Kathal (Raw Jackfruit) Biryani

Raw Jackfruit Biryani

Ingredients

1 large onion
3 tbsp cashews and almonds
4 tbsp oil/ ghee
The Jackfruit layer:
2 cups chopped raw jackfruit
1 large potato, cubed
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
Curry:
1 cup curd / yogurt, thick and fresh
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp biryani masala
½ tsp fennel, crushed
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp salt
The Assembly:
3 tbsp oil / ghee
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
3 cardamom / elaichi
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 ½ cup basmati rice, soaked
A few strands of saffron soaked in water for a few min
2 tbsp raisins
A handful of chopped mint and coriander leaves
1½ cup water

Method

  • Pressure cook the jackfruit for 3 whistles on high flame and let it cool down on its own.
  • Slice the onions and fry it in ghee or oil on low heat until it is caramelized and dark brown. Set aside.
  • Fry the cashews and almonds in the same pan and set aside.
  • Combine the curds with chili powder, turmeric powder, biryani masala powder, fennel powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt and mix well.

Putting it all Together

  • In a pressure cooker, heat 3tbsp of ghee/ oil.
  • Add the spices: bay leaf, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
  • Add the curd mixture.
  • Add the potato, jackfruit and fried nuts
  • Now spread the soaked rice on top of this and add saffron water.
  • Sprinkle the raisins, mint-coriander leaves and the fried onions
  • after that, sprinkle half of the fried onions / barista.
  • Add 1½ cup water.
  • Pressure cook for 2 whistles.
  • Serve garnished with the remaining fried onions, along with a raita or mirchi ka salan.

Notes:

Making your own Biryani Masala

  • Dry roast 3 dried red chilies and 7 bay leaves (tej patta) until crispy.
  • Separately, dry roast 2 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds, 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) and 1 tbsp caraway seeds (kala jeera) until fragrant.
  • Dry roast 3 mace (javithri), 2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 nutmeg (jayfal), 1 tsp cloves, 3 black cardamom, 3 star anise, 10 cardamom, 1 tbsp pepper and 1 tsp fennel / saunf.
  • Once completely cool, add ½ tsp turmeric and blend to fine powder
    Store in an airtight container.

Raita

The easiest, simplest accompaniment to this dish is a raita. You can make this by mixing slightly beaten curds/ yogurt with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, coriander leaves and salt.

You can use all the above vegetables or even just one of them to make a raita, and the cucumber can also be grated if it is being used alone.

Some people like to add red chili powder and cumin powder to this but I prefer it plain. Leave the raita in the refrigerator for a little while so the juices flow into the curds. Serve chilled.

Gluten Free French Apple Cake

Corner House used to have French Apple Cake with ice cream on its menu, my absolute favourite for years, and bizarrely enough a menu item that absolutely no one else I know has ever heard of or tried. It’s almost as if I access Corner House in some other parallel universe, haha.

Ever since I went gluten free, I miss good cakes. I have a friend that makes me lovely plum cakes and brownies, but you know, CAKES. I miss them, and I missed this one the most. And then I chanced upon Nutty Yogi Baking Flour and decided to make one and voila, it was soooooo good! (PS: I am NOT promoting them or being paid for this, come on, this website is not that popular hahaha).

French Apple Cake

Ingredients:

50gm butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch cardamom pd
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1.5 cups flour whisked with 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda
3 apples, peeled, cored (2 chopped, 1 sliced)
Milk, probably 1/2 cup

Procedure:

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Grease a 8-9 inch pan and layer the sliced apples on the bottom.
  • Mix butter and sugar together until creamy.
  • Add eggs, vanilla essence and beat until fluffy.
    It might seem to curdle, that’s ok, add a spoon of flour in that case and continue whisking.
  • Fold in the flour, mix milk until it is a batter consistency.
  • Toss in the chopped apples, pour into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 40 till an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Serving Suggestion:

I like to serve this hot with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

To make salted caramel sauce, melt 1/4 cup sugar until it starts turning light brown, add 2 tbsp butter, let it melt and combine, Add a heaped tablespoon of (room temperature) heavy cream while continuously stirring and boil for about a minute. Add 1/4 tsp salt and serve.

Crumpets w Blueberry Jam (GF)

Recently in a facebook group, someone mentioned crumpets. It was something I hadn’t ever heard of before, and upon googling it, I realised it was something I just had to make. Crumpets are a British thing, something in between pancakes and British muffins. Since I am allergic to gluten, I had to make a version that avoided plain flour. Was it worth the experiment? Absolutely.

I’ve thrown in psyllium husk and banana for added fluffiness but really it works just fine without them too. You can use guar gum or ground chia or flax seeds as well if you like.

