Reading Panchangam (an almanac prepared based on Indian calendar system) is an age-old custom practiced on the day of Tamil New Year that falls in the mid April. A few centuries ago royal priests were summoned to read a new Panchangam in the king’s court mentioning important dates of the year and also foretelling the…
Oil bath, almost a forgotten weekly routine followed by every South Indian family until 3 or 4 decades ago, offers pretty much the same benefits of Ayurvedic massage. Nowadays people prefer to visit Ayurvedic clinic for massaging therapy, and spend a few hours & a few bucks there, but they take oil bath at home…
Spiritual leaders in India used to stress the importance of including white pumpkin in our diet regularly as it is considered Saatvik (meaning ethical, pure & vital) conducive for practicing yoga & meditation. Food plays an important role in meditation because each food generates different effects on different parts of the brain. Saatvik food is recommended to…
Fermented rice is a classic version of overnight oats popular in the west. It has been the staple food for working class here in India, but this humble meal is in vogue even among elites in the recent times. This is mainly because people prefer to take simple nourishing meal over a lavish meal followed…
My father never missed to treat me with a glass of delicious mixed fruit juice when he took me out for shopping during hot sunny days. He always preferred to take fresh mixed fruit juice without ice & sugar, thus I got motivated to prepare fruit juice without ice (or ice cream) and to use…
Cottonseed milk is one of the best vegan milk traditionally used by people in the villages near my home town, Madurai, for making nutritious desserts. As a part of my college education, I served as a NSS (National Service Scheme) volunteer. We used to camp in the surrounding villages during summer vacation to understand the…
Few years ago I had a serendipitous encounter with an amazing fruit kudampuli while I was looking for a gut-friendly substitute for tamarind used in south Indian cuisine. Kudampuli (Garcinia Cambogia or malabar tamarind) is a rich source of an interesting chemical compound hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA is well known to western medicine for its astounding property…
As a child I hated few things imposed by my grand parents during our visit every summer. It was disgusting to find all our clothes reeked of bitter neem oil as they were washed using neem detergents. We also disliked to gobble up extremely bitter balls made of neem leaves paste forcibly given by our…
Typically pickling is a time-consuming process and those fermented pickles have longer shelf life. But I like to make instant pickles that can be consumed immediately and has limited shelf life. Besides I like to prepare melt-in-mouth mango pickle unlike the conventional one made al dente. So anyone who shares such similar taste would definitely…
Ever since I realized the weight loss properties of musk melons I started including them in my diet as much as possible during the entire summer. Also I stopped making musk melon juice with added sugar for myself but started taking salads to enjoy its health benefits completely. Now lets make melon ball fruit salad…
Panchamirtham is a sacred fruit salad that we offer to God and is also used for abishegam (bathing deities) in temples. The renowned Palani panchamirtham made using bananas that are exclusively grown near Palani hills is offered to Lord Muruga in Palani temple. You can check this video to see how panchamirtham abishegam is performed…
Panna Cotta is a creamy Italian dessert similar to custard prepared by cooking sweetened flavored cream, set with gelatin, and served with fruit coulis, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce. I have prepared panna cotta using home-made coconut milk flavored with vanilla bean, molded using China grass (agar agar) and served with coulis made with locally grown…
Panakam is a traditional ayurvedic lemonade offered to God on Kandha sashti day observed by Saivites and also on the day of Rama navami celebrated by Vaishnavites. Rama navami is celebrated on the birthday of God Rama and Kandha Sashti Viratham is observed for 7 days after Deepavali, apart from the regular Shasti every month….
Nungu payasam is a creamy dreamy delightful dessert served in wedding feasts and in star hotel restaurants for the impeccable taste. It is a perfect finish to a meal for being the delicious dessert with enticing flavors of palm fruit (nungu or ice apple), saffron & cardamom. Nungu is a jelly like sweet fruit covered…
Whenever I don’t feel like cooking I make this simple fruit salad and have it for my lunch. The star ingredients here are mint leaves & chaat masala without which I would definitely feel like missing a meal; so anyone who wants to reduce the in-take of carbs can try this salad as it satiates one’s…
Spicy buttermilk is a traditional south Indian drink usually served after taking heavy meal to improve the digestion. Buttermilk with jeera powder or chaat masala is popular in other parts of India. Lassi is a sweetened flavored creamier buttermilk served chilled as dessert in India. Generally buttermilk is kept in earthenware (mud pots) few hours…
I remember my childhood days indulging in ice pops (Popsicle) every summer vacation. Nowadays those ice pops are replaced by ice cream and we all really miss them so much. So here are the recipes for those forgotten ice pops that are truly Indian! I have prepared our childhood favorite ice popsicles namely kulfi ice,…
Spicy Vegetable Gravy is a chettinad style Masala Kootu liked even by kids who refuse to take vegetables. Pudalangai masala kootu is a delicious & aromatic gravy may be served as a side for rice, poori or roti. It goes well with rice and sambar, rasam or any other kuzhambu. Health Benefits: Snake gourds have…
Curd rice is a simple traditional probiotic meal. I make sure to serve curd rice to my family particularly when someone takes a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics kills both good & bad bacteria and probiotics helps to replace good bacteria. So taking curd or curd rice during a course of antibiotics will help to keep…
Cucumber raitha or vellarikai thayir pachadi is the best way to include cucumber in our diet. It keeps our body cool & hydrated and hence can be taken often during summer. It can be served as a side for paratha, biryani, tomato rice or any other rice varieties. Health benefits of cucumbers: It reduces risk…
Millet porridge is one of the best breakfasts that can be taken on a scorching sunny day. It keeps us cool, fresh & energetic all through the day. It is so filling that you don’t require anything till lunch. The millet I used here is pearl millet or kambu. Pearl millet is a flavorful protein-rich…
