Ginger Root

The use of ginger as a powerful digestive aid dates back thousands of years. Ginger contains chemicals like gingerols and shagaols, which work in our stomachs and intestines to relax our intestinal track and relieve nausea. Ginger can be useful in calming nearly any GI issue, from vomiting to diarrhea. Take advantage of its stomach-soothing properties by sipping on a ginger-infused tea, chewing on a thin slice of fresh ginger, or popping open a good old fashioned ginger ale.

Ingredients:

Freshly grated ginger

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sugar

Black salt

Regular salt 

Recipe:

1) 1 tsp grated ginger + 2 tsp lemon juice + 1 tsp sugar - mix well. 
Eat 1/2 tsp at a time every 4-6 hours.
You can make it on a larger quantity and store it in the refrigerator up to 3-4 months.

2) 4 tsp grated ginger + 1/4 cup lemon juice + 4 tsp sugar ( or more if needed) + 1/8 tsp citric acid as a preservative.

- Mix well and Add to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. 

- Stir well and eat 1/2 tsp two to three times a day when feeling nausea or have no taste in the mouth.

3) 1 tsp grated ginger + 2 tsp lemon juice + 1/4 tsp black salt - mix well. 
Eat 1/2 tsp at a time every 4-6 hours.
This also you can make it on a larger quantity and store it in the refrigerator up to 3-4 months.

 4) 4 tsp grated ginger +1/4 cup emon juice + 1 tsp black salt (or add more if needed) + 1/8 tsp citric 
acid as a preservative.

- Mix well and Add to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. 

- Stir well and eat 1/2 tsp two to three times a day when feeling nausea or have no taste in the mouth.

5) 1 tsp ginger powder + 2 tsp ghee + 2 tsp sugar ( or 2 tsp honey) - Mix well and eat 1/4 tsp at a time two to three times a day.

Notes:

1) Add 1/4 tsp grated ginger while water is boiling for a cup of tea.

2) Take a thin slice of ginger (about the size of your thumb nail), slightly coat it with salt and chew on it and swallow. Drink warm water on it.

3) If you don't have fresh ginger then use ginger powder.

4) People  who cannot eat sugar use the recipe with black salt or people who cannot eat salt use the recipe with sugar.

5) Remember ginger is spicy hot to taste. This spicy hotness can be balanced with sugar or salt so balance the sugar or salt to your taste.

6) You can also use honey instead of sugar.

Mustard seeds

The earliest reference to mustard is in India from a story of Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BC. Gautama Buddha told the story of the grieving mother (Kisa Gotami) and the mustard seed. When a mother loses her only son, she takes his body to the Buddha to find a cure. The Buddha asks her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a family that has never lost a child, husband, parent, or friend. When the mother is unable to find such a house in her village, she realizes death is common to all, and she cannot be selfish in her grief.

Mustard seed is a rich source of oil and protein. The seed has oil as high as 46-48%, and whole seed meal has 43.6% protein.

It has high amounts of calcium -52%, potassium - 15%, magnesium - 84%, phosphorus -120 %, 

Zinc - 60%, Iron - 77%, and Vit. B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, Vit. E, small amounts of Vit. C and Vit. K

I use mustard seeds in oil tempering. When mustard seeds are added to the oil, they start popping when the oil reaches right temperature so that curcumin becomes available when turmeric is added and oil gets blended well with whatever is added to it.

Medicinal Turmeric

The bioactive compounds found in turmeric are called as curcuminoids. Curcumin is one of the most important or the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high… it’s around 3%, by weight. Also curcumin is poorly absorbed into the blood stream. It helps to consume black pepper that contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000%. Curcumin is soluble in fat.
So to extract the optimum benefits of turmeric

1) Activate turmeric with some cooking heat
2) Boost turmeric’s absorption by 2000% by adding some black pepper that has piperine in it.
3) Skyrocket bioavailability and healing potential by adding healthy fat like ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil.
4) So warm up some ghee on gentle heat and add turmeric and black pepper to it so that curcumine from turmeric will be available for it’s medicinal use.
5) Cut root – 1.5 to3 gms per day or powder – 1 to 3 gms per day

 I like to use peanut oil as it blends in very well with the Indian food and actually enhances flavors of the spices we use. It has 17% saturated fat, 46% unsatutaed fat and 32% polyunsaturated fat. It as smoking point of 437 degrees F. It has 33% lenoleic acids (omega 6), and 48% oleic acids (omega 9) and traces of alpha-lenoleic acids (omega 3).  I make flax seed chutney to get omega 3 

I add turmeric powder in oil tempering that is used in almost all the vegetables, many salads, snacks, and legumes/beans/dal preparations for the two meals we eat every day.

