I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

I LOVE YOU ANYWAY
The fear of rejection may be one of the most basic fears of the human experience. Dr. Joe Harding tells a heart-warming story of a man who finally decided to ask his boss for a raise in salary. It was Friday. He told his wife that morning what he was about to do. All day the man felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon he summoned the courage to approach his employer. To his delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The man arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china. Candles were lighted. His wife had prepared a festive meal. Immediately he figured that someone from the office had tipped her off! Finding his wife in the kitchen, he told her the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to a wonderful meal. Next to his plate the man found a beautiful lettered note. It read :
"Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you."

While he was on his way to the kitchen to get the dessert he noticed that a second card had fallen from her pocket. Picking it off the floor, he read :
"Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you."

Total acceptance! Total love.

The wife’s love for her husband was not contingent upon his success at work, it was just the opposite. If he were to fail there or be rejected by his boss, he'd be all the more accepted at home. She stood behind him no matter what; softening the blows, healing the wounds, believing in him, loving him. That's the way families “can” be with each other.

We can bear being rejected by almost anyone if we're loved even by one person unconditionally. That one person is already existing in our life and that is “God”.
God loves each of his children equally and unconditionally, whether we think of him or not, whether we pray to him or not, he still cares for us. It is important in life that we love others unconditionally just as God's love is unconditional towards us. His love for us is perfect and is not dependent on whether we triumph or stumble or whether we succeed or fail.
There is a God in each one of us. Let’s not conceal one's true feelings or intentions, let’s see God in each and every one around us. Let us not go forth saying that we love with no feeling behind it, but rather let us go forth with a pure heart showing God's love to all unconditionally just as God wishes for each of us.
Love each other like how God loves us.

Garlic - Health Benefits

Garlic health benefit

Garlic is a member of the same group of plants as the Onion. The bulb is the part used for consuming or as medicine. Epidemiological as well as laboratory studies have shown that garlic and onion consumption reduces certain cancer incidences in the stomach, colon, mammary, cervical, etc.

In an analysis of eight studies from Italy and Switzerland, researchers found that older adults with the highest onion and garlic intakes had the lowest risks of a number of cancers -- including colon, ovarian and throat cancers.

Garlic Chemistry
Garlic has been shown to metabolized into N-aceryl-S-allyl cysteine, allyl mercaptan, diallyl disulfide, diallyl sulfide, diallyl sulfoxide, diallyl sulfone, and allyl methyl sulfide. Garlic has been thought to bring about its anticarcinogenic effect through a number of mechanisms, such as the scavenging of radicals, increasing gluathione levels, increasing the activities of enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase, catalase, inhibition of cytochrome p4502E1, DNA repair mechanisms, prevention of chromosomal damage etc.

Health Benefit of Garlic
It appears that garlic may lower the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but not necessarily through lowering cholesterol levels. Garlic may have anti-platelet activity and also lower blood pressure.
Garlic anti-microbial activity in the mouth.
Eating just one clove of raw or cooked garlic daily may help protect against stomach, esophagela, and colon cancer. That's the conclusion reached by a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who analyzed 17 international population studies examining the eating habits of more than 100,000 people. For example, the incidence of stomach cancer is low in a region of Italy where people commonly eat a garlic-rich pesto with their food, compared with other regions where much less garlic is consumed.
Garlic can combat intestinal parasites, perhaps fungal infections such as athlete's foot and perhaps vaginal yeast infections.

Garlic and Allicin
An ingredient in garlic appears to prevent a potentially deadly type of high blood pressure affecting the lungs, at least in rats. The garlic ingredient, called allicin, seems to ward off pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the arteries that bring blood to the lungs. In humans, pulmonary hypertension can lead to potentially fatal complications in the heart and blood vessels. Humans would need to eat two cloves of garlic every day to equal the rats' dose of allicin.

Garlic extract
Garlic pills are sold in various extracts, including aged garlic and garlic extract with 2% Allicin. I prefer to eat a fresh garlic clove rather than to take a garlic supplement, but each person has a different preference. Each garlic clove is about 2 to 5 grams.

Garlic side effects or caution
Besides the obvious garlic bad breath, it may be a good idea to not consume high doses of garlic if you plan to have surgery because of the possible blood thinning properties of garlic. Very high intake of garlic may cause easy bruising.

Garlic breath
Consider the use of mint, parsley, or fennel seeds to partially counteract garlic breath.