Makes about 10 crumpets

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups gluten free flour (I used 50% buckwheat and 50% jowar flour)
  • 2 tbsp psyllium husk (optional)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp instant yeast (or 1.25tsp dried yeast and remember to proof it)
  • 1 large egg, separated
  • 1 ripe banana, can also be over ripe (optional, will need to add a little water and 2 tbsp of melted butter if skipping)
  • 1 tsp each salt and sugar

For the Jam

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

  • Heat the milk to just above body temperature, add the lemon juice, let stand for a minute.
  • Whisk the flours, psyllium husk, yeast, salt and sugar together and stir in the milk. Let sit for 30-60 min.
  • Add the egg yolk and mashed banana
  • Whip the egg white until stiff and gently fold it in. If the consistency looks too thick, add milk until it is a smooth batter.
  • Wait 10 min and spoon into crumpet rings over a hot iron skillet. You can either cook this over the stove or bake it in an oven at 180C for 5 minutes. Flip the crumpet over and cook again until done.
  • Serve with butter and jam, or like in this case whipped cream and blueberry-chia jam. I also like to serve it sometimes with mushroom and broccoli in Bechamel sauce.

The Blueberry Chia Jam

  • Cook the blueberries (or any other berries) in a saucepan on low heat for about 5-10 min and then mash until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Take it off the heat, add maple syrup, lemon juice and chia seeds.
  • Let cool completely and then transfer to a glass jar for storage.

Shahi Tarkari Biryani

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 large onion
3 tbsp cashews and almonds
4 tbsp oil/ ghee
The Vegetable layer:
2 cups chopped vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas, I even like to add soya nuggets, paneer or mushrooms sometimes. For an exotic twist, you could even use broccoli and asparagus)
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
Curry:
1 cup curd / yogurt, thick and fresh
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp biryani masala
½ tsp fennel, crushed
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp salt
The Assembly:
3 tbsp oil / ghee
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
3 cardamom / elaichi
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 ½ cup basmati rice, soaked
A few strands of saffron soaked in water for a few min
2 tbsp raisins
A handful of chopped mint and coriander leaves
1½ cup water

Method

  • Slice the onions and fry it in ghee or oil on low heat until it is caramelized and dark brown. Set aside.
  • Fry the cashews and almonds in the same pan and set aside.
  • Fry the vegetables in the same pan for 2 minutes and set aside.
  • Combine the curds with chili powder, turmeric powder, biryani masala powder, fennel powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt and mix well.

Putting it all Together

  • In a pressure cooker, heat 3tbsp of ghee/ oil.
  • Add the spices: bay leaf, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
  • Add the curd mixture.
  • Add the vegetables and fried nuts
  • Now spread the soaked rice on top of this and add saffron water.
  • Sprinkle the raisins, mint-coriander leaves and the fried onions
  • after that, sprinkle half of the fried onions / barista.
  • Add 1½ cup water.
  • Pressure cook for 2 whistles.
  • Serve garnished with the remaining fried onions, along with a raita or mirchi ka salan.

Notes:

  • I love to serve it along with a boiled egg but that’s just a personal preference. You can even substitute the vegetables in the recipe with boiled eggs and potatoes for a nice egg biryani.
  • If you are cooking without a pressure cooker, half-cook the rice first and then follow the same process, cover with a lid and let it cook until done, about 10 minutes depending on the rice.
  • I often use a lot more vegetables and might also use different rice, in which case the quantity of water needed will be more

Making your own Biryani Masala

  • Dry roast 3 dried red chilies and 7 bay leaves (tej patta) until crispy.
  • Separately, dry roast 2 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds, 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) and 1 tbsp caraway seeds (kala jeera) until fragrant.
  • Dry roast 3 mace (javithri), 2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 nutmeg (jayfal), 1 tsp cloves, 3 black cardamom, 3 star anise, 10 cardamom, 1 tbsp pepper and 1 tsp fennel / saunf.
  • Once completely cool, add ½ tsp turmeric and blend to fine powder
    Store in an airtight container.

Raita

The easiest, simplest accompaniment to this dish is a raita. You can make this by mixing slightly beaten curds/ yogurt with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, coriander leaves and salt.

You can use all the above vegetables or even just one of them to make a raita, and the cucumber can also be grated if it is being used alone.

Some people like to add red chili powder and cumin powder to this but I prefer it plain. Leave the raita in the refrigerator for a little while so the juices flow into the curds. Serve chilled.

Jackfruit Dosa

I love ripe jackfruits more than any other fruit. In the 80’s while living in Manipal, our neighbour made jackfruit dosas for us. I never knew of this dish before and she obliged me with its recipe. Now every time I get a ripe jackfruit , this is a must have preparation.

