Tag Archives: Food

Recipe: Orange Kozambu

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During the Chinese New Year period, here in Singapore, you get lots of different types of Mandarin oranges. I love Mandarin oranges and during that time, on a call with my mum and sister, we started talking about the Orange Kozambu my mum used to make. Inspired by that call and the two cartons of Mandarin oranges I had in the house, I made some of this delicious kozambu. I made it slightly different from how my mother makes it, making it more like my Milagu Kozambu and I felt this was a better way to make it as it kept for more than a week in the fridge. This is perfect with some rice and any stir-fried curry on a cold or rainy day. You can increase the number of peppercorns depending on your spice tolerance.

Orange Kozambu

Ingredients:

  • 2 mandarin oranges
  • 2 tsp Peppercorns
  • 7-8 Red Chillies
  • 2 tsp Urad Dal
  • 3 tsp Chana Dal
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 3 tsp Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • Tamarind piece as big as a piece of lime (make sure you remove all fibre from the tamarind as well as any seeds which may be there). Alternatively, you can use 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp jaggery powder
  • ¼ tsp Asafoetida
  • 2 tbsp Gingelly Oil (if this oil is not available, then use the oil you use for your daily cooking)

Method:

  • Peel the oranges and remove any fibre from the peel as well as the segments.
  • Chop the orange peel into fine pieces and remove the seeds from the segments and chop them also finely.
  • Wash the peel and the segments and keep them aside.
  • In a pan, heat about 1 tbsp gingelly oil and after the oil warms up, add the tamarind piece, peppercorns, red chillies, urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and fry them until the urad dal turns a golden brown colour.
  • If you are using tamarind paste, don’t add the paste to the oil, instead, you can use it while cooking the kozambu.
  • Once the spices cool down, blend them to a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the balance gingelly oil and when the oil warms up, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
  • Then add the chopped mandarin orange peel and segments and fry for about 5-7 minutes, until the peel is fully cooked.
  • Then add the blended paste and enough water to make the kozambu to the consistency you require. This kozambu will thicken slightly when cool, so thin it accordingly.
  • Add salt to taste as well as some jaggery if you find it spicy and let it cook till the orange peel and segments are fully cooked and the mixture becomes thick and reduces.
  • Check for seasoning and switch off the gas.
  • Serve hot with rice and any curry. Potatoes go very well with this kozambu.

In My Hands Today…

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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver

Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.

Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

2023 International Year of Millets

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Millets have been an integral part of our diet for centuries. In addition to a plethora of health benefits, millets are also good for the environment with low water & input requirement. Millets are a group of small-seeded grasses that have been cultivated for thousands of years in many parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are known for their tolerance to harsh growing conditions, such as drought and high temperatures, and are often grown in areas where other crops are not able to survive. Because their surface is rough, millets are known as coarse grains and include sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, little millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, and kodo millet.

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Millets contain higher amounts of protein than other cereals and are even considered nutritionally superior to wheat and rice. Millets are also known to have a more balanced amino acid profile and are a good source of phytochemicals, which possess anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. These coarse grains are abundant with nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, good-quality fat, and minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and B complex vitamins. The health benefits of eating millet include improving immunity and preventing infections, helping in detoxifying the body, reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by lowering bad cholesterol levels, supporting metabolism and helping in managing diabetes and obesity because they are low in glycemic index and high in fibre, aid in the regulation of blood glucose levels. Millets contain both fibres and phytonutrients, which may help reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Millets, especially finger millet, contain a high amount of potassium that is essential for the proper functioning of the kidneys, brain and muscles. They are also gluten-free, making them a suitable option for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

In addition to their nutritional benefits, millets also have the potential to improve food security in many regions. They have a short growing season and can be planted and harvested quickly, making them a reliable source of food even in times of drought or other natural disasters. Furthermore, they can be grown on marginal lands, which are often not suitable for other crops, and are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, which allows them to be grown in low-fertility soils, and also helps to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

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Another important aspect of millets is their role in sustainable agriculture. These grains require less water and fewer inputs compared to other crops, making them more environmentally friendly. They also have a low carbon footprint and are able to sequester more carbon in the soil than other crops, which helps to combat climate change.

