The Traveling Palate

Cleansing the Body and Soul...

2012-02-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

“Cleanses” are currently hot buzzword in the weight loss industry at the moment. A cleanse is basically a weight loss term for fasting and detoxing the body of built up impurities. This method of weight loss is a method I give to my clients only when they insist on trying it, and nothing else is working. In most cases the weight comes back on but for a few lucky ones it does work, if done correctly. The best way to lose weight is to eat a sensible balanced diet and increase your metabolism with eating at the right times and exercising.

Fasting and cleansing are basically the same technique but done for different purposes. Fasting, especially in India, are usually for religious purposes. The most common is eating only one meal, either lunch or dinner, the remaining times fruits and milk are allowed. There are also cleanses for many types of ailments which are very popular in Ayurveda such as cleanses for the colon, liver, asthma and joint pains.

Touting that their method is the best way to remove toxins from the body and give us more energy, there are all types of commercial cleanses being promoted. They promise clearer skin, brighter eyes, weight loss, stronger immune system, greater mental clarity, and self confidence. If you google search ‘cleanse,’ you will find numerous pages of info. Many of the sites try and sell their own miracle cleanses for which you need to buy the right supplements or recipes from their company. These are unnecessary. A simple, short cleanse on your own without over-priced products will do the job.
Water only, juice only, fruit only, lemonade only, protein shake cleanse and are some popular cleansing methods for weight loss. Do they work; are they safe and which one will work for you? Here are a few dos and don’ts of cleansing for weight loss.

Do cleanses work?

The calorie restrictions on most cleanses is less than 1200 calories and with such few calories, you will lose weight. Maintaining this weight loss after the cleanse period is the difficult part. In terms of removing toxins, cleansing does do this to some degree if you have a diet consisting of junk foods, sugar and caffeine. The body however is able to digest a variety of foods as long as they are wholesome. For example, whole wheat is better than refined flour and jaggery is better than sugar and eating them in moderation does not create toxins in the body.

When should you cleanse?

The cleanses we are talking about here are for weight loss. If you are finding it difficult losing weight with a balanced diet – cannot stay away from fast food, or get cravings for sweets, then a cleanse may be the discipline tool you need. Deprivation and hunger are not nice feelings but again, if your eating is out of control then some drastic measures may be needed. Just like dieting, cleansing is not easy.

What are the different types of cleanses?

There are hundreds of commercial weight loss cleanses on the market –after all weight loss is big business. Herbal supplement cleanse, master cleanse(only lemon water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper and made famous by Beyoncé), juice cleanse and many more. You do not need any specific products for the cleansing process and I do not recommend any extra supplements other than the regular muti-vitamin.

How do I get started?

Decide how you are going to fast --just juices, eating fruits and vegetables only, eating only raw foods. One client recently did a fruit only cleanse with a protein shake in the evening. She did this for 3 days and lost 1.5 kilos. The good news is that she did not gain it back because she was so thrilled with losing that one kilo that she was eating more balanced low fat diet. Another client ate only fruits and vegetables for 2 days. She felt more energetic and lighter since she broke her sugar habit of daily sweet lassis and candy bars(strange combination, I know). She had tried to cut them out before but never succeeded until the cleanse.

How often should I cleanse?

Pick a short term for the cleanse. Once a week, three days a month, or once every six months – losing nutrients for a short period will not have long lasting damaging effects. It is like getting the flu and not eating for a couple of days, eventually your body recovers. If you deprive your body of calories for an extended period of time, then your metabolism will slow down, defeating the purpose of the fast in the first place. Most commercial cleanses are for longer periods of time – 28 days, 10 days, etc which is too long for the body to be deprived of certain nutrients.

Preferably, give your body important nutrients during the cleanse process. Use a meal supplement that has nutrients already in it for at one meal. The calorie intake is low but your body gets the energy it needs for proper functioning. You should also be taking a muti-viatmin pill for a few days prior to the fast and a few days after. Three days in succession is the maximum I recommend doing a cleanse, and at the most once a month. A once a week fast is also ok.

Are there any Side-Effects?

Again, for a short duration there are no long term side-effects. You will be hungry and with hunger come crankiness so warn your loved ones to bear with you during this time. You may feel lightheadedness from lack of food and find it difficult to maintain a normal work routine. Strenuous workouts are not recommended during cleanses but some light yoga or walking is fine. Water plays an important role in the cleansing process so make sure you drink at least 2-3 litres of water a day during this period.

Other factors

Ease into your regular diet regime after the cleanse is over, do not eat a greasy dosa immediatey the morning after your cleanse is finished. It will take some time for your body to get adjusted to fats, oils and other items that were eliminated.

Cleansing is a holistic approach to weight loss. To be successful a holistic approach to life is also important – moderation in all food types and living stress free. Stress usually plays a large role in weight gain so it is important to get it under control.

Remember all the safety points of cleansing – Stay healthy and good luck.

Dinner Courses

2011-11-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

I wrote about our dear friend’s dinner on this post last year. The 7 course Italian dinners that Janet and Phifinne make are remarkable – taste, ambiance, warmth are all to perfection. I have always wanted to try and replicate the course style entertaining but it somehow just doesn’t fit in our Indian setting. First there is drinking with heavy snacks which seem never ending. This followed, not before 10pm, by a buffet spread with heavy gravy dishes ending with the essential sweet dish. Leaving early is an insult to the host so there is no way to excuse yourself and staying for dinner is followed by, “please wait, I am serving the dessert in just two minutes.”

After a year I finally got around to hosting my sit-down dinner, the drawback of which is space. Our table holds at the most 8 people so only 3 couples could be invited. The planning and cooking were as much fun as the actual dinner.

Indians like Indian food. They have adapted their pastas, pizzas and stir-frys to their taste and in the end they prefer to have a desi flavour. When planning the menu, I found it difficult to make everything bland – not because of the guests but because of my taste as well(I am desi afterall). I made it a mix of American(Thanksgiving was around the corner) and European, but the food seemed too bland. I added a prawns rechado, a Goan dish, to give it a bit of zing.

My menu was:
1st course: spaghetti with marinara sauce
2nd course: salad
3rd course: roast chicken, maple-glazed sweet potatoes, beet and prune salad, spinach and cheese casserole, and prawns rechado.
4rth course: tiramisu, pecan pie
5th course: coffee with chocolates

No one opted for the coffee course and I omitted the fruit course, just because there was just too much food.All in all everything went well and I was happy with the outcome. If I were to do it again I would have more Indian food – perhaps an entire Goan theme. Stay tuned.

Here are a few recipes I made that day:
Beet and Prune Salad
Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Prawns Rechado
Tiramasu
Pecan Pie

Fo, Fo and More Fo

2011-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

An editor asked me to write a story on the Goan custom of making poha for Diwali. She thought since I was a Konkani, I would know the custom – I didn’t. I called up my aunt, a wonderful cook who knows practically everything about food, to ask her for info. She gave me poha recipes but the dishes are made not on Diwali, but on Krishnashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. I didn’t know there were so many poha recipes and so many special daysfor them to be prepared!

I called a friend who grew up Goa and she told me about all the Goan Diwali customs, including the making of 5 different fau(the Konkani word for poha and pronounced fo) on Diwali day. Armed with the recipes and the history behind their being made on this particular day, I was ready to cook for my story. I made 5 different pohas. Dahi poha, milk poha and batata poha were easy to make. Even rosathle fau – poha in coconut milk and liquid gur is a simple recipe. For the kaliyale fau or mixed poha, there has to be a special masala made, but aside from this, this poha is also not difficult to make. Apparently, the morning meal of poha was not supposed to take too muh time to make because so many other preparations for Diwali needed to be done by the women on that day, so they purposely kept simple.