Even thogh each person eats only part of these dishes, by the end of the day one should get the required amount of turmeric without even knowing it. 

Spice Boxes

Spice Box 1

Start from chilies and go clockwise

1) chilies

2) Fenugreek

3) Turmeric

4) Black Masala (Goda Masala)

5) Chili Powder

6) Asafoetida Powder

7) Mustard Seeds (in the center)

Spice Box 2

Start with Cinnamon and go clockwise

1) Cinnamon

2) Shahajeera (Black Cumin)

3) Ilaichi

4) Cloves

5) Star Anise (Chakriphool)

6) Bay Leaves

7) Black Peppercorns (in the center)

Basic Garam Masala

Ingredients: 

Coriander seeds - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 2 tsp

Cloves - 10-15

Cinnamon - 2" pieces - 6

Peppercorn - 10-15
Masala Ilaichi (badi Ilaichi) - 5-6
Black mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 6-7
Nagkeshar - 1 tsp (optional)
Dagadphool - 2-3 (optional)
Oil to fry

Recipe:

Add 1/2 tsp oil to a nonstick pan. Roast cloves, fenugreek and black peppercorns on a medium flame
so that they become crisp. Keep stirring so they don't splatter.
Transfer them to a plate.
Then roast remaining items one by one in the same pan (don't add more oil) so you can grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and cause burns.
2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.
3) I have 2 masala containers in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all these spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.

Asafoetida

Ingredients:

Compound Hing (asafoetida).
You can also buy hing powder already prepared to save time.

Recipe:

1) Heat a pan on medium heat. Add compound hing to the pan. Keep turning until you see white spots on the surface. Hing will also swell in size. Let it cool. Transfer it to a mortar and pound it with a pestle to make into powder.

2) Place the compound hing in a glass bowl. Heat it in the microwave oven for 30 seconds on 50% power. Repeat until the compound swells and almost doubles in size. Pound it to make smaller pieces and then into fine powder using spice blender ( I use coffee grinder).
Store in a glass jar with a tight lid.

Note:

Powder made from the compound hing is very pungent so you will need only (1/3) one third  the amount of the store bought powder.

Read this article for more information on this super spice.

Vaidyanathan Pushpagiri / 6 yrs ago / 

  22

 

                                                                                                                          http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/4082645318_980d458b0a_o.jpg                   (L)

Dr. K.T. Acharya in his book, “A historical dictionary of Indian food” and “Indian food – a historical companion” refers to a food item which has been imported into India from ancient times.  It was known as a food item, in the Vedic times and the epic Mahabharatha describes meat cooked at a party, with black pepper, rock salt, pomegranates, lemon and this import, Hing.

This spice, is a resinous gum, which has a strong flavour. It is exuded from the roots of three kinds of plants belonging to the family of Ferula - a close relative of the carrot and fennel plant.  It boasts two varieties - the water soluble and the oil soluble.  

Another worthy, Dr. Chip Rossetti, calls this resin as "smelliest spice of the world".  When the farmers remove the soil from around the plant and make an incision in the top thick carrot like root, for about three months, it exudes the resin which coagulates on exposure to atmospheric air and gradually turns brown.  

Asafoetida, the European (coined by the Italians) name for this resin is a combination of  - "Asa”  from Persian meaning “resin”, and "foetida” meaning “stinking” in Latin.  It is a stinking resin because its major component is 2-butyl 1-propenyl disulphide, which can  easily  be replicated in the school / college laboratories by using the Kipp's Apparatus.    It has a more colourful name, which mercifully is not in use any more.  Devil’s Dung - both for its shape and smell !!

In India, we call asafoetida, as Hing [In Farsi it is called Angozad. The “Ang” from Farsi became Hing in Hindi] or Perungaayam(Tamil) or Kaayam (in Malayalam) meaning the big lump and is not a native of India.  It is imported as Ferula Asafoetida, from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and central Asia. 