Jackfruit dosas served with honey, mango launji and fresh mango

Ingredients

1 cup rice soaked for 3 to 4 hours- to make 6-7 dosas

8- 10 deseeded bulbs of ripe jackfruit

Salt to taste

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp dried ginger powder (optional)

Water

Instruction

  • Grind all the ingredients with sufficient water to a thick batter and make dosas
  • Can be served with honey,  butter, chutney , or any sweet pickle

Home Remedies

 

General immunity: crushed ginger juice mixed with equal quantity honey, about a tablespoon every morning keeps the immune system strong and reduces the likelihood of catching colds
Phelgm (congestion in sinus, nose, chest) – lemongrass ginger chai, turmeric milk, kadha (Recipe – boil some cumin seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, ginger, and optionally tulsi, mulethi, cinnamon, and cloves in water until it reduces to half. Strain and consume. You may sweeten it with some rock sugar or jaggery. Honey mustn’t be added to hot liquids so avoid that. )
Lemongrass-ginger chai along with the homeo medicine justicia usually take care of colds and coughs very effectively. 
Incessant dry coughing – Place amla supari under your tongue and just suck on it. This is tremendously helpful when there is excessive coughing at night, preventing a restful sleep. 
Itching in throat/ throat infection – Keep a ball made with turmeric and coconut oil under your tongue and suck on it. This brings great relief. 
Fever – ajwain boiled in water (Also remove drishti/ nazar, many fevers disappear immediately upon doing this)
Migraines – Make sure food quality and times are consistent, apple on an empty stomach
Bad breath – 4 oranges with pith on empty stomach for a week
Bruises/ swelling – drumstick leaves ground with salt in mortar pestle
Burns – apply honey on it immediately. The burning sensation often increases but this prevents the burn from blistering. 
High BP – drumstick leaves soup (boil drumstick leaves in water until cooked, add salt and serve)
Diarrhea: black tea without sugar, sabja (holy basil) seeds soaked in water for 10 min
Excess heat in the body/ dehydration/ digestive trouble during weather change from winter to spring – 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil on empty stomach
Kidney problems – 4 drops gomutra ark in a glass of water first thing in the morning
Psoriasis – agnihotra ash mixed with ghee, applied and covered up with an old sock, overnight for a few weeks.
Excess body heat, i.e. weak digestion, breakouts, etc: Kokum juice, raw mangoes, curds, buttermilk
Thyroid Imabalances: Boil 2 tbsp of coriander seeds in 2 glasses of water for about 15-20 min. Strain, cool to body temperature, add honey and drink on empty stomach for a week. 
Premature greying/ hair fall: Boil 10 curry leaves in a glass of water until it reduces to half, and drink warm on empty stomach every morning
Diabetes: Eat your weight in kilograms divided by 100 = grams of a variety of fruit for breakfast. Weight in kg divided by 200 grams of a variety of salads including leaves right before lunch. Do this for a week for a reduction in sugar levels. 

Home Homeopathy Kit for minor problems

I share the following home remedies as a lay person who uses them for minor illnesses. The way we do it is we buy them in liquid form in 30C potency (so you would tell the shopkeeping to give you Nux Vomica 30, for instance) and put a couple of drops in a bottle of water, shake the bottle vigorously, and then take a couple of sips every hour or so. Do not take any medicine 30 min before or after food. Stop the medication immediately upon relief, do not continue taking the medicine. For anything serious, please do not self medicate, and check with a doctor instead. 

Digestion

    1. Nux Vomica: Nux vomica can be safely used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, a loss of appetite, depression, migranes and hangover. It is very useful if you have over eaten or eaten something wrong. Don’t take it right after or in combination with other medicines as this flushes your stomach and reduces the effectiveness of other medicines. 
    2. Carbo Vegetablis: Carbo veg is useful with issues of excessive gas‚ indigestion‚ bloating‚ and belching. It calms the digestive system
    3. Arsenicum Album: This is the number one remedy for food poisoning. It also helps with hay fever involving burning, watery, runny nose with a stuffy, tickling feeling during allergy attacks, swelling below eyes, potential wheezy cough, feeling chilly, anxious and tired.
  1. Common Ailments 

    1. Aconite: When taken at the onset of a cold, aconite can stop the virus from progressing further. It is also very useful in fever. Just mix a 2-3 drops or 10 pills in half a glass of water and take a spoon of this every hour and the fever comes down quite rapidly. Aconite can also be used for joint pain, gout, inflammations and to speed up the healing of wounds. Apart from the pill form, aconite can also be used as a cream.
    2. Kali Bichromicum: Helps very quickly with sinus infections and colds with thick yellow discharge. 
    3. Ocimum: Useful for colds and allergic nasal discharge
    4. Justicia: Useful for common cold with cough, sneezing, tightness of chest, hoarse voice, constipation
    5. Belladonna: Severe throat infection and difficulty speaking
    6. Ferrum Phosphoricum: (6X) useful in anemia, pre-menstrual fatigue (Ferrumsip syrup is also very helpful in this)
    7. Calendula cream: Helpful with burns, cuts and insect bites
    8. Bach Flower Rescue Remedy: Useful in abating shock and sudden, intense emotions
    9. Oophorinum 3x, suck 2 pills thrice daily for 3_4 months to heal PCOD
  2. Pain, Injuries, Etc.

