Barista/Birista - The deep fried onion topping!

There is no Biryani without barista. The aromatic flavor of the Biryani comes from the crisp deep fried onions. Prepare a boxful of barista and refrigerate, you’ll be stress free for a couple of months. The next time your recipe calls for fried onions, you have it ready. Be it haleem, your favourite mutton curry or Biryani. Birista gives the extra kick.

Preparing fried onions is not a recipe as such. But most beginners end up making a scorched black soggy mess. Been there, done that. No more. Practice makes man perfect. This recipe is more of tips to help you achieve perfect results. So there you go.

30-40 onions will give approximately 1 kg barista.  Peel, wash and clean the onions. Using a slicer slice them thick. Slicing them thin causes them to absorb more oil and the texture turns out to be soggy.

Heat about 1 litre oil in a deep vessel.

Only when the oil is hot, add the onions little by little. The oil being extremely hot may overflow. We want no accidents. Add till the onions submerge in the oil. Do not overcrowd. Keep the flame maximum high.

Keep stirring every 3 min or so. The cooking time varies on the amount of onions you’re frying. It took me around 12 minutes to fry 10 onions at a time. I cooked 30-40 onions in 3 batches. 

Keep an eye on the onions once in a while and when you see them slightly browning, just glue them there. Don’t move and keep stirring. The onions at the side of the vessel tend to get browned faster, so stir and stir.

Keep a strainer with a small vessel underneath ready. Keep a tray ready lined with paper towels or newspaper.

When you see the onions getting a light golden shade, Stop, Switch off the flame. NOW. I know they have not completely browned. I know you can still see the middle portion of the onion white and purple. Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. They’ll turn the most beautiful gold you know. You don’t want bitter charred onions, do you? So, Stop!

And don’t wait. Hurry up and strain the onions out. And na! Don’t go for the slotted spoon! Don’t you dare! See! We have no time, my poor onions will burn L . Strain it all out at once. Be careful. The oil is hot!

Turning beautiful aren't they?

Go ahead, pick up that strainer. Give it a shake. Little bit more. A bit more. Please?

Good. Throw it on the paper towel. Let the paper do its job. Say bye bye to all the excess oil. Keep your stomach happy. Change paper towel if needed. Let it air dry for 10 minutes. And there you go. 

Your barista is ready for boxing up. And you go ahead and start frying your next batch. J

Aah! And the oil. No. It’s not a waste. Use it for your next recipe, just don’t use it for deep frying again.

2 tbsp of barista provides approximately 45 Calories and 3g of fat.

Post by Zohra Sada

Hypercholestrolemia - Remedies

As discussed earlier about high blood cholesterol levels in blood and how it is harmful for your heart health, now we will discuss about how these cholesterol level can be controlled.

Blood cholesterol levels can be maintained in the following simple ways:

• Choose oil instead of ghee in your daily cooking. Restrict fat consumption to 3 tsp per day.
• Choose cholesterol cutting food items to include in your diet.
• Choose whole grains like whole wheat flour, oats, bajra, jowar etc. over refined cereals like maida, semolina etc. as the former binds with fibre and helps to decrease blood cholesterol levels.
• Replace full fat dairy products with their low fat counterparts.
• Indulge in an exercise programme regularly. It helps improve blood circulation and also destroys the excess bad cholesterol.

Power foods to aid in controlling high cholesterol levels:

Here are a few remedies for controlling high cholesterol levels:

