Agathi Keerai is classified under the green leafy vegetables category. For those who are not familiar with this green, Agathi Keerai is also known as;
Hummingbird Tree Leaves or West Indian pea tree.
Botanical Name: Sesbania grandiflora
Agathi keerai is used in cooking in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam , mainly in the South east Asia pacific regions wherein its widely grown and eaten.
There are two kinds of West Indian Pea tree - one with red flowers and the other with white flowers. It’s the white flower West Indian Pea Tree that’s suitable for cooking.
My grandma used to say that Agathi keerai which is also known as “Aathu keerai” at my home has cooling properties and she used to insist on eating our greens without making a fuss when we were kids.
Eating Agathi keerai has a lot of benefits -
It is a tonic
It is cooling
It helps in digestion
It will cure ulcers in the stomach
It is a laxative
It balances pitta and kapha
It is an antidote for poisons
It is good for fever
It cures insanity
It is a very satvic food
Crushed leaves are applied to sprains and bruises of all kinds.
A tea made from the leaves is believed to have antibiotic, anti-thelmintic(a medication capable of causing the evacuation of parasitic intestinal worms), antitumour and contraceptive properties.
The principal medicinal effects are due to the trees’ astringency, hence it is used against inflammation, venom and other poisons, bacterial infections and tumors.
The bark is considered as a tonic and an antipyretic, a remedy for gastric troubles, colic with diarrhoea and dysentery.
A bark decoction is taken orally to treat fever and diabetes.
Juice of flowers put in the eyes is said to relieve dimness of vision.
The leaves also have medicinal value and are reported to cure night blindness in cattle.
In India, all plant parts are reputed to cure night blindness.
The root is a well-known medicine for malaria.
Root juices are used for poultices and the leaves are applied for rheumatism, swellings, bruises and itching.
For systemic disorders, decoctions are taken internally.
Root resin, mixed with honey, is taken orally for phlegm and root juices are taken as an expectorant.
Sinus congestion is reduced by taking a flower decoction.
Agathi keerai is very good when mixed with milk and boiled and then made into curd and that made into buttermilk if taken twice a day all female related problems like white discharge, vaginal discharge with odour, over heat etc.can be solved.
This is not advised during medication, since it will reduce the power of medicine.
You can read more about the benefits by clicking on the link below.
Although its bitter in taste, don’t you think we need to eat this occasionally considering the health benefits associated with it.
Here is a wonderful Kerala recipe of the
“Aathu Keerai” / “Agathi Keerai”
Ingredients
Agathi Keerai – 1 bunch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2-3
Red chillies – 1 broken into 2 halves
Turmeric -1/4 tsp
Asafetida (Hing) - a small pinch
Cooked Toor dal – 2 tbsps
Freshly grated Coconut – 1-2 tbsps
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp (Prefer coconut oil)
Salt as per taste.
Method
Remove the Agathi leaves from its stem. There’s one easy way to do this. Hold the stem between your thumb and index finger and slide down de-stemming the leaves. Rinse well under running water in a colander. Chop the leaves into small pieces. Keep aside
In a Kadhai (wok), Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil, when it is hot, Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, Add udad dal and the red chillies, when the udad dal becomes slightly pink, add the green chillies and fry well, Add the chopped Agathi keerai leaves. Add turmeric, asafetida and salt, stir and close with lid and cook on low flame till it is cooked. Once it’s cooked add in the 2 tbsps of cooked tuvar dal, stir well, wait until the water drains completely and then add in the freshly grated coconut and stir fry till everything is mixed well.
Serve hot with Rice and Rasam.
I would like to send this dish to SWC-Cooking with greens event hosted by my blogger friend Sowmya.
Bitter gourd, I think everybody gets finicky about this vegetable sometime or the other. Its not something people happily buy from the grocery store. It’s more like people think about the health benefits of eating this vegetable. Bitter gourd when cooked in different styles changes the dynamics of the taste and could be well loved by the kids. I made a paste of Rice flour and Urad flour and spices and threw in the bitter gourds and fried them and lo and behold there was a crispy delight waiting at the table and my kids loved it and so did my husband and I didn’t know how fast it flew off my table. The secret of the crispiness lies in the Urad flour. Urad flour has a quality which makes everything extra crisp and the flour in itself has a different taste which enhances the taste of the batter.
