Try Ayurveda this Navratri

'Vasant Navratri' is early this year, from 6th – 15th April 2008. The nine holy nights of Navratri are dedicated to Goddesses Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth), Durga (Goddess of Creative and Feminine energy) and Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) . The practice of observing a nine day fast also called ‘Navratri Vrat’ is widely popular in Northern India and though these 9 holy days occur twice in a year in the Hindu calendar, the rituals and practises remain similar. A better explanation of these 9 holy days is given by www.shanidham.com - "Navratri is a Hindu festival of worship and devotion. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit; Nava - Nine and Ratri - nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti (metaphor for goddess Durga ) i.e. female divinity are worshipped. Shakti is the root of everything. Navratri commences on the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin. The festival is celebrated for nine nights twice every year. The dates of the festival are determined according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less. The following 9 forms of goddesses are worshipped during these nine days."

Most urban homes are extremely conscious of ‘navratri days’ and it is not uncommon for restaurants to lose tens of thousands of rupees worth of income during this period. The people that don’t actually fast the entire day make it a point to at least abstain from non vegetarian food and liquor. Punjab and Haryana are equally enthusiastic about this time of the year and both men and women fast for the entire day, eating only one meal after sundown. In metropolitan towns and cities observation of a daylong fast has taken on a new meaning. Rituals permit partaking of fruits, dairy products (salt free) and vegetables, pretty much excluding only lentils, rice and grains. Pretty easy ‘fast’ if you ask me. Entire menus are developed to accommodate these nine days and make sure patrons come in even if it means eating breads make of vegetable flour (water chestnuts can actually be made into a kind of coarse, greenish flour, which can be kneaded and rolled to make ‘roti’)! So there is a loophole for everything. Cool! I like the whole accommodating feel this kind of fasting has, it’s more like detoxifying.



Speaking of detoxifying, this may be a good time to discover a new facet of vegetarian food – Ayurvedic Food. The basics of Ayurveda are hard to chronicle in a blog, in fact that kind of science requires deep study and practise. From a laypersons point of view, Ayurveda perpetuates that a healthy body is one that is in harmony with all the elements, is self healing and is balanced. In order to achieve this kind of overall health one must first bring harmony and balance into their lives through a nutritious diet and an active lifestyle. Ayurvedic cooking incorporates these principles into cooking methods, ingredients and recipes to produce a holistic fare. Cooking is almost treated like alchemy in Ayurveda. The combination of herbs, spices, seasonal vegetables and natural sugars and fats in Ayurvedic cooking is the key behind transforming an ordinary vegetarian dish into a balanced and highly nourishing meal. Ayurvedic food is aromatic, wholesome and almost healing in nature. The principles of the five Elements, the three Doshas, the three Gunas, the seven Dathus and the six Tastes form the core of Ayurvedic food. There is a special emphasis on organic ingredients, seasonal fruits and vegetables (nature provides in tandem with the needs of the body and the state that it is in), cooking methods and even the cook’s internal vibrations. The most inspiring part about this is the fact that it does not take more effort, time or means to make an ayurvedic meal. You should have access to fresh vegetables, fresh ground spices, herbs, a healthy cooking medium like olive oil (preferable, but I believe Canola is really good for the heart) and a cooking area that is well ventilated and clean.



Few practises of Ayurvedic cooking are given below as a start-up:

• Ayurvedic cooking doesn’t insist on the use of ‘ghee’ or clarified butter but their argument is quite intriguing. ‘Ghee’ is essentially a diary product, it is a proven digestive, it lubricates the connective tissue, it is a catalytic agent and carries the medicinal properties of herbs. All cooking mediums and fats should be consumed in moderation and the same holds good for ghee too.
• Sautee spices in ghee/oil first so that all its essential oils are released.
• Do not extensively wash vegetables, instead wash gently and soak in warm water to release germs.
• Plan your meal and organize your ingredients.
• Have a positive frame of mind when you cook, unwind and treat the activity like an experience and not a chore. You will infuse the food with love and good vibes.
• Eat up to 1/3 capacity of your stomach, drink to 1/3 and leave 1/3 for God (Ashtanga Hridayam).

Lastly here is an easy recipe of delicious Indian food. Cumin is one of my favourite Indian spices, so we will do a light and summery ‘potato yoghurt curry’ that you can have with white rice and any Indian bread.

Potato Yoghurt Curry
4 boiled potatoes cubed (large pieces)
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dry coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh yoghurt
2 tsp olive oil/ghee/cooking oil
1 ½ cup warm water
Salt

Heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and let them darken slightly. Add the spices and potato. Stir and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Mix the yoghurt in warm water and add with a dash of salt. Cook on low for 6-7 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. This dish is ideal for summers, its light yet has the wholesome goodness of potato carbs, the garam masala adds a zing but its heaty properties are reduced by the yoghurt.