Food item	Effects	Recipe
Coriander Seeds	Coriander seeds help lower the levels of total cholesterol, LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol), and triglycerides. Coriander seeds also have hypoglycemic effects and can be useful in diabetes management. Coriander seeds powder can be made by simply dry roasting the coriander seeds and grind them to make the powder.	1.       Add two teaspoons of coriander seed powder to one cup of water. 2.       Boil the mixture and then strain it. 3.       Drink this once or twice a day. You can add milk, sugar, and cardamom to it and use it as a replacement for your regular tea.
Onions	Red onions are beneficial in dealing with high cholesterol. They help reduce bad cholesterol and elevate good cholesterol levels. This, in turn, lowers the risk of developing heart disease.	1.       Mix one teaspoon each of onion juice and honey. Drink it once daily. 2.       Add one finely chopped onion and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper to one cup of buttermilk. Consume it on a regular basis.
Indian Gooseberry	Indian gooseberry, or amla, acts as a natural hypolipidemic agent, which means that it promotes the reduction of lipid concentrations in the serum. This fruit has antihyperlipidemic, anti-atherogenic, and hypolipidemic effects.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of Indian gooseberry powder, or dried and powdered Indian gooseberries, in a glass of warm water. 2.       Drink it daily in the morning on an empty stomach.
Apple Cider Vinegar	Apple cider vinegar helps lower your total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In addition, it is a great home remedy for a number of ailments including acid reflux, high blood pressure, gout, upper respiratory infections, and others.	1.       Mix one teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. 2.       Drink this two or three times a day at least for a month. You can gradually increase the amount of apple cider vinegar to two tablespoons per glass.
Orange Juice	Drinking three cups of fresh orange juice daily can be a great help in reducing blood cholesterol levels naturally because it is rich in vitamin C, folate, and flavonoids.	Drinking 750 mL of pure orange juice daily can increase HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and decrease the LDL/HDL ratio in hypercholesterolemic patients. Orange juice fortified with sterols is even better.
Coconut Oil	Though counterintuitive, coconut oil is considered a beneficial home remedy for high cholesterol, even though it is a saturated fat. Coconut oil contains lauric acid that helps increase HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and improves the LDL/HDL ratio.	Add moderate amounts of organic coconut oil to your diet. You can have one to two tablespoons of this oil daily. Do not use refined or processed coconut oil.
Oatmeal	Enjoying a bowl of oatmeal is an easy yet effective way to reduce your cholesterol levels. It is full of soluble fiber and reduces the absorption of cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol levels.	One and one-half cups of cooked oatmeal or one cup of oat bran contain approximately three grams of soluble fiber, beta-glucan. You can also add fruits and nuts such as apples, bananas, strawberries, and walnuts to your oatmeal for added health benefits.
Fish Oil	Fish oils and fatty fish such as mackerel, tuna, trout, herring, salmon, bluefish, sardines, and the like are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. They help lower triglycerides (fats in the blood) and prevent heart disease.	Consume about one to four grams of fish oil per day. If you have adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet, then include ground flaxseeds, which are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, in your diet.
Red Yeast Rice	Red yeast rice contains compounds known as monacolins that inhibit cholesterol synthesis and hence help lower cholesterol. Simply put, it is rice fermented by red yeast (monascus purpureus). Besides, some red yeast rice products may contain lovastatin and other chemicals that may cause side effects. It is best to consult your doctor before you start taking them. Do not take these supplements during pregnancy, breastfeeding or when suffering from liver problems.	You can get red yeast rice tablets from pharmacies or health food stores. For high cholesterol, take 1200 to 2400 mg of the supplement once or twice daily.
Nuts	Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, and other nuts and seeds are useful in controlling high cholesterol because they are rich in plant sterols and fiber. Walnuts, in particular, have been found to help lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.	Enjoy a handful (one and one-half ounces) of delicious roasted nuts regularly; but do not overdo it. Also, increase your consumption of whole grains and other high-fiber foods.
Garlic	1 to 3 cloves of garlic has been proven to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood thereby preventing the hardening of arteries.	Garlic chutney
Fibre rich fruits and vegetables	Fruits and vegetables like orange, guava, cluster beans, green peas, unpeeled carrot etc. help to keep the blood cholesterol levels at bay due to their high fibre content.	Fruit salads and vegetable salads, vegetable preparations

Post by Faiz Lahori

Gajar ka Halwa/ Carrot Pudding

A scrumptious heavy meal tends to be incomplete without a rich flavorful dessert. For a large number of guests, we all want to prepare a risk free dessert. A basic recipe of gajar ka halwa prepared in advance can’t possibly go wrong.

Carrot halwa can be prepared in many ways. The traditional recipe requires cooking the carrot in milk only. But for saving time, people have invented the quick method of adding khoya (Khoa) or condensed milk.

Today I’m going to share with you my recipe where I literally use everything. Milk, condensed milk and milk powder. People at my place need some fattening to do. J So if you’re not scared of calories try this high fat gajar halwa recipe.

If you don’t want to use either condensed milk or milk powder, skip both ingredients happily. You could just substitute more milk or skip it entirely.

And and and… IF you don’t want milk at all… Cook the carrots in ½ cup ghee, till it is completely cooked.

Add sugar and serve with almonds. Go on and try.

This recipe serves 15 people. One serving of this recipe provides approximately 268 Calories.

