Gluten free Hing

Several of my friends/clients have asked me about gluten-free hing. It is hard to find as gluten/wheat flour is normally used as a anticaking agent with the asafoetida resin (hing/pergungayam) powder.

However, I discovered one brand that offers high quality mix with gluten free hing

https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/hingvastak-powder

https://www.pureindianfoods.com/hing-asafoetida-powder-p/hing.htm

Do you know of other places to get Gluten free Hing? Please comment and let us know!

Quick Cuboidal lunches

Wait, what? What is a cuboidal lunch.

Well, it's really just lunch tha's packed into rectangular tupperware. But using geometric words make things sound cooler for engineers!

Home made Indian lunch, placed in rectangular box tupperware, makes it easy to carry in another rectangular shaped lunch bag. That's all it is folks.

Pic 1: Assembled cuboidal lunch

Now, let's get on with the plan.

What you need already prepped/cooked:

1. Dal (lentil dish) - green mung+split chickpeas featured here. (Recipe for lentils).
2. Rice.
3. Vegetable curry or some side (Suggestion: cooked plantains) 
4. Fruits (your favorite). e.g. Peeled oranges, berries, chopped melon/cantaloupe etc.
5. 1/2 cup yoghurt - plain, whole & with live cultures. (optional, but highly recommended)
6. Chopped cucumber (optional) and radishes (optional, in season) or baby carrots. They add color!

Image of ruler embedded into pic 2 is sourced from http://nitasoesabdo.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

Starchy Vegetables - Crispy Indian Style

SOUTH INDIAN LOW SPICE CURRY

General method for a south indian styled curry, especially when working with starchy vegetables like potato, plantain (green unripe banana, yams, beet root, sweet potato etc:

Safety: Use a splatter screen or a partially closed lid for preventing mustard from jumping out. Keep all things dry of water, hot oil and water drops do NOT mix.

Sweet potato curry

- (Add to hot oil at medium/high heat in this order left to right) --> Mustard seeds (let it sputter for 1-2 mins), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chopped cashews (can substitute with peanuts or yellow split peas - mainly for texture).. All of these sputter and splatter, so a half closed lid or splatter screen is useful at this stage.

Reduce the heat a little then..

If I have curry leaves and hing (a pungent edible resin) I add them at this stage...once these were browned, I added chopped onions, let it brown or caramelize depending on taste preference. and after this..

 I add chopped ginger..(and garlic sometimes).. after couple minutes I add the sweet potatoes (or any other vegetable).. after this I sprinkle salt, turmeric and also a little bit of black pepper. Turmeric's bio-activity is best when consumed with some pepper/chili powder etc.

if you do not want it spicy SKIP the red chili powder but do use some black pepper.

if you want it spicy, add red chili powder after you add turmeric. You can also supplement with chopped green chili peppers (

Cook to tenderness and it's ready to eat!

Similar method can be applied to most root/tube or starchy vegetables like carrot, jicama, beets, potatoes, green plantains etc.  This method it can also be used with turnip roots but cook it for lesser duration

Fresh curry leaves will be there at many Indian grocery stores. Their aroma is amazing when added to hot oil.

if you like crisp green plantain curry specifically.. check out this recipe that I posted on my blog a while ago..

 http://spicetruck.blogspot.com/2015/10/plantains-tamil-style.html

This is a recipe adapted from a live demo I conducted for my friends at New River Gorge when I had participated in a plein air painting workshop. I apologize for any errors in the language. Please let me know in comments or on my facebook page, and I will strive to fix it soon!

Thank you for your thyme :) ! 

Free Spice Jar Pittsburgh

Free Russian Style Seasoning at Penzey's till Sunday March 26

This is relevant to people in the Pittsburgh area. Now, the post that I am sharing from an email I received from Penzey's spices is quite political in nature. But, it has important points about how food connects us all at a human level. Bonus, it is a jar of spice FREE - till March 26, 2017.

Below post, coupon and burger images all belong to Penzey's spices, No copyright violation is intended!