Ingredients: Bitter gourd – ½ kilo
Rice flour – 5 tbsp
Sambhar powder – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder:1/2 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Salt as per taste
Oil for deep frying Method
Cut the bitter gourd in thin semicircle and sprinkle salt and leave it for about an hour
after an hour squeeze out the moisture
In a bowl, take Rice flour, urad flour, add turmeric powder, Red chilly powder, cumin powder, sambhar powder and asafoetida and make a paste, now throw in the bitter gourd rings and mix well.
Heat the oil in a kadai, when the oil is hot drop in the bitter gourds and deep fry them until reddish brown.
This was my grandma’s signature dish, she used to dish out the best Kaara vadais in the world. She was always full of life, she loved it when people visited her and would whirr around the kitchen dishing up some wonderful things. Kaara vadai was one such evening snack. It never happens that we make kaara vadai and don’t think of my grandma. This post is an ode to my grandma who is no more in this world but forever in our hearts and her recipes are a sheer gastronomic indulgence. I wish I had the energy she had, the bounce in her steps, the never-say-never attitude, the zeal for cooking no matter how many people came home. Her initiative and enthusiasm to dish out her famous recipes for all and sundry who visited us, be it the relatives or friends was matchless. I would love to share this recipe keeping in lieu the spirit of sharing that she passed on to us. Enjoy this recipe, make a sizeable number of kaara vadai, you can’t stop with one and you will keep coming back for more of the crispy, karari and lip smackingly delicious bite sized kara vadais. If its leftover, u can put it in sambhar and tastes excellent like sambhar vadai or you can even put it in yogurt (dahi) and trust me it tastes better than Medhu vada or the lentil vadas(bhalle) put in Dahi(Yogurt). Kaara vadais go well with tea. It’s a tea time snack.
Ingredients
Raw rice - 1 cup
Udad Split Black Gram Dal - ½ cup
Chana dal (Bengal Gram) – ¼ cup
Chana dal (Bengal Gram) – 1 tbsp soaked
Green chillies – 7-8
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Curry leaves
Oil to fry
Method
Wash well and soak 1 cup raw rice and 1/3 cup urad dhal and ¼ cup chana dal for 2 hrs. Also soak separately 1 tablespoon soaked chana dal.
Drain and grind all the dals along with the green chillies in a wet grinder or mixer except the soaked 1 tbsp chana dal.
Grind into a coarse paste adding salt, asafetida and sufficient water. The batter shouldn’t be very thin or thick just like normal vada batter, it should be to dropping consistency
Now tear some curry leaves and add to the vada batter, also add in the soaked 1 tbsp chana dal and mix well.
Heat oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot, put small balls of the batter, shouldn’t be too even(very round) while dropping, when dropped unevenly it will be more crispy. Fry the vadas till golden and crisp, remove and drain on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with coconut chutney or green chutney.
Priti of Indian Khana has showered me with awards.
Thanks Priti, it really boosts me, I would like to share it with some of my blogger friends.
The last time I made Puran Poli was during Ganesh Chaturthi and then I had promised to share with everyone the recipe of Katachi Amti. This is a by-product of Puran poli and hence becomes as precious as the main dish. Maharashtrians make Puran poli on Holi day. I would like to share with you’ll about Holi in Maharashtra.
Holi In Maharashtra
Holi is known as Shimga or Rangpanchami in Maharashtra. People of Maharashtra have their own grand style of celebrating Holi. The day they celebrate with colors is known as Ranga Panchami and comes five days after Phalgun Poornima.
One day before Ranga Panchami, a huge bonfire is made and an effigy of Holika with child Prahlad in her lap is kept on the logs. Usually, Holika's effigy is made of combustible materials, whereas, Prahlad's effigy is made of non-combustible one. Almost 40 days before the Holi Festival. People go on throwing twigs, dried leaves, branches of trees left through the winter besides any other combustible material they can spare, on to that log which gradually grows into a sizable heap.