Rosathlefau(coconut milk poha)

No one in my family wanted to eat the pohas that I made, so it was just me and the poha and I ate quite a bit – not wanting to waste, of course. I loved the coconut milk poha, the mixed poha and surprisingly the milk poha. It was soothing, meaty, and with just a little salt, it was a perfect filling and healthy snack. I kept thinking -- I wish my kids would eat this!

However, by the end of the day I had enough of poha and felt like I had come concrete in my stomach. I forgot the rule of moderation that day and was reminded that too much a good thing is no longer a good thing! Check out my Goan Diwali story in Pune Mirror here.

Tahini

2011-10-22T00:33:00.000-07:00

Tahini Sauce, Baba Ghanoush, Sesame Maple Toasted Tofu
I love hummus. I am however, left alone in my tastes at home. It is difficult to make only a little hummus, so when I do make a batch of hummus I need to distribute it to other hummus lovers – or at least non-haters.

Tahini, sesame paste that is a key ingredient in hummus, is only available in large bottles and on more than one occasion I have had to throw the bottle out not fully used – only a little is needed to make a batch of hummus.

I researched some uses for tahini and found that sesame paste is quite versatile. I was kicking myself for not finding all these recipes earlier. Tahini sauce is made thinner than the paste in the jar, and can be used as a sandwich spread, dip, or marinade. It is a much healthier option than mayonnaise, and it can be even used as an instant dip which you can eat with cut veggies. Store in an airtight container and it will stay well in the fridge for a week.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 gloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped

Method:
In a mixer combine garlic and tahini. Add salt.
Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency. Mix in parsely

Baba Ghanoush
For those who may think it that this dish is bhaingan ka bartha in disguise – it is not. My kids eat this, which actually pleasantly surprises me. The bhaigan is diluted with lots of lemon, extra virgin olive oil and the distinct taste and texture of tahini. The recipe is adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1 clove garlic
1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice (depending on taste)
3 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons olive oil
Garnish
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake eggplant for 30 minutes, or until outside is crisp and inside is soft.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Cut open eggplant and scoop out the flesh into colander and allow to drain for 10 minutes. Removing the excess liquid helps to eliminate a bitter flavor.
Place eggplant flesh in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash together. You can also use a food processor instead of by hand. Pulse for about 2 minutes.
Place in serving bowl and top with lemon juice and olive oil. Add other garnishes according to taste.
Serve with warm or toasted pita or flatbread. Enjoy!

Baba ghanoush always has to have olive oil on top for garnish. However you can spice things up a bit by adding crushed red pepper, a dash of cumin, parsley or coriander

Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu(adapted from http://www.recipeland.com/)
Ingredients:
1 package extra firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
3 cups snap peas
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss tofu, onion, canola oil, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the onions are browning in spots, 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup and vinegar in a small dish until combined.

Remove the tofu from the oven, add snap peas and drizzle with the maple sauce; stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return to the oven and continue roasting until the peas are crisp-tender, 8 to 12 minutes more.

Layers and Layers of Bebinca

2011-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ravish Arora

Goa was a place we visited often as kids, mainly for a pilgrimage to our family deity. It was not the typical beach holiday that Goa signifies now. We stayed at relatives’ homes, never swam on the beach, always ate vegetarian food for the many pujas we had come to perform, and we had never even heard of bebinca, My parents who both grew up a just a bit south of Goa in the coastal town of Kumta, had never heard of the famous Goan dessert either. Desserts made with eggs and that required an oven were not the norm in those days, they said.

Bebinca batter

I first tried bebinca a few years ago on a holiday(finally a beach holiday to Goa) and was hooked. There was something about the texture of this dessert that was unusual – not as soft and creamy as custard, not as spongy as cake, the feel and delicate, not too sweet taste was entirely distinct – and this taste and texture was a perfect ending after eating a spicy prawn curry.

I always wondered how the multiple layers were formed, and once idly took a fork and broke apart all 16 layers – just for fun.

Adding the Layers

Ravish Arora, a well known restaurateur, in Pune recently hosted a cooking demonstration for the annual Pune Unplugged week.This year the theme was Goan Food. Ravish and his team at Red Carpet Academy made quite an effort setting the mood with Goan music, costumes, refreshing coconut water and plenty of seafood.

Prawns Rechado, Fish Caldinho, Chicken Cafrael, Mushroom Xacuti and of course Bebinca were on the learning menu, and Ravish as usual, did a thorough job in teaching each dish.

The Final Product

Bebinca is not a difficult dish to make – there is only one basic batter. What is needed however, is patience. Each layer is set in the oven for 10-12 minutes. After the first layer is finished the baking dish is taken out of the oven and a heaping tablespoon of ghee is spread on top. Then one more layer of batter is added and put back in the oven to set. This process is carefully repeated a minimum of 7 times with the traditional bebincas having 16 layers. The baking dish should be taken out of the oven at the correct time, so plan to be busy cooking something else in the kitchen in the meanwhile. You would think that a couple of layers would have burnt by the end, but quite the contrary is true – the layers get properly caramelized and that is why there is a colour difference in each layer, the bottom layers being darker.

Alas -- after 7 layers the bebinca is ready. But not so fast – the dish has to rest and set for at least 12 hours before it is ready to be cut and served. Good things come to those who wait but lucky for us, Ravish had bebinca waiting for us to eat – I don’t think I could have waited another 12 hours!

Bebinca
Ingredients
Grated Coconut -- 200 gms
Sugar -- 400 gms
Egg Yolk -- 10
Flour -- 100 gms
Salt -- 2gm
Nutmeg or Cardomom powder -- 3 gms
Melted Ghee -- 125 gms

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Extract 1 cup of thick coconut milk by grinding the coconut with one cup warm water. Grind the coconut again with 1 cup of water and extract 1 cup of thin coconut milk.
3. Dissolve the sugar in thin coconut milk in a pann over low heat. Keep aside to cool. Mix the egg yolks a littel at a time. Stir in thethin coconut milk. Add flour, salt, nutmeg/cardomom powder. Mix well until a smooth batter is formed. Strain.
4. Pour 3 tbs ghee into a round 7" deep baking tin and then pour 1 cup batter over the ghee. Bak for 10 minutes til set and top is golden. Pour 1 tbsp ghee over the baked layer and then 3/4 cup batter. Bake ti again until top is gloden. Continue process till all the batter is used up. There should be 7 layers.
5. When cool turn the bebinca onto a platter. Leave aside for 12 hours before slicing.

Beets -- Plain and Simple

2011-10-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Beets with Balsamic Vinegar Glaze, Beet- Orange Salad, Beet-Walnut and Prune Salad

I don’t know too many individuals who are fond of beets. If more people liked them, there would be more beet based foods -- beet koshimbir(salad) and beet pattice are the only foods that come to mind. Neither of these of which is appealing, and I can see why people don’t like them. But this deep purplish- red vegetable has not got its proper due.

Actually plain cut beets taste wonderful and should be and kept on the table more often – I just don’t understand why my family won’t even eat more than 2 measly pieces I put on their plates. Beets are high in vitamin C, potassium, iron and foliate and have no bitter taste.

In Paris beets are commonly on the menu of fine dining establishments and this summer it seems every food blogger was writing about beets and beet greens. The powerful sweet zest makes stand alone dishes of just beets too strong for our spicy Indian palate. And frankly beets do taste better as an accompanying ingredient in salads and side-dishes.

The first recipe, adapted from Simply Recipes is just roasted beets with an amazing balsamic vinegar glaze -- you can't eat too many of these and one large beet will be enough for 3-4 people and you’ll find that you don’t need so much glaze as the roasted beets taste great alone. Roasting beets give them a soft texture -- the taste is somewhat caramelized and the result is much better than boiling, but if roasting is not possible, then go ahead and boil .

