Forgotten Indian Veggies

This was shared in our whatsapp community as part of reviving the ancient wisdom regular series. Join us to gain more wisdom!

These veggies may be rare and slowly disappearing from our plates, but they are bursting with flavors and nutrients that our bodies and souls crave. We have included common names in English and the botanical name only otherwise the post would be longer if we cover the native language names.

  1. Bread fruit – Artocarpus altilis
    Family of jackfruit & mulberry. It gets its name from the fact that its texture is often compared to that of freshly baked bread. While breadfruit is often cooked and eaten like a vegetable, it is actually a fruit that is harvested when it is mature but still unripe. When cooked, the flesh of the breadfruit is soft, creamy, and slightly sweet, with a mild flavor that is often compared to that of potatoes.
    Breadfruit is a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is also a good source of complex carbohydrates, which can provide sustained energy. Because of its high nutritional value, breadfruit is sometimes referred to as a “superfood.”
  2. Sword Beans – Canavalia gladiata
    They are known for their long, slender pods that resemble a sword, hence their name. The pods of sword beans can grow up to 1.5 feet long and contain 6-12 seeds each. In addition to being used as a food source, sword beans are also used in traditional medicine in many cultures. They are believed to have various health benefits, such as reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol levels, and improving digestion.
  3. Palmyra Sprout
    Also known as toddy palm sprouts or ice-apple, are the young shoots of the palmyra palm tree. It can be eaten raw or cooked and are often used in salads, soups, and stir-fries. You can also make flour out of and it and consume it several ways.
  4. Veldt Grape – Cissus quadrangularis
    A good source of calcium and may help to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. While we all might have seen the ordinary 4 sided(sathura pirandai, hence quadrangularis) pirandai, there are more in Nature like rounded one(mani/uruttu pirandai), 3 sided(muppirandai), sweet(inippu), flat ones(olai), puli(sour), wild pirandai, leaf pirandai(ilai) etc. Also if its nodes are close to each other, they are classified as female and if far apart, they are classified as male. If you are reluctant to grow, or go through the precautionary measures of cleaning them, our fast selling store products made using Pirandai – Pirandai idli podi, Pirandai Vathal/papad are here for your rescue!
  5. Turkey berry – Solanum torvum
    Apart from its medicinal properties, it is used as a food source in many parts of the world. The fruit is often used in cooking as a flavoring agent and is particularly popular in Indian, Thai, and Indonesian cuisines. A great source of iron and calcium. It can heal stomach aches and enhance digestion. Tamil cuisine’s famous recipe Vathal Kuzhambu, Angaya podi are made with dried turkey berries. Make sabjis/stir fries, kuzhambu or curries.
  6. Clove Beans – Ipomoea muricata
    The name came because it looks like clove. The name of this vegetable in Malayalam is “Nithya Vazhuthina”, literally means, ‘Daily Brinjal’. Once it grows and starts flowering, you will get the veggie almost daily!. You need to know the right stage of harvesting time as it matures very soon. There are 3-4 varieties, like green and white long ones, purple ones, green & white short ones etc. This creeper plant comes from the same family as Morning glory, but unlike morning glory which flowers in day time, Clove bean flowers in the evening.
  7. Winged Beans – Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
    They are so named because their pods have distinctively winged edges, which make them resemble small airplanes. A highly nutritious vegetable with a good source of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The plant is versatile and the entire plant, including its leaves, flowers, roots, and tubers, are edible and are used in different ways in different cuisines. The young and tender pods of the winged bean can be cooked and eaten like green beans, while the seeds can be cooked and eaten like peas or roasted and ground into flour. The leaves and flowers of the plant can be used in salads or cooked dishes, and the tubers can be boiled, roasted or fried and used in various recipes.
    It is also used in traditional medicine for various health benefits. They are relatively easy to grow and are an excellent addition to any vegetable garden or a healthy diet.
  8. Little WildGourd – Momordica cymbalaria
    A relative of bitter gourd but contains higher amounts of calcium, potassium, sodium, vitamin C and fiber than bittergourd. It can be used to make Poriyal,fry, pulikulambu, pickle, and vadagam etc. The fruits and tubers were used in the traditional medicine and as well as vegetable food by the tribal farmers. The fruits are useful in treating gout, rheumatism and sub-acute cases of the spleen and liver disease. The fruits juice and leaf tea of Little Wild Gourd is employed for diabetes, malaria, colic, sores and wounds, infections, worms and parasites, as an emmenagogue, and for measles, hepatitis, and fevers. Fruit pulp, leaf juice and seeds possess antihelimetic activity. This veggie is under threat of extinction.
  9. Giant Granadilla – Passiflora quadrangularis
    One of the largest fruit producing plant in the passiflora(passion fruit) family. Its a climber with squared sides(like Veldt Grape), hence the name ‘Quadrangularis’. While fruit is consumed as juice/beverage in some parts of the world, it is cooked as a vegetable for curries too. If you are growing this plant, if you can grow the passion fruit also, can help this plant to have more fruits. It is a tropical fruit that is not widely available in many parts of the world, but is certainly worth trying if you have the opportunity.
  10. Purple Yam – Dioscorea alata
    The plant is a type of yam and is related to other starchy root vegetables, such as sweet potato and cassava(tapioca).The root vegetable can be cooked in a variety of ways, including boiling, steaming, baking, or frying, and can be used to make everything from cakes and pastries to ice creams and jams. Purple yam is also a nutritious food, rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. It is particularly high in potassium, which is important for maintaining healthy blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart diseases.
  11. Red Sorrel – Hibiscus sabdariffa
    Also known as Roselle, is a species of hibiscus plant. The one in poster is the edible calyces, which are the fleshy, cup-shaped structures that surround the seed pods of the plant. Red sorrel has a tart, fruity flavor and is used in a variety of culinary applications, including making teas, jams, jellies, sauces, and beverages. It is a good source of antioxidants, including vitamin C and anthocyanins, which are plant compounds that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and disease-fighting properties. Some studies have suggested that red sorrel may have beneficial effects on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and liver health. The plant is also used in traditional medicine for a variety of purposes. The leaves and flowers of the plant are sometimes used to make a poultice that can be applied to the skin to help with inflammation, while the seeds of the plant are sometimes used to treat digestive problems.
  12. Red Okra
    If you ask anyone to tell the okra color they would say green color. But are you aware that there are many varieties out there? Red okra is one of the native variety. There are more, like elephant tusk, musk/wild okra etc.
    Red okra is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins C and K, folate, and potassium. It also contains antioxidants, such as quercetin and rutin, which can help protect the body against cell damage. In terms of culinary uses, red okra can be prepared in a similar manner to green okra. It can be boiled, roasted, fried, or pickled, and can be used in a variety of dishes, such as soups, stews, and curries. Red okra can also be used in fresh salads, as a garnish, or as a colorful addition to vegetable platters.