On the day of Holika Dahan which usually falls on the night of Phalguna Purnima, the effigy is set alight. Next morning the ashes from the bonfire are collected as prasad and smeared on the limbs of the body. If spared by the fire coconuts are also collected and eaten.
Metaphorically though, the fire is meant to signify the destruction of evil - the burning of the 'Holika' - a mythological character and the triumph of good as symbolized by Prahlad. However, the heat from the fire also depicts that winter is behind and the hot summer days are ahead.
Dhuli Vandan, is an important festival in Maharashtra and it coincides with the Holi festival. It is celebrated on the day after Holika Dahan in Phalguna month. The festival is of great importance to farmers and agriculturalists. The ashes of Holika burned on the previous night and soil are worshipped by the farmers for a good harvest. In 2009, the date of Dhulivandan is March 11.
Dhuli Vandan is observed in Maharashtra when the rest of the country plays holi with colors. Nowadays, Dhulivandan in its strict traditional sense is limited to rural areas. In cities most people play Holi with colors on the day.
Historic significance of Holi in Maharashtra
During the Maratha regime this festival was celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. It was on a Holi festival day that five-year-old Jijabhai, daughter of Lakhooji Jadhav innocently splashed coloured water and threw gulal on young Shahaji, son of Malajirao Bhowale. Taking it as an auspicious event, the two children's engagement was announced that very day. Soon they were married. Later, Jijabhai gave birth to Shivaji, the founder of great Maratha empire.
Festival and Food
Festivals are always marked with good food and Maharashtrians usually make Puran Poli Besides people drink sugarcane juice and feed children with watermelons that are in season.
KATACHI AAMTI
As promised in my previous post on Puran Poli during Ganesh Chaturthi, I am blogging here the recipe of katachi aamti. Katachi Aamti is very popular in my marital home at Pune. They love it so much that they drink little bowls(vatis) full of it. The amti has a hot-sweet taste. I don’t like the sweet taste though, so I add less jaggery, so that the jaggery just enhances the flavor but doesn’t sweeten my amti too much. Katachi Amti is prepared using the water from the chana dal that is boiled for preparing the puran. Yo’s Kaku (Father’s brother’s wife) who lives in Barshi, Solapur, prepares this with lot of enthusiasm and love. She was telling me that it is known as “yelavni” in the solapur region.I think what changes the dynamics of the taste to this amti is using chana dal water.I didn’t use goda masala in my amti as I didn’t have it and I feel that goda masala has a very strong flavor which doesn’t suit my palate too much, but the original recipe has goda masala.
Ingredients
Katache Pani – 1 and ½ cups
Mashed Chana Dal – 1 ½ tbsps
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 3 tsps
Cinnamon - 1 piece
Bay leaves - 2
Curry leaves -8-10
Garam Masala - 2 tsps
Goda Masala – 2 tsps (optional)
Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsps
Asafetida - a pinch
Tamarind paste - ½ tsp
Grated Jaggery – 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 3 tbsps
Salt as per taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Oil – 1 tbsp
Method
Take 2 teaspoons of Cumin seeds and dry roast it till it crackles. Keep aside. Now dry roast 3 tablespoons of grated coconut and roast until faint pink color and aromatic. Now run both in a blender to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
In a wok, add oil, when its hot, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when the mustard seeds start to crackle add in the curry leaves to it, then add a pinch of asafetida, now pour the katache pani (water from the boiled chana dal), add the mashed dal, then add, red chili powder, garam masala, goda masala, tamarind, jaggery, and salt to it. Bring this to boil and then add coconut paste. Boil for some time, add water if it’s too thick. Mix well and let it boil for about 10 minutes.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with puran poli.
WHEAT PURAN POLI
This is the same recipe as blogged before, the only difference being that the refined flour has been replaced with wheat flour. Wheat is a healthy option and doesn’t alter the taste too much and the Puran poli tastes yummy anyways.