Here is what you’ll need:

1.5 kg carrot (10-15 large sized)

3 tbsp ghee

2 cardamoms (Elaichi)

6 tbsp milk powder

4 cups milk

150 gm condensed milk ( optional)

2 cups sugar

20 almonds sliced

Method:

1. Wash, clean and grate the carrots using hand grater or food processor.
2. Heat the ghee in a large bottom pan and fry the cardamom.
3. Add the grated carrot and roast it on a medium low flame till the carrot loses all its moisture and ghee starts separating from the sides. This will take around half an hour.
4. Once the carrot is completely cooked, add the milk  and cook till all the milk gets absorbed.
5. Take the milk powder in a bowl and add few tbsp of milk to it to form a lumpy khoya textured thick paste.
6. Add this paste to the carrots.
7. Keep stirring often. When the milk reduces and the carrot start sticking to the bottom add the sugar.
8. Cook till all the moisture from the sugar evaporates.
9. Adding the condensed milk is optional at this point.
10. Cook on medium heat stirring often till the halwa becomes soft and dry. It should stick together and come off as a ball. The halwa should not get very stiff but pliable.
11. Serve warm and garnish with roasted sliced almonds.

Recipe by Zohra Sada

Menu Planning - The Art and Science!

“What should I make for breakfast/lunch/dinner?” seems to be a question that horrifies every woman who cooks for a bunch of picky, choosy and sometimes health conscious food lovers. Every individual loves different type of food and it is on the shoulders of the “woman of the house” to please everyone’s wishes and taste buds. With the super growth of the health conscious funda, now it’s not just about eating to please your buds rather it’s about pleasing your body and consequently it’s about smart cooking and menu planning.

Menu planning can be said to be a process of planning and scheduling intake of meals for a general or specific individual requirements.

The best way to achieve balanced diet is to plan meals in relation to other food for the whole day.

It is advisable to eat small regular meals during the day rather than one huge meal.

A good menu is one which will not only provide adequate calories, fat and proteins but also minerals, vitamins essential for the physical well being of each member of a family. The diet should contain ‘Basic five food groups’.

A family meal should cater to the needs of the different members. A growing adolescent boy may need rich food to satisfy his appetite, whereas a young child may require soft and bland diet. Pregnant woman may require more greens in the diet. Heavy worker may require more calories and B vitamins than other members of the family. Meal pattern varies with age, occupation and lifestyle of the family members.

Planning of meals should be done in such a way that recipes should be simple and nutritious. The planned meals should also fit into the budget of the family and the cost of the meals can be reduced by bulk purchasing and using seasonal foods.

Losses of nutrients during processing, cooking should be minimized. Sprouted grams, malted cereals, fermented foods enhance the nutritive value. Good quality protein should be distributed in all meals. Pressure cooker can be used to conserve nutrients.

The planned meal should meet the recommended dietary allowances of an individual as well as cater to preferences of vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Variety in colour, texture and taste should be introduced in foods by using different kinds of food and cooking method. The interval between meals should also be considered.

Effective menu planning is rewarding in terms of time and money, especially the little effort that it takes. Here are some tips for successful menu planning:

• Make a commitment: As with any goal―losing weight, exercising, or eating healthier―the first step is to decide that you’re going to do it. Ask people who eat with you about their likes and dislikes about foods and then factor their preferences into your plans.

• Pick a planning style: Planning for the next day or planning for the coming few days or planning for the entire week. Use planners or calenders to do this.

• Make a shopping list: Make a list of things you buy frequently (such as milk, eggs, chicken breasts), then add extras so you don’t have to start from scratch each week.

• Cook perishables first: Cook with perishables like fresh fish or salad greens early in the week.

• Grade your efforts: Critique your meal each time after finishing it.

• For menu planning to be done most effectively, you need to set aside a regular time to do it: Begin by collecting: a pad of paper and pen, your grocery list, if you have one started, any cookbooks or magazines you’ll need, your laptop to access Simple Bites, or your other favorite food sites, for menu planning tips and dinner ideas.

• Decide what you want to prepare: Soup or Salad, Ethnic, Pasta, Casserole and Quick & Easy. Or the cooking styles – grilling, crock-pot, stir-fry, roast.

• Save one day a week for a new dish from a cookbook or a food blog if you like to try new things. If it’s from a blog, make sure you print out the recipe and keep it with your menu plan or in a notebook just for that purpose.

• Make a note of where the recipe is as you write down the menu for each day.

• Keep your shopping list next to your menu planning sheet: As you write down a menu item, look at the recipe and review it, writing down what you need to get from the store.

• If you tend to have a lot of leftovers from your meals, plan one day as LO (leftover) day:  It’s a buffet on the cheap that cleans out the refrigerator and reduces the amount of food you waste. And as a bonus, it’s a no-cook night for you.