Make Your Salad Good For You

I am surprised at what a bad attitude people have towards salads. ‘Dieting’ is an invariable part of every social conversation and it’s not long before someone brings up either salads or exercise. At least one person in the group will cringe at the very mention of these words. Seriously, take any demographic and try it. People seem to think that a salad will mean torn up lettuce or worse cabbage, tossed with cubed tomatoes and topped finally with the ultimate food from hell, bean sprouts. Everyone knows the hazards of salad dressings and that’s the sole reason the salad has gained such unpopularity.



Whether bottled or homemade, salad dressings can be very misleading. They are laden with calories and without them a salad is nothing but cut up veggies waiting to be cooked. Reports suggest that even dressings that are labelled 99% fat free have other harmful additives like salt, sodium, MSG and even trans fats. Homemade dressings always seem to involve mayonnaise or at least the mandatory dash of oil making the salad as good as a burger. The key lies in balance. Ultimately a salad should be crunchy, moist and wholesome enough to substitute an adult meal. Few changes in the preparation and ingredients can make a salad the perfect diet food. That’s the good news!



Always start with cold, fresh, well washed vegetables. Prepare a salad just before mealtime unless the recipe suggests otherwise. Healthy meat options for a salad are boiled or roasted chicken, turkey ham, tuna fish (try to buy a can preserved in brine instead of oil), steamed fish, prawns or crab meat. Seafood is high in cholesterol but if consumed in moderation it adds a lot of essential fatty acids and oils to a diet. Boiled egg as a topping is nutritious and makes the meal more satisfactory. The ideal vegetables are all the lettuce varieties. A tightly wound iceberg lettuce has a distinct crunchiness compared to romaine lettuce or even the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce. Once you have your leafy base, add your colours. Tomatoes are a must; bell peppers add the zing and sweet corn kernels balance the flavours. The vegetable combinations for salads is endless, a good resource for ultimate salad recipes is allrecipes.com.



Now to the dressings, there are two basic types. The oil and vinegar mix with fresh or dry herbs (vinaigrettes) and the creamy mayonnaise based Caesar and Waldorf like dressings. The key to wholesome satisfaction is substitution. It’s sad when you have to substitute but it’s better than not having a dish altogether. Hang a cup of fresh yoghurt in a clean cotton napkin for a couple of hours. What you get next is cream cheese, provided the yoghurt was low fat, the cream cheese will be too. Use part cream cheese with any bottled of fresh dressing and cut back on the calories. To alter the tastes further add a dash of an Italian herb mix or better still, Tabasco. Finally make a meal out of your salad with add on’s like whole wheat pasta or croutons of oven toasted garlic bread.



Other creative additions can be grilled mushrooms, slivered carrots, bean sprouts (if you are a fan), artichokes, zucchini, boiled kidney beans, broccoli, olives, cottage cheese, tofu and even raw papaya. Few must keeps for regular salad fun are bottles of balsamic vinegar, white or red wine vinegar (red is more robust like the wine, the white one is tangy and dry) and extra virgin olive oil. Keep a regular supply of yoghurt to make your own cream cheese and experiment with adding different flavours like pastes of cucumber, capsicum, green chilli or garlic to make your own signature dressings. View the images in the gallery below to see if your salad turns out like I said it would!

View Healthy Salads Stock Photos by PhotosIndia.com

Colors Of India

I was surprised to learn that Islam came to India long before the Muslim invasions. It was a balmy day in Kuwait and our guests were discussing the similarities between South Indians and Kuwaiti’s. Another new fact came into light; it was the trading of spices that led Arabs to the Malabar Coast in South India. Back in the 7th century it was merely an Islamic influence that could be felt; the invasions of course reinforced the faith firmly on Indian soil. This inclusion added further to India’s colorful culture and people. It was the trader families of Kerala and other parts of the Malabar Coasts that were the closest to their Arab business associates, and this closeness led to a slow conversion into Islam. In Malabar the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam.

Today, 16.4% of India is Muslim. They have contributed considerably to the fields of performing arts, crafts, politics, education and business ventures. Some of India’s leading literary giants, artists, film stars and leaders are Muslim and this alone makes Indian society a diverse and enriched structure. India’s most famous landmark the Taj Mahal is a classic example of Islamic architecture and construction prowess.