Ingredients
Bengal gram (chana dal) - 2 cups,
Jaggery - 2 cups
Wheat flour -2 cups
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Cardamom powder -1 tsp
Nutmeg powder 1/4th tsp
Dry ginger powder(soonth) -1/4th tsp
Ghee as required
Method
Grate the jaggery, keep aside. Soak the Bengal gram for about 2-3 hours. Then add water enough to immerse the dal completely and a bit on top. Cook chana dal in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles till it turns soft. Drain out excess water until the dal is absolutely dry. You can retain this water to make Katachi Amti (I will blog this recipe later). Mash the chana dal into a paste. In a wok, Add one tablespoon of ghee, then add the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and dry ginger powder(soonth), Now add the grated jaggery, when the grated jaggery melts, add the chana dal paste and blend both well, and cook further. You will notice that the mix has become watery, which scared me out of my wites, thinking that this attempt is going to fail too. So I urgently called my mother-in-law in Pune and asked her what to do, she said don’t worry, it is like that, “Don’t cook for too long in the wok, the chana dal paste will harden and you don’t want it to get hard. She said, immediately switch off the gas and wait for the mix to cool down, then put it in the mixie and blend twice till you see it is completely mixed up, this mix, we must add in the wok and cook it on a low flame till it comes to a dough like consistency, which happens very soon, like 2-3 minutes time. Once you see it has come to a dough like consistency put off the gas and Allow the mix to cool so you can make balls out of the mixture. Make 20 balls out of it and keep aside
Mix wheat flour, a pinch of salt, oil and water and knead the dough.
The dough will be very soft and sticky dough. Keep this aside for about half an hour till it sets. Then knead again, by punching it and folding it. You can remove all your frustrations on the dough…Imagine the joys of cooking….
Knead well and divide the dough into 20 equal portions.
With greased palms, take one portion of the dough and flatten it into a disc of the size of the palm. Place a ball of "chana jaggery" paste in the centre and fold the disc from all sides to cover the paste completely.
On a well-floured board, gently roll out each poli with the help of a rolling pin into a 6 inches disc. This can get tricky as the paste does try to slide out. Use a little flour if that happens.
Roast each poli on a hot, dry girdle.Add a teaspoon of ghee around the poli , once you see some spots on the backside flip over, you will see your Puran polis puff up. Once done, Remove on a plate. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee or a bowl of warm milk and with steaming hot Katachi Amti.
I would also like to send Wheat Puran Polis and Katachi Amti to Purva of "Purva's Dawat" for "Festive Food-Holi" event.
Wheat Puran Polis, go to Roma of "Roma's space", who is guest hosting "JFI-Wheat"this month, an event started by Indira.
Iam living in Singapore since 8 years and have been quite fascinated with the Singapore cuisine. One thing that I realized is that there are many similarities in various cuisines across Asia. Some recipes that are very similar to the ones made in India, the only variation being the flour used or the way it is eaten (I mean, the accompaniments). One such dish that I was fascinated with is the “Goreng Pisang” (“Pisang” means banana and “Goreng” means to fry), there is some controversy to the name though as the Malaysians and Indonesians call itPisang Goreng which means fried banana. Anyways controversies apartI would like to share with all of you’ll the recipe of Ripe Banana Bajji(which is the Goreng Pisang of India), Bajji made with Ripe Bananas. This is a hot favorite with my husband. It’s very important what kind of banana you choose. The bananas shouldn’t be over-ripe or semi-ripe, they should be just right to eat. It shouldn’t be cut too thin else it will literally melt into the batter while frying. It should be cut into 11/2 inch lengths before frying. The batter shouldn’t be too watery, it should be thick enough to cover the banana completely, if the batter is watery the banana will get directly fried in the oil and the result will be very oily.