It is used in our daily cooking, as well as in medicines.  As a medicine its most common use is in treating indigestion and flatulence.  It relieves locked gas from the intestines and allows it to gush southwards as Kizh Vayu.  One reason, the Indian housewife includes this spice to almost all her cooking, as well as add it in making her masalas. 

The family of lentils, has a tendency to produce gas, in humans who eat them, and hence our forefathers have found a way to naturaly neutralise this upavadham in our stomachs.  To a great extent, garlic is also used for the same purpose, other than adding their fragrance to cooking. But most people do not know, that one should never add Garlic and Hing together in cooking.  Because one neutralises the effect of the other, and the very purpose of adding these spices to our cooking is lost irretrievably or forever.   

Ayurveda Materia Medica says it is good for goiter (iodine metabolism), bronchitis (anti-infective), baldness (hair follicle stimulant)  and even to bring on the recalcitrant monthly menstruation in females, sort of a female hormone moderator?

Very recently, a farmer in Kodumudi  Tamilnadu Mr. Chellamuthu, had used this Perungaayam  in it raw form as an insecticide by putting a bag of  asafoetida in his irrigation channel in the field, killing caterpillars, thus helping  many vegetables to grow better and infection free.  Plants flower better and turmeric flourish because the planted area is free of insects.  

According to the biochemists  “this resin, has a component, that inhibit the growth of insects in the field.  This component Ferulic Acid acts as an antifungal, but is also known to disturb plant nutrient balance, and inhibit the effect of plant hormones. There must then be a balance of these effects that benefit the plant". 

In our daily cooking we do not use this resin in its virgin state.  We adulterate it with atta and an edible gum used as a bonding agent, like gum Arabic in the ratio of 60:30:10.

A hundred grms. of the famous LG.Compounded Asafoetida contains 10 grms of this resin, 30 grms of  gum Arabic and 60 grms. of wheat powder. Hence it is a compounded item? 

We use minute lumps of Hing embedded in a small piece of ripe banana and swallow, as an immediate antidote for neutralising the poison of spiders and other home insects whose bite / sting give pain and an eruption.  

[Contains Hing (Asafoetida), Kali Mirch (Black Pepper) - gastro-intestinal stimulant, Zeera (Cumin) - antispasmodic Saunth (Ginger extract) - digestive and tonic, Nimbu Saar (Lemon extract) - digestive stimulant]  Rs. 15/- per bottle of 100 tabs.

"The natural way to relief from gas. Containing herbs and spices like hing, trusted and used for generations to stimulate digestion."

Ayurveda uses it as a Gas expeller, especially the OTC Medicine Dabur Hingoli, that saves  one from many an embarrassing situations.  Taken regularly, twice a day, it expels the accumulated obnoxious gas, while one is cleaning the teeth in the morning.  

A lot of churnas, and powders are available, with Hing as the major ingredient for almost all ailments concerning the stomach.Notes:

1)

Turmeric

My Mom has been using warm milk as a pre-bedtime sedative since I was a child. As much as I love chamomile, lavender, and all the usual tricks, they haven't always worked for me. I've always liked the whole "drink a glass of warm milk before bed" idea but adding turmeric to milk has won its way to my heart. Just add 1/4 tsp of turmeric along with a tsp of sugar to a warm cup of milk. It works it's magic when you get cold and cough. Take it at least 3 nights up to 7 nights for it to show it's effects. Most of the Ayurvedic medicines are taken in smaller quantities for a longer time, but not as long asthey stop being effective.

Turmeric, the beautiful orange spice from India, is from the ginger family. (Go figure, I love ginger.) Ayuverda and TCM boast that turmeric is anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and helps deal with internal and external infections. Doctors have more recently found that it might block enzymes that promote certain cancers. 

On a more traditional/spiritual plane, turmeric is said to increase ojas. Ojas loosely translates as "heartiness" or resilience, referring specifically to physical health. Ojas is one of the three key aspects of vitality in Ayurveda, along with tejas (the emotional level) and prana (the energetic level). Ojas is usually indicated by strong digestion and a healthy metabolism. Interestingly, I just learned that fertility is a very good sign of ojas because reproductive organs are nourished only after other tissues have been taken care of. 

Turmeric has so many benefits including help for arthritis, cancer, inflammation, skincare, haircare, etc. Please research it. If you have gallstones avoid it but you can take curcumin 
the constituent according to Dr. Weil.Sleep Well, Live Longer!