Balsamic Glaze

Roasted with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients:
• ½ kg red beets, medium sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed (see beet greens recipe for what to do with beet greens)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 45 minutes, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.

2. While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.

3. After the beets have cooled for several minutes, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more, bite-sized pieces.

4. Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a little orange zest to serve.

Beet, Walnut and Prune Salad (Adapted from www.healthy-beets.com)

This recipe called for putting the beets through the mixer but I cut them instead.
Ingredients:
3 large beets or 4 small
10 pitted prunes
¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped
3 medium-size garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons quality mayonnaise
1/3 cup brandy
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wrap the beet in aluminum foil and bake until tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour

2. Bring the brandy to a boil in a small saucepan, and pour over the prunes in a bowl. Let soak for 20-30 minutes. (Use hot water instead of brandy if you don't have). Remove the prunes from brandy, and reserve the brandy.

3. Chop the prunes finely, or cut into quarters, depending on taste.

4. Peel the beets when cool enough to handle, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Do not puree.

6. In a large bowl, toss the beets with walnuts, prunes, lemon juice, garlic and 2 tablespoons of reserved brandy. Add mayonnaise or olive oil, and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if desired.
Refrigerate the salad for a few hours before serving. It can also be made a day in advance.

Beet-Orange Salad
Oranges complement beets and there are a plenty of recipes using oranges and beets as the base of the salad. Click here for an excellent recipe from the Food Network. I use olive oil instead of hazelnut oil and pistachios instead of hazenuts.

How Long Do You Take For lunch?

2011-10-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

In most parts of the world, the midday meal has been the most important meal of the day. This is not to compete with breakfast which is more important from a nutritional standpoint -- but rather from a culinary, social, and now, a historical point of view. I write, “now historical,” because traditional lunches in most cultures are fading -- lunches where the entire family gathers around the table to eat a four or five course meal.

Recent statistics find that the French, renowned for their long leisurely lunches with bottles of wine and arrays of dishes flowing in one after the other, spend only an average of 22 minutes for lunch! This is quite a change from 20 years ago when that number was 1.5 hours -- minimum. Longer commute times and ill economic effects of the 35 hour work week are to blame, but the French are still better than their British counterparts who average only 16 minutes for their lunch break.

There are no exact statistics on how many minutes we Indians take for lunch. Unfortunately with longer work hours and commute times, and more women in the workforce, I am sure, like France, it has shrunk considerably from 20 years prior.

When I first moved to India 20 years ago and lived in a joint family, we ate lunch together. My in-laws, both physicians, would finish their surgeries and OPDs in the mornings and be ready for lunch, latest by 12:30pm. My husband’s workplace was nearby and it was my job to call him until he actually arrived home to eat. After about a week, no one waited for him and I also did not like my job of calling him and pestering him– his timing was unpredictable but he would eat lunch with the family at least 50 percent of the time. The lunch was elaborate by Maharashtrian standards – one vegetable, one usal(pulses), one salad, dal, chutney, pickles, roti(bread) and rice , curds and usually something sweet. If there was nothing sweet then a shikrand(banana in milk and sugar) was made for those who wanted it(never me).

We all have separate homes now and within the separate homes, barring Sundays, it is rare that lunch is eaten with any company at all, let alone the entire family. Maybe some joint families still do have food together, but usually kids are in school and husbands are at work, shrinking the family size considerably. The entire thali spread is also not made – one item to go with the roti usually suffices.

We do have one thing going for us – dabbawallahs. CEOs, Presidents, and other head honchos who can eat at a 5-star restaurant everyday, still prefer a home cooked meal and dubbas – whether classic tiered steel or nouveaux Tupperware, allow us to get a home cooked meal wherever we are. Either delivered or packed from home – our dabba system allows for wholesome homemade food to be eaten for lunch, even if that lunch time is short.

Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge

2011-10-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

I have always liked Chinese food. But after returning from a trip China, I found myself missing the authentic Chinese meals so much, I had to learn how to cook them – the Chinese way. Chinese food in Pune was always Mainland China or Ahling, or an occasional hakka noodles made at home – all okay once in a while.

Growing up in the US it was pu-pu platter and any spicy schezwan curry. Pu-pu platter is an appetizer, which I think is banned now for its transfats or at least it should be – bright red spare ribs, large fried egg rolls, chicken wings and fried wontons served with sweet duck sauce on a large platter with a flame in the middle so we could reheat the meats.

In China I found myself eating Chinese every meal(barring breakfasts which are still not to my liking). I did have other choices, my husband always seemed to want some food other than Chinese such as Italian or even KFC(he can’t eat the same food more than a couple days) but I was hooked on the local Chinese preparations.

Being a bit weary of the offal and dubious meat that the Chinese are known for eating I decided that I would eat only vegetarian food for the trip but when I saw the fresh fish available at most restaurants I did add fish to my holiday menu, but more than the fish however, were the fresh vegetable preparations that got me hooked to the flavours of China. And in all three places that we visited – Beijing, Shanghai and Guilin did I find the same treatment to the vegetables. They were crunchy, no heavy sauces, but the taste, textures and were so flavourful that I found myself mopping up all the rice that came as an accompaniment.

Chinese cooking in India is heavy – fried foods with vegetables cut so thin they lose their crunch value – but everyone loves it and after our regular Desi khanna, Chinese is the preferred cuisine.

Although American, I found that Grace Young’s books allow me closely resemble the tastes that I experienced in China. The recipes are also easily doable at home and the ingredients are available locally at Fine Foods or Providore.

Her latest book, Stir-frying to the Sky’s Edge is on the expensive side but I have made enough recipes that I feel I got my money’s worth. The book is thorough and leaves no question unanswered. The author's tips and detailed explanations have allowed me to replicate a few tastes I enjoyed in China. Stir-frying, I found is actually a very healthy way to cook calling for an abundance of fresh vegetables and little meat. The recipes do contain more oil than I would like, and I found that using a little less than mentioned does not alter the recipes -- and moreover the meals are appreciated by my well-palated family.

Cherry Tomatoes -- A Big Delight

2011-10-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Cocimbir, and Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Cherry tomatoes are not new to the Pune market – I remember being thrilled to see them for the first time in Dorabjees about 10 years ago. It wasn’t as if I had missed them prior to this, but to see something new – especially something to add to salads did excite a salad loving foodie like me. But these little red balls are not exactly an age old vegetable – they were invented in 1973 by two Israeli scientists who were actually just experimenting with ways to slow down the rapid ripening of ordinary tomatoes in hot climates. Now of course cherry tomatoes are widely available, affordable and in currently in season.

This mini fruit is a great way to get kids and veggie haters to like vegetables -- small, juicy, with no sharp tomato taste. And yes, tomatoes are actually classified in the fruit category because of developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant but for cooking purposes we can call them vegetables.

Cherry tomatoes have the same nutritional qualities as regular sized tomatoes, which are widely known for their outstanding antioxidant content, including, of course, their rich concentration of lycopene. Researchers have recently found an important connection between the antioxidant property of lycopene and bone health. They are an excellent source of Vitamins A and C and K. Uncooked tomatoes also provide Vitamin E.

There is much more you can do with cherry tomatoes than popping them in a salad with cucumbers and lettuce, they can add some different texture and taste to your meals. Pasta, salads, sauces and appetizers will have a different tang. Our subjis do not taste quite right however -- I tried making cauliflower subji substituting cherry tomatoes for regular tomatoes but didn’t quite like the taste(you might however). A cocimbir with cherry tomatoes is on the other hand, a treat. The delicate sweetness of the cherry tomatoes topped with our Indian tadka has a taste of its own and the bright red dish looks very pleasing on the table.