Ingredients
Bananas – 2 ripe ones
Bengal gram flour / Besan flour – 1 cup
Rice flour – 1 tbsp
Soda bi-carb – a pinch (optional)
Red chilly powder - 2 tsps
Salt as per taste
Oil – for deep frying
Method
Peel the Bananas and cut into chunks. Keep aside. In a bowl, Add Besan flour, rice flour, a pinch of soda bi-carb, red chilly powder and salt as per taste. Add water and make a thick paste first, this ensures that the lumps get dissolved. Then add more water till it comes to the dosa better consistency. Keep aside. Now take a deep frying pan, Add oil for frying.
Take a chunk of banana and dip it into the batter, the banana should be coated well with the batter else it will come in direct contact with the oil and absorb too much oil. Drop the coated banana chunks into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. Once you remove from oil place on kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. Serve hot. You can eat it just like that. Just bite into one and a riot of flavors explode into your mouth, ranging from hot, sweet, salty and crispy outside and the soft and gooey banana inside. Enjoy this delightful snack on a cold winter or rainy day.
GORENG PISANG
I would like to share with you’ll the recipe of Goreng Pisang, wherein Rice flour, salt, sugar are mixed with water to form a batter like consistency and then Bananas(not over ripe usually the “Pisang Raja” variety available in this part of the world ) are dipped into this batter and deep fried. Sometimes, glutinous rice flour is also added to the batter and sometimes a bit of ginger powder is added to give that extra flavor to the batter. Then the bananas are dipped in the batter and deep fried until golden brown and served hot with a dash of cinnamon powder and some fresh cream.
I saw a beautiful rainbow outside and I thought I must capture it in my camera. There is a pot
of gold at the end of the rainbow. I thought this signifies the recession we are going through and the optimistic th
ought that it will end and things will brighten up as I believe that there is light at the end of a tunnel and we will find that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
I would like to send this wonderful dish to my blogger friend Purva for the “ Festive Food – Holi” event that she is hosting.
HOME REMEDIES FOR MOUTH ULCERS
Mouth Ulcers or Canker sores are small boils which appear in the inside of your mouth, on the tongue or inner lips. Sometimes they are so painful that the person cannot speak, eat or drink anything. Causes of Mouth Ulcers are: Lack of Vitamin B2 in the diet
Eating acidic or spicy food
Bad stomach
Eating antibiotics or other medications which cause heat in the body
Viral infections
Sometimes minor injuries can also cause it.
Home remedies for mouth ulcers
Avoid stress, Have a good sleep and eat a balanced diet
Avoid eating hot and spicy food, avoid drinking hot tea/coffee.
Have a diet of Rice mixed with cold yogurt and a pinch of salt till your mouth ulcers are gone.
Take B-Complex capsules (Becosules) twice a day, it is quite effective.
Keep rinsing the mouth with salt water. Take more salt, about 2 tsps in one cup of lukewarm water.
Make a solution of 1tsp salt and ½ tsp turmeric powder in lukewarm water and rinse 3-4 times a day.
Gargle alternately with hot and cold water.
Take 4-5 leaves of Tulsi ( Holy Basil) and chew them in the morning and evening with water. This can be done 5-6 times a day. This not only cures mouth ulcers but also prevents bad breath.
Biting on to small pieces of coconut, chew until the coconut milk starts to flow, swish the coconut milk in your mouth, this is one home remedy suggested by my grandmother which is quite effective.
Apply Coconut milk mixed with honey 3-4 times a day on the ulcers for relief.
Mix one teaspoon of turmeric powder to one teaspoon of glycerine and apply this solution on the ulcers
For bad mouth ulcers take raw coconut break it into pieces and chew it with little sugar. Do this 4-5 times a day.
Application of Peppermint oil to the mouth ulcers gives relief from pain and irritation.
Make a paste of Amla (Indian Gooseberry) and apply to the ulcers, this also works effectively.
Have Mint leaves (Pudina), 2-3 in the morning and chew onto it. You can do this 2-3 times a day. Mint is very cooling for the system.
Remove the gel from aloe vera and put it in a blender with some distilled water. Keep this solution in a bottle and regularly, swish it round your mouth, holding and swishing for a few minutes then just swallow it, if you also have a sore throat gargle before swallowing. Aloe vera can also be used on other ulcers.