Garlic and cholesterol
Three forms of garlic -- including raw garlic and two types of commercial garlic supplements -- did not significantly reduce LDL cholesterol during a six-month trial. Crushing garlic triggers the formation of a compound known as allicin, which has been shown to prevent the formation of cholesterol in the laboratory. However, clinical trials on garlic as a cholesterol-lowering agent in humans have been inconsistent. Christopher D. Gardner, PhD, Stanford University Medical School, and colleagues enrolled 192 adults age 30 to 65 who had moderately high LDL levels (130 to 190 milligrams per deciliter) beginning in November 2002. Forty-nine participants were randomly assigned to receive raw garlic, 47 to take a powdered garlic supplement, 48 to take an aged garlic supplement and 48 to take placebo. The amount of garlic consumed in the three garlic groups was the equivalent of an average-sized garlic clove each day, six days per week. Fasting blood cholesterol levels were assessed monthly, and the chemical composition of the supplements was checked regularly. There were no statistically significant effects of the three forms of garlic on LDL cholesterol concentrations. Levels of other types of cholesterol -- including HDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol–high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio -- also remained the same. No serious adverse events occurred, although bad body and breath odor were reported to occur often or almost always 57% in the raw garlic group.

Garlic and blood pressure
A combination of garlic supplements and vitamin C reduced blood pressure back to normal levels in people with mildly elevated levels. Garlic ingredients or garlic extract alone increases endothelial cell nitric oxide production, an effect that was shown to be enhanced by the combination with antioxidant vitamins. Drs. Mousa and Mousa recruited six subjects with marginally elevated blood pressure (140/90 mmHg) and assigned them to take placebo for 10 days; followed by one-week washout, then vitamin C (2000 mg) for 10 days, a further week of wash-out period, then garlic tablets (650 mg of bulb powder) for 10 days. Finally, after the last washout, garlic and vitamin C were given together for 10 days. They report that the daily vitamin C alone did not have any effect on blood pressure, while garlic alone resulted in a significant decrease in systolic but not diastolic blood pressure. When the supplements were given together mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures reduced to reference values of 110-120 and 75-80 mmHg, respectively. Blood pressure increased when the combined supplement was stopped. Measurements of nitric oxide levels after garlic administration showed a two-fold increase, relative to placebo, while administration of both garlic and vitamin C resulted in a three-fold increase, relative to the control. Nutrition Research, Volume 27, Issue 2, Pages 119-123. "Cellular effects of garlic supplements and antioxidant vitamins in lowering marginally high blood pressure in humans: pilot study" Authors: A.S. Mousa and S.A. Mousa

Garlic Research Update
Comparison of the Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Potentials of Fresh and Cooked Polish, Ukrainian, and Israeli Garlic.
J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 6;53(7):2726-2732.
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is an essential part of Polish, Ukrainian, and Israeli cuisine. The aim of this investigation was to compare the changes in bioactive compounds, proteins, and antioxidant potentials in fresh Polish, Ukrainian, and Israeli garlic samples after subjection to cooking temperature. Dietary fiber and essential trace elements were comparable. The antioxidant potentials were determined by four scavenging methods using beta-carotene, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS(*)(+)) radical cation with K(2)S(2)O(8) or MnO(2) assays. Polyphenols, tocopherols, proteins, and antioxidant potentials were higher in Polish garlic, but not significantly (P > 0.05). The SDS- and native-PAGE electrophoretic patterns of all three fresh garlic samples were without significant differences. Most of the proteins were in the molecular mass range of 24-97 kDa, and the more intensive major bands were concentrated at 50 and 12 kDa. The 50 kDa protein nearly disappears and the intensity of the 12 kDa lectin bands slightly decreases during cooking. It was observed that the bioactive compounds, antioxidant potential, and proteins in garlic decrease significantly after 20 min of cooking at 100 degrees C. In conclusion, (a) the bioactive compounds, electrophoretic patterns, and antioxidant potential of fresh Polish, Ukrainian, and Israeli garlic samples are comparable; (b) garlic samples subjected to 100 degrees C during 20 min preserve their bioactive compounds, antioxidant potential, and protein profile and are comparable with fresh garlic; and (c) fresh garlic should be added to dishes cooked at 100 degrees C in the last 20 min of the cooking process.

The efficacy of cholesterol-lowering action and side effects of garlic enteric coated tablets in man.
J Med Assoc Thai. 2004 Oct;87(10):1156-61.
The present study aimed at investigating the cholesterol-lowering and side effects of garlic enteric coated tablets in comparison with placebo tablets. The study is a randomized double-blinded crossover design involving 116 volunteers. However, 16 of them did not complete the study. The remaining 100 volunteers were divided into two groups: 45 were in the trial group and the remaining 55 in the control group. The volunteers in the trial group were asked to take garlic tablets in the first three months, placebo in the second three months and discontinue all tablets in the last three months, while the volunteers in the control group started with three months of placebo followed by three months of garlic tablets and ended up with three months of tablets discontinuity. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the total serum cholesterol levels between the two groups at the end of three months or six months of the study. Side effects included headache, itching and complaints of garlic smell. No serious side effects relating to liver, kidney functions or hematologic side effects were detected.

Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) powder tablets on serum lipids, blood pressure and arterial stiffness in normo-lipidaemic volunteers: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Br J Nutr. 2004 Oct;92(4):701-6.
Recent studies have cast doubt on the proposed lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering effects of garlic. We tested the effect of dried garlic (Allium sativum) powder on blood lipids, blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a 12-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Seventy-five healthy, normo-lipidaemic volunteers (men and women aged 40-60 years) were assigned to dried garlic powder tablets (10.8 mg alliin (3-(2-propenylsulfinyl)-L-alanine)/d, corresponding to about three garlic cloves) or placebo. Sixty-two subjects were eligible for the per-protocol analysis. The primary outcome measure was serum total cholesterol concentration. Secondary outcome measures were LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations, blood pressure and arterial stiffness (assessed by pulse wave velocity). No significant differences between the garlic and placebo groups were detected for any of the outcome measures. However, garlic powder was associated with a near-significant decrease (12 %) in triacylglycerol concentration (P=0.07). In conclusion, garlic powder tablets have no clinically relevant lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering effects in middle-aged, normo-lipidaemic individuals. The putative anti-atherosclerotic effect of garlic may be linked to risk markers other than blood lipids.

Effect of garlic on lipid profile and psychopathologic parameters in people with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia.
Isr Med Assoc J. 2003 Sep;5(9):637-40.
The beneficial effect of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutyaryl co-enzyme A reductase inhibitors on cardiovascular risk reduction has been clearly established. Concerns have been raised that lowering blood cholesterol by other hypolipidemic drugs or by a non-pharmacologic approach may have deleterious effects on psychopathologic parameters. Garlic is one of the most commonly used herbal remedies and is considered to have hypocholesterolemic as well as other cardioprotective properties. Its effect on psychopathologic parameters has never been reported. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of garlic on lipid parameters and depression, impulsivity, hostility and temperament in patients with primary type 2 hyperlipidemia. METHODS: In a 16 week prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study, 33 patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and no evidence of cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned to receive either garlic or placebo. Garlic in the form of alliin 22.4 mg/day was given to 13 patients, and placebo to 20. Both groups received individual dietary counseling. The changes in lipid profile and the various psychopathologic parameters were determined at the beginning and end of the trial. The differences in lipid parameters were evaluated by Student's t-test. The psychological data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures and Neuman-Keuls test. RESULTS: No significant changes were observed in levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides, or in the psychopathologic parameters evaluated. CONCLUSION: Short-term garlic therapy in adults with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia does not affect either lipid levels or various psychopathologic parameters.

No effect of garlic extract supplement on serum lipid levels in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
J Med Assoc Thai. 2003 Aug;86(8):750-7.
The authors assessed the effects of an enteric-coated Thai garlic extract tablet standardized for allicin-releasing potential on serum lipid levels in hypercholesterolemic subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The authors performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 136 hypercholesterolemic subjects (cholesterol concentrations > or = 5.2 mmol/L; mean age +/- SD: 47.0 +/- 6.6 yr). All subjects were given dietary advice to lower fat intake within 4 weeks and were advised to eat normally during the study period. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive an enteric-coated Thai garlic extract tablet once daily (standardized to 1.12% allicin or 5.6 mg/tablet), or placebo after the evening meal for 12 weeks. Seventy subjects (32.9% male; mean age +/- SD and BMI of 47.0 +/- 6.6 yr and 24.6 +/- 3.3 kg/m2) received the garlic extract treatment while 66 subjects (37.9% male, mean age +/- SD and BMI of 47.0 +/- 6.0 yr and 24.3 +/- 3.4 kg/m2) received placebo. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant changes in serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol after the 12-week treatment as analyzed on repeated measures by analysis of variance. In addition, no changes in plasma glucose, liver and renal functions were found. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with an enteric garlic-coated Thai garlic extract and dietary advice did not produce any significant changes in lipid levels in subjects with hypercholesterolemia.

Antimicrobial activity of garlic, tea tree oil, and chlorhexidine against oral micro-organisms.
Int Dent J. 2002 Dec;52(6):433-7.
To compare the antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil, garlic, and chlorhexidine solutions against oral microorganisms. METHOD: The five-week study consisted of thirty subjects. The first week was considered baseline. All subjects used a control solution (second week), and were randomly divided into the three groups (third week): G1-0.12% chlorhexidine; G2 - 2.5% garlic (Allium sativum, L.); and G3 - 0.2% tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). Dishes containing blood agar and Mitis Salivarius Bacitracin agar (MSB) were inoculated with the subjects' saliva (collected twice a week). Total microorganisms and mutans streptococci were counted in blood agar and MSB, respectively. RESULTS: Chlorhexidine and garlic groups showed antimicrobial activity against mutans streptococci, but not against other oral microorganisms. The tea tree oil group showed antimicrobial activity against mutans streptococci and other oral microorganisms. Maintenance of reduced levels of microorganisms was observed only for garlic and tea tree oil during the two consecutive weeks (fourth and fifth). Unpleasant taste (chlorhexidine 40%, tea tree oil 30%, garlic 100%), burning sensation (chlorhexidine 40%, tea tree oil 60%, garlic 100%), bad breath (chlorhexidine 40%, tea tree oil 20%, garlic 90%), and nausea (chlorhexidine 0%, tea tree oil 10%, garlic 30%) were reported. CONCLUSION: Garlic and tea tree oil might be an alternative to chlorhexidine.