I believed that Turmeric is rich in anti-oxidants which helps in boosting the immunity power hence it is good for digestive, lungs, heart, bone etc. It acts as anti-bacterial in nature so it heals wound faster.

Shahi Garam Masala (Garam Masala by Sailana Maharaj)

Ingredients: 

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 6 grams

Cloves - 6 grams

Cinnamon - 6 grams

Peppercorn - 6 grams

Bay leaf - 6 grams
Ilaichi - 6 grams
Badi Ilaichi - 6 grams

Mace (Jaypatri) - 3 grams
SunTh (ginger powder) - 3 grams
1 whole nutmeg - make powder
Saffron - 1 gram

Recipe:

Warm above spices on a nonstick pan so that they become crisp and you can grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar. 

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and
cause burns.
2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.
3) I have 2 masala containers (spice boxes) in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all the spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.
4) This masala is very strong so use it only 1/4 tsp per dish (for 4 people).

Black Masala or Goda Masala

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds -  500 grams
Cumin seeds - 125 grams
Sesame seeds - 100 grams
Red chili peppers - 100 grams
Dry coconut - 100 grams
Dagad phool or Kallupachi (Black Stone Flower) - 25 gms
Nagakeshar - 20 grams

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 10 grams

Cloves - 10 to 20 grams  (use 10 for milder flavor)

Cinnamon - 10 to 20 grams (use 10 for milder flavor)

Peppercorn - 10 grams

Turmeric - 1 Tb

Bay leaf - 50 grams

Hing (asafoetida) - 2 tsps

Salt - 1 Tb

Peanut oil to shallow fry

Recipe:

Add a little oil (2-3 tsps) in a nonstick pan. 

Fry ingredients with following order.

Start with Hing powder /asafoetida.  Stir well in oil

Add Turmeric powder. Stir well in oil

Add dry coconut and cook on a very low heat until golden and remove it to a bowl.

Add little oil each time for the rest of the ingredients and roast them one by one.
Once roasted transfer them to the bowl.

Be careful when you roast cloves and black peppercorn ( they can pop and burn you)

Once all the ingredients are roasted, mix them well and grind them in a blender/mixer and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.  Store it in a freezer so that it won't go rancid and will last for months.
Just take out enough every time that will last for a month in your spice box.

Notes: 

1) Every family has their own masala recipe in India. This recipe is my family recipe.  It came from 
my mom's mom, my maternal grandmother (Mrs. Pramodini Joshi) to my mom (Mrs. Sheela Datar) and now to me.  

2) Dagad phool - make sure it is free of soil /stones. 

3) Nagakeshar - It looks lot like cloves.



4) Glossary of Spices & Condiments - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glosss1.html

5) What is asafoetida?   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida

Onion-Garlic Masala

Ingredients:

Dry onion - 1/2 cup shallow fried in oil until lightly brown

Garlic - 5-6 large cloves - shallow fry in oil until lightly brown

Peanuts - dry roast raw peanuts in shallow pan - about 1/2 cup

Cumin powder - 1 Tb

Coriander powder - 1 Tb

Chili powder - 3-4 tsp (or to taste)

Citric acid - a pinch

Recipe: 

Grind all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Refrigerate (anything that has oil in it can go rancid).

Notes: 

1) You can use this masala with many dishes that has beans or dals (split beans).

2) You can use this masala with vegetable preparations that don't have curry (soupy consistency) or prepared dry like potatoes, bell peppers etc.

Chili Garlic Oil

Ingredients:

1/4 cup additional peanut oil
4/5 large cloves of garlic chopped
3 Tb chili powder
1 Tb cracked red pepper
pinch of salt

Recipe:

Heat oil in a tall pan. 

Add chopped garlic and let it cook until lightly brown.
Add cracked red pepper.
Remove from the heat and add chili powder (it burns easily).
Add salt to taste.
Cool and pour in a glass jar and store it in refrigerator. 

Notes:

1) It keeps well in refrigerator for many weeks.. Take it out and let it thaw before using it.
2)I serve this chili oil with many soupy curried vegetables like spinach/methi bhajis.
3) I use it with Chinese, Thai or Italian dishes.
4) You can use it as a condiment with fresh chapatis, phulkas. 
5) when I make pita bread pizza,  I spread this oil on pita bread before adding tomato sauce and then add veggies and cheese on top of it.