Have a cold? Cough? Digestion issues? Minor stomach bug?
Then try some Ajwain water….
home remedies
Pomegranate Juice, and an easy, natural Ayurvedic solution for anaemia.
Sweet, tart, refreshing, delicious. Also packed with anti-oxidants and nutrition.
If I’m reaching for a nice, healthy drink, chances are high that it will be this one.
Pomegranate juice has always been one of my favorites.
But ever since I got to know from an ayurvedic pratitioner about how one simple, small addition not only further enhances it’s taste, but also apparently improves the iron absorption (by increasing it’s bio-availability) multi-fold times (apparently something like 2000x), I’ve been hooked to making it that way.
And that small addition is the wonder fruit called Amla – the super food that is pretty much revered all over the Indian subcontinent as such by our ancient scriptures and holds a place of pride in the arsenal of many ayurvedic remedies.
Why amla? Because, (as per this study conducted at the Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine), amla is supreme when it comes to enhancing iron dialysability and uptake, and that is, besides being commonly and cheaply available.
Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry or amla) is a well-known dietary supplement (Rasayana) in Ayurveda used in the management of iron deficiency anaemia (Pandu). Amla is said to act by regulating the ‘metabolic fire’ (agni), which is important for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients.
If taking it therapeutically, try keeping the ratio around 20-30 ml of amla juice to a glass (around 200ml) of pomegranate juice.
Else, simply add a couple of amlas (de-seeded) into the mixie along with the arils of one pomegranate, some water, blend, strain and enjoy! Or, if amla is not available, just add any source of Vitamin C such as orange juice. 😀
And, for at least an hour before and after having this drink, avoid few things like tea, coffee, chocolate, spinach to maximise the benefits. These contain certain compounds and phytonutrients including tannins and oxalic acid, which prevent the body from from absorbing the iron.
Delicious food can be medicine, too.
Neem Flowers with Rice: Tasty, therapeutic hors d’oeuvres.
This one is an Ugadi special!
So what’s an hors d’oeuvre doing with an Indian meal? And therapeutic?!
Hors d’oeuvre (according to Merriam-Webster) refers to a food served in small portions before the main part of a meal, and which Wikipedia states is “often meant to be eaten by hand”.
Though this might not be quite what the French meant, it is exactly that.
Neem flower is the first in a series of an amazing variety of combinations with various ingredients that are mixed with rice and eaten right at the beginning of a meal (in this case an Andhra meal).
Of course, in a typical Andhra meal everything is mixed with rice.
But, these ‘starters’ are often not very well known, because they tend to be in the category of “Home Remedies”, though just as likely to be eaten as appetizers.
Such combinations would be informally mixed up according to need or appetite and to suit an individual’s specific requirement, for example the administration of carom seeds for an upset stomach.
There are many variations, but typically, tend to be a spice (either whole or powdered) which would be fried gently in a little bit of ghee or oil, salted and mixed with a bit of rice (sometimes with a further drizzle of ghee or oil) and eaten in small portions, like one or two tablespoonfuls, and before any thing else.
The ingredient used would usually be one that aids digestion, or is otherwise known for it’s beneficial properties in some way or the other. Since it is the first thing to be consumed, it gets a head-start in its therapeutic work, as well as sets the stage for optimum digestion of the meal to follow.
Neem flowers are seen in profusion during the festival of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year. They are used in a symbolic dish called “Ugadi Pachadi“.
Invariably there will be some of the spare flowers left over after making this pachadi, something I look forward to, because then I get to make this very exotic, deliciously bitter dish that I wouldn’t mind as the main course!
Note: Most of the following pictures are closeups (nearly four years old; that’s when I meant to originally write this post!), so to get an idea of scale, please refer to the first picture on top where the grains of rice would give an indication of the actual size.
Procedure:
Take some fresh neem flowers. Sometimes the very tiny, tender young leaves which are red in colour, are also used.
Remove the thicker stems.
Wash.
Heat a half or one teaspoon or pure, organic ghee, or a good oil like cold pressed organic sesame oil, add the flowers and fry till lightly browned, and
nicely crisp!
