Tilgul wadi (Sweet sesame and jaggery bars)

Tilgul wadi (Sweet sesame and jaggery bars) (makes 25-30 bars)

(All ingredients are underlined)

In a pan, take 1&1/2 cup jaggery and put it on a low flame to liquify. Once the jaggery is completely melted and appears to be frothing, turn off the heat. To it, add 3/4 cup roasted sesame seeds and 3/4 cup powdered roasted sesame seeds. Also add 1/2 cup roasted peanut powder, 1/2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), 1 tsp milk, and cardamom powder as per liking. After mixing everything into a dough-like mixture, roll it into a square, before it starts to cool, on a rolling board that already has some ghee applied to its surface. You can choose the thickness of the bar as per your liking. Add 1 tbsp of grated dry coconut and roll some more, so that the coconut sticks to it. Cut into cubes after it cools completely.

Suraleechya Wadya (Gram flour rolls with coconut and coriander seasoning) / सुरळीच्या वड्या

Suraleechya Wadya (Gram flour rolls with coconut and coriander seasoning)

(All ingredients are underlined)

In a pot, take 2 cups of water. Add 1/4th cup buttermilk, and salt to taste. To it, add 1 cup gram flour (besan) and mix well with hands into a smooth liquid with no lumps. Keep the pot on a low flame and stir continuously. In about 8-10 minutes, the batter starts thickening. With a big spoon, pick up some of the batter and try pouring it out. The batter should  stretch out but still keep clinging to the spoon without falling. When this happens, the batter is ready and has attained the right consistency. Now turn off the gas. Take about 2 tablespoons of this mixture at a time and spread it evenly on clean big plates, with a spoon,  just like when making a Dosa. You will need about 6-7 dinner-size plates for this. Finish spreading the entire batter quickly on all the plates before it cools. Now keep all the plates aside for complete cooling. 

In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add 3 tsp mustard seeds. When they crackle, add 1/2 tsp hing (asfoetida) and turn off the gas. Allow this seasoning to cool. In a separate vessel, mix 1 cup fresh grated coconut and 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander. Add salt and crushed green chilies to taste. 

Spread the oil seasoning evenly on the cooled batter that was spread out on the plates. Also add a single layer of the coconut-coriander mixture on top. Now carefully lifting the cooled batter from its edge, roll into a cylinder. Cut the rolls into about 2" pieces and serve.

The Profanity Epidemic

   The infection of using a foul language embedded with a variety of curse words, is spreading like an epidemic, especially within the tween and the teen community. I call it 'The Profanity Epidemic'.

      The initial exposure usually occurs sometime between entering Middle school and entering High school. It begins with the symptoms of ears becoming accustomed to receiving some filthy words. Sources of such phrases or words can be many like, Internet without parental controls, watching age-inappropriate movies/videos, listening to songs that usually have a catchy rhythm but are teeming with repetitions of offending words, buying and playing video games without ensuring the aptness of their content, and of course mildly to severely infected older friends at school or neighborhood.

      As the contagion starts rising, mucky words erupt out. Rarely at first, and becoming more frequent, appearing in the form of spoken or written or typed words. There is a high risk of vomiting filthy words even if the speaker may not understand their meaning. The urge to throw up can be due to multiple emotions that differ from person to person. For some it may be a way to show off the newly acquired vocabulary, for some it may be a way to act 'cool', for others it might be a way to dump out some kind of frustration or anger.

      Any other person who happens to come in close contact, if not already ill, is most likely to get badly hurt, insulted, or infected, this way gaining the potential himself to spread the contamination further.

    Knowing the severity of this illness, it's long duration, the devastating after effects and as responsible parents and human beings, is it not our duty to save our kids from this deadly disease? Imposing restrictions on kids or warning them to abstain from bad language for the fear of losing privileges might not be the correct remedies. Instead, the best medicine might be to help the kids realize for themselves, that using a profane language is ALWAYS inappropriate for anybody, anytime, anywhere, regardless of age, culture, country, religion or anything at all. They should realize that curse words make the language absolutely foul and repulsive. There are much better and beautiful words in any language to communicate with. They should beware of the consequences of getting into the habit of using them, as they step into adulthood.

