Comfort food

[dwai]

Cooked some rejuvenating food for the family just now.

 

Moong dal (soup) and soft rice.

 

4 cups of moong dal (yellow) in half litre of water.

Boil the dal till it gets mushy, dont evaporate or doscard the water...it is very essential (start with high flame and simmer for last 15 minutes...add 1 tbl spoon pf clarified butter)

Moong dal cooks very fast...dal should be soft and mushy within 25-30 minutes.

 

 

In a small frying pan, add 2 tbl spoon of clarified butter (ghee) and melt it, heat it. Add a tea sp each of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and 4-5 dried red peppers. Add 1 tea sp of turmeric and 2 tea spoons of asafoetida. Once red peppers start changing color, immediately transfer into dal. Add salt to taste...add another spoon of ghee if you like. Bring the dal to a boil for another 5 minutes.

 

 

Cook rice in a sauce pan...2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water....let it cook till grains are long and soft. Drain the water.

 

Mix a half cup of rice with a bowl of dal....enjoy.

 

Thought I'd add in that in Ayurveda, people suffering from bad influenza, cold etc are recommended to eat simple food...fortified with turmeric and spices mentioned here (you could leave the mustard seeds out if you want). Moong dal is the easiest to digest and this diet is very easy for the digestive system, while at the same time being very nourishing.

Edited April 8, 2012 by dwai

[Aaron]

Cooked some rejuvenating food for the family just now.

 

Moong dal (soup) and soft rice.

 

4 cups of moong dal (yellow) in half litre of water.

Boil the dal till it gets mushy, dont evaporate or doscard the water...it is very essential (start with high flame and simmer for last 15 minutes...add 1 tbl spoon pf clarified butter)

Moong dal cooks very fast...dal should be soft and mushy within 25-30 minutes.

 

 

In a small frying pan, add 2 tbl spoon of clarified butter (ghee) and melt it, heat it. Add a tea sp each of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and 4-5 dried red peppers. Add 1 tea sp of turmeric and 2 tea spoons of asafoetida. Once red peppers start changing color, immediately transfer into dal. Add salt to taste...add another spoon of ghee if you like. Bring the dal to a boil for another 5 minutes.

 

 

Cook rice in a sauce pan...2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water....let it cook till grains are long and soft. Drain the water.

 

Mix a half cup of rice with a bowl of dal....enjoy.

 

Thought I'd add in that in Ayurveda, people suffering from bad influenza, cold etc are recommended to eat simple food...fortified with turmeric and spices mentioned here (you could leave the mustard seeds out if you want). Moong dal is the easiest to digest and this diet is very easy for the digestive system, while at the same time being very nourishing.

 

Sounds yummy. If I can make it to an Asian market, I may just give this a shot. I love Indian food by the way, and Indian soups are so yummy. (I got hooked on Indian food when I became a vegetarian many years ago.) Sigh... there used to be a great Indian restaurant about 15 minutes away from my old place, but I don't think there are any where I am at now, at least none I've found. I may have to start making my own Indian cuisine, starting with this soup.

 

Aaron

[dwai]

Sounds yummy. If I can make it to an Asian market, I may just give this a shot. I love Indian food by the way, and Indian soups are so yummy. (I got hooked on Indian food when I became a vegetarian many years ago.) Sigh... there used to be a great Indian restaurant about 15 minutes away from my old place, but I don't think there are any where I am at now, at least none I've found. I may have to start making my own Indian cuisine, starting with this soup.

 

Aaron

 

Aaron,

 

Indian restaurants aren't really great places to eat "healthy" food at

I get indigestion every time I eat at one (and yet I do from time to time for some reason or another)...its better to cook at home and eat.

[三江源]

dwai, love your recipe!

 

how about lightly stewed apple + cinnamon, and some raw honey added at the end, for dessert.

 

cinnamon very warming and cleansing, raw honey just great for healing.

 

( Of course I would probably add calvados, but that's just me..)

[dwai]

dwai, love your recipe!

 

how about lightly stewed apple + cinnamon, and some raw honey added at the end, for dessert.

