Tag Archives: Food

Recipes: Sesame Seed Jaggery Sweet Powder

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A couple of months back, I had to make a sweet offering quickly and didn’t have the time to make something elaborate, so I thought of this recipe, which is not only very quick to put together but also hardly takes any time, uses just two ingredients, and has health benefits.

Sesame seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients, packed with healthy fats, protein, and fibre, which support heart health and digestion. They are an excellent source of calcium, promoting strong bones and teeth, especially for those who may not consume dairy. Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, sesame seeds help protect the body against oxidative stress and chronic diseases. Their high magnesium content is beneficial for regulating blood pressure and maintaining cardiovascular health. Additionally, sesame seeds contain lignans and phytosterols, compounds known for their cholesterol-lowering effects.

The second ingredient, jaggery, a traditional unrefined sugar, is a natural sweetener rich in essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium. It helps improve digestion by stimulating the secretion of digestive enzymes, making it beneficial after meals. Jaggery is known for its blood-purifying properties, which can help detoxify the liver and cleanse the respiratory tract. Its iron content makes it an excellent natural remedy for combating anemia and boosting energy levels. Jaggery is also a source of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals and boost overall immunity.

Sesame Seed Jaggery Sweet Powder

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup white sesame seeds
  • ½ cup brown jaggery

Method:

  • In a warm pan, dry roast the sesame seeds until they turn brown and start to pop. 
  • Transfer to a plate and let it cool.
  • If using rock jaggery, powder the jaggery to ½ cup and keep aside.
  • Once the sesame seeds are cool, pulse the seeds in a mixer. Just one or two pulses should be enough. 
  • Remove the sesame seed powder to a mixing bowl and if using powdered jaggery, add that and mix well.
  • If using rock jaggery, powder the jaggery first and then pulse the sesame seeds. 
  • Mix well and transfer to a moisture-free container. This should last well for a week or so outside.

In My Hands Today…

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How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease – Michael Greger, Gene Stone

The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America — heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more — and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.

The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but bad at preventing chronic disease. The fifteen leading causes of death claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually. This doesn’t have to be the case. By following Dr. Greger’s advice, all of it backed up by strong scientific evidence, you will learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle changes to make to live longer.

History of prostate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flaxseed to your diet whenever you can. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug-and without the side effects. Fighting off liver disease? Drinking coffee can reduce liver inflammation. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease (the number 1 killer in the United States)? Switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to prevent the disease but often stop it in its tracks.

In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not to Die includes Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen — a checklist of the twelve foods we should consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting edge nutritional science, these doctor’s orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives.

Recipes: (Almost) Instant Onion Chutney

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Today’s recipe is a chutney frequently served with South Indian food at restaurants. I saw this recipe in a reel a few months back, so recently, when I made masala dosai, I decided to make this quick chutney, albeit with my own take. The chutney took less than 10 minutes to make, and this included the prep work, which was miniscule. 

(Almost) Instant Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 medium sized onions, roughly chopped
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 tsp ginger, peel and chopped roughly
  • 1 small ball of tamarind
  • 3-4 dried red chillies, destalked
  • 1-2 tsp jaggery powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a blender, blend together all the ingredients into a smooth paste.
  • Check for seasoning and add salt and jaggery powder as needed.
  • Serve with Idlis and dosai or even chapati or bread.

Notes:

  • My chutney turned brown/purple because I only had purple onions at home. If you use the white onions, it turns a nice red colour
  • For some people, the taste of the onions may be strong, so in such cases, you can lightly sauté the onions and cool it before blending it.
  • I used jaggery powder, but this can be substituted with rock jaggery or even sugar.
  • As a South Indian, I always have tamarind fruit at home. This can be found in Indian stores, but as a substitute, you can also use 1 tsp tamarind paste or even lemon juice to amp up the tartness.
  • Traditional South Indian chutneys typically have a tempering on top. I don’t like that, so either avoid it or do it before I blend. If you want the tempering, heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and when the oil heats up, add in 1 tsp mustard seeds and let them pop. Then put in 2 dry red chillies, along with 1 tsp urad dal and once the urad dal starts to brown, remove from the flame and pour over the chutney.
  • The untempered chutney is a great addition to sandwiches. 