Let us not forget the wisdom of our ancestors, who knew the value of these vegetables long before we did. By rediscovering them, we can learn to appreciate the bounty of nature and reconnect with our roots. So, let’s spread the joy of these forgotten veggies and inspire others to do the same. Let’s sow the seeds of love, beauty, and health in our hearts and in our communities.

Archana.

Paruthi Paal – Cotton Seed Milk

Recipe Card

A traditional refreshing drink from the land of Tamilnadu. This is referred to as a ” Triple Nutrient Drink” which is rich in protein, fat and fiber. Try this energy drink at your home and share your experiences

BENEFITS OF COTTON SEED MILK

  • Rich in Protein, fat and fiber
  • Best for cold and cough
  • Helps to regulate menstrual cycle
  • Best for breastfeeding moms
  • Heals stomach ulcer
  • Helps to prevent PCOS

Cotton seed milk and coconut milk are the main ingredients in this recipe. A portion of rice flour is added to smoothen the consistency (can use any traditional rice flour/miller flour). This is one of the best alternative for cow milk (vegan milk).

World Banana Day

Want to know more about the fruit that The Nagas cultivated and the Buddhists ate, 1000’s of years ago?

Want to know why bananas are called a fruit of the Wise men?

Bananas are undervalued by us here in India, but to the rest of the world, it holds a lot of importance. The scientific name for banana is Musa sapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men.” Since today is World Banana day, we wanted to share some of the amazing facts you should know about Bananas. Bananas are a rare example of fruit which has three genes from one of its parents, Musa acuminata. It confers the ability to produce fruit without the need for seeds. The word, Bana is of African origin, which means finger. The word was introduced by salves that were brought to the Americas from Africa. In India, it is called plantain. With the help of Alexander the Great, the fruits traveled to Europe and Spain. Later a Spanish missionary brought the fruit to America. 

In a document, which is from 400 B.C, quoted in Sanskrit literature, which in the south was known as Sangam literature states that bananas were the only fruit permitted to Buddhists in those days. Furthermore, bananas were cultivated by ancient South Indian people who are once called Nagas. 

Bananas originated in Southeast Asia, it was said to be the world’s most consumed food, in the previous times. It is one of the most common fruits all over the world. Not to mention it has twice the amount of nutrition than what can be obtained from an apple. Plus it doesn’t require any specific fertilizer or maintenance except water. Yes, water is the main source to cultivate Banana. Thus said, Banana will grow in all types of climate. It is one of a few fruits which is available throughout the year. No auspicius function or puja is complete without full grown banana plant. Banana plant is treated as god, cow in india.

Banana is one divine plant, that has various used to mother nature and mankind. Right from its root to flower, everything is a healing property. Eg. The roots has a micro-organisms, which can purity the impure or contimanited water. That is why in olden days, you will find Banana trees in backyard. where waste water of the house is directed to it, and the water is filtured and send into ground. Whats an amazing ecofriendly fore sight our ancestors had!