Hypotensive effect of long-acting garlic tablets allicor (a double-blind placebo-controlled trial)]
Ter Arkh. 2002;74(3):76-8.
AIM: To evaluate a hypotensive action of long-acting garlic powder tablets allicor in patients with mild or moderate hypertension and to compare allicor effects with those of foreign analog--kwai garlic tablets. A double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study enrolled 85 patients with mild or moderate hypertension. The patients were divided into 4 groups: group 1 received allicor in a dose 600 mg/day, group 2--2400 mg/day, group 3--kwai in a dose 900 mg/day, group 4--placebo. RESULTS: Allicor produced reaction in both systolic and diastolic pressure. An increase of allicor daily dose to 2400 mg does not provide an additional hypotensive effect. Kwai results in only systolic but not diastolic arterial pressure lowering. CONCLUSION: Allicor is more effective than kwai in reduction of diastolic blood pressure. It can be recommended as a hypotensive treatment in mild and moderate arterial hypertension.

Anti-arrhythmic profile of a garlic dialysate assayed in dogs and isolated atrial preparations.
J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 Jun;43(1):1-8.
The effects of garlic (Allium sativum L., Liliaceae) dialysate were studied on arrhythmias induced in anaesthetized dogs and on isolated left rat atria. Garlic dialysate suppressed premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) in ouabain-intoxicated dogs as well as the ectopic rhythms induced by isoprenaline (10(-6) M) and aconitine (10(-8) M) on electrically driven left rat atria. The effective refractory period (ERP) and the sinus node recovery time (SNRT) of isolated rat atria were prolonged in a dose-dependent manner by the administration of this extract. Garlic dialysate decreased the positive inotropic and chronotropic effects of isoprenaline in a concentration-dependent manner. These last effects were increased by propranolol. The results suggest that garlic dialysate has a significant antiarrhythmic effect in both ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias.

Garlic clove -- garlic has diallyl sulfide which inhibits chemical carcinogens activated by CYP2E1. Garlic has hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and anticancer effects. Garlic odor or garlic breath is caused by conversion of alliin to volatile sulfur compounds. Heated, cooked, or roasted garlic is less healthy. Garlic bread is not a good way to get the benefit of garlic since there is little actual garlic and much of the ingestion is white bread with no nutritional value.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used as an herbal medicine, but there is no report on the health benefits of the skin or peel. The extract of garlic skins (peels) showed strong antioxidant activity, and some responsible constituents were isolated and identified. These compounds were phenylpropanoids, N-trans-Coumaroyloctopamine, N-trans-feruloyloctopamine, guaiacylglycerol-beta-ferulic acid ether, and guaiacylglycerol-beta-caffeic acid ether were identified as were trans-coumaric acid and trans-ferulic acid.

Garlic has long been used medicinally, most recently for its cardiovascular, antineoplastic, and antimicrobial properties. Sulfur compounds, including allicin, appear to be the active components in the root bulb of the garlic plant. Studies show significant but modest lipid-lowering effects and antiplatelet activity. Significant blood pressure reduction is not consistently noted. There is some evidence for antineoplastic activity and insufficient evidence for clinical antimicrobial activity. Side effects generally are mild and uncommon. Garlic appears to have no effect on drug metabolism, but patients taking anticoagulants should be cautious. It seems prudent to stop taking high dosages of garlic seven to 10 days before surgery because garlic can prolong bleeding time.