 

cinnamon very warming and cleansing, raw honey just great for healing.

 

( Of course I would probably add calvados, but that's just me..)

Nice!

 

In typical indian recipes, cinnamon is a spice added to salty courses...it is heating and overuse can upset the stomach however...

 

Stewed apple pitted with cloves is a great detoxing breakfast too

[三江源]

Pretty off topic... but would like to ask you something about cinnamon if I may. I read the other day about a cancer killing remedy:

 

drop cinnamon bark oil

 

tsp cinnamon

 

tbsp raw honey

 

cancer loves sugar, so the cancer cells quickly absorb the sugar in the honey, but with it they take the super powerful cinnamon bark oil, which is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti - everything, plus the cinnamon powder. As soon as the cinnamon gets in the cancer cells alongside the sugar, it kills what is feeding off it.

 

It has been found effective.

 

But do you think this is too tough for a persons digestive system, for any length of time? What would be the possible side effects.. too heating? Maybe counter it with aloe?

 

I'm interested. What is the pairing of cinnamon with salty about? Sounds delicious!

[dwai]

Pretty off topic... but would like to ask you something about cinnamon if I may. I read the other day about a cancer killing remedy:

 

drop cinnamon bark oil

 

tsp cinnamon

 

tbsp raw honey

 

cancer loves sugar, so the cancer cells quickly absorb the sugar in the honey, but with it they take the super powerful cinnamon bark oil, which is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti - everything, plus the cinnamon powder. As soon as the cinnamon gets in the cancer cells alongside the sugar, it kills what is feeding off it.

 

It has been found effective.

 

But do you think this is too tough for a persons digestive system, for any length of time? What would be the possible side effects.. too heating? Maybe counter it with aloe?

 

I'm interested. What is the pairing of cinnamon with salty about? Sounds delicious!

 

Hi cat,

 

I would assume in those proportions it should be okay. Its an interesting approach for sure.

In indian recipes cinnamon is rarely used in powdered form except in what is called "garam" masala. Garam means hot....in that the mix of cinnamon, cardamom, clove (and two other spices.l.forget which).

 

What we often do with primarily main courses or rice dishes is add a half stick or so of cinnamon while cooking. We often add full cloves (3-4) too.

 

In desserts it is usually cardamom seeds, saffron, sometimes cloves.

[Antares]

On 08.04.2012 at 10:44 PM, dwai said:

. Moong dal is the easiest to digest and this diet is very easy for the digestive system, while at the same time being very nourishing.

Thanks for sharing this recipe here. How about cooking yellow lentils instead of yellow moong dal?

[dwai]

5 hours ago, Antares said:

Thanks for sharing this recipe here. How about cooking yellow lentils instead of yellow moong dal?

If you’re asking if one could use Toor lentils, then yes, though moong lentils are considered the most easily digestible. Remember not to use sprouted moong (aka mung) beans but the yellow ones. 

[Nungali]

I made matar dahl the other day  ( yellow split pea )  , but I use garlic and ginger not asafoetida   .... and you can see what effect that has had on me !       .

 

It took soooooo long to make  and yes, i did soak the peas first . I  had it with some home made chapatti  and a little side of mango chutney , home made lime pickle   ( you want some ? Friend and I made about 10 big jars of it from one of her lime trees )   and some mint yogurt .

 

The next dahl is going to be 'masoor'  - red  split lentils, that should  not take as long . Also last night I made a simple spicy  pea and potato  mix to make some samosas  .

 

Desert  ?   Rockmelon .   I picked two big ones yesterday , I think three will be ready  to pick today and I have about another  15   ripening on the vine .   They are not as 'watery' as store bought ones but intense flavor and sweetness , you can smell them as you approach the patch .

 

I'll be handing them out to friends and neighbors with kids .

 

 

[dwai]

Masoor is my favorite dal. I make it with a light tadka of nigella seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds and red chilli peppers. 

[Nungali]

3 hours ago, dwai said:

Masoor is my favorite dal. I make it with a light tadka of nigella seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds and red chilli peppers. 