Type of Bananas in India – Originally more than 100 nati varieties of Banana were available in India however after the green revolution, most fo the nati varieties of banana weren destroyed and only a few varieties are now currently available. Below is the list of Nati Variety Bananas as follows:

Best time to Eat Banana

Sevvalai (red banana) – which is more nutritious, cultivated in 10 months. Anyone can eat. Especially good for Newly married couples. It helps in weight gain.
Mondham Palam (thoothukudi, Nagercoil belt) – King of Banana. Highest nutrition in a single banana than other nati banana varieties. For babies start from 2+ years old, they can give. Rich in fiber and easy digestion.
Nenthram Palam (Kerala) – Its a must take for Babies (2+) and those for neuro problems and constipation. In Kerala, the semi ripens fruit will be prepared as Kanji and given to infants to gain more weight. Must eat for all ages. The famous chips of kerala is made from this.
Matti Palam (North TN) – Rich in fiber and very rare to get.
Yelaki palam (krishnagiri, karnataka) – Very tasty, good for digestion.
Naatu vaalai – Very rare to get.
Then (honey) vaalai – Rich in fiber, reduces constipation.
Poo vaalai – Not recommended due to high sugar content. One of the oldest variety.
Rasthali – Very tasty with a good aroma.
Malai vaalai – Only produce in Hill stations. Rich in Nutrition and good for weight gain.
Sirumalai – A rare variety grows only in Sirumalai. Very tasty and rich in fiber. The famous Siddha Build Temple, Palani’s Panchamritham is made from this fruit, which has various preservative and curative property.
Karpooravalli – Very tasty and easily grown in many parts of South TN. Good for constipation and digestion.

It is recommended to eat on an empty stomach to get more benefits. Or else need to at least eat 1 hr before food or after 2hrs of food. You can also take tea time in the evening. Must avoid eating before sleep. Avoid eating Hybrid bananas. 

Make sure the banana contains Seeds while you are eating. Eat daily one banana and stay healthy.

AMAZING BUT TRUE THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH BANANA PEELS (AND BANANAS)

  • Thanks to its oil, rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a mosquito bite (or another bug bite) or on poison ivy will help keep it from itching and getting inflamed.
  • If you rub the inside of a banana peel on a scrape or burn, it will help the pain go away, keep the swelling down, and keep the wound from getting infected.
  • If you rub the inside of a small piece of the banana peel on a wart every night (or tape a piece of peel over the wart), the potassium in the peel can make the wart disappear in one to two weeks.
  • If you tape a banana peel over a splinter, the enzymes help the splinter work its way out of your skin (and also heal the wound).

Author: Velu Jayaprakash

Velu Jayaprakash is a social entrepreneur, product manager, techy, photographer, meditator, father of two angels, ancient wisdom seeker, holistic adviser and Soul coach. You can reach him at velu.jayaprakash AT gmail DOT com

Sustainable pregnancy for healthy and happy progeny – Part 1


Congratulations on deciding to nurture a new life within you.  It is a blessing to let God create and sustain a soul that will soon become your lifeline. While we speak so much about sustainable living, farming, gardening, recycling plastic etc, why no one ever talks about Sustainable pregnancy that enables and empowers parents-to-be with right knowledge, guidance and support that is beyond supplements, blood tests, scans and injections? Isn’t this the most wonderful and cherished part of couple’s life? Sustainable pregnancy not only makes them tide through this phase healthily, but also ensures they bring into this world healthy, happy babies. The next generation with good immunity, mind and spiritual inclination is all that our world needs right now.

Pre pregnancy care: Before you decide to embark on pregnancy journey, consider body and mind detox, essential lifestyle changes and listening to body. While all creatures have ability to reproduce, humans have been blessed with knowledge and thus we must responsibly care, nurture and develop the young life inside the womb and safely bring them into our world. To enable this, our body and mind must be free from  all kinds of toxins, wasteful and destructive things.

Body detox for healthy pregnancy: Ayurvedic panchakarma is one of the ancient, proven and effective way to dispel toxins (Ama) from the body.    Invest time in searching for an experienced Ayurvedic Vaidya who does panchakarma, prepares his own medicine, oils and also provides specific diet based on your body type during this phase. Any panchakarma done without proper diet doesn’t dispel all toxins and thus is waste of efforts. Please be aware of some panchakarma centres that don’t do the process under doctor’s guidance and diet. It is best to get panchakarma done for both (mother to be and father to be) a minimum of 6 months before conception.

Another important point is if you have had a miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy, do wait for atleast a year for next conception. This time gap ensures body adequate rest and also remaining waste blood goes through menstrual cycle for a year.

Mind detox for healthy pregnancy: Just as Panchakarma frees body from toxins, meditation, gratitude and forgiveness frees mind from toxins. Everyday dedicating 20 mins of time to meditate, thanking the Universe, praying with devotion to beget a good baby and practicing forgiveness does relieve mind of all fearful thoughts we usually get in pregnancy.  Let go of all the grudge, revengeful thoughts, various fears, too much of overconfidence and ego out of the mind by simple meditation, pranayama and chanting and listening to Vedic mantras like Garbha Sanskar, Vishnu Sahasranama. Sudoku, Mandala design colouring, knitting, drawing are some of stress busting activities during pregnancy.

