Kaaya Podi (Postpartum Medicine) - A simple version

Kaaya Podi is a wonderful medicine for lactating Mom's, this can be consumed immediately after giving birth or kept in the pantry to come in handy for indigestion problems . This has been in our family for ages, the actual recipe calls for 20 ingredients. Sometimes a quick and a simple version of the Kaaya Podi is made which just has a few ingredients. I will surely write up the actual version as soon as I get hold of all the ingredients.

Every ingredient has a special work to do, Dry Ginger brings about a good appetite and also aids in digestion and treats cold. Peppercorns help keep away from sore throat and cough, Palmyra keeps the body cool mainly from the heat Ginger produces. Kaaya Podi can be called as post delivery medicine.

Ingredients:

Sonthi - 1 1/2 inches (Dry Ginger)
Miriyalu - 2 tbsps (Peppercorn)
Thaati Bellam/Nalla Bellam - 1/2 cup * (Palmyra/Palm Sugar in English and Panam Kalkandu/Karupatti in Tamil)



How to make Kaaya Podi:

1. Heat a pan and dry roast the Dry Ginger. Dry Ginger will burn quickly so toast on low flame for a few mins remove when Ginger gets a slight black tint. Let it cool.
2. Use a stone pestle and mortar and stamp the Ginger a few times, it will crumble. Remove the veins of the Ginger and crush them until fine. If you dont have a stone pestle and mortar use a mixer and then seive to remove the veins from the Ginger.
3. In a mixer powder the Peppercorns and Palmyra separately** and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly well.



How to Consume:

1. Warm Water and mix one teaspoon of the mixture and drink.
2. Mix the mixture in a tablespoon of Ghee.
3. Mix with cooked Rice with some Sesame Oil or Ghee.
4. Instead of Palmyra substitute with Honey and eat.
5. I gulp a teaspoon of the powder as it is but be warned that they might get into the nostrils and you will end up in a coughing spree.



When to consume:

Post delivery once in the morning and once at night, as long as nursing or even longer.

Storage:

Let the mixture stand for 15 mins and then store in an airtight container.

Expiry:

It can be stored for years unless it becomes damp thats when fungus forms. When prepared and consumed within a month the flavor and aroma is exceptional.

* Both Dry Ginger and Peppercorns are hot so check for taste and you can add more Palmyra.
** Peppercorns and Palmyra can be made into a fine powder or ground coarsely, I like it coarsely done.



The casseroval in the above picture was sent to me by Sathya Shankar of Appetite Treats for winning her giveaway. Thanks a ton Sathya, the Casserole is simply kewl!!!

Jeelakarra Kudumulu

Days pass by and I wonder how engaged from dawn to dusk my lil brat keeps me. Ultimately there's lil to no time to blog hop, whereas cooking happens at a fast pace but the entire saga of plating the dish, picturing, uploading and writing kinda doesnt happen. Today after almost humpty number of tries I finally caught hold of the dish to picture but I am not really happy about how it turned out. After all delibrations I put back the fact that I wasnt happy with picture and started writing.

Jeelakarra Kudumulu is our all time fave, I love this dish and usually we have it with Ghee, Banana and Sugar. Pretty commonly made as dinner. Kudumulu means oblong shape in Telugu, more dhal in the dish makes it tastier too. Coconut can be added to the dish before making the oblong shape and then steam cook it.



Ingredients:

To make a coarse Powder:

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Channa Dhal - 1/4 cup
Toor Dhal - 1/2 cup
Pepper Corn - 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp

For Tempering:

Sesame Oil - 3 tbsps
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Channa Dhal - 1/2 tbsp
Curry Leaves a few
Onion - 1 medium sized chopped
Green Chilly - 2 nos.
Red Chilly - 1 no.
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Salt to taste



Method:

1. In a blender add Pepper Corns, Cumin Seeds, Channa Dhal and Toor Dhal make a coarse powder. Some of dhal (both) can remain whole. Set it aside and blend the Raw Rice and mix with the Dhal.

2. In a pan heat Oil, throw in the Mustard Seeds when they pop add the Channa Dhal and let it turn color then put in the chopped Onions, Green Chillies, Red Chilly and Curry Leaves, cook for a few mins or until the Onions become transparent.

3. Now measure and pour in the Water and let it boil then add the Rice & Dhal mixture adjust Salt and cook until Water is completely absorbed.

4. Let it cool, take large lemon sized balls and make oblong/oval shapes out of it and place them in a cooker plate (Idli Plate) or steamer plate and cook.

5. Let it cool and serve it warm.

Note:

1. If Idli Plates are used place them in a cooker with Water and cook until steam gushes out of the pressure cooker. Do not use weight while using pressure cooker.

2. While shaping the kudumulu, press them hard and make them firm or they will fall apart after steam cooked.

Serve with: Dollop of Ghee, Banana and Sugar

Red Currant Rasam

Walking through the aisles shopping for fruits and veggies I was so much intrigued by the color of Red Currants, mindlessly I picked one basket of 1/2 pint of those lovely colored Currants and walked by. When I reached the end of the aisle I thought twice whether they would taste good or not, but I made up my mind convincing that they would taste as great as their color. Just had another 20 mins to shop so I picked up all I wanted and came home.

