Namak-ajwain wala parantha ((Fried flat Indian Bread with bishop weed)

As I’ve already explained how much I love paranthas and a bit of history, I won’t go into the whole story all over again.  Paranthas have several varieties and today I’m going to share one with ajwain or bishop’s weed as it is called in the Anglophone world.  I’ve already discussed the benefits of this medicinal plant in Masala Puri recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Cup    Wheat flour

1 Tsp     Ajwain (bishop’s weed)

1 Tsp     Salt

Water

Ghee (clarified butter) or Oil


Procedure:

Mix ajwain and salt.

Knead flour so that when you make a hole in it with your finger, it doesn’t stick to your finger.

Take a small part of it and roll it into a small ball and ensure that there’s no crack in the ball.

Roll this ball in dry flour and flatten it.

Use rolling-pin and flatten the circle further till it is around 4-5 inches in diameter.

Take ½ tea spoon oil and oil the flattened dough.

Sprinkle the ajwain and salt mix on it.

Fold it four times as shown in images.

Roll it in some dry flour and flatten it upside down i.e. the last fold should face the plate.

Use rolling pin to further flatten it and make it into a bigger square.

Put the girdle on fire.

When it is hot, put the flattened square dough on the girdle.

Once it is cooked on one side (it will become somewhat yellowish brown), turn it over and put oil on the cooked side.

After some time, turn it over again and if the other side is cooked oil it as well otherwise turn it back till it is cooked.  Once it is cooked, turn it over and oil the other side (that you’ve not oiled earlier).

After around 1 minute turn it over and let it cook for some time.

Serve it with pickle or/and vegetables or/and plain yoghurt and/or raita and/or dahipakodiyan.

I hope that you loved it as much as I do.  Enjoy your meal!

The magic of garlic

Quite a few of us love the taste of garlic but avoid eating it because they are scared of smelling of garlic.  Everyone has his or her own preference.  Personally, I don't have anything against the fragrance of garlic.  Though my father's family doesn't consume garlic because it is considered 'tamasika' according to Indian philosophy but it is consumed in my mother's family.  So I didn't really eat garlic in the beginning but tasted it from time to time when I stayed at my maternal grandparents' house.  I used to like it so I use it from time to time whenever I am alone. 

Of course, as my maternal grandfather was into Ayurveda and Hippocratic medicine, I learnt the benefits of garlic from him.  It is tamasik in nature and is beneficial for root (i.e. Muladhara) and sacral (Swadhishthana) chakras. 

Garlic is considered excellent for preventing heart diseases and digestive system.

 

So if you are one of those who avoid garlic because of its smell, here's how you can eat it and yet avoid smelling of garlic at the same time. 

Benefits:

Other benefits of garlic include, but are not limited to:

1. It helps increase hunger.

2. Helps maintain body heat and glow on face.

3. Helps one get rid of intestinal parasites (commonly called stomach worms).

4. Increases blood

5. Is considered useful in asthma, cold, whooping cough, head-ache, etc.

Ingredients:

Garlic

Procedure:

1. Peel garlic.

2. Take a garlic clove. 

3. Cut it longitudinal and look carefully.  You'll see a greenish white part in the middle that is sort of a seed. 

4. Take a knife and point it at the bottom of the germ and simply remove this part.

Now you can use garlic and you won't smell of garlic as much. 

Easy, isn't it?

Welcome to the World of Healthy Vegetarianism!

Well, like many Indians I am a lacto-vegetarian which is probably the oldest form of vegetarianism in the world.  Every time I tell someone that I'm vegetarian, people ask me all types of questions:  Isn't it difficult?  Do you get all necessary nutrients?  What about proteins? 

Often, people think that I should eat more than others to compensate for the fact that I am vegetarian.  Please note that being vegetarian doesn't mean that I need to eat more but what is required is to have a balanced meal and it is possible even if you are vegetarian.  The fact that we have survived till date implies that we get all nutrients that we need and this in spite of the fact that we are vegetarian. 

So this blog is an answer to all such queries and a place where you'll find vegetarian recipes as well as information about vegetarian food joints and restaurants all over the world.

In addition to this, you'll also be able to read about various qualities of food items that are used commonly in Indian homes in order to help cure ailments.  If you are a vegetarian and looking for such information then you are at the right place.  And if there is a good vegetarian recipe and/ or restaurant and/ or food joint about which you'd like to add information then please feel free to write to me and I'll do the same.

Welcome to the world of healthy vegetarianism! :-)