Dahiwale Chole aka Chickpeas in a Tomato Yogurt Sauce

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The other day, while wondering what to cook — something that happens to all of us — I suddenly had an epiphany and thought of experimenting with some boiled chickpeas that I had at home. The result was this quick gravy that took about 15-20 minutes to put together and went beautifully with the boiled chickpeas. I will also be making this gravy again, this time trying it with different vegetables.

Dahiwale Chole aka Chickpeas in a Tomato Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiled chickpeas
  • 2 medium-sized onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 2-3 fresh red chillies, destalked
  • 1 cup yoghurt, whisked
  • 2 tbsp roasted peanut powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery powder (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp oil or ghee
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Blend together the garlic, ginger and red chillies into a smooth and keep aside.
  • Blend the onions into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Blend the tomatoes into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when the oil heats up, add in the cumin seeds and let the seeds pop.
  • Pour in the blended garlic, ginger and chillies and stir well for a couple of minutes
  • Then add in the blended onions, sprinkle a bit of salt and cook well until the onion starts to become translucent.
  • Then add the blended tomatoes and cook covered until the oil starts to ooze out.
  • Add the dry spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and peanut powder. If you are adding jaggery powder or sugar, add it now.
  • Once the oil oozes out, add in the whisked yoghurt and stir continuously for a few minutes.
  • Now add the boiled chickpeas and cook covered on a medium-low flame for 5-7 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning and adjust what is needed.
  • Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or any Indian flatbread.

Notes:

  • I used already boiled chickpeas, but if you don’t have them handy, you can make it with canned chickpeas or soak a cup of dry chickpeas for 6–8 hours and then cook it in a pressure cooker or in a pan until they are soft.
  • To make roasted peanut powder, dry roast peanuts until the skin starts to split. Cool them completely and blend to a coarse powder.
  • You can also add powdered sesame seeds instead of peanuts or both together. To make powdered sesame seeds, dry roast white sesame seeds until they start to pop. Cool then pulse to make a fine powder.
  • If you plan to use other vegetables, lightly fry them in 1 tsp oil until they are 80% cooked. Then remove and keep aside and make the gravy as per the recipe above. Add them back into the gravy where I have indicated adding the boiled chickpeas.

In My Hands Today…

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Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes – Chantha Nguon

A haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot’s genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother’s kitchen.

Take a well-fed nine-year-old with a big family and a fancy education. Fold in 2 revolutions, 2 civil wars, and one wholesale extermination. Subtract a reliable source of food, life savings, and family members, until all are gone. Shave down childhood dreams for approximately two decades, until only subsistence remains.

In Slow Noodles, Chantha Nguon recounts her life as a Cambodia refugee who lost everything and everyone—her house, her country, her parents, her siblings, her friends—everything but the memories of her mother’s kitchen, the tastes and aromas of the foods her mother made before the dictator Pol Pot tore her country apart in the 1970s, killing millions of her compatriots. Nguon’s irrepressible spirit and determination come through in this emotional and poignant but also lyrical and magical memoir that includes over 20 recipes for Khmer dishes like chicken lime soup, banh sung noodles, pâté de foie, curries, spring rolls, and stir-fries. For Nguon, recreating these dishes becomes an act of resistance, of reclaiming her place in the world, of upholding the values the Khmer Rouge sought to destroy, and of honoring the memory of her beloved mother.

From her idyllic early years in Battambang to hiding as a young girl in Phnom Penh as the country purges ethnic Vietnamese like Nguon and her family, from her escape to Saigon to the deaths of mother and sister there, from the poverty and devastation she experiences in a war-ravaged Vietnam to her decision to flee the country. We follow Chantha on a harrowing river crossing into Thailand—part of the exodus that gave rise to the name “boat people”—and her decades in a refugee camp there, until finally, denied passage to the West, she returns to a forever changed Cambodia. Nguon survives by cooking in a brothel, serving drinks in a nightclub, making and selling street food, becoming a suture-nurse treating refugees abused by Thai authorities, and weaving silk. Through it all, Nguon relies on her mother’s “slow noodles” approach to healing and to cooking, one that prioritizes time and care over expediency. Haunting and evocative, Slow Noodles is a testament to the power of culinary heritage to spark the rebirth of a young woman’s hopes for a beautiful life.