Listen to body:  If your body asks for a good exercise, practice yoga atleast for 30 mins daily, if it needs rest, food, water, simply do so. Don’t go overboard with mental and physical work in the name of being active and do not control the natural urges of the body, let it go out as it is a part of removing unwanted substances from the body.  Striking the right balance between work and rest is the key that is achieved by listening to your body.

Essential lifestyle changes to be made daily for optimum health: In our various blogs, WhatsApp groups, we always stress upon lifestyle corrections and habits to be done in our daily lives to benefit long lasting good health.

  1. Avoid/stop all 5 whites – White rice (replace with traditional, naturally grown rice, sometimes millets, no wheat), White flour/Maida (replace with Jowar flour, traditional rice flour, Millet flour), White sugar (replace with jaggery, honey, palm sugar), White milk (replace with Ragi milk, almond milk, desi cow humped milk that can be consumed as medicine if advised by Ayurvedic doctor), White table salt (replace with Himalayan pink rocksalt).
  2. Let us throw out all plastic, aluminium, non-stick cookware that can lead to various diseases and replace with mud, iron, bronze, copper, glass or steel cookwares.
  3. Oil bath twice a week with gingelly (sesame oil) is such an important and amazing way to ensure restful sleep and calm mind.
  4. Replace any kind of refined oil to cold stone pressed or woodchurned oils.
  5. It is also needless to say that naturally and locally grown food is best to health and environment.

Why is above process  important before embarking on pregnancy journey?  In our generation of bad health, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, digital addiction etc, we often forget to take care of ourselves, so how will we beget a healthy progeny? There is no gain without pain. Our efforts in the right direction will definitely yield good results. If the above process seems time consuming and expensive, then let’s wonder about how taking care of an unhealthy mother and baby seem? Isn’t it disheartening to see anyone suffer out of ignorance. It is time we spread the light of right knowledge.

Stay healthy and keep tuned to our next part that will cover pregnancy trimester wise nutrition through food, secret recipes, natural remedies and much more.

Traditional Foods for Improving Nutrition and Food Security!

“A seed is small but rich with possibility, like love, which is as humble as it is powerful.” —Pir Zia Inayat-Khan from “The Seed of Love”

Sacred Seeds
Artistic Display of Native Seeds- Cereal Grains, Millets and Pulses. Picture taken in a recent Seed Festival by Sustainable Livelihood Institute, Auroville

A recent FAO survey shows that less than 60-70yrs ago our ancestors consumed 150 types of foods, the current scenario is appalling to know that our diet has just 2 types of foods- Rice and Wheat.

Here are some questions for you to ponder-

  1. As a consumer, what is your contribution in reversing environment and health deteriorating factor?
  2. What are the benefits of adopting to traditional lifestyle/ traditional foods?
  3. Can preserving Heirloom/Traditional seeds be the solution to global food security?

I had an opportunity to attend ‘2nd Auroville Seed Festival‘ which happened in August 2018 at Bharat Nivas in “Auroville”. The Seed Festival hosted by Sustainable Livelihood Institue (SLI)-Auroville, is a celebration of traditional seed varieties, local farming communities and holistic agricultural practises. The event showcased over 350 traditional varieties. The event also showcased talks by several experts such as Environmentalist & Agriculture Scientist Mr.Pamayan, Mr.Ananthoo of OFM & Tula, seed saving expert Mr.Nel Jayaraman as well as leading Auroville-based farmers and seed savers including Krishna Mckenzie of Solitude Farm.

Seed Festival by Sustainable Livelihood Institute
Seed Festival-2018 in Auroville

Some excerpts from the Seed Festival event-

From the words of Pamayan ji– According to Tamil Sangam Literature the geographical landscapes are: Kurunji (Mountains), Mullai (Forests), Marudham (Agri Areas, Plains, Valleys), Neydhal (Seashore) and Palai (Desert, Parched Wasteland).

Quoting the words of a great Tamil poet and philosopher Thriuvalluvar–(Thirukural- Tamil to English Couplet 742): “maNinheerum maNNum malaiyum aNinhizhaR kaadum udaiya tharaN”.  English Transalation- The wealth of a country is not in its forts/buildings, but in its crystal clear water, an open space, a hill, and shade of beauteous thick forests (Mix of 7 types of crops) where the sunlight does not touch the ground thereby turning the soil into fertile land full of life.

Dating back to before 2000yrs, our forefathers practised Nature based farming in Kurunji landscapes; much importance was given to increase the organic matter in soil by adopting to no-ploughing & no-tilling farming , 7 crop farming (Mix of indigenous trees, small trees, shrubs, herbs, similar to Permaculture). Using manure from farm animals and composting the manure to increase the soil fertility were predominantly a custom in Mullai (Forests) landscapes. Rice & Fish cultivation was traditionally practised in Neydhal (seashore) landscapes. Rain Water harvesting techniques and installing Grand Annicut or Stone Barrier in running rivers/streams were implemented in Fresh Water Ecosystem or Marudham landscapes. Ancient Tamilians used 33 types of man-made structures for water harvesting and saving purposes, they were considered experts in building Stone Barrier structures. It is said that there were approximately 40,000 lakes in Tamil Nadu, and out of which 99.9% have vanished in the name of development- Bus Depots, government buildings, offices, etc..

