is the ideal method. First try with carrot, beans, radish and sweet potato and you will fall in love with your veggies all over again.

How to drink healthy ?

Similarly we should drink water as if we are eating, i.e. sit down on the ground, ideal posture is squatting on the ground, while drinking water. Scientifically, when we drink water while standing, we let the water hit the lower part of the esophagus strongly which leads to dilation and relaxation of the sphincter that connects the esophagus and stomach. This may lead to a medical condition called GERD ( Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease").

The symptoms of this disease is acidity because the acids in the stomach pass backward through the open sphincter and start the burning sensation in the acid intolerant esophagus. This is the most common feeling of heartburn and acidity which most people complain of. Baba Ramdevji is the strong advocate of the habit of sitting and drinking water and so is the Prophet Mohammed which is followed by the Muslims across the globe.

HOW DO THE PLANES FLY ???

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I share this fascination for the bird in the sky, along with many other things with my late mother. Once when I was just a kid, I remember the plane arriving in Yeramarus near Raichur. It was, I vaguely remember, to facilitate the visit of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Raichur. I ran along with my mother and her friends to the temporary makeshift aerodrome and was awestruck by the sheer beauty and the magnificence of the steel bird.Though we were not allowed to get in, I think the elders  managed to have a dekko at the inside.

Vroom!!! That sound and the sight of the airplane blazing through the blue sky never ceases to fascinate me. Having born and brought up in small town Raichur,sighting the airplane was always a rarity. Hyderabad Karnataka area has remained the same even after decades with inadequate infrastructure and inclement weather.