The union of so many faiths is felt most during festival season. Diwali follows Eid and Christmas follows Diwali. For almost 3 months, India is in a blanket of faith, celebration and thanksgiving. Eid is a Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast, they do not eat from sunrise to sunset, and some don’t even have water. They donate generously, participate in charitable activities and promote a sense of peace and unity. It is a time of spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of the month, Muslims throughout the world observe an exciting three day celebration called Eid ul Fitr. A common practice is for people to stay up and watch the full moon rise on the night on Eid. The day of the festival, a typical Muslim family wakes up early and does the first prayer of the day. They then attend prayers in mosques, parks, stadiums and arenas. The crowd greets and embraces each other as a gesture of love and celebration. The festivities continue at people’s homes after the congressional prayer. Special sweets and foods are prepared for friends and family. The finest clothes and jewelry are the highlights of the day. This is an occasion with great religious significance; the celebration is jubilant and hearty. It is a day of forgiveness, peace, brotherhood and unity. Muslims also mark this day with thanks to God for his guidance and blessings bestowed upon them.

Ultimately we all seek the same things from our faith – security, a sense of belonging, peace of mind, the love of God and a prevalence of brotherhood.

Make it Spicy

View Stock Photo Gallery by PhotosIndia.com

I was in Kuwait a couple of years back and my standard tone in every restaurant and every meal was ‘make it spicy’! And then there was this one episode which made me stop saying it all together. We were at a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant called ‘Mezz Al Ghanim’ and I was drooling quietly at my table when a friend of mine asked if everything was okay. Assuming that the staff was not too familiar with the English language I told her that the food here was great but not ‘spicy’ enough for me. Out of nowhere came this handsome Iranian waiter and he said “Do you mean pungent maam? Because you come from the land of spices, everything here has spices from India, inhale now and I swear your nasal passage will open just by the fragrance of our cooking.We can make it pungent but it will kill the spice.” That’s when I realized he was right, I wanted ‘hot’ food and that had nothing to do with spice or flavor. This is a common misconception, spices are meant to add to the base ingredients of a dish and have a wonderful aroma and flavor, just the way continental food uses herbs.




There are a variety of Indian spices, cloves; cinnamon, cardamom, black cardamom, mace, black pepper are some of the common ones. Out of the 109 spices listed by the ISO, India produces as many as 75 in various regions. India accounts for about 45% of the global spice exports, though exports constitute only some 8% of the estimated annual production of spices at 3.5 million tons. Over all, spices are grown in some 2.9 million hectares in the country. India produces around 2.75 million tons of different spices valued at approximately 4.2 billion US $, and holds the premier position in the world spice market. Because of the varying climates in India - from tropical to sub-tropical, from 0-45 degree centigrade, almost all spices are grown in this country. In all of the 28 states and seven union territories of India, at least one spice is grown in abundance. So you can see a large part of the agricultural base in India is ‘spices’. In ancient times, spices were as precious as gold; and as significant as medicines, preservatives and perfumes. India - the land of spices played a significant role in the global spice market. No country in the world produced as many spices as India.

Indian cuisine encourages the use of whole spices for meats etc. and ground spices for vegetables, lentils and curries. Most Indian home still get their spices ground personally to ensure purity and consistency. I go over 20 miles to get my monthly spices ground and it has to be every month because spices lose their qualities with time. Whole spices are better if they are roasted before use. The oils of the spice get released and add to the dish. The potency of a spice can be gauged by where it was grown and how it was stored and preserved, I tend to buy spices that are slightly small because I feel they will be more potent and they usually are. One killer recipe I must share uses few of the common spices of India. It’s a lamb dish though in India we use an older animal and call the meat, 'mutton’. Wash 1 kilo of mutton, marinate in 1 cup of yogurt and 1 teaspoon each of roasted spices – cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black cardamom, 1 bayleaf, black pepper, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Keep it in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Fry 3 pureed onions mixed with a puree of 4-6 garlic pods, in 2 tablespoons of ghee, add the marinated mutton (reserve the marinade though). Fry on high for 5-7 minutes, leave to simmer on low (covered) for 45 minutes. Add 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of ‘garam masala’ (a combo of cinnamon, cumin, cloves, mace, cardamom and black cardamom) and salt to taste. You can either leave it to simmer for another 20 minutes or put it in a pressure cooker for a whistle or two and there you have it ‘Mutton Shirazi’…have it with white rice or a nice, crisp 'naan' (type of Indian bread). On this topic, I must clarify, ‘curry powder’ is not the most common spice mix of India, ‘garam masala’ is! In fact as an Indian in India, I wonder what curry powder is? All our curries have different powdered spices, so who made a generic one?