Why did we loose our ancient Farming Techniques & Heirloom Seeds?

Genetic diversity of agricultural crops has reduced at alarming levels which has de-stablised fragile environment Eco-systems. Our ancient and local knowledge of land has been slowly destroyed or conveniently bought-away from us by wealthy corporations and government policies for economic gain. The reasons for wiping out the heirloom seeds and cropping techniques is to capture the highly profitable food market. Through a recent FAO survey, it is shown that less than 60-70yrs ago our ancestors consumed 150 types of foods, the current scenario is appalling to know that our diet has just 2 types of food- Rice and Wheat. How is that possible? You visit any supermarket, you see arrays of shelves with varieties of food items stacked in them, how on earth its just 2 types of food? Sadly, the answer is a yes! The main ingredient used in the manufacture of majority of foods are bi-products of rice and wheat.

The intake of traditional foods, naturally grown foods and wild foods (forest foods) has reduced, but we consume mono-agriculture based foods, industrial foods, fake foods, fast foods, GMO(genetically modified) foods, due to which we suffer from Low immunity and non-communicable (life-style) diseases like diabetes, kidney failure, thyroid, BP, heart disease, cancer, etc. have increased globally.

From the words of Ananthoo Ji– Only one GM crop is officially approved in India which is GM Cotton. However, an alarming report says that over 55 types of foods consumed in India are Genetically Modified. This is due to the imports (wheat, soya, etc) and manufactured foods of foreign origin which reaches our plates without proper health safety parameters from the government.

Traditional Foods for Food Security
A Clipping from a newspaper article.

Traditional foods are the only answer to boost our bodies natural immunity. A monopoly situation has been formulated by the greedy corporations to capture the food market profits by creating a difficulty to access our land based traditional and indigenous foods thereby reducing its consumption and health awareness to the public. Media and Advertisements play a lead role to confuse and favor public choices, especially children become the innocent victims, adults equally. Eg. paste with salt in it, manufactured drink claims to contain all the proteins and vitamins for a child’s growth, processed soya milk, pasteurized Milk, Pepsi ads by famous Sports person/ Actors, Breakfast cereals for weight loss, and the list goes on.

Monopoly through Fertilizer lobby, Industrial Seeds Lobby, GMO Crops:

Fertilizer lobby and Industrial Seeds Lobby is another culprit against Traditional foods. According to the Seeds Act, 1966., it is illegal to sell seeds by an individual farmer, only exchange is allowed. Yes, a farmer may feed the country and its people, may produce the seeds, but not sell ” Seeds”.  When seeds are under siege by laws and large corporations (Monsanto, Bayer) the farmer loses his/her heirloom (open-pollinated) seeds and traditional farming systems to high costing seeds hybrid and GMO seeds. Engineered seeds are those that cannot produce fertile seeds which can be sown again and these seeds require expensive, environmental and health damaging chemical fertilizers (glyphosphate) for very crop cycle. GMO crops are known to contaminate and damage generations of heirloom seeds. Large corporations will start removing the heirloom seeds from the hands of the farmer and establish or monopolize the seed market, thereby pushing the farmer to higher debts and suicide. Example, the GM cotton seed from Monsonta are bought and cultivated by 95% of the cotton growers accross India. Ironically, our country’s National Flag which has to be made to specifications set by our ancestors, including a particular size, measurement, a place to make the flag, and using natural fiber cloth Khadi; is now made by using GM Cotton.

Agrarian Economy, Seed Freedom and Seed Sovereignty:

A country’s economics is in its agrarian economy. We are in a state of seed emergency and the Agrarian economy lies in seed protection, seed freedom and seed sovereignty. Currently, 95% of GM cotton is dominating the Indian market, if a similar situation arises to Rice, Wheat or any other Vegetable crops, then the seed companies will dictate the food market by means of regulating and restricting seed availability to farmers. In not so far future, the seed corporations might refuse to sell seeds for farming activities in our land and instead we will be forced to establish expensive import links by growing food crops in 3rd world regions.

The Great Seed piracy takes control of the seeds of farmers and facilitates seed monopolies, seed regulations through laws, germ plasm (ex-situ), genomic mapping and gene editing through biotechnology and intellectual property rights backed by large corporations. Food security can only be achieved through seed protection. For instance, A traditional Rice variety- Thooyamalli, which has been domesticated through 2000yrs of perfection, and handed down through many generations which has seen many seasonal changes, pests, diseases and climate cycles, has to be revived through continuous growing (in-situ) of the crop and there by preservation of the seed is achieved. What happened to Rice variety IR8, a product of Green Revolution? It is does not exist now. Such is the situation of new age seeds which is released every year by means of biotechnology. Traditional farming practices and indigenous seeds are a valuable cultural heritage and indicators of biodiversity.