NAVRATAN KORMA WITH FRUITS

NAVRATAN KORMA WITH FRUITS
Ingredients:
Beans – 1 cup chopped
Carrot – 1 large chopped
Cauliflower florets – 1 cup
Potato – 1 cup chopped
Green Peas – ½ cup
Apple – 1
Banana - 1
Pineapple – 2 slices
Mosambi (Sweet lime) -1
Pomegranates – 1-2 tbsps
Cashewnuts - 10-15
Raisins – 10-15
Cherries - 2 glaced cherries for decoration (Optional)
Yogurt -1/4 cup
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Tomato (Use red ripe tomatoes) – 1 large
Butter - 3 tbsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves for garnish
Grated Cheese – 1 tbsp (Optional)
Salt to taste
Dry Masala:
Toasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Khuskhus (poppy seeds) - 2 tsp
Cardamoms - 1 tsp
Wet Masala:
Onion -1 large
Green chillies - 3
Coconut shredded - 1/4 cup
Method:
Chop all the vegetables, the carrots either u can chop or u can cut into roundels. Make a puree of the tomato. As for the fruits, chop the apples and pineapples into cubes, but the bananas cut into roundels
(don’t make thin slices but slightly thicker discs). Take the mosambi slivers and cut them into halves. Ensure that the sweet lime is sweet otherwise you can avoid the fruit.
Grind the dry and wet masalas separately. Heat ghee and fry cashews, remove the cashews once they are slightly pink and keep aside, the cashews fried in ghee give the cashews a very good flavor. To the remaining ghee add the 3 tbsps butter and heat until the butter melts, now add the wet masala and fry until the wet masala leaves the oil, after this add the dry masala and salt and fry for 2 more minutes. Now add the vegetables and mix well with the masala, so that all the masala sticks to it. Close and cook without water till the vegetables are tender. Add the tomato puree and stir well. Close and cook again. If the vegetables are not getting cooked and the gravy is drying up add a little water but not too much as the taste will be affected. Mix together the yogurt and fresh cream and add to gravy. Allow to thicken a bit, At this point add the fruits, cashews and raisins and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates.
Garnish with grated cheese, coriander, pomegranates and chopped cherries.
Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.

POORI MASAL(Mashed Potato curry which is served traditionally with Poori)

POORI MASAL (Mashed Potato curry which is served traditionally with Poori)
Poori Masal, is the mashed potato curry which is traditionally served with Poori. It’s the Best combination with Poori. The dish is known as Poori Masal in South India and in the North, they just say Poori Bhaji. The same Masal can also be used to serve as a filling for Plain Dosai and it becomes Masala Dosai.

Ingredients
Potatoes – 5-6
Green Chillies – 4-5
Ginger - a small piece
Turmeic powder – ½ tsp
Asafetida – pinch
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard -1 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method
Wash, boil and peel the potatoes. Mash them and keep it aside.
In a Kadhai (wok), heat some oil add mustard, when the mustard begins to crackle add the cumin, let it fry. Now add asafetida, curry leaves, finely chopped green chillies, finely grated ginger, and salt and then add the mashed potatoes. Mix well, check for salt, if less add now and mix. Let this cook for a few minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot with Poori.

Variation to this recipe

• You can grind the green chillies, ginger into a dry paste in a mixie without adding water. Follow the above method
• You can also squeeze some lemon juice in the end and mix well for a different taste.

AMMA's SAMBAR POWDER

AMMA's SAMBAR POWDER 
Sambar Powder is one of the staple Masala powders in my kitchen.
Every recipe has a story and this one is very interesting.
When I got married and moved to Singapore Amma made me a big ziplock bag full of Sambar powder. She was worried, her little baby is going to manage cooking in a country so far away. Not that I was a baby, but my mother never allowed me to cook or near the gas as she was afraid I would get burnt. I had a very protective mother or should I say overprotective🤔.
To cut the long story short, the sambar powder didn't last long as the whiff of the aroma of the Sambar made waves in the foreign land. People started visiting often requesting me to make my famous Sambar, But alas, when the sambar powder got over, I had to buy a packet from the store.
I Chose a good brand, changed brands but the taste was gone, the aroma was gone.
That made me think 🤔.
Everything was the same, the process, major of the ingredients, the only thing that changed was the sambar powder and I got desperate for Amma's Sambar powder.
I had to make it now if I needed the rave reviews that I had gotten famous for.
It was a matter of honor.
A quick call and the recipe was jotted down in my blue diary....
Sharing my Amma's secret Sambar Powder recipe, Also known as Iyer veetu Sambar powder (This is a typical Brahmin Iyer household recipe, every house has its variations).

Ingredients
Whole coriander seeds - 1 cup
Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal ) - 1/4 glass
Raw Rice - 11/2  tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds) - 11/2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 11/2 tablespoon
Black Peppercorns - 11/2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 12 -15 (Preferably Kashmiri chilly) /Red chilly powder
2 teaspoons ground turmeric

Method
I use organic dals, Sort the ingredients, check for stones if any. And you are ready.
In a wok, First dry roast the red chillies, saute for 2-3 minutes till you see the chillies starting to get plump.
Some people avoid this step but this is a must according to me, as only then will the chillies not have the pachha vaadai(Raw smell).
You can also avoid roasting red chillies and use the readymade chilly powder as per your family spice level. But I prefer to roast the red chillies for a fresher aroma.
Some people add a spoon of oil to roast the chillies, but I don't As I usually make batches that last me for about 3 months.
Dry roast the red chillies and keep aside.
In the same wok, dry roast all the other ingredients until you get an aroma of the roasted spices.
Once cool down, First, grind the dry red chillies, then the rest of the ingredients, add the turmeric powder while grinding. Blend into a fine powder.
Store in an airtight container and use as required.
I keep Sambar powder that I need for daily cooking in Glass Bottles
Since we live in Singapore which has a humid climate and I make big batches, I store the Sambar powder in Ziplock bags and freeze them.
Enjoy this simple Sambar powder Recipe and make loads of sambar and enjoy!!!