These recipes have no exact measurements. For example -- you can put as many chilies as you like. If you want more garlic, cucumber, etc…go for it!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Sauteed roasted cherry tomatoes with some garlic and basil makes a wonderful versatile sauce which can be used in pastas or toppings on baked chicken or fish – and there is hardly any cooking involved.

Add a little olive oil and crushed garlic to the tomatoes and cook uncovered in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes. Heat some olive oil and garlic in a pan and add cooked tomatoes. Add fresh basil, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for 5-10 minutes on a low flame. If the tomatoes are larger in size then cut in half before baking. Fish fillets --bake fish fillets with salt, oil and crushed garlic in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°C and top with sauce and serve.

Cherry Tomato Cocimbir

Cut tomatoes in half and equal amount of steamed sweet corn and onions. Add salt, sugar and some lemon. Give tadka of mustard seeds, geera, hing and green chilies. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Stuffed Cherry Tomato

The original recipe calls for mozzarella cheese stuffing but I substituted this with a mixture of hung curds and Indian cheese -- it was a hit, especially with the kids.

Slice a very thin piece off the bottom of each cherry tomato so the tomatoes will sit level on a platter. Make another slice on the other end of the tomato and scoop out the seeds inside using a melon baller or small spoon.

Sprinkle each cherry tomato with salt and pepper. Drizzle in a few drops of olive oil into each cherry tomato. Stuffed each tomato with a mixture of hung curds, salt, sugar, any grated cheese you have on hand, crushed garlic. Garnish the tops with the sliced basil. Transfer the stuffed cherry tomatoes onto a serving platter and refrigerate until ready to serve. The tomatoes should the larger variety or stuffing becomes difficult.

World's First Food Tax

2011-10-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

Denmark is home of the butter-rich Danish pastry

Well, it's happened -- Denmark has slapped a tax on foods with high amounts of saturated fats. The new tax, designed to help with the health of the country, by limiting the population's intake of fatty foods, will add 16 kroner ($3) per kilo of saturated fats in a product.

Although well behind the US and India obesity rates, Denmark is being proactive. The Danes see their neighbors -- France, UK, Amsterdam, etc getting fatter, and want to ensure the same will not happen to them by nipping the the problem in the bud -- at least that is the attempt.

What would be taxed in India besides the obvious butter, ghee and cheese -- everything fried of course, including samosas, pakoras, puris, gulab jamun, ladoos, but also pav bhaji for the amount of butter and even milk and milk products which use full fat milk.

It is more difficult to find foods with limited saturated fats on Indian menus. And, we can't tax the vada pav stall owner, can we? Firstly he doesn't pay tax at all, and the supposed tax would be passed on to the consumers.

People in Denmark are divided -- some see that the tax as a step in the right direction to helping with the health of the nation, others feel it is unnecessary and makes staples such as butter and cheese more expensive. Considering world obesity rates however, it does open your eyes to the dangers of fatty foods and their correlation to obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Food Fuss

2011-09-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Kids – please stop watching Master Chef. Which one? – all of them! After making a simple but tasty salad yesterday, my son declared it was too GRAINY. Now, I want to know firstly -- what that means, and secondly, how can a salad be grainy -- there are no grains in it. My suitcases from my US trips are filled with food – much of it to have variety in our food, specifically salads. My son doesn’t like walnuts in the salad so I thought the sunflower seeds would be a nice touch and add some crunch and brawniness to the salad, and that they did. I asked him which “grains” he was tasting and he replied the nut-like ones.

Kids, and adults for that matter, are getting too fussy about food and one of the reasons is because of shows such as Master Chef, Hell’s Kitchen and Iron Chef – shows where food made by amateur chefs are critiqued by professional chefs turned wanna-be celebrities. To get to their celebrity status they have to mean and nasty to the ones actually doing the work.

I love cooking shows, but these so called reality shows where people are thrown out and made to cry is not what I consider entertainment. It is just people being nasty to one another – and it scares me that these shows are so popular. Why do we like to see failure? Of course there are successes as well and we all feel happy for the ones who win the golden goose at the end, but these wins are visibly at someone else’s expense.

Do not refine your taste buds too much --you will be much happier this way. You should be able to tell when something is rotten, spoiled or poisonous – that’s it. If it requires salt or pepper – add it. If it has too much salt – eat more pasta or bread with it. If you notice that self declared critiques of food(not the pros) are people who do not cook, at least not on a regular basis. Kids and all of you that do not go into the kitchen regularly – you have no right to use the word grainy. Where did you hear that?

Those who actually cook are less critical of food, even after watching those shows. They know the hard work that has gone into cooking that meal. So, I will not make the salad too grainy next time, I know that it is not liked. But a tip for all of us -- be kind, be thankful to the people in your life that to bring you delicious, satisfying meals day in and day out.

The Anatomy of a Biscuit

2011-07-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Biscuits are made with maida, dubious fats, white sugar and a long list of additives and preservatives – none of which is good for the body and on the contrary, harmful. Biscuits bought from a traditional bakery are somewhat better than the mass produced type, as there are fewer preservatives.

Why so many additives? In addition to wanting a longer shelf life, mass production requires an extremely high amount of heat. This high temperature inhibits the crispiness of the biscuits. For maintaining crispness dough conditioners with various raising agents are added. To mask the taste of these additives, other additives are used and you have a long list of unpronounceable items in the ingredient list. Biscuits made in the traditional bakery are cooked gradually and crispness and rising of the dough happen gradually.

Let’s examine the ingredient list of one of the most popular biscuits on the market. See if you can guess which biscuit it is. This is exactly how it appears on the label:

Ingredients: wheat flour (58%), sugar, edible vegetable oil, milk solids(2.5%), invert syrup, raising agents, salt emuslifiers (332.471), vitamins and dough (conditioner 233) Numbering in brackets as per international numbering system. Contains artificial flavourings, milk, butter and vanilla.

Let’s do a bit of deciphering.

- Wheat flour – sounds wholesome, right? There is a difference between whole wheat flour which is what you make chapattis with, and regular wheat flour. Wheat flour is plain maida – you do remember that maida comes from (although distantly) from whole wheat kernels. Wheat flour sounds better that just flour or worse white flour, but white flour it is.

- Sugar – plain simple white sugar. Sugar is a calcium robber and causes acidity.

- Edible vegetable oil – which oil is it exactly and why isn’t it specifically mentioned. It is safe to assume that it is palm oil, which is the cheapest and worst oil for health. There is no mention of hydrogenation. Hydrogenated oil is basically transfats.

- Milk solids – milk powder

- Invert syrup - a golden colored liquid syrup that is made up of equal parts fructose and glucose. Invert liquid syrup is usually created artificially, especially for confections and baked goods but can also occur naturally in both honey and fruit. Invert sugar syrup is used as a substitute for sucrose and it is quite a bit sweeter than sucrose. It also gives a nice golden colour to baked goods.

- Salt emulsifiers – aids emulsification process(bringing everything smoothly together)

- Vitamins – a few drops of some vitamins(anything which is the least expensive) to trick you into thinking that the product is actually healthy.

- Dough – chemical agent

- Artificial flavourings

So which biscuit is it? Marie! Marie biscuits are usually perceived as healthy biscuit but evidently there are few, if any, ingredients that are good for you

Dr. Seema Sonis, diet consultant, did her thesis on biscuits and says there are no ‘healthy’ biscuits. “There are some biscuits being made with oats and ragi (nachni) but they too are not devoid of preservatives, sugar and unhealthy fats. It is better to have homemade snacks which have no sugar. You can get some healthier biscuits from a smaller traditional bakery which does not use so many additives but considering the escalation of diabetes and obesity in our country it is high time we stopped having sugar based snacks,” says Dr. Sonis.