• Lastly, look for twofer opportunities:  What’s a twofer? It’s getting two meals from the effort of one. You can do that by using the leftovers from one meal in the next meal, or doubling the recipe and freezing half for another dinner on a day when you absolutely don’t have time to cook.

The size of your family, the time you have for cooking, your family’s food preferences, and whether or not you have picky eaters ALL affect what you cook.

Post by Faiz Lahori

Tadka Dal

Being from a super extra non-vegetarian family, I remember someone once had said “dal is a poor man’s meal”, so very wrong was that person. Be it at a dhaba or at a five star restaurant, dal is my all time favourite dish, especially, tadka dal. Tadka is nothing but the tempering given to the dal before serving. The Spices and herbs when fried in the oil release that extra flavor and an aroma that can literally fill your house.

This recipe of tadka dal is the easiest way to make dal. All the base ingredients go directly into the pressure cooker (This makes me super happy because of the less washing of utensils ). Once the dal is cooked , a little bit of masala powder is added. Remember, for any type of dal, adding any type of spices, less is always more, so, keep it minimal, let the aroma of the cooked dal carry you away. 

Although, I do add a quarter tsp of tandoori powder, Why? Few questions have no answer. But do try it.

The type of dals used and its ratio is your preference. I go for half and half of masoor and toor dal. Mung dal is also a good option. 

Dal once prepared can be stored in the freezer. When required just heat it again and temper it.

For the tempering, I love loads of garlic and curry leaves, these two ingredients give the maximum flavor. Garlic for the tempering can be chopped or crushed. ‘Crushing with the side of a knife releases more juice’. (A tip from the half blood prince for all Harry Potter fans ) And so does tearing the curry leaves with hands gives more smell. The best part of this recipe is the limited amount of oil that goes into it.

This recipe serves 4 people. One serving of dal provides approximately 173 Calories.

Here is what you’ll need:

For the dal:

¼ cup masoor dal

¼ cup toor dal

1 onion

1 tomato

½ tsp ginger garlic paste

4 green chillies

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Pinch of asafoetida

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt as required

1 tsp coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)

¼ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp tandoori masala (optional)

For the tadka:

5-6 garlic cloves

10 curry leaves

2-3 red chillis

½ tsp mustard seed (Rye)

½ tsp cumin seed (Jeera)

1 tbsp oil

Method:

1.  Wash the dal thoroughly and soak it for an hour.
2. Finely slice the onion and tomato.
3. In a pressure cooker, add the dal, onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste, green chilli, asafoetida and turmeric powder.
4. Pressure cook on high for first 5 minutes and then simmer for next 10 minutes.
5. To this add coriander powder, garam masala, and tandoori powder.
6. Add coriander leaves and let the dal simmer away.
7. Once ready to serve, heat oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds.
8. Once the mustard crackle, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, garlic, and red chilli. Fry till the garlic browns.
9. Add it to the dal and cover it tightly.
10. Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

Recipe by Zohra Sada

Prevention of Cancer - Role of Food

As emphasized in the previous article on Cancer, nutrients in our food can fight cancer by protecting our body’s cells from mutations caused mainly by carcinogens and free radicals. Antioxidants have been shown to minimize the damaging effects of free radicals and fight off tumours. Free radicals cause damage to DNA and aid in mutation of the cells, which then proliferate into a tumour and thus cause cancer. The damage can be prevented when nutrients bind the free oxygen, therefore prohibiting it from roaming in the body and damaging cells. Also vitamins and trace minerals have a powerful effect on free radicals in terms of neutralizing them and preventing damage to the body's cells.

Flavonoids and catechins are nutrients that give foods a bitter taste, but they also are great anticancer agents. Catechins are a powerful form of antioxidant that acts as a powerful inhibitor of cancer growth. In fact, catechins are 100 times more powerful than vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E in their antioxidant/growth inhibitor powers. The flavonoids and catechins together have the ability to protect cells from x-ray damage, block the progression of the cell cycle, and inhibit mutations. Foods high in flavonoids are garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks, which also contain vitamin C, selenium, and sulphur compounds that together, increase the metabolic disposal of chemical carcinogens, thus lowering the risk of cells turning cancerous.

Probiotics are bacteria that live in our gastrointestional tract and aid in digestion as well as provide other benefits for its host. They are capable of altering certain enzymes that turn pro-carcinogens into carcinogenic agents by neutralizing the bad bacteria enzymes. Without the probiotics, the immune system would be left to clean the body alone, causing a work overload, thus the probiotics are good because they help the immune system to keep toxins out of our intestines.