MILAGU MANATHAKKALI VATHAL KUZHAMBU

MILAGU MANATHAKKALI VATHAL KUZHAMBU
This Kuzhambu is very good during the period after delivery as it is good for the digestive system. This recipe does not use much Toor Dal which cause gases and is generally avoided during the post partum period. Manathakkali has excellent healing properties.

Ingredients
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsps
Toor dal - 2 tbsps
Black peppercorns - 2 tsps
Red Chillies – 1-2 (as per taste)
Asafetida – a pinch
Tamarind – a lemon size ball soaked in water
Manathakkali Vathal – 2 tbsps fried
Salt as per taste
Curry leaves –a sprig
Oil – 1 tbsp

Method
Fry the Manathakkali vathals separately and keep aside. Fry the Coriander seeds, toor dal, red chillies and peppercorns in a little amount of oil and grind it in a mixie. In a pan, put in the grounded paste, add tamarind juice, add the fried Manathakkali vathals, curry leaves, a pinch of asafetida and salt as per taste. Add some water. Let it boil. Cook until the raw smell is gone. Simmer for a few more minutes and serve hot with Rice and ghee.
Paruppu Thogayal made with Moong dal tastes good with rice and this kuzhambu.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada (1896–1977)

My Hero

In the 80’s, I read the book the Science of Self Realization by his holiness Swami Srila Prabhupada and the book had such a deep impact on my mind that I instantly fell in love with Swamiji, his explanations, his arguments and his thoughts had left a strong impression on me. I wanted to meet Swamiji and this led me on to know more about the Krishna Consciousness Movement. A few visits to the Hare Krishna Temple at Juhu confirmed my belief about the hero I had now started to worship and the greatness of the movement he had started. We are not alone and Krishna is always with us. The inclusion of the topic “Krishna Leela’s” in my blog is yet another tribute to my hero for through his teachings we learn about “Krishnaarpnam” (surrender to the lord), when we offer something to the lord (action, duty, work, even our thoughts) they will become pure, precious and everlasting.

I consider myself unfortunate that by the time I read about this great Swamiji, he was no more in this material world. The Acharya had died in 1977. It's sad that I couldn’t have the opportunity to meet or even see such a great personality in person. The search for the first ever hero in my life left me disappointed, I felt sad that I read about him only after his death. But now I realize that you don’t need to see your hero in flesh and blood, I have reconciled that the search for my hero His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada is in his preaching’s, his books, and within my heart. This is a tribute to my hero and I would want all the people who visit my blog to read about this larger than life personality and the great movement that he has left behind for all of us to nurture, understand and love.

(Below are the excerpts from another website which details the life of the divine Swamiji)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada was one of the foremost spiritual leaders of the twentieth century. The remarkable challenge that he undertook and successfully accomplished was the transformation of the most materialistic youth of the times not just a few, but literally thousands of them -- into the most godly personalities with the loftiest of spiritual and ethical ideals. This miraculous achievement has no parallel either in the past or in the present and very probably there would never be one in the future. This happened to be a marvel of just twelve years, precisely the last twelve years of his 82 years of life. It was all due to the fact that Prabhupada was an open book as an exemplary devotee of God, who would have been placed among the greatest of the Alvars or Nayanmars if only he had lived in ancient times. Coming in the lineage of Chaitanya mahAprabhu of the sixteenth century, he re-established the traditional bhakti school of Chaitanya in a totally modern context, by ‘building a house in which the whole world can live’. Till he was seventy he struggled alone to implement his master’s injunction of propagating the glories of Lord Krishna and transmitting the treasures of the SrImad bhAgavatam. But even in the land where these had been held, without any doubt, in superlative esteem by one and all, he could not succeed. Only three books were written by him. In the next twelve years he wrote sixty. Till he was seventy he initiated only one disciple. In the next twelve years a few thousands were initiated by him. . Till he was seventy the worldwide society of Krishna devotees was only in his dream. In the next twelve years not only did it come to fruition but it came to have more than one hundred centres all over the world. His unflinching and uncompromising devotion to the Supreme Transcendental Personality of Krishna made all this possible.

He was the Lord’s Gift to humanity at large.