Botton line :

• Do not make biscuits part of your daily diet.

• Drink tea plain, without any food.

• Have biscuits bought from a bakery only occasionally.

Talwalkar’s Food Offerings

2011-07-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Talwalkars, one of the leading chains of gyms in India, is getting into the food business. When my aunt from Hubli came to visit she brought with her a bunch of Talwalkar’s ready to eat meals aptly named, “REDUCE.” Neatly packaged, the foods had the timing of when to eat it written on it by her gym trainer. I was impressed by the packaging and the appetizing photos on the cover.

It appeared to be a replication of the US based Nutrisystem. In the Nutrisystem plan you must eat and buy only their food for all you meals. The total calorie count is low and if you stick to only their food you will lose weight. There are various plans but on average the cost is about $200 per month which is quite reasonable to spend on the majority of your meals in the US. Since Talwalkar’s is test marketing the product they have not set a price for the packaged foods as yet.

Dal tadka, Mexican salad, Western salad, clear soup, and sweet corn chicken soup are a few of the foods that my aunt brought with her. I would not call them gourmet or particularly very tasty but they are not bad either. The quantities of the product are very less and that is the real trick of weight loss. Let’s take the salad for example. It is meant to be an 11am snack. My point is that if you ate this quantity of any food, even chewda or 3-4 bakarwadis it is really ok. The problem arises when we eat more than this. The health aspect is another factor. Chewda and bakarwadi are not healthy foods. Is Talwalkar’s Mexican salad healthy—debatable. My opinion is that any vegetable sitting in a box for an extended amount of time cannot be too healthy. The expiration date was September 2012. Can corn or rajma, which are in the Mexican salad, be good for so long? Yes – with lots of preservatives! Of course consuming this food moderation once in a while is ok but being on a meal plan with only Talwalkar snacks for the long-term is not practical. Not only is it not healthy, it is unappetizing. The company is in the process of widening their food offerings but it will take quite a while for them to satisfy the Indian palate.

I recommend trying the Talwalkar food diet to be conscious of what a portion size should be – you will be amazed that you will actually be full with such little food. It will take time to train your stomach of course, so be patient. I do plan to try it when it is made available in Pune. A company spokesperson has commented that the Pune rollout will take place in about 6 months.

Healthy Cooking Technique – Poaching--Published in Pune Mirror, July 11, 2011

2011-07-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

When you hear the term poaching you may think of companies unscrupulously luring away employees from their current place of work. Poaching however, is a cooking technique that you should add to your cooking repertoire. It is a healthy cooking method where subtle flavours are infused in the food by seasoned simmering liquids. With the minimal use of oil and abundant flavour and moistness, poaching is a darling among the weight conscious. Everyone has heard of poached eggs but few are aware that just about anything can be poached including fish, chicken vegetables and fruits. This is not a difficult cooking technique to be only used by French chefs – anyone can poach!

The difference between boiling and poaching is the temperature in the liquids. When poaching, you are merely simmering and the food gets cooked slowly preserving moisture. When you boil foods the temperature of the liquid is at the maximum 100° C and is too fierce to cook foods evenly -- delicate foods such as eggs and fish will fall apart. Boiling foods also depletes the foods of many of the essential vitamins and minerals.

The key to poaching is to ensure that the liquid does not come to a boil. The only exception being eggs -- because eggs cook quickly, the liquid is first brought to a boil and then turned off. When poaching eggs, vinegar is added to help keep the whites in tact (about 1 t. to 2-3 cups of liquid).

Here are the simple steps to poachcing:

1. First choose a pot for the stovetop to poach. The pot should be a bit larger than what you are going to poach and there should be enough room to easily cover the ingredients with about an inch of water or stock.

2. The choice of liquid and flavourings is what poaching is all about and central to the preparation of the dish. Stock or broth adds instant flavor to the meal. Chicken stock for chicken, beef stock for beef, vegetable stock for fish. Ideally this should be done the day before. And, of course, water will always work.

3. Next, you need an acid. Wine, lemon juice and vinegar are all good choices. Add about 1/4 cup of acid to each quart of your stock or water. You should be able to taste the acid in the liquid. Finally, add your flavourings.

4. Add herbs, spices, and vegetables to the poaching liquid, the meat will absorb them. Good things to add include: basil, chives, coriander, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, onions, carrots. When using fresh herbs, don’t worry about chopping things up -- just place it in the pot as is.

5. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil, and then add the raw material to cook which should be completely covered by the poaching liquid by about one inch. This ensures that the things cooks evenly. After the food is added, reduce the heat to the proper poaching temperature. An instant read thermometer comes in handy here. If poaching fish, the temperature of the liquid should be maintained between 80ºC and 85ºC. The poaching liquid for chicken should be between 70ºC and 80ºC. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry. Just keep the temperature below that of a simmer. You may get a couple of bubbles but the liquid should be bubbling much and the surface will appear to be flowing.

Cooking time varies depending on the size of the meat you are cooking. Typically, a 250 gram portion of chicken will take about 15-20 minutes and an equal size portion of fish about 10 minutes.

These tried and tested recipes are easy to make and make for a low calorie dinner. Serve with roasted vegetables of your choice.

Poached Rawas Fillets – This is a French recipe but you can experiment with other herbs – including red chilies and curry leaves.

Ingredients: ½ kg rawas fillets ½ cup white wine(preferably dry) ½ cup water ½ onion, cut round and thin 3 sprigs of fresh dill(shepu) A sprig of fresh parsley Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method: Put wine, water, dill, parsley and onions in a sauté pan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Place fillets in the pan. Cover. Cook 5-7 minutes or until desired tenderness. Do not overcook. Add freshly ground pepper while serving.

Vanilla Poached Pears (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

400 ml of white wine

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

whole vanilla bean, split and scraped firm pears – 2, peeled leaving the stem intact

Method:

1. Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.
3. Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately ¾ cup of liquid, approximately 15-20 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.

4. Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.

Cooking to Go Abroad...--Published in Pune Mirror, July 18, 2011

2011-07-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Prabhu is worried. Her daughter Jyoti is going to study abroad, and although Jyothi likes continental food, she prefers good old desi khana. The problem is she has never entered the kitchen. Jyoti will be renting an apartment with three other girls going to the same University and neither of them has ever cooked before. Cooking is essential for students as they have limited time and money to eat at Indian restaurants.

What are the first steps towards learning the fundamentals of cooking? These are recommendations for Jyoti and thousands like her that will be thrown into the kitchen in a foreign land:

1. First learn how to give tadkas. Take a spoon of oil and put the seasoning of choice. For example for many Maharashtrian dishes the tadka would be mustard seeds, geera, and then hing. A standard North Indian tadka consists of onion, garlic-ginger paste, and powdered dhania and geera.

2. Cooking Toor Dal – Learn how to cook toor dal in the pressure cooker. One cup dal needs 2 cups water and 3-4 whistles. Experiment with different tadkas so you can have a variety of tastes. Toor dal can be interchanged with other dals and lentils.

3. Cooking Rice – For one cup of rice add one and half cups water and place in pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.

4. Cooking omelets – Sometimes dal and subzi are not possible to make. Eggs make a healthy meal. To make an omelet beat the eggs until almost frothy. Add any vegetables, salt and chillie powder. Add oil or butter to the pan and heat. Ensure the pan is hot before you add the egg batter. Lower flame and flip when cooked on one side.

5. Stir-frys and pasta – Add an Indian twist to jars of pasta sauce with lots of onion, garlic and chillie powder. Add lots of vegetables and garam masala and green chillies to Maggie noodles.