Print Coupon

America Matters. This week we saw it announced that a sitting US president's administration is being investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI for colluding with Russia to steal an election. Let that sink in. And really, for this administration in terms of politics, the investigation for treason was probably considered a welcome distraction from the sheer inhumanity they openly endorsed in the last week that had caused them to drop so dramatically in the polls. It would seem Americans don't really want to see millions of families losing their health care, the earth's environment polluted for a thousand years to come, all funding for the arts being cut, and of course eliminating funds for meals for disadvantaged students and for elderly shut-ins because this administration can't see the value in the humanity of these meals.  At Penzeys we believe the value in the humanity of cooking and sharing food with those around you is beyond measure, especially when it comes to those in need. The humanity cooks add to the world around them through their cooking sets better, brighter futures in motion. At Penzeys we also believe America matters. Much like the caring, empathy, and kindness of cooks create better futures for those around them, the caring, empathy, and kindness of America has long been creating better futures for all those that share this planet.  Sitting home in America it can be easy to be jaded and focus only on our failures and missteps. But the Spice trade really has taken me to the far corners of the Earth, and given me the chance to see America through the world's eyes. What we have in our country is very special. In a world where outrageous corruption is for billions simply a fact of life, the idea that there is a country that more often than not defends the rights of all of the people, and not just the privileged, brings real hope. This hope is powerful. In many ways it's the desire to undermine this hope that drove Russian leadership to intercede in our election in favor of what is now the current administration.  So, a sitting US president's administration is being investigated by the Justice Department and the FBI for colluding with Russia to steal an election? We have a blend for that. It’sTsardust Memories, and it's tasty. And through this Sunday, if you can get to one of our stores, it's flat-out free. Online it's free too, but on orders under $30 shipping and handling will apply. After Sunday, both in-store and online the $6.95 value Tsardust Memories is free with $5 purchase. Simply show this email in one of our stores or bring in the coupon above. Or visit us online at penzeys.com and enter 28552C into the apply code box when checking out.  At this point, no one knows how all this will shake out, but wars, really bad wars, have been started over a lot less. A big part of why this week is the right week for Tsardust Memories, is that now is the time to remember the humanity of even our adversaries. Tsardust is an amazingly good blend. These are flavors that, as Americans we are familiar with, but how, over the decades and even centuries, Russian cooks evolved the way they brought these flavors together to please those they cook for really is something worthy of our attention and respect. The Russian people are not our enemies. This time, if the allegations prove true, the enemies of Democracy are very much our own. Get your Tsardust Memories now, and when you've used up the Seasoning inside, figure out something cool to do with the jar. This investigation is history in the making. Make this jar your souvenir of that time when American History was not just words in books about our past, but was something we all had a front row seat to experience. Here's to these times not being too exciting.  Best wishes, Bill bill@penzeys.com

Tsardust Cheeseburgers Everyone loves burgers—they are simple and quick to make, and our Tsardust Memories makes the flavor even better. 1 lb. ground beef 2 tsp. TSARDUST MEMORIES 4 slices cheddar cheese 4 crusty rolls or soft hamburger buns condiments of your choice …

Are Essential Oils essential for healthy living?

Short answer: No.

Long Answer: Can be useful depending on how you absorb them, dosages, which part of the herb etc etc. But they don't always need to taken from small bottles costing $36-$83 per tiny bottle. that is just a rip off most of the time! I will update this post by March 15 (2017) with a list of fair priced and legit suppliers, in the meantime, please don't get sucked into some MLM scheme.

Another question:
Can Herbs and Spices be therapeutic? BIG YES.

One "popular" fad is the use of "essential oils" to get the benefits of herbs, spices and flowers. I personally do not like the term 'essential oil' which makes it sound like they are "essential for life". that's a little bit of a stretch and probably smart marketing. They are actually 'essence oils' i.e. the essence of the leaf or flower obtained as an oil by steam distillation or some other form of extraction.

Rose-geranium essential oil (Source: publicdomainpictures.net)

In many cases, small amounts of the essence are enough for the human body, either diluted in carrier oils and absorbed via skin. What I do more often is to take through whole leaves and shade dried leaves - ingested with food as part of flavoring. We are talking only about digestible herbs like basil, coriander, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. not the more bitter ones like chamomile, eucalyptus etc.

Mint in a pot

Some of the ancient wisdom from various parts of the world, that has been passed on through the kitchens of grandmothers, has recently been confirmed via scientific studies at molecular level. I will list couple of them here.

Since I am pressed for time, the focus of this post is on THYME (pun intended).

Fresh thyme (Image source courtesy: flickr user alicehenneman link)

One short communication (note that it is not a peer reviewed full journal article though) has this to say:

"Thyme and winter savory oils exhibited the greatest inhibition against the growth of all the tested organisms possibly due to the high content of thymol and carvacrol respectively. The Roman chamomile oil exhibited the highest antioxidant activity."