Opulence, potency, fame, beauty, knowledge and dispassion are only some of the infinite qualities of the Supreme Personality that is Krishna , but each one of them is possessed by Him in infinite extent to the absolute degree. Not a leaf moves without the Will of Krishna. He is the Absolute Brahman. This declaration of the scriptures is the solid foundation for the movement now known all the world over as Krishna Consciousness, named as such by Prabhupada. Remaining faithful to the disciplic succession, that goes back to the days of Chaitanya, Prabhupada created a whole new international community of the young and old, male and female, scholars and laymen, all of them fully versed in the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Bhagavatam and all of them fully convinced that no man-made system can cure the ills of the world, it is only the eternal reality of Krishna that will do it. The logical conclusion is the unceasing chanting by this ocean of devotees, singly and collectively, of the classic mantra :

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAM HARE RAM, RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

You can read about His Divine Grace on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada

Worcestershire Sauce is actually of Indian Origin

Hi Members,
This is with reference to my article, Gastronomic Delights...A journey to China....Part 2(important) wherein I gave the recipe for Manchurian Balls...One of our members wrote to me saying that one of the ingredients in the Worcestershire Sauce is Anchovies(which is actually fish). this made me research a little on Worcestershire Sauce. Below is more information about the sauce which I picked from a website, I have copy pasted it for the convenience of our members.
I would like to alert our members to the fact that when you are living abroad or even in India please be aware and read the contents (ingredients) of things before you buy.There is a vegetarian version available in stores. So always remember to read the ingredients before you buy, I would advice not to follow any recipe word by word and start buying ingredients from supermarkets just dropping them in your trolley without reading first. Certain recipes can do without certain sauces and still taste as good.

More about Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce is one of those ingredients that are often used in barbecue but seldom understood by cooks. Worcestershire Sauce, such as Lee & Perrins, is as little understood as it is so often used. It did not exist at the time of the Europeans "discovery" of barbecue or at the founding of the United States, so it cannot be said to be an original part of barbecue, at least in its commercial form as sold today.
What then is in Worcestershire Sauce, and how can barbecue cooks attain the complex flavors without resorting to the commercial product? In other words, what ingredients can cooks use as a substitute for the commercial product when a recipe calls for "Worcestershire Sauce".
This story will explore the history of the famous sauce and uncover the secret ingredients and method of preparation that makes Worcestershire Sauce more like a fine wine than an ordinary sauce.
Tamarind
What is now called “Worcestershire Sauce” owes its origin to British imperialism and its colonization of India. Despite its English-sounding name, Worcestershire sauce was originally an Indian recipe. It was brought back to Britain in 1835 by Lord Marcus Sandys, the ex-governor of Bengal. The sauce has as one of its basic ingredients the Indian spice called tamarind.
Tamarind is a seed whose taste combines the sweet with the sour. Traditional Worcestershire Sauce combines tamarind and soy sauce, with a little cinnamon and cloves.
Asian markets sell tamarind paste. Home-made Worcestershire Sauce combines the tamarind paste with soy sauce, and it includes small amounts of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lemon grass and ground cardamom.
Anchovies
The first commercial Worcestershire Sauce was produced long after the Native Americans taught Europeans about barbecue, and generations after the American colonies made barbecue into a social event centered on whole hog and vinegar based sauce.
One of its primary ingredients is the anchovy. Anchovies are small fish, no more than 8" long, that have been known from classical times to be uniquely susceptible to curing and preserving, with a taste unlike that of any other fish. After the Greeks and Romans popularized the tiny fish, they were enjoyed throughout the world. Russians enjoyed them hot-smoked. Chinese ate them dried. Thais beat them into pungent fish sauce.
However, from the Elizabethans onward, the English perfected the use of the anchovy in sauces. Throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries, the anchovy fueled the English passion for bottled sauces, like Harvey's (anchovies, pickled walnuts, soy, shallots and garlic), Pontac ketchup (anchovies, elderberry juice, shallots and spices), and Burgess's Anchovy Essence, which dates from 1760. The English breakfast today still includes Gentleman's Relish, whose major ingredient is the anchovy.
But it was Worcestershire Sauce, which was first mixed in 1838, which remains the most popular sauce worldwide today. One of tts major ingredient is the anchovy.
The history of Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce itself is of cross-cultural origins. In 1835, Lord Marcus Sandys, an ex-governor of Bengal, approached chemists John Lea and William Perrins, whose prospering business in Broad Street, Worcester, handled pharmaceutical's and toiletries as well as groceries. He asked them to make up a sauce from a recipe which he brought back from India. While his lordship was apparently satisfied with the results, Messrs Lea and Perrins considered it to be an "unpalatable, red-hot fire-water" and consigned the quantity they had made for themselves to the cellars.
During the stocktaking/spring clean the following year, they came across the barrel and decided to taste it before discarding it. To their amazement, the mixture had mellowed into an aromatic, piquant and appetizing liquid. They hastily purchased the recipe from Lord Sandys and, in 1838, the Anglo-Indian Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce was launched commercially.
One of the myriad 19th-century pungent English sauces based on oriental ingredients, it had many imitators sporting pretentious names such as "British Lion" and "Empress of India". Its exact recipe remains a secret. All that is known is that it includes vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, molasses, tamarind, shallots, anchovies, ginger, chili, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.
Another history
Worcestershire sauce was named for the town of Worcester, England, which is in the Shire (county) of Worcester.
In 1835, when Lord Marcus Sandys, governor of Bengal, retired to Ombersley, England, he longed for his favorite Indian sauce. He took the recipe to a drugstore on Broad Street in nearby Worcester where he commissioned the shopkeepers, John Lea and William Perrins, to mix up a batch. Lea and Perrins made a large batch, hoping to sell the excess to other customers. The pungent fishy concoction wound up in the cellar where it sat undisturbed until Lea and Perrins rediscovered it two years later when house cleaning. Upon tasting the aged sauce, Lea and Perrin bottled Worcester sauce as a local dip.
When Lea and Perrins' salesmen convinced British passenger ships to put the sauce on their dining room tables, Worcestershire sauce became an established steak sauce across Europe and the United States.
To this day, the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce are stirred together and allowed to sit for two years before being bottled.
According to Lee & Perrins
According to the Lee & Perrins website:
In 1835, Lord Sandys, a nobleman from the county of Worcestershire, England, commissioned a pair of chemists - John Lea and William Perrins - to duplicate a sauce he had acquired during his travels in India.
Their finished product, however, proved to be anything but pleasing.Disappointed, they banished their brew to the cellar.
There, the sauce lay forgotten until the pair stumbled upon it two years later. Before they discarded their concoction for good, they took one last taste. Much to their surprise, it had matured like a fine wine - exhibiting a savory aromatic scent and a wonderfully unique taste. Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce was born.
It wasn't long before Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce made its way onto dining cars and passenger ships, and into hotel dining rooms and restaurants.
Worcestershire is the name of a county in England. A county in England is called a "shire", which is the last part of the name.
So what is "Worcester"? Of course, Worcester is a city which is located in the county called Worcestershire.
The county is located in the English midlands, south of Birmingham. Here is a map of England with Worcestershire marked.
Of course, the name of the city is pronounced "worster", and the county and sauce are pronounced "worster-shire". That is, ignore the second syllable, "ces".
However, although Worcestershire Sauce owes its name to this midlands county, its origin is not British but Indian.