There is a local saying which translates to “When a siddhar dies, 100 herbs might risk becoming weeds”, it so happens because of lack knowledge to identify a weed which may as well be a health benefiting herb.

Significance of Re-adopting to Traditional fooDS:

Planting seeds of change in our decisions towards sustainable food choices is the only way forward. Ancestral food celebrates and honors our land and our ties to Mother Earth; indigenous foods are high in nutritional quality and is significant to promote good health outcomes, a means to alleviate poverty and malnutrition, prevents chronic life-style diseases like- Diabetes, Hormonal Imbalances, BP, Cancer, etc.

Significance of Seed Festivals:

Show your support to protect and promote traditional seed crops diversity by attending your neighborhood Seed Festivals. Seed Festivals are a movement, a culmination of passionate people committed to reviving heirloom seeds & traditional foods including Rice, Millets, indigenous foods; and is a way to bring public awareness to the economic and health importance of ancient food systems.

seeds balls
Hands on demonstration for kids to make Seed Balls. “Seed balls” or “Seed bombs” are mixtures of clay, compost and a seed. The mixture is rolled into a ball shape and left to dry for aerial seeding.  Masanobu Fukuoka popularized this ancient method of agriculture, where-by the seeds are thrown or dropped on land for aerial reforestation.

Celebration of Native Seeds
Bi-products of Oil seeds

Palm Leaf Products
Palm Leaf Products Displayed in Seed Festival.

Native Seeds Display
Native Seeds Display for Kitchen Gardening Enthusiasts

Solutions don’t care how the problem started.

Together we can be the Change- Lets Save Traditional seeds by consuming indigenous and local foods, else the future of our food, mother earth and its inhabitants are bleak.

Thank you Velu Anna for the opportunity!

Homemade Butter from A2 cows milk

Here is a pictorial representation to extract butter from A2/Natti Cows milk. This butter can be used to get healthy homemade ghee (recipe follows).

Ghee made at home with homemade butter gives wonderful aroma and taste than a store bought Ghee and its very healthy. Ghee made out of Holy Natti cow has amazing healing power than the ghee made of Jersey cows.

Click on https://swarnaprashana.org/amazing-facts-about-the-holy-cow/ to know more on holy cow

Method

  1. Start collecting the Cream or Malai from the boiled cows milk. You will get a good amount of cream when the milk is cooled completely. This can be arrived by refrigerating the boiled milk. Incase you forget to take the malai / cream from milk, you can take it from curd and mix with the rest of the collected malai.
  2. Store the malai in a Statinless steel container and refreigirate it. You can collect and store the malai for 2 to 3 weeks. Below is the cream/malai which was got from 1 ltr Natti cows milk and stored for 18 days. This quantity yields around 250 gms of butter.

cream-from-milk-and-curd

3. If you feel the butter is freezed and hard, jus keep it out until it becomes easy to take it in a spoon. But see to that it is cool, only then you can extract butter easily.

4. Keep 4 cups of water in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for half n hour.

5. Now take half of the cream in a Wet mixie jar and pour 1 cups of cold water. Use the pulse mode and whip the mixture in the mixie until you see the butter floating at the top (refer below pic). This might take 3 to 4 min of whipping. Please see to that the mixture is cold otherwise it would be difficult to take out the butter.

churning-in-mixie

6. Take out the floating butter with your hand and drop it in  bowl of cold water.

takin-from-mixie-1

immersed-in-cold-water

7. Repeat the same step with the rest of the cream. Once you have collected the butter, wash it well with the water in the which it was dropped.

8. Once washed well the soft homemade butter is ready.

takin-butter

9. Store it in a Stainless steel box and this can be stored for 2 days and can be used to preapare ghee

Note

*Always see to that the mixture cool which will make the process easier.

*If you feel you are not able to collect butter from mixie, jus freeze it for 5 min and whip again.

*We can also use a wooden buttermilk churner for extracting butter from cream or malai, which is one of the ancient and authentic method.

 

Author: Sri Nandhini Hari

I’m Sri Nandhini Hari, a B.Com & M.B.A finance post graduate and have worked in American Express Bank as an Asst. Manager and later with CTS as Financial Analyst. I have a passion towards our own tradition and culture and this has triggered me to share the natural and homemade products to a bigger community for the benefit of all.

Neer Dosa- Traditional dish with Poongar Rice (Womens Rice)

neer-dosai

Ingredients:

  • Poongar / Women’s Rice – 2cups
  • Grated coconut: 1 cup
  • Thin Poha/Paper Aval – 1 handful
  • Coconut Oil – For greasing
  • Salt, Palm Sugar – As per taste
  • Ghee/Butter

Procedure:

womens-rice

    • Wash and soak women’s rice for 8 hours minimum.
    • Grind the rice along with grated coconut and poha to form smooth paste. The consistency of the paste should be slightly thinner than normal dosa batter.