Source. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0926669093900107

Another study in the journal Molecules has this to say:

The thyme essential oil exhibited the strongest cytotoxicity towards three human cancer cells. Its inhibition concentration 50% (IC(50)) values on PC-3, A549 and MCF-7 tumor cell lines were 0.010% (v/v), 0.011% (v/v) and 0.030% (v/v), respectively.

Source https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20657472 (Anti cancer at cell level studies)

Full journal article at: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/15/5/3200

On ACNE (from the Molecules article)

"Thyme, cinnamon and rose essential oils exhibited the best antibacterial activities towards P. acnes,"

Now, my grandma told me this and her grandma told her, so I was fine with trying these things [examples below] even before some of these studies came out, but I am glad to see anecdotal and traditional ideas being confirmed via modern techniques.

• Oregano oil sprays (for sinus issues, congested colds) even before these articles came out :)
• Adding turmeric and black pepper to foods, basil leaves in season etc for general good digestive health.
• Eating fermented foods made out of ginger etc for good gut health. 
• Something I have learnt new is how to use thyme in cooking.
  
  For more on How to use Thyme in Cooking visit:

1. http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/cooking-with-thyme
2. https://www.delallo.com/article/thyme/
   
   
3. https://food52.com/blog/10341-thyme-and-how-to-have-more-of-it

Seven Major Indian Spices

http://magazine.fourseasons.com/travel-food-style/food-restaurants/gourmet-food-recipes/seven-seasonings-the-key-spices-of-indian-cuisine


One tip.. a splatter screen is a must if you are using mustard seeds regularly!!

Spices can help you eat better

Picture of calf nuzzling to a human's hand

My thoughts on animal protein, more animal pettin - less animal protein.

I can say with quiet confidence, that spices help satiate you better and eat more vegetables and lower your animal protein intake. In a non-scientific study involving one participant (me), this has been tested for the past three years and has helped me balance the amount of animal protein needed as well as lower my carbohydrate intake, to cope better with an ageing metabolism. 

An article came out this week in the New York Times (NYT Mobile) (Full article) based on the World Health Organization (WHO) study, detailing the findings on correlation between cancer and red meat as well as processed meat.

Based on that the press release on the

Red meat After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries convened by the IARC Monographs Programme classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect. This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.  

Processed meat Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.

Red meat refers to all types of mammalian muscle meat, such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat. Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood. Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces. 

A summary of the final evaluations is available online in The Lancet Oncology, and the detailed assessments will be published as Volume 114 of the IARC Monographs. 

I have personally never consumed much red meat in my life (a handful of occasions) sheerly due a cultural consciousness that did not lend itself to choosing meat from such mammals. However, even the white meat consumption which I had picked up in my life about 10 years back based on the advice of a doctor, was limited to the 3-4 times eating out at Mexican or Thai restaurants. At most Indian, Italian and Middle eastern restaurants, I always found myself choosing more spicy vegetarian options. Again, I used to alternate between vegetarian and chicken options at Thai restaurants.

The key point for me was that, in Mexican restaurants, I could order a 3 taco plate, and have only one of them with meat. But in a lot of the Italian restaurants, the meat entree meant a full portion of meat, or a full chicken breast - which was more than what was needed perhaps.

So, the quick summary is that it is probably good to reduce your meat intake and flavor it more. Again, this is purely my opinion based on what has worked for me. One should always figure out what is the best combination based on several factors - current health, fitness regimen, cost, access to other substitutes, genetic predisposition/family history and other cultural factors.

But remember, spices help flavor even the most bland vegetables more, so they can increase vegetable consumption and your stomach has only a standard amount of room.

Calf image courtesty: Flickr user: bagsgroove (image).

A downloadable postcard size image is provided below free!

Additional Resources:
Clairy: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/10/26/processed-meat-and-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/

Cabbage Curry

Cabbage Peas Curry - Dry Sabji - Kurry

Image of Cabbage Curry on Stove.

Cabbage (chopped), Peas (steamed prior), Onions (sliced or chopped), mustard seeds, Dry red chili peppers, cilantro leaves (chopped), Oil (2 tbsp), Salt. Optional: Sambar powder, chopped ginger, Vallarai idly podi, asafoetida (hing) powder, split peas (yellow), split gram, peanuts, coconut flakes.