BUBUR PULUT HITAM (BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE SWEET WITH COCONUT MILK)

BUBUR PULUT HITAM (BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE SWEET WITH COCONUT MILK)

Pulut Hitam is one of the desserts I was introduced to while living in Singapore.
It’s a Malay dessert and once I tried it, I thought it tasted very much like our Payasam (kheer). 

Pulut Hitam means black glutinous rice porridge. 

Black glutinous rice is available in Chinese grocery stores and in supermarts.

Ingredients
Black glutinous rice - 1 cup
Coconut milk – 1 bowl. Stir in some salt and keep in the fridge till ready to serve
Palm sugar
Salt

Method
Wash the Black glutinous rice well. In a hard bottomed vessel Add water and this rice and bring it to a boil without a lid, glutinous rice tends to becomes sticky so you need to cook it without a lid. Since it is cooked without a lid, it takes a longer time to cook. Once the rice comes to a boil, cook on a low flame (on sim). It takes about an hour. You can check the spatula with which u r stirring to see whether the rice is getting mashed or not to check whether it is done. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from getting burnt. Add palm sugar to taste and pinch of salt. Alternatively, you can cook this in a slow cooker for a couple of hours.

Serving Instructions
Serve hot with a few spoonfuls of thick coconut milk on top.

BHAKAR WADI

BHAKAR WADI
(Spicy gram flour snack)
Ingredients
240 g. Gram flour
120 g. Wheat flour
100 g. Grated coconut
60 g. Sesame seeds
60 g. Poppy seeds
A marble sized ball of tamarind, soaked in a little water
Salt and chilly powder to taste
A pinch of sugar
A pinch of asafoetida
100 g. coriander leaves, chopped fine or 1 tbsp Coriander powder.
Black masala powder known as “Kala Thikkat”, if it is not available u can use a normal Garam Masala, according to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method
Mix together gram flour and wheat flour. Add salt, asafoetida, 60 ml. hot oil and
enough water. Knead to a stiff dough. Keep it aside. Roast the grated coconut, sesame seeds and poppy seeds and grind to a powder. Add sugar, salt, chilly powder and coriander leaves to the masala powder to prepare the filling for bhakar wadi. Add tamarind pulp and black masala powder and mix well. Divide the dough into small portions and roll each portion into a thin rectangular shaped chappati. Spread the filling all over the chappati and roll up the dough with the filling into a tight cylindrical shape. Seal the edges with a little water. Cut into three cm. long pieces and deep fry in hot oil till brown and crisp. Remove from oil and store in an airtight container.

Tip : Using Coriander powder instead of Coriander leaves can make the Bhakar wadi last longer.

Serves: Four
Time required: One hour