To create awareness and increase the production & consumption of millets, the United Nations, at the behest of the Government of India, declared 2023 the International Year Millets so that these ancient grains can become more mainstream.

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Millets are incredible ancestral crops with high nutritional value and can play an important role and contribute to the collective efforts to empower smallholder farmers, achieve sustainable development, eliminate hunger, adapt to climate change, promote biodiversity, and transform agrifood systems. Greater millet production can support the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and can provide decent jobs for women and youth and the revenue created can boost economic growth. The possibility of a health cereal alternative with millets, the risks associated with production shocks can be mitigated. The International Year of Millets 2023 and the push towards increasing millet production will contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. IYM 2023 hopes to galvanise interest in millets among various stakeholders like farmers, the youth and civil society and push governments and policymakers to prioritise the production and trade in these cereals.

Despite their many benefits, millets are often overlooked in favour of other crops, such as wheat and rice. The international year of millets will be an opportunity to raise awareness of the potential of these grains to improve food security and nutrition, support sustainable agriculture, and combat climate change. The UN is encouraging governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector to take action to promote the use of millet in food and agriculture. This includes increasing research and development on millet cultivation and processing, as well as promoting their consumption through education and marketing campaigns.

Recipes: Vazhakai Podimas

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A very traditional tambram dish, Vazhakai Podimas is a healthy plantain stir fry which barely uses any oil. So this is a very good alternative for those who want to eat green bananas, but don’t want to fry them.

Vazhakai Podimas

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium-sized raw bananas
  • 4 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp oil or ghee
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp split urad dal
  • 1 tsp green chilli paste or 2 green chillies, chopped
  • 3-4 curry leaves, torn
  • 1-2 tsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Wash the raw banana and discard the top and bottom. Cut the bananas into 2-3 large pieces.
  • In a large pan heat water and once the water comes to a rolling boil add the raw bananas and cook them for about 5-6 minutes until the bananas are cooked. You can also steam the bananas.  
  • Once the bananas are cooked evenly and the skin darkens, remove them from the water and peel the skin. Because it is fully cooked, the skin should come off easily.
  • Take out the cooked raw bananas from the water and allow them to cool completely. Peel the skin and grate them after peeling.
  • Now add the grated ginger, coconut and salt and gently mix so the grated raw banana does not get mushy.
  • Heat the oil or ghee in a pan. Once the oil is warm, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. At this point, add the urad dal and let the dal slightly brown.
  • Then add the green chilli paste or green chilles and curry leaves and stir well.
  • At this point, add the grated bananas which has been mixed with ginger, coconut and salt and mix gently so the tempering is mixed with the vegetable.
  • Drizzle some lemon juice and serve hot with any south Indian meal like sambar or rasam.

Recipes: Sweet Aval or Poha

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During the last Krishna Jayanthi festival, while I was speaking with my mum, she told me that Lord Krishna loves aval or poha which are flattened rice flakes and that I should include this dish when I make my neividhyam to the Lord. I had not made this recipe before so I asked her the recipe and this is what she told me. The result was a sweet dish which was not too rich and once that took me barely 15 minutes to make. All the ingredients are usually pantry staples, so if you are in a hurry and have these ingredients on hand, you can make a quick offering to God in 15 minutes or less. The colour of your dish will depend on your jaggery, so try and get the darkest jaggery you can find.

Sweet Aval or Poha

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup aval or poha
  • ½ cup powdered jaggery
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 5-10 cashew nuts

Method:

  • Wash the poha well, drain and keep it aside
  • In a pan, heat the ghee and when the ghee heats up, fry the cashew nuts to a golden brown colour. Drain into a kitchen towel and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add the powdered jaggery and 1 tbsp of water and bring the jaggery to a nice rolling boil.
  • When the jaggery has completely melted, add in the washed and drained poha and mix well.
  • Add the cardamom powder and coconut and mix well.
  • Add in the fried cashew nuts, mix well and switch off the gas.
  • Remove to a serving dish and serve hot.

Note: I used organic powdered jaggery, so I didn’t have to strain it. If you are using the lump jaggery, chop enough to make ½ a cup and heat it with a tablespoon of water. Once the jaggery syrup has cooled down, strain it to remove any impurities and continue with the recipe.