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    • Keep the batter covered for fermentation for minimum 8 hours.consis-2
    • Now, check the consistency of the batter to be a bit more thinner than normal dosa batter, add water if required.
    • Now add 1-2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar and mix the batter well.
        • Now smear dosa tawa (preferably iron tawa, avoid non stick and induction tawas) with coconut oil using coconut fiber.

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      • Heat the tawa for 2 mins, now pour dosa batter starting from outer circle and ending with inner circle and spread it with laddle to make circle.

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    • Pour coconut oil little by little on the sides of dosa to complete the round and cover.

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  • Once the dosa is cooked, flip the other side and cover.
  • Remove from tawa and serve hot with a dollop of desi cow ghee or fresh butter and coriander-mint chutney.

ready

Note:

Jeera Pepper Rasam for Cold

Ingredients:

Pepper : 2tsp
Dhania seeds : 2tsp
Arisi Thippili (long pepper) : 1 1/2tsp
Thur dal : 1/2 tsp
Jeera : 2 tsp
Curry leaves : 2 to 3
Pudina leaves : 4 to 5
Tamarind : a small lemon size
Tomato : 1
Coriander leaves for garnishing

For Tempering
Ghee – 1tsp
Mustard – 1tsp
Curry leaves – 2 to 3

Method :

Soak Tamarind in water for 15 min
Heat a kadai and dry roast pepper, dhania, arisi thippili (long pepper) and thur dal and fry till it changes colour. Add curry leaves and pudina and swich off the stove. Grind into smooth paste by adding water.

Extract juice from the soaked tamarind add salt, turmeric and hing. let it boil. Add the ground paste once raw smell goes add reqd quantity of water and allow it to froth.(Rasam must not boil)
Heat a kadai and temper the items provided above and add to the rasam. Finally add tomato, coriander.

You will feel really releived from the body pain due to cold. The Arisi thippili used, gives a stong taste in the tongue which will soothe the throat.

Author: Sri Nandhini Hari

I’m Sri Nandhini Hari, a B.Com & M.B.A finance post graduate and have worked in American Express Bank as an Asst. Manager and later with CTS as Financial Analyst. I have a passion towards our own tradition and culture and this has triggered me to share the natural and homemade products to a bigger community for the benefit of all.

Health-Mix made from traditional ingredients

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Today our kids are not getting their sufficient energy through their irregular food habits. So we are feeding unnatural food, drinks and so on.

Many times, the greatest secrets to our healthy living is with our granny. In our house, we never had those modern so called health drink. Many people do not have time or know to get these forgotten natural food ingredients to make a health mix that we can consume daily. When I was connecting farmer’s traditional products to parenting community, one of the key questions all the parents or old age people ask me was, can I recommend a good natural health mix. So I decided to get my granny’s recipe we used for ages. Not to be surprised, it was a big hit! Now, I am honored to share this recipe to our holistic parenting group.

Ingredients

S.No Ingredients Description
1 Mapillai Samba (traditional rice) Known as Bridegroom’s rice :). It helps in increasing Ojas in our body (energy). This rice is said to improve digestion, cure mouth ulcers, Fight against cancer, Increase haemoglobin content in blood and peoples with diabetic also can consume this rice.
2 Kodo millet Known for medicinal properties (including anti-diabetic and anti-rheumatic attributes), helps heal wounds and has a tranquilizing effect.
3 Little millet Known help prevention of constipation & heals all the problems related to stomach. It improves the semen counts of men. It also helps for women with irregular periods problems. Its high fiber helps to reduce the fat depositions in the body.
4 Barnyard millet Known to have 6 times high fiber content when compared with wheat. Its a gluten free millet with high calcium, phosphorous & fiber. It is high in carbohydrates and fat too. It helps to maintain the body temperature. It acts as a good anti oxidant too.
5 Foxtail millet
Known for its rich in dietary fiber and minerals such as copper & iron. It helps us to keep our body strong and immune. It helps to control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
6  Pearl millet  Known for have 8 times more iron of the rice. It is very rich in Calcium, Protein, Iron & Magnesium. It helps to reduce the bad cholesterol level in our body. Its a great body coolant. It helps to improve the digestion power & heals stomach ulcers too. It helps to improve bowel movements & prevents constipation. It makes our body strong. It helps to increase the secretion of milk for lactating mothers.
7 Ragi It reverts Skin aging, Increases Lactation, Helps Digestion, Treats Anemia, good Source of Protein and Amino Acids, Aids Relaxation, Reduces Cholesterol, Controls Diabetes, Increases Bone Strength and Helps in Weight Loss.
8 Sorghum It has vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin, as well as high levels of magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium, as well as nearly half the daily required intake of protein and a very significant amount of dietary fiber.
9 Green gram Known for its rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E and also in many minerals including iron, calcium, potassium vegetarian protein. As per Ancient Chinese medicine it also contains anti-cancer properties.
10 Black gram  Known for Anti inflammatory properties and strengthens nervous system cure male and female sexual related problems.
11 Horse gram  Known for its rich in iron, calcium and vegetarian source of protein.
12 Bengal gram  Known as Energy booster, Diabetics, Digestive system, Treat anemia, Eliminates stones,  treatment of curing skin problems like acne, pimple, dermatitis, eczema and scabies etc.
13 Roasted gram  it prevents constipation and lessens the risk of heart disease also a good source of calcium, potassium and magnesium.
14 Ground nut  Known for health benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
15 Dry ginger  Known to relief from gastrointestinal distress, very beneficial in the prevention of motion sickness. It reduces nausea and cold sweats, dizziness and vomiting.
16 Pepper  Known to relief from cold, detox your skin, and even help fight cancer and lot more.
17 Cardamom  Anti-Carcinogenic Properties, Good for Cardiovascular Health, Control of Cholesterol, Anti-Depressant, Treating Urinary Disorders, Anti-Asthmatic Property and Anti-Inflammatory Properties and lot more.
18 Flax seed Know for its omega 3, Reduce Hypertension, Depression, Liver Disease and lot more.