Add salt to taste and mix well with hot rice.
Serve hot, at the start of the meal.
A truly exotic treat!
Adrak-Tulsi ki Chai, (Ginger-Basil Tisane): Herbal Home Remedies
Kid-friendly, too.
A couple of months back everyone at home was going through a spell of colds and coughs.
A very valid reason to behave like a complete invalid.
The thing to do of course, is get plenty of rest and fluids.
Catch up on reading, if one can somehow manage to hold up a book to read!
And lots of Ginger Tea! There’s no such thing as too much comfort, is there?
This version of the chai, is a herbal infusion (tisane), a relatively mild version compared to the strong, sweet milky adrak-ki-chai (remember this?) – which is also highly recommended in such a case, but perhaps too rich to be had frequently throughout the day.
For a very bad sore throat or cold, though, we don’t mess around with teas, but instead squeeze the juice from freshly grated ginger, mix equal quanitity of honey and gulp down half a teaspoon or so of this extremely spicy mix ‘neat’! Concentrated, highly potent. Best had in small, spaced-out doses.
In this tisane, since there are no actual tea leaves used, it can be given to an ailing child, and if desired, by diluting it with hot water, or by omitting the boiling process and merely steeping the ingredients in hot water for a few minutes. And it can be had more often in milder versions.
Method:
Clean and grate (or crush) a piece of fresh root ginger. I like to scrape off the peel, but that’s optional.
Roughly chop some leaves of the tulsi plant (Holy Basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum or Ocimum sanctum).
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Add the grated or crushed ginger to it and boil for a while (2-3 minutes. Longer for stronger taste)
Watch out for rapid boil-overs! Keep the flame on simmer.
Add the chopped or pinched or crushed basil leaves, turn off the flame.
Cover, and let it steep for two or three minutes.
Strain.
Add honey, lemon juice, freshly milled black pepper to taste.
Feel much better. And get well soon.
Adrak (Ginger), Aam Adrak (Mango Ginger), and Haldi (Turmeric)
 |
| Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) |
From the ginger plant family, Zingiberaceae, hail two plants which give us those well-known rhizomes so famous for their culinary and therapeutic properties – Ginger and Turmeric (did you know they’re related?).
Besides these, there is a third one, not as famous, but quite delicious in it’s own unique way, called Mango Ginger (or Aam Adrak), which looks deceptively like regular ginger, but is more closely related to its other cousin, Turmeric. It is, in fact, referred to as “White Turmeric” or “Mango Turmeric” in some of the Indian dialects.
The family list is longer, with Galangal, Cardamom (the seeds in this case, not the rhizome) among other notables belonging to it as well, but more on those later.
Ginger is pretty much a common and everyday spice in our house. I can imagine nearly everyone would know its use in at least one home remedy or the other, besides as a spice in food or beverages.
The mature rhizomes tend to be a bit fibrous. It is usually scraped or peeled before use, then generally either chopped fine, julienned, grated, or ground into a paste, the last often along with other spices.
Sonth or dried ginger, pictured below, is also quite widely used.
Dried ginger tends to be somewhat light and cork-ish in texture.
In the picture below, the broken pieces and rough powder on the left side are what I made by pounding the above dried Sonth in a mortar and pestle. It will thereafter be ground fine in a mixie jar.
The powder on the right, is a readymade, commercial one. It is quite easily available in the local markets.
Sonth can replace fresh ginger in many cases, (and will possess quite a few of the same medicinal properties as fresh), but the flavour is somewhat different.
Mango ginger, on the other hand, is not a good substitute for ginger, as it tastes very different.
Fresh rhizomes are usually available in season, but might need to be sought out.
Can you tell the difference between the two types of ginger below?
The one on the left is the regular ginger, and the one on the right is Mango Ginger, or Curcuma Amada.
Not quite as sharp-tasting as ginger, it has a distinct, though mild, flavour of raw mango.
It is also not as fibrous, nor as ‘claw-like’ in appearance as regular ginger. In fact, other than in colour and taste, looks more like turmeric.