Student kitchen tips that should come in handy:

1. Cook for 2-3 meals at once. You can freeze one or two portions so they are ready for you on the days it is not possible to get in the kitchen or eat leftovers for a few days (very common with students and actually most food never makes it to the freezer).

2. Get canned chick peas (chole) and other lentils that are available off the shelf in most supermarkets abroad. Stock up on these and frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking. Frozen vegetables are as healthy or healthier than fresh because they are packaged as soon as the vegetables are harvested so do not shy away from them and they are usually the same price as fresh. Curds are available in plenty.

3. There is a large variety of bread available abroad. Pita bread, tortillas and wraps all substitute well for rotis. Make one or two subzis and your meal is set.

4. Cooking on the largest flame possible will not make the food cook much faster. You will save a miniscule amount of time and there is a high chance that you will burn the food.

5. Learn the shelf and fridge life of foods. You do not want anything rotting in the fridge.

6. When you are cooking try not to use every dish and vessel in the kitchen, this will minimize your cleaning later. Keep the kitchen clean.

The first attempt at cooking cannot be learned from a book, and learning by doing is the best way to learn the craft. Learn a few tips from your mom, she will be thrilled to teach you.

You mom will give you practical tips such as how to know when meat is cooked, and how to improvise when all the ingredients are not on hand when making a recipe. It is also a great way to spend time together.

Box 1--List of items to take

Mid size Pressure cooker.
Tawa – will double up as toaster, bread warmer and dosa maker
Multipurpose Frying Pan
1-2 kadais of different sizes, friends love to get together and cook in bulk
Ladles, cooking spoons
Masala dubba
At least 3 months supply of the basic spices such as turmeric, red chillie powder, hing, garam masala, mustard seeds, dhania, geera, etc. Depends on what type of food you will be eating more, eg. South Indians will need more tamarind.
Boxes of readymade masalas such as chicken, sambhar, pav bhaji, etc. Masalas are expensive abroad.
A few sachets of readymade garlic-ginger paste. This will not last long but will be convenient when you start.
One month supply of dal and some legumes
A knife, peeler and small chopping board.

Box 2 – Food terms used abroad

Cilantro/coriander – Cothimbir/Dhania leaves
Orka – Bhindi
Squash – somewhat similar to Lauki
Shallots –small onions
Eggplant, Aubergine – Brinjal
Bell pepper – Capsicum
Fennel –Saunf
Orange – Sweet lime
Yogurt – Dahi/Curds
Pepperoni – pork meat…this is not bell pepper so veggies beware.

No fries please--Published in Pune Mirror, July 4, 2011

2011-07-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

I hate to always be the bearer of bad news but this was something you already knew. Now it is solidified with scientific backing –stay away from the potato wafers and French fries. To fend off the kilos as we age, conventional wisdom says you must exercise more and eat fewer calories. Now according to a study by Harvard researchers, what you eat and drink may also play a role in weight control.

According to lead researcher, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an epidemiologist, all foods are not equal, and just eating in moderation is not enough. The results appear in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study also stands out because it quantifies how much weight a person is likely to gain or lose over four years based on one additional daily serving of a range of specific foods. Potatoes were the biggest offender. Eating more potatoes correlated with a gain of 0.6 kg with French fries in particular associated with a 1.5 kg gain; sugary drinks, processed meat and red meat were associated with about a one-pound gain. More TV watching caused bigger weight gains and more physical activity were associated with smaller weight gains – no surprise there.

Many times I am asked if it matters what food calories we consume as long as the calories are fewer than we exert in order to lose or control weight. I keep pointing out that the quality of food calories is just as important as the quantity of calories.

The authors of this study say their study points to a different kind of dietary advice for avoiding extra pounds associated with aging. "This suggests that the path to eating fewer calories is not simply to count calories, but to focus on consuming a more healthy diet in general," says Dr. Mozaffarian.

Eating more fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and yogurt correlated with slight weight loss over four years. So what is the explanation? The researchers cite that perhaps that these fibre-rich foods, although high in calories(nuts, in particular) are satiating, are digested more slowly and deter you from eating other empty calories.

Yogurt is high on the list of good foods to eat for weight control, surprisingly because it does not contain a lot of fibre. The researchers aren't exactly sure how it helps keep waistlines in check, but think that the bacterial cultures play a beneficial role inside the intestines. Also it is possible that people who eat a lot of yogurt have other healthful habits such as exercise and eating balanced meals.

I am surprised, as are other nutritionists, that pastries, cakes and doughnuts have not played a more significant role in the weight gaining foods category in the study. This may be that people who eat potato chips regularly are basically those who eat too much in general. Also that oil may play a large role in our weight gain, both potato chips and french fries are deep fried.

My take on the potato – I think it has been treated very badly by all chefs and home cooks alike. A boiled potato is full of vitamin c, B-6 and folate and is a choice of athletes for energy for endurance sports. It is when it is mashed, fried and used as a vada for vad-pav or a alu tikki for alu tikki chaat that it gets dangerously unhealthy. Do not ban it from your diet but eat in moderation and in the correct form – roasted with minimal oil or boiled as a healthful snack.

Everyday Soup

2011-06-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

My cook happens to think she is my nutritionist and health consultant. She is constantly giving me tips on how to lose weight, what foods are good for me and how I have to move more in the house in order to lose weight. Of course oil is good for the bones to move and that is why she uses it generously.

Mausi as we call her is also on the heavy side and is constantly trying to shed a few kilos. Her latest fixation is eating soup for dinner. I do not usually follow her advice but the soup idea got me curious and she made a bowl to try. The soup consists of only vegetables, no stock. It is basically boiled vegetables pureed in the mixer and surprisingly I liked it! It is a great way to get my daily dose of vegetables without too much thought.

I have begun to have it every night. Ok – it does not always fill me up and I do have a bit of what is made for dinner but my quantity of other food has drastically reduced. It is the easiest soup around with no exact measurements or chicken stock. You can ask your cook to make it without any help required from you. The soup in on the thicker side, meant to be filling and not a watery clear soup. Here is a sample recipe but feel free to experiment and make substitutions.

Pure Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups of cut vegetables --there is always some type of squash in the soup(lauki, red pumkin or both), half potato, half onion, half tomato, and any other vegetable I may have in the house to make up 2cups.
2 pods garlic
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Add all the vegetables, salt, pepper, and garlic into pressure cooker with ½ cup water. After one whistle remove. When vegetables are cooled, puree in the mixer. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Makes one bowl.

New Stores...New Foods

2011-06-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Being in Pune for 20 years now, I have learned to steer my palate towards Indianized remakes of pasta, Chinese and ‘continental.’ But I no longer have to maneuver my tastes. There are many affordable authentic ingredients readily available in stores scattered through the city. Fine Foods, Providore, Tutto Bene are a few examples. Dorabjee’s always carried some foreign ingredients but not the variety that they have now.

Pune citizens are well traveled and have tasted varieties of different foods from all over the world. Italian, Thai and American are seen on home dinner tables more often these days. People want the authentic versions of the food, not the Indianized versions. They want the right cheeses, sauces and seasonings -- and that is where these shops have found their role.

It is odd that these specialty stores carrying imported food items are springing up all over Pune city at a time when obesity rates are increasing and health concerns such as high rates of diabetes and hypertension plague the nation. Shouldn’t we stick to our Desi kanna? Well, that’s not so easy when you have experienced many other tastes and would like to eat them once in a while. My suggestion is to take advantage of these stores and cook more often at home. We tend to eat out when we want some different ethnic food. Authentic Thai curries, pasta sauces, Chinese stir – frys, as well as interesting sandwiches and salads are a few of the things you can make with imported ingredients. It beats the fat content and prices at restaurants these days. So shop and cook to your heart’s content.

