Reducing Gas/Bringing Back Appetite

Rasam/Buttermilk

Excellent recipe by Satya Sadasivan! 😀 I have used it for my husband who develops bloating/complete lack of appetite every time he takes antibiotics - this is the only thing that works. 

The Rasam Version

Ingredients

• Tamarind
• Whole pepper
• Jeera seeds
• Ghee
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• Salt

Procedure

1. Make some tamarind water with a small lemon-sized ball of tamarind mixed in water. 
2. Lightly roast half a teaspoon of fresh pepper and half a teaspoon of jeera each, without oil. 
3. Grind and make into powder. (I usually make a few spoons of this and keep in a bottle to save time. Both equal quantities.)
4. Boil the tamarind water. Add half a teaspoon of pepper powder and half a teaspoon of jeera powder. Boil it well. Add salt as needed. 
5. Now add seasoning and switch off - some mustard seeds and curry leaves spluttered in some ghee. The ghee is important - it reduces vaatha (gas) in the body. 
6. Drink well before your mealtimes, so the gas goes out and you develop appetite before your meals. 

The Buttermilk Version

The faster one. :) 

Ingredients

• Buttermilk
• Whole pepper
• Jeera seeds
• Ghee
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• Salt

Procedure

1. Mix half a teaspoon of pepper powder and half a teaspoon of jeera powder in some buttermilk. (see above - you can make and keep the powder ready in a bottle). Add salt as needed.
2. Now add seasoning - some mustard seeds and curry leaves spluttered in some ghee. The ghee is important - it reduces vaatha (gas) in the body. 
3. Drink well before mealtimes so the gas goes out and you develop appetite before your meals. 

Ginger/Salt/Lemon

A tip from an Ayurvedic counselor.

1. Chop 1/4 tsp fresh ginger with a pinch of rock salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime and consume 20 minutes before eating.
2. This makes you burp usually, and it is supposed to kick-start your digestion.

Do  you have any tips that worked for you? 

Molagapodi





Yet another easy tasty recipe from Satya Sadasivan - the classic Tamil molagapodi, a chutney powder made out of dals. Goes amazingly well with dosas and idlis, with a little sesame/gingelly oil!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Urad dal
• 1 cup Chana dal
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• 2 handfuls dry red chillies (or according to taste)
• 1 handful washed and dried curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablesoons oil, fry the asafoetida until the smell comes out.
2. Add the dals and fry until golden brown.
3. Add the chillies and curry leaves and roast a bit.
4. Switch off heat.
5. Cool and coarsely grind with salt.
6. Don't grind too much, it should be crunchy, not powdery.
7. Store in a bottle outside.

Vadu Manga Pickle

Nothing has made me this happy in a long time - I made my very first pickle, and that too my favourite - and it turned out all right! Thanks to Satya Sadasivan, who shared this super-simple Kerala Tamil Iyer recipe for tender mango pickle with me, answered all my many questions, and guided me through the whole process with a lot of patience. :) 

You get these baby mangoes only in summer, in some of the older markets. So March-April is a good time. I just about managed to get the last ones from Malleswaram 8th Main market in Bangalore. Make sure they look freshly plucked and not picked from the ground - those may go bad. I bought 3 kilos - they fitted into those two jars in the picture.

Things you will need, other than ingredients:

• A big towel to dry the mangoes on.
• A measuring cup for the mangoes and later spices. I just used a big coffee mug.
• A plastic bucket with lid to soak the mangoes in salt
• A wooden ladle to stir
• Glass jars or the bharanis like I have used, see picture - I got them from a footpath shop that sells flower pots and stuff.

Important: Everything that you use for this recipe has to be dry - no moisture anywhere - on the mangoes or any of the utensils and vessels. So before you start on each step, ensure all utensils are completely dry - including the mixie jar you grind the mustard seeds in. :)

 
Ingredients 

It has no oil, can you beat that? :)

• Tender mangoes, 5 cups - choose any measure, I chose a big coffee mug. I bought 3 kilos and that came up to 5 cups for me. Any measure is okay, you just need to adjust the other ingredients accordingly.
• Salt, 1 cup
• Red chilly powder, 1 cup
• Dry-roasted and powdered mustard, 3/4th cup

So the ratio is: For each 5 measures of mango, add 1 measure salt, 1 measure chilly powder, 3/4th measure mustard powder. That's it. :)

Process

1. Wash mangoes.
2. Now dry each mango with a towel one by one. Then spread them out on a towel on a table and leave them under the fan overnight, so all traces of moisture are gone.
3. Once you are sure they are dry, check again and throw off any mangos that don't look good. One single bad mango could spoil the whole pickle.
4. Now measure the mangoes in your cup and add them to the dry bucket. My 3 kilos fitted into 5 cups, heaped.
5. For each 5 measures of mango, add 1 measure of salt. I used regular salt. Mix well with the dry wooden ladle.
6. Close the lid and leave for 7 days. Open and stir with the dry ladle twice a day. Water starts coming out of the mango by the third day.The mangoes would have started to shrink and shrivel.
7. On the 8th day,  add one measure red chilly powder and 3/4th measure mustard powder for each 5 cups of mango. Mix well.
8. Now transfer to a glass jar or porcelain jar like in the photo.
9. Close with lid, wrap a cloth around and tie tightly. Leave for another week. The mangoes should have become softer. Your pickle is ready. :)

 

 

Note: I have been greedy and already ate one, it's not yet a week. :)  It tasted nice and crisp and salty-yummy.

Easy Carrot Cake

A cake you can't go wrong with! Fabulous and easy recipe by Satya Sadasivan - thank you! Turns out well every single time, everyone loved it. You could innovate a lot with this one, especially with the topping. And a great way to eat carrots. :) :)

Ingredients

• Eggs: 4
• Carrots: 2 cups peeled and shredded [the red Delhi carrots that come in winter are perfect for this]
• Sugar: 1 cup [I reduced this a bit and added more raisins for the sweetness]
• Brown Sugar: 1 cup
• Vegetable oil: 1 cup [I used my regular cooking oil]
• Flour (maida): 2 cups
• Baking powder: 1.5 teaspoons
• Salt: 1/4 teaspoon
• Nuts: 3/4 cup [I believe it is good to lightly roast nuts first - especially walnut, will take away that slight bitter taste. I add a lot of raisins]

Steps

1. Heat the oven in advance for 10 mins at 180 degrees, while you are preparing the mix.
2. Apply a bit of butter on the baking tray, and then sprinkle some flour on it and spread - this is to make sure the cake doesn't stick to the pan.
3. Sieve flour, salt, and baking powder together, so that the baking powder is evenly distributed.
4. Roast nuts a bit if needed. 
5. Mix the oil and sugars well in a big cake-mixing bowl.
6. Beat eggs thoroughly, scrape carrots.
7. Add beaten eggs and carrots and nuts to the oil and sugar.
8. Add the flour mix to it, mix everything really well.
9. Now pour into the cake tray and bake for 45 mins at 180 degrees. 
10. Check with a fork - if it's still sticky, keep for another 15 mins. 
11. Leave the cake out to cool a bit and then cut. It will be a very soft cake, a bit moist. 
12. If you are creative, you can make a cream/icing topping - lots of scope to innovate there. :)