When I loaded the fruits and veggies into the refrigerator I was tempted again so I washed a wine full of those attractive Currants and had them but it was very sour, no body touched the currant. I wasnt into throw away 1/2 a pint of Red Currants then I thought why not make some dish out of it, hence this Red Currant Rasam. It was a super hit and I was asked to make it the next day and the next too. Red Currant Rasam made a hat-trick at our place, did I mention the color was awesome.



Ingredients:

Red Currant - 1 handful
Tomato - 1 small
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos.
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Water

For Tempering:

Red Chilly - 1
Red Pearl Onion - 2 nos.
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Sesame Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves
Salt to Taste

Rasam Powder:

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Pepper Corns - 1 1/2 tbsps
Garlic - 1 pod

Garnishing:

Coriander Leaves



Method:

1. Crush the Red Currants and Tomato thoroughly well. Slit the Green Chillies and crush them too.
2. Add Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida and Salt. Add 4-5 cups of Water to it mix well and set it aside.
3. In a skillet pour Sesame Oil, add Mustard Seeds when it splutters throw in the Red Chilly, Curry Leaves, Red Pearl Onions (crush them using your palm) and Asafoetida. When the Pearl Onion turns color pour the crushed Currants and Tomato mixture and cook until it boils.
4. Mean while crush Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds and Pepper Corns (I used a stone Motar and pestle) finally stamp the Garlic pod with the pestle and throw them in a bowl.
5. When the Rasam comes to a boil pour it on the crushed powder mix well and garnish with Coriander Leaves.

Serve with: Hot Rice and a dollop of Ghee.

Maa Laddu

Thank you is just not sufficient for all the wishes that you guys have showered on us... Yeah the lil is doing good, just gives very lil time to blog and visit your spaces but I am doing my best to visit everywhere. But its gonna take a while before I return normally to all your places!!!

Maa Laddu, always reminds me of my grandmother (My Dad's Aunt, who is no more now) always keeps these laddu's ready and when ever we visited her she used to give us these. A very simple one yet it has high nutritional values, my Grandpa used to say that if little Buna Channa is consumed every day it would help aid in easy digestion and has lotsa protein and fiber. Due to the fiber content the carbohydrate in the gram is absorbed slowly and thus raising the blood sugar slowly, than the same amount of carbs was consumed from any other food source.



Ingredients:

Roasted Gram - 1 1/2 cups (Pottu Kadalai in Tamil, Buna Channa in Hindi)
Fresh Coconut - 3/4 cup grated
Sugar - 3/4 cup or accordingly
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup or Butter/Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsps
Nuts (like Cashewnuts, Almonds etc dry roast and ground coarsely -- optional)

Yields: approximately 15 Laddu's.



Method:

1. Powder Roasted Gram and sift thoroughly. Mix powdered Sugar (the sugar that I used was fine so I dint powder it) and Cardamom Powder.
2. Grate the Coconut without the brown shells and roast it in a pan on medium flame until it turns brown. Let it cool down and run in the mixer without adding any Water or liquids.
3. Bring all the ingredients together and mix well, now add little Milk at a time and blend with your fingers and palms until the mixture takes form.
4. Roll small lemon sized balls and store in airtight containers.

Am sending these Maa Laddu's to Festive Food - Raksha Bandhan 2010

Jonna Muddalu/Chola Urandai

I was MIA for a while, wanted to post a recipe and write to you guys before I took a break but somehow I became lazy and dint turn up here. Allz good with me thanks to all my concerned fella blogger friends who mailed and asked me about my absence. Now for the real reason why I went MIA was, we were "Blessed with a Baby Boy"... My lil brat is 3 months old now, we are doing good and I promise to come down to all your blogs and do the catching up but I might be a lil slow in doing that.

Now to the recipe Jonna Muddalu, a healthy and a very simple dish to make but do use the right ingredients and you will never stop making this over and over again... We (myself and my lil bro) grew up having this we simply love this dish... Sorghum has the cooling ability and has lots of proteins, minerals and vitamins (A, B and C). Its rich in Iron, Potasium, Sodium, Calcium and Phosphorous. Sorghum improves teeth and bone health, maintains the health of the heart, controls diabetes and arthritis.



Ingredients:

Jonna - 2 cups (Cholam in Tamil, Sorghum in English, Jowar in Hindi)
Water - 6 cups
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Red Pearl Onion - 3/4 cup (I ran out of Pearl Onions, so used regular ones)
Chilly Powder - 2 tbsps
Coconut Oil - 2-3 tbsps
Salt to taste

Utensils Required:

Pressure Cooker
Wooden Masher/any masher

Method:

1. Wash and clean Sorghum until Water runs clear. Pressure cook Sorghum with Water and Yogurt (5 whistles).
2. Mash the cooked Sorghum with the masher, do not mash it too much. See to that Sorghum retains its shape.
3. Now throw in sliced Red Pearl Onion, Salt, Chilly Powder and Coconut Oil mix well with hands and make balls.

Serve with: Spinach/Kerai Masiyal

Note:

a. Use Red Pearl Onions and Coconut Oil they appreciate the taste of the dish.
b. Get dehusked Sorghum, they look like lil pearls. Husked Sorghum will not cook like the dehusked one so carefully choose Sorghum.