The possibilities are endless but here are a few suggestions:

-add olives to your salad or keep the olives as an appetizer

-use hot sesame oil in your stir-frys

-use fish sauce in your Thai recipes

-peanut butter and jam sandwiches make a great snack that is easy to make

-use tahini to make hummus

-feta cheese goes great with spinach olives and tomatoes and some Italian dressing to make a tasty salad

-Keep readymade pasta sauces handy in case cook does not show and you do not have time to cook

- there are more variety of helathy breads available now -- make pesto vegetable sandwiches.

The Real Life Workout--Published in Pune Mirror, May 30, 2011

2011-06-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Many clients complain to me that they exercise vigorously with a trainer for an hour, do not indulge in sweets or fried foods and are still unable to shed any weight.

Sounds unlikely that someone who works out so hard cannot lose weight, doesn’t it? It is not the one hour of exercise that counts as much as the remaining 23 hours of inactivity. With all modern amenities and household help to clean and cook, there is no need to budge from your chair. The watchman brings up your shopping bags, the local kirana grocer delivers your provisions, and your dhobi washes and irons your clothes. You work, read, go online, have coffees with friends, and sit at your work desk complaining that losing weight is so difficult.

Whether it is one hour in the gym or 30 minutes of brisk walking, exercise routines are great and should definitely be continued. However, if weight loss or even weight maintenance is your goal then you need to fit in more activity through the day and do something that will make you burn calories and rev your metabolism.

This will not automatically happen – you have to think about it, plan it and practice it, especially if you are used to a sedentary lifestyle. The following are examples of some people make that extra effort to stay active.(names have been changed)

Do household chores – Seema Shah’s maid quit and she could not find one for nearly a month. During that month she was doing most of the cleaning herself and lost 3 kilos. She had been trying to lose weight with no success for over 4 years. Now, one year later she has maintained the weight loss. Seema gives her new maid once a week off and she continues to do the housework on that day. She also has no problems with keeping maids—the weekly off is a great perk. You work to afford certain luxuries and one of those luxuries is household help – help that will clean your home, cook your food and look after your children. Keep in mind though that health is something money cannot buy and it is something you have to work hard at preserving – in every way possible. I am not advocating sweeping and swabbing every day or firing your household help, but pick something you can do such as folding and putting away clothes, cleaning cupboards, clearing the dining table – do it once or twice a week but make a conscious effort to keep moving and not only will you get some activity but your house will be cleaner and as well! If your maid does not show up do not get hassled, use it as opportunity to burn calories instead. If the doorbell rings, get up and answer it. If you forgot your socks upstairs go and get them -- do not send someone else to get them. If your roommate needs something, offer to get it.

Take the stairs – advice I have been giving my clients for years and advice you’ve heard before but now you understand why it is so important. If you live on higher floors, consider yourself lucky -- you can get a natural workout(it is great for the legs). My client Jyothi Bhide sends up the shopping bags with her watchman and takes the stairs at least 2-3 times a day and she lives on the 7th floor! Same goes for the workplace. At lunchtime, climb up a few flights of stairs. Perspiration can be managed with some good anti-perspirant – any other excuses?

Walking – I know our streets are not conducive to walking, but do it anyway. You need not walk far, but walk often, and throughout the day. Walk to the corner store to get milk; do not send your driver or watchman. Walk your child to school, walk to do your shopping or to visit a friend. Get up from your desk and take a five minute walk around the house or office every hour. One well known doctor I know walks on crowded Karve Road every morning and evening to and from his hospital. He says it keeps him fit and relaxes him before he goes for morning surgeries.

Walk the Pets/Play with Kids – My friend Meenal is a busy doctor but finds time to take her dogs for a climb up the Vetal Tekdi every afternoon without fail. She does exercise regularly in the mornings but the active afternoons refresh her for the evening OPD – and she maintains her weight quite well. Moms of kids-- if you have a nanny, give her a break every now and then and run with your kids. Moms of older kids are through chasing after kids but need to stay in shape even more as they are getting older. Get a hobby to keep you active, make an extra effort not to sit too much. A couple of parents I know take their kids up on treks every weekend – a great way to stay active for the entire family.

Cook – I enjoy cooking every evening. It gets me off the computer and doing something I enjoy. If I need some special ingredients I walk to the local store and buy them. The whole process of cooking and shopping usually takes me an hour and half on average, and forces me to get up from my computer. Being on your feet, cutting, mixing and cooking for an hour may not seem like much movement but it is better I am not sitting for that one hour. Doing something productive and creative many times go hand in hand with being active. So find and an activity that will get you up from sitting in front of a screen or book and just keep moving.

Happy Mother’s Day

2011-05-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Amma(my mom), tells me I shouldn’t spend any money on her for Mother’s Day. She says, every day is mother’s day. Ironically, since I became a mother some years ago, Amma herself gets me a gift on the very day, Mother’s Day – for being a mom she says. I think it is her way of thanking me for giving her grandchildren.
I still do not get my mom a gift on this occasion, but I do make her favourite foods for her. Amma prefers traditional Saraswat vegetarian fare and some fish; she does not like restaurant food, and at home always puts her family’s needs before hers, which usually means many meat dishes. She also seems to eat the leftovers that no one else wants so they are not wasted. Growing up, we always had tasty wholesome foods on the table. Amma knew quite a bit about nutrition and healthy eating well before it became in vogue. She always liked to cook and did it with no complaints. Her only demand was that we try what was made and finish whatever was on our plate.

I cannot imagine cooking 3 meals a day, every single day for a family with varied tastes, likes and dislikes. From experience you come to learn that it is not a nice feeling to have your cooking criticized. Still, we did it to our moms and continue to do it at restaurants, dinner parties or any place there is food. Cooking is taken for granted by most eaters!

When getting a recipe from Amma, I am reminded that cooking is more of an art than a precise science. Even when I measure ingredients out with her, she changes the proportions last minute before putting them in the pan. Now, my mother only has to cook for herself and my father. The type of cooking has also changed -- coconut laden curries are out and grilled foods and salads are the norm in a household, trying to ward off cholesterol and hypertension. But when her children descend on her, Amma still cooks up a storm. Somehow with ease she manages to please everyone – children, grandchildren and beloved son-in-laws leave her home with stomachs a tad too full.

My daughter joins me in the kitchen now and together we cook for the person who is an inspiration to us both. This is what we made for Amma on Mother’s Day:
Pan Fried Prawns, Pulao, Mung Dal Pachadi, Channa Payasam.
Pan Fried Prawns
Ingredients:
1 kg large prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon asafetida
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
rice flour for coating
oil for frying

Directions:

Add first four ingredients to prawns and marinate for one hour.
Coat lightly with rice flour and place on pan separately. Sprinkle oil for cooking. Turn when lightly brownish. Cooks in 5 minutes. Do not over cook.

Chana Dal Payasam

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice – soak for at least 4 hours
1/2 cup thick coconut milk(about 3/4 cup coconut) You can also use a readymade variety.
4 tbsp softened jaggery(grate or mash with spoon)
2 tbsp chana dal
2 tsp cashew pieces
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp raisins(optional)

Directions:
Grind the soaked rice to a coarse paste by adding some water.
Cook chana dal and cashews in cooker with a little water. Dal should be completely cooked but should not be mashed.
Heat the rice paste with enough water on medium flame, constantly mixing so that there are no lumps. The mixture is cooked when the mixture becomes slightly transparent. Add chana dal, jaggery, cashews and raisins. Mix well. Cook on low flame till jaggery gets melted. Mix well. Add more water if consistency is too thick. Add coconut milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add cardamom powder, mix well. Garnish with whole cashews.