       Would you ever wish for your cutie little sweet pie to grow up into a loathsome adult spitting out filthy words every now and then? Never! So, let's join hands to eradicate this epidemic and save our kids. Let us help them become role models for younger siblings and friends, and guide them towards becoming wise and respectful human beings!

Narali Bhat (Sweet Coconut Rice)

Narali Bhat (Sweet Coconut Rice) 

(All ingredients are underlined)

In a pot, heat 3 tsp ghee(clarified butter). Add 3 cloves and 1 & 1/2 cup pre-washed rice. Stir fry for some time and add 3 cups of water, 1/4 tsp saffron, and some orange food color. Now cook the rice completely, in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle or directly in the pot. Spread the cooked rice on a plate to cool. In the same pot get 1 & 3/4 cup jaggery and add the cooled rice to it. Also add some cardamom powder, and a few raisins. Add 1 tsp ghee. Now add 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut. Mix well and now keep the pot in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. Once the pressure is released, your Narali Bhat is ready to serve. Garnish with cashew/almond slices (soak the almonds in water for 1/2 hour and remove peels before slicing) before serving.

Sakhar Bhat/ God Bhat/ Kesar Bhat/ Sweet Saffron Rice

Sakhar Bhat/ God Bhat/ Kesar Bhat/ Sweet Saffron Rice

(All ingredients are underlined)

In a pot, heat 3 tsp ghee(clarified butter). Add 3 cloves and 1 & 1/2 cup pre-washed rice. Stir fry for a minute and add 3 cups of water, 1/4 tsp saffron, and some orange food color. Now cook the rice completely, either in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle or directly in the pot. Spread the cooked rice on a plate to cool. In the same pot get 1 & 1/2 cup sugar and add water so that the sugar is completely soaked. Bring it to boil. Keep boiling. In about 2-3 minutes, take a small drop of this sugar solution and try stretching it between your thumb and a finger tip. Continue boiling till it stretches into a firm string. When this happens, turn off the gas and add the cooled rice to it. Also add some cardamom powder, and a few raisins. Add 1 & 1/2 tsp ghee. Mix well and now keep the pot in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. Once the pressure is released, your Sakhar Bhat is ready to serve. Garnish with cashew/almond slices (soak the almonds in water for 1/2 hour and remove peels before slicing) before serving.

Udad Dal Chutney

Urad Dal Chutney

(All ingredients are underlined) 

Take dried tamarind, the size of a small lemon and soak it in 1/2 cup hot water for about 1/2 hour. You can also use concentrated tamarind pulp. If so, use 1 Tsp of it. In a pan heat 2 Tbsp oil and add 10-12 curry leaves. Once the leaves crackle, add 3/4th cup Urad dal and fry till it turns pinkish in color. Turn off the gas. Squeeze out all the pulp of the soaked tamarind or use the ready made pulp and add it to the dal. Now add jaggery which should be double the amount of tamarind. Add salt and red chili powder to taste. Now grind the mixture in a grinder to make a it into a smooth consistency. You can add a little more water to grind. It should neither be too thick nor too thin. This chutney is sweet-sour in taste. You can add more jaggery if you like.

Spinach/Palak Soup

Spinach/Palak soup (serves 4-5)

(ingredients are underlined)

Take 4 cups of spinach leaves, thoroughly washed and cut. In a small bowl, mix 2 Tsp rice flour with 2 Tbsp water to form a smooth mixture. In a pan, heat 1 Tbsp butter and add 3 cloves, 1" piece of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf and 5-6 curry leaves. Fry for some time and add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 Tbsp chopped garlic, and 1/4th Tsp chopped ginger. Fry for a minute and add 1 vertically cut green chili. Now add the spinach leaves and 4 cups of water. Let it boil for 5-6 minutes. Turn off the gas and allow to cool. Discard the cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Sieve to collect the water in a separate bowl and grind the cooked spinach leaves in a grinder to get a smooth texture. Transfer to a pot and add the sieved water. Add salt and crushed black pepper to taste. Add the rice flour-water mixture for thickening and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on low flame. Serve hot. Some fresh cream and bread croutons can be added on top.