Apart from this we have added the dry nuts like badam, pistas, Cashews, peanuts and many other healthy ingredients too. The full list of ingredients can be read here.
These ingredients are taken in a definite proportion – sprouted, roasted and grinded to powder so that it stays fresh for long time without adding any preservatives or additives. The ingredients and the process is from the ancestral recipe book. It was followed and benefits were reaped by many generations.

It takes 3 people as a team to work for at least 7 days to prepare this mix, end result is 54 kg to 72 kg pack. Since there are no preservatives, buy only the quantity that you plan to use within few weeks.

How to Use/Cook?

For single person – Take 250ml of water, make it warm, put 2 spoons of this health mix, stir with warm water for 2 minutes. After that, add little organic jaggery and drink it.

You can make Porridge, Adai dosa, Puttu, Paayasam, laddu etc.

We are part of HLP.World/Store , a community driven shopping project, that revives Indian indigenous traditional organic food. A project initiated exclusive by parents for parents at whatsapp holistic group.

The miracle rice “Karuppu Kavuni Arisi”, Black Kavuni Rice.

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In olden days, the Chettinad community in south India were known for their wide spread of trading network ranging from Arabia to South East Asia. During their business travel to sell our Indian spices, precious stones, and so on, there was huge cultural exchange of value and knowledge. Best example is Burmese teak to adorn their palaces, and less known rice to south India, which has become a part of their cuisine as well, Karuppu Kavuni Arisi, black kavuni rice.

All these ancient rices are packed with health benefits than these Modern day supplements. There is rice for every human need. Sample this, there is a rice called a maapillai samba, given to married people or people trying to conceive, fundamentally it increased the ojas in the body. There is another rice variety called as Neela samba, which would increase lactation for feeding mothers. The list goes on and on.

Black Kavuni Rice was once served only for royal family in china. General public was denied access to this rice, probably merchants were always friends with royal families that’s how they got their hand with this rice varities. Even today there is no chettinad wedding without black kavuni rice desserts.

Black rice, white dishIn ancient days, when a girl attends puberty, they used to make black rice pudding (called as puttu also known as Rangoon puttu). This is because this will help her stabilizes her body and increase the iron in blood and stops accumulating fat in back and hip region, a place women add more fat. Over a period of time, we forgot the black rice and we only followed the ritual and pudding part. Even today, in some part of villages, when a girl is getting ready to be married, they used to give black rice based food to rebuild her into proper shape.

American Chemical Society (ACS) says, one spoonful of black rice contains more anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries.
Today lot of scientific data points are surfacing about this miracle rice, American Chemical Society (ACS) says, one spoonful of black rice contains more anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries. Until then, blueberries was considered the richest source of anthocyanin antioxidants. Black kavuni has 18 amino acids, zinc that counts for immunity, iron that counts for carrying oxygen and the list goes like, copper, carotene, anthocyanin and several important vitamins. Our ancient healing text says, black rice helps to prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease. This is very good for your kidney, stomach and liver. Another beauty of this is. Due to high fibre content, consuming just 1/3rd the quantity is more than enough for the day and you will not feel hunger. It is amazing to see how our ancestor’s contribution for balanced holistic life. That is why they say, food is our medicine and medicine is our food!
How to Use/Cook? (Recipes) You can prepare Sweet Pongal / Adai / Puttu / Dosa. Check here for some quick recipes. 
One of the purpose of our group is to create awareness of our ancient rich food habits, that can be incorporated in our daily life to keeps us healthy, and avoid those junk, cereals, chemical based food. If you like to order this rice, Mr.Mani has got a commitment from farmers to supply 108 kgs to our parenting group. Each family can order either 1kg or 2kg max. This is more than enough for a family for 4 members / month. Click Here to Buy

HLP Store, a community driven shopping project, that revives Indian indigenous traditional organic food. A project initiated exclusively by parents for parents at whatsapp holistic group.