Boil one teaspoon of coriander seeds in a cup of water. When this is warm, gargle with it 3-4 times a day.
Baking soda and lemon juice is very effective in ulcers of the oral cavity relieving pain as well as the severity of the sores.
Gargle a solution of 1 teaspoon of apple vinegar with half a cup of water three times a day.
Bicarbonate of Soda dabbed on the ulcer will clear it up quickly. Dip finger in powder and apply to ulcer, leave for as long as possible. It will sting at first but will give relief soon after.
For mouth ulcers, use alum. Take a cotton swab and place alum on infected area.
DISCLAIMER : "HOME REMEDIES ARE JUST SUPPLEMENTARY APPROACHES. ALWAYS SEEK A QUALIFIED PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE FOR ANY ILLNESSES."
We were used to snacking in the evenings and every evening Amma used to rustle up some tiffin for us, but sometimes we used to get bored with the usual fare and then amma used to make Pori (Click on the link to know more about Pori )Uppuma for us, which is not only nutritious but tasty and kids love the softness and guess what a lot of vegetables used to go in along with it and the dish is so colorful so kids completely adore it. I kind of forgot about this dish, but, one day after I was married and moved into Singapore, while I was pondering over what to make for nashta (evening snack or tiffin as it is called), I remembered the Pori Uppuma, so I made it. I served it to my husband(who happens to be a Maharashtrian, by the way) with a dash of lime and he told me they make it too and it’s called “Sushila” I kind of felt weird about the name, sounds like the name of a girl….Its called Pori Uppuma down south….what the heck, call the dish by any name it still tastes the same, there is some variation from one state to another, but I still call it my Amma’s signature dish. So here’s a low fat and nutritious dish that you can rustle up for your loved ones.
Ingredients
Puffed Rice(Pori/ Kurmura) - 400 gms (2 Packet)
Peanuts – 2-3 tbsps
Onion-1(finely chopped)
Potato – 1 (peeled and chopped into cubes)
Tomato – 1 (chopped into cubes)
Green Chillies-2 -3
Grated ginger – 2 tsps
Mustard Seeds -1 tbsp
Bengal gram (Chana dal) l-1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt as per taste
Oil – 2 tbsps
Curry leaves – A sprig
Coriander leaves for garnish
Lemon – ½ a lemon
Method
In a wok, heat 2 tbsps of oil, Fry the peanuts until u see them cracking and slightly brown, keep aside. In the same oil put in the mustard seeds and chana dal and when the mustard seeds start to splutter, add in the green chillies, ginger paste and curry leaves and fry for a minute. Now add Onion and fry until transparent, then add in the tomatoes and potatoes, add salt as per taste, turmeric and a pinch of asafetida. Add in the fried peanuts.
Wash the puffed rice (pori) in a colander and soak for about 5 minutes, you can do this while the vegetables are getting cooked. Once, the potatoes are soft and cooked. Add in the soaked puffed rice. Mix well and cook covered for 5 minutes, then switch off the flame and keep it covered for another 5 minutes. Squeeze lime, mix well and serve hot.
Puffed Rice Uppuma, has got Tomato as one of the ingredients and I believe that tomato adds zest and color to this dish, therefore this dish goes to Sanghiof "Sanghi's Tasty Bites" for her blog's new event
Since Pori Uppuma has so many vegetables and peanuts and is nutritious to eat and kids would love to eat it because its soft, colorful and got potatoes which most kids love, I would love to send this to Deepa of "Simple Home cooking" for the event "Cooking for kids-P
I would also like to send Pori Uppuma to Purva of "Purva's Dawat" for "Festive Food-Holi" event, as it is so colorful and festive looking.
I would also love to send Pori Uppuma to Srivalli’s Monthly Mingle 31 – Kid’s lunches originally started by Meeta as kids simply enjoy the color and softness of this dish and it is healthy and nutritious
I would also like to send this to PJ’s Tasty Bites for Toddlers event.This can be fed to ages 3 and up.