 

That was interesting !  I thought I would try it but I dont have nigella seeds .  I dont use nigella seeds nor know much about them. I have heard them mentioned in recipes and  seen them on the shelf,  so I looked it up ......

 

Hey ! They are those flowers coming up in the melon patch that I didnt know what they where !  Some time back, when preparing a new garden strip I sowed it with a packet of mixed seed , supposedly  with bee attracting flowers . Nothing came up , just a few green dots and then gone     Then after a batch of potatoes and tomatoes (and digging it all over again ) and planting the melons , a few unusual flowers appeared .  I wondered what the fine 'spiky' one was that seems to have the flower growing amongst the spikes  .   It looks exactly like nigella ;

 

 

What Wiki says :

 

" Dried pods are sniffed to restore a lost sense of smell. "  Eh ?    " Numerous studies have shown that it has anti-inflammatory,^[4]anti-oxidative,^[5]anti-mycotic, antibacterial,^[6][7][8]anti-fungal, anti-cancer,^{[9][10][11][12][13]}anti-viral, antihistamine properties, "   It should be good for my joints  (arthritic ) .  However , some say it has a toxic alkaloid in it , not that is poisonous but to use it in moderation .

 

I noticed this morning  that there appears to be seed pods too .  When the rain stops, I will go and harvest some .

 

So, it looks like I will be making some  Dwai dal .... with my own nigella seeds .  

 

 

 

 

[Neirong]

Adding a blend of spices to food nourishes the astral body (the body of sensations), bringing vitality and energy.

Adding a blend of aromatic oils and ghee butter nourishes the ethereal body.
 

Indian cuisine is renowned for its excellence, largely due to the impeccable art of mixing and blending various spices and herbs.

Edited Saturday at 02:15 PM by Neirong

[Nungali]

I made a batch of ghee yesterday .  . . .  I didnt want to cook the samosas in oil .   I wait until I can find a good brand of butter on special , then its a lot cheaper than buying ghee ... which is usually imported . Its  fairly easy ;  I gently heat the butter in a pot until it separates into three levels ; a sort of frothy scum on top , the ghee in the middle and some impurities and milk solids at the bottom . I pour it into a narrow high bowl, let it re settle and refrigerate . Then warm the bowl in warm water, tip the solid block out and shave  off the top and cut off the bottom  - the 'milk solids' ; doing this efficiently will nearly double the  temperature you can heat the ghee to without it starting to smoke  eg butter itself will start burning  at around 250 F but ghee, around 400 .

 

I checked the nigella seed pods , the seeds are still green and forming , so I will have to wait .

 

 

[Nungali]

... and, you can use the ghee on your hair  

 

 

( Image caption :   Handsome Confident Man  ...      ) 

[dwai]

2 hours ago, Nungali said:

I made a batch of ghee yesterday .  . . .  I didnt want to cook the samosas in oil .   I wait until I can find a good brand of butter on special , then its a lot cheaper than buying ghee ... which is usually imported . Its  fairly easy ;  I gently heat the butter in a pot until it separates into three levels ; a sort of frothy scum on top , the ghee in the middle and some impurities and milk solids at the bottom . I pour it into a narrow high bowl, let it re settle and refrigerate . Then warm the bowl in warm water, tip the solid block out and shave  off the top and cut off the bottom  - the 'milk solids' ; doing this efficiently will nearly double the  temperature you can heat the ghee to without it starting to smoke  eg butter itself will start burning  at around 250 F but ghee, around 400 .

 

I checked the nigella seed pods , the seeds are still green and forming , so I will have to wait .

 

 

The milk solids are delicious to eat with some rice and salt and pepper (or sugar). 

[dwai]

Made myself a delicious coconut chutney and potato sandwich. 

[Taomeow]

My winter comfort food is oxtail soup or stew.  This was the first ever taoist recipe I learned.  Been making it whenever oxtail is available, although modified it many times, from the original Chinese version to Japanese, Ukrainian, or proprietary.