Simple Pulao

Ingredients: 1 cup Basmati rice washed 1-2 hours a head

1 big onion chopped
½ tsp garlic + ½ tsp ginger + 1 green chill (minced)
1 cup cut veggies—French beans+ carrots+ cabbage+ cauliflower+ peas
1 tbsp raisins
7- 8 cashews
**1 tbsp garam masala
1 pinch of saffron
3-4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:
Add 1 1/2 cup of hot water, saffron, pinch of salt and 1 tbsp butter to the rice
Cook rice in rice cooker. In the thick skillet fry cashews in remaining butter, add onion, fry till transparent
Add garlic, ginger and chillie and fry for 2 more minutes.
Add garam masala, vegetables, and raisins. Do not overcook.

Add rice, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander.
.

**Garam masala: 4 cardamoms, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 15 black peppercorns, 7-8 cloves, 2 one inch long cinnamon sticks, Powder all in grinder to a smooth powder

Mung Dal Pachadi

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow mung dal, soaked for 2-3 hours

1/2 cup grated cucumber

½ cup grated carrot

1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 green chili, finely chopped

½ tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients together and mix well. Serve with pulao. This is a great source of protein, especially for people who do not prefer raita made with curds.

-Published in Pune Mirror, May 8, 2011

Bustling Beijing--Published in VegNews, March 2011

2011-04-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the VegNews "tree free" edition. Turn to page 54 for my article.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger

2011-04-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Molly Wizenberg is one of my favourite food bloggers. Her writing is simple, interesting and genuine. The successful blogger’s writings earned her a book deal which is worth a read. “The Homemade Life” is her engaging memoir with some fabulous recipes. Molly makes you want to try each one and I plan to do that in time. She explains the recipes in details and gives helpful hints which she is known for in her blog.

I have made Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger from the book a few times – and it is fantastic. I am tempted to make more of things because they last longer and to distribute to friends but find this cake does not turn out as well when I double the recipe. Follow the recipe exactly as is.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
½ salt
¾ semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger(allepak can be found in Chitale Mithaiwale)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas
¼ cup stirred yogurt made with full fat milk

Directions
Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius. Grease a standard sized loaf pan with cooking spray of butter.

In a small bowl, microwave the butter until just melted.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt(omit if using salted butter). Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, vanilla, melted butter and stir to mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides as needed, until just combined. Do not over mix. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy but there should be no unincorporated flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 50 minutes to one hour. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.

Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and then remove from pan. Slice after completely cooled.

Stop Worrying About Your Health--Published in Pune Mirror, March 21, 2011

2011-03-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Did you take your vitamins today, get eight hours of sleep and eat 5 servings of veggies? Are you taking care of your diet, eating less saturated fat and getting plenty of exercise. If these questions make you anxious then chances are you are causing undue stress by worrying about your health.

Preaching different health mantras has become a favorite subject of the media – including television shows, dedicated magazines, websites, blogs and newspaper columns(like this one!). We are inundated with information, sometimes contradictory and confusing and many times scaring us into believing that if we do not follow the advice given, we will be easy targets for heart attacks, diabetes and other such diseases. Reduce weight, exercise more, eat more fiber, turn to the best diets including fruititarian, vegan, low cholesterol, do the right exercises for at least an hour a day, consume the best ingredients to ward off colds and follow the tenets of how to achieve a longer life are a few of the news that we are flooded with daily.

Identifying and achieving the rules of healthier living is not an easy task. Remember -- stress is one of the major causes of various ailments and although it is necessary to take care of your health worrying about it will cause you more harm than good. This is different from hypochondria where one actually feels symptoms and thinks he is sick. This is pure worrying turned anxiety – mainly created by the deluge of information that we see and read every day.

Dr. Bhooshan Shukla, child psychiatrist at Joshi Hospital, comments that many of his patients’ parents are overly concerned about the health of their children as well as their own. “Do not read books or information about health – read love stories or joke books instead. Most of the information that is published is advertising. Articles cite some research which is by no means extensive and the results only help the product being marketed,” he says.

Google adds fuel to the fire. Searching on the net for ailments behind certain symptoms you may have many times results in worst case scenarios. For example a search for the symptom of “stomach pain” results in all different diagnosis possibilities including appendicitis, colitis, diverticulitis and gastric cancer. Chances of any of such a severe diagnosis is rare, and most likely you have a case of gas. A change in diet or eating something such as some ginger would be the best cure – there is no need to worry about it being something more severe.“You should be vigilant and get regular checkups yearly but an investigation for every ache and pain is not necessary,” cautions Dr. Shukla.

A common sense approach to health is necessary to lead a fulfilling healthy life. Quit obsessing about your health and live life happily:
• Use moderation for everything. This is the key to happiness. Do not deny yourself anything including occasional desserts or vodka tonics.

• Eat something fresh and raw every day. An apple, a carrot, banana or the like – your body will thank you. But if this is not possible don’t worry about it. Do not obsess about what you eat or do not eat. Stop thinking about the perfect diet and be sensible. You know that fruits and vegetables are good for you so eat as many as is possible for the day. One day you may be so busy that all you have eaten are Maggie noodles and batata vada. This is okay, just go back to eating healthy as soon as your busy period is over.

• Get some physical activity every day. You need not sweat it out in the gym with a personal trainer for one hour. A brisk walk, surya namaskars, cleaning you house, gardening, a dance class or anything you may enjoy all fill the criteria for physical activity. Take pleasure in keeping your body active.

• Have a hobby or do something you enjoy doing. Whether it is reading, painting, cooking, or simply reading recipe books, it should be enjoyable and make you happy.

Health is not something you can ever maintain perfectly – there will always be some things out of your control. Aging is natural and you body cannot remain the same forever. A balanced diet, simple exercises, and a relaxed mind is all it takes to preserve normal health. So stop worrying about your health, do not overindulge and be happy. But remember if you cannot follow any of these points – don’t worry!

Divya Gugnani’s “Sexy Women Eat – Secrets to Eating What You Want and Still Look Fabulous

2011-03-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

Part memoir and part diet advice, this book is luckily a quick read. The weight loss advice is useful if you can put it into practice. The author gives some common sense tips on how to maintain your weight even with a busy schedule--just like she has. Her ‘media culinary brand,’ behindthburner.com calls for quite of bit of eating and drinking on the job and Divya has been forced to find ways to keep her weight in check.

American born, Divya Gugnani went to Cornell for her undergraduate degree, went to Harvard business school and did a stint on Wall Street before venturing out on her own. The language of the book, however, does not demonstrate Divya’s Ivy League education. I think Divya and Rujuta Diwekar of “Don’t Lose your Mind, Lose you Weight” fame are friends. The writing styles of the books use the same colloquial language which is my main complaint about the book. It is just too casual and you feel like you are reading a cheap novel.

But overall the book is worth a read if you are trying to lose weight. The tips are well documented and there are some healthy recipes worth trying. I have tried the “Muffins that Won’t Give you Muffin Top” recipe and they came out quite good.

USDA advises Americans to eat less...

2011-02-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

The USDA(US Department of Agriculture) comes out with dietary guidelines every 5 years. The latest report, published yesterday tells Americans something that it should have told them many reports ago...EAT LESS. Yes, the report has indicated that Americans consume too many calories and have to cut down. The last report said that "more vegetables and fruits" should be eaten, so people started putting a slice of tomato and some lettuce on their hamburgers. This report says half the plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables -- a much clearer recommendation.

Indians please take the same advice and eat more fruits and vegetables and just eat less...reduce quantities, particularly junk food quantities, to stay fit and healthy.

The complete report can be found here.