Here they are, sliced CS, LS and all.
 |
| Mango Ginger, or Curcuma Amada |
 |
| Ginger, or Zingiber Officinale |
And here are some fresh rhizomes of Turmeric, pictured below. Another genus of the same plant family, also well known for its culinary and therapeutic properties.
 |
| Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) |
Mostly used in dried, powdered form, as below, right . Dried turmeric is quite hard, much harder than dried ginger.
Although the dried powder is the most common form of usage, if available, fresh turmeric can be used too (grated or chopped).
Expect yellow stains.
An easy way to get rid of unintended yellow smears on clothes or plastic-ware that won’t wash away, is to expose it to the sun for a few hours, since it is fugitive to sunlight.
If you have any of these fabulously golden yellow rhizomes on hand, try this delish relish with just grated turmeric, chopped green chillies, plenty of lemon juice and some salt. Pungent, loaded with medicinal and nutritional value.
A similar recipe is good with the two gingers as well. It will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Aam Panna – Green Mango Cooler
Liquid delight when the mercury shoots up!
Aam panna, a sweet-tart drink made with raw mangoes is not only delicious, but drinking it has the added benefit of protecting the consumer from heat stroke – a much valued quality in the land of mangoes and sizzling summers. Yum good, I say.
Ingredients:
Raw mangoes – 2 – or, as required.
Sugar or Jaggery – to taste
Roasted cumin seed powder (Bhuna Jeera powder) – 1 tsp (or to taste) (for method see here)
Black Salt (sanchal) – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder – (optional) 1/8 tsp or to taste
TIP: One average sized raw mango would provide upto four servings. This will vary depending on the consistency.
Procedure:
Wash the green (raw) mangoes).
Isn’t it easy to see how the “Paisley” or “Kairi” motif, that of a twisted tear drop, were inspired by these beauties?
I always like to take off the tops first, because of having been brainwashed early on that the sap from the stems is not good to touch – it can cause skin irritation.
Not really required, they can just be washed thoroughly, – but I like to be on the safe side.
Place them in a saucepan (I’m using my favorite pressure cooker, of course) along with a cup or so of water to be cooked. The water used for boiling will be a part of the drink.
Traditionally, in some areas, the mangoes are roasted on coals or an open flame instead of being boiled, which is another option.
One could also peel, deseed, chop the raw mango and boil the pieces.
As a rough estimate, the whole mangoes will take as long to cook as small potatoes – which is fairly quick.
Hmmm – perhaps a saucepan would have been more gentle… (But mangoes do invariably split when boiled.)
No problem, all we need is the pulp. It should be soft.
Reserve the water from the cooker which has some of the mango pulp.
Also there will be quite a bit to scoop off from the skins.
A lot of the pulp will be still attached to the skin and seed, and can be scooped off using either a blunt knife, a spoon, or simply by hand. The seeds and skin can then be discarded.
I find it easier to do the seeds by hand. Squelch it off. Yes – that’s right.
So now we have the basic, cooked, green mango paste.
To this we will add roasted cumin powder (TIP: make it fresh for a real zing), some black salt (that lends a very characteristic flavour to this drink), a bit of regular rock salt, and a pinch of chilly powder, and…..
… about a ton of sugar! This can also be jaggery if you like. Here I’ve used khandsari or unrefined sugar.
You might be surprised to find yourself mixing in much more sugar per glass than you would in lemonade (Shikanji). That’s because of the very intense flavours that aam panna contains – the tart mangoes, the earthy, slightly bitter, roasted cumin, the rather sulphuric black salt….
Put it all into the blender, and give it a good whizz.
The “concentrate” is ready.
This will even keep in the fridge for 2-3 days (perhaps longer – but I can’t say, – it’s always wiped out by the next day in my house!)
Fill up about a third or half of each glass with this and top up with water (and ice, if you like) a good stir and it’s ready.
Adjust the spices, salts, sugar and consistency to your liking – thick or thin using more or less of the ‘concentrate’ in the proportion.
Have a great summer!