Biologically active micronutrients known as phytochemicals exhibit their activity as antioxidants, detoxifying agents or physio-chemical means in dietary fiber. Different phytochemicals are found in foods such as Dark yellow and orange and deep green vegetables and fruits, onions, garlic, parsley, carrot, citrus oil, citrus fruits, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, egg plants, pepper, soy products, berries, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard, radish, whole grain products, red grapes, dried apricots, celery and mint.

Healthy and colourful diet is very helpful in preventing cancers. Choose wise, Happy healthy eating!! J

Post by Faiz Lahori

Mac n Cheese with a Meat Treat

Even the plainest of macaroni tastes yummy. But a little extra flavours can only make it mindblowingly awesome. Here is a recipe of mixed macaroni made with chicken breast and sausages. Feel your taste buds respond to the cheesy mouthfeel of this mixed macaroni.

This recipe serves 6 people. One serving of this recipe provides approximately 290 Calories.

Ingredients:

250 grams macaroni

250 grams cheddar cheese

100 grams chicken breast (minced)

100 grams chicken sausages

250 ml milk

2 large eggs

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions, drain the macaroni and then put back into the hot pan.
2. While the pasta is cooking, put the cheese, milk, eggs and pepper in a processor and blitz to mix.
3. In a hot pan, sauté chicken and sausages with butter.
4. Mix macaroni and sausage-chicken mix.
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni, stir well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Grate additional cheese over for the extra cheesy taste.
7. Bake in the hot oven for about 10-15 minutes or until it is bubbling and blistering on top.

Recipe by Chaya Ranasinghe

Fennel Seeds/ Saunf

 Fennel is an aromatic herb belonging to the parsley family. It is used as a spice and possesses a sweet taste that is similar to anise. It is an essential ingredient in the Mediterranean cuisine. Fennel seeds ("Saunf" in Hindi) come from both the fennel herb and the fennel vegetable bulb.

They have long been regarded as an aid to weight loss because they are said to reduce appetite when consumed as fennel tea. Chewing them is a remedy for bad breath. For women, fennel seeds are helpful when breastfeeding, as they contain compounds that mimic estrogen and therefore stimulate milk production. As an infusion, it can treat flatulence, colic in babies and stomach cramps. However, the seeds should be avoided in pregnancy as they may over-stimulate the uterus. Fennel seeds may also be good for relieving menopausal symptoms.

Fennel seeds can be beneficial for your skin and hair. They are inexpensive and readily available and loaded with minerals like iron, copper, selenium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and even vitamins like Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Vitamin E, fennel seeds are also known to be a rich store house of dietary fibres, active compounds and antioxidants.

Tips to include this in your diet:

• Have as an appetizer after food.
• Make a fennel tea by steeping a spoonful of seeds in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Fennel flavours goes well with fish.
• Add crushed fennel seeds for that extra flavor in salads.

Major Nutrients per 100g Fennel Seeds
Energy	345 Kcal
Carbohydrates	52.29 g
Protein	15.80 g
Total Fat	14.87 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Dietary Fiber	39.8 g
Vitamins
Niacin	6.050 mg
Pyridoxine	0.470 mg
Riboflavin	0.353 mg
Thiamin	0.408 mg
Vitamin A	135 IU
Vitamin C	21 mg
Electrolytes
Sodium	88 mg
Potassium	1.7 g
Minerals
Calcium	1.2 g
Copper	1.067 mg
Iron	18.54 mg
Magnesium	385 mg
Manganese	6.533 mg
Phosphorus	487 mg
Zinc	3.70 mg

Post by Faiz Lahori

Hot Pancakes on the Pan!

Pancakes are a quickie breakfast or snack option. Too tied up to cook a full fledged breakfast meal? Try this easy recipe. This is a three step process – make the batter, pour the batter onto the hot pan and cook the pancake on either side and serve delicious hot pancakes with honey.

This recipe serves 4 people. One serving of this recipe provides approximately 533 Calories.

Ingredients:

• 225 grams plain flour
• 30 grams butter (melted and cooled)
• 6 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 300 ml milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• Butter for frying

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz. But if you mix up the batter by hand in a bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, beat in the eggs, melted butter and milk.
2. Heat a smooth pan on the stove and spread a little butter on it.
3. Scoop in the pancake batter and pour onto the heated pan.
4. While you cook the pancakes, when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it's time to cook the other side, and this needs only about 1 minute.
5. Serve hot pancakes with honey. 

Recipe by Chaya Ranasinghe