    1. Arnica: Best for bruising, accidents, injuries and shocks. It can also be used to treat arthritis and the pain that follows dental work and jet lag. Arnica can also be used to promote hair growth. Depending on its use, arnica can be used in the form of pills, cream or oils.
    2. Magnesia phosphoric: This is a must have for women. It can be used to treat any form of cramps including menstrual cramps. It can also be used to treat tiredness, headaches, nerve pain, insomnia and to help a person relax. Magnesia phosphoric is usually prescribed in the form of homeopathic pills.
    3. Ruta: Strains and sprains, stiffness and bruised soreness, or pulls that affect the ligaments or tendons, cartilage and bone injury.
    4. Rhus tox: Rhus tox is a common homeopathic remedy for muscle sprains and bruising. It is also beneficial for people suffering from back aches, arthritis, sciatica and body aches associated with the flu. Rhus tox is usually found in the form of homeopathic pills. 
    5. Calcarea Phosphorica: (6X) Useful in times of rapid growth, like children and teenagers. Also useful when body may be deficient in calcium, like when there are joint pains on slight exertion or body pains due to cold. 

Recipes

Get-Well-Soon Khichdi (Serves 3-4)

1 cup basmati rice
1 cup split mung dal
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
A pinch of asafetida (hing)
4 cups water
1 tbsp ghee

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, and add ginger, turmeric and hing, followed by washed rice and dal.

Add the water and pressure cook for 12 min on low flame after the first whistle. (or pressure-cook until the second whistle).

Open the pressure cooker after pressure is released, add water if a change in consistency is needed, and serve with ghee, curds, and/ or thinly sliced ginger fried in ghee. This is a deeply nourishing khichdi with spices meant to aid digestion, and helps in recovery from digestive problems as well as colds and flu. 
If eating when not sick, you can add a variety of vegetables and more spices as well. 

Note: If you are using another rice, just use 3 times the water you normally use.

Variation: You can pressure cook the rice and dal alone with some salt until cooked. Then heat ghee, add cumin, crushed peppercorns and cashews (skip cashews if ill). Pour over khichdi, mix and serve with ghee, raita or coconut chutney. This is the recipe for pongal served by Tamil Nadu street vendors. 

Home made Hair Oil

500ml coconut oil
7-8 gooseberries
2 lemons
1 small onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp kalonji seeds
6-10 inches fresh aloe vera with skin
Plenty of curry leaves and neem leaves

You may use all ingredients or skip a few if they are not available. Combine everything and boil until the items have released their essence. Strain and massage into hair 2-3 times a week. 

 

Here’s a very nice list of foods to eat depending on your Ayurvedic dosha

https://www.ayurveda-parkschloesschen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/dokumente/newsletter/Gewuerze_2016_gb.pdf

Bajra Khichdi with Vegetables

There are some things that bring a deep, deep sense of fulfillment during winter. Bajra khichdi is one of them. It just needs to be planned ahead due to the soaking time.

Serves 2
Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bajra
1/2 cup mung dal
2 cups water
1 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
a pinch of hing (asafetida)
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped, 
1/2 cup peas

Procedure

  • Soak bajra overnight, combine with mung dal, water and pressure cook for 4 whistles.  (Note: Some people like to pulse the bajra in a blender a few times before cooking, to crush it. I skipped this step and liked the crunch. Up to you what you like)
  • Heated some mustard oil, added jeera and when it splutters, add hing and haldi
  • Then add chopped potatoes, carrots and peas. 
  • Cook until done and mix it into the khichdi. 
  • Serve with a dollop of ghee and gud dahi or crispy pakodas 🙂 I added some raw sliced onions, and sliced ginger and chili with salt and lemon juice.

Most internet recipes talk about only bajra and dal but I wanted some more nutrition in it. Hence the veggies.

Sweet potato curry

Sweet potato, the starchy sweet tasting root vegetable, is a powerful nutritional pack. In one medium spud, there is over 400 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement. Sweet potatoes are considered low on the glycemic index scale, and recent research suggests they may reduce episodes of low blood sugar and insulin resistance in people with diabetes.

Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fibre as well as containing a good array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, and they’re a good source of most of our B vitamins and vitamin C. One of the key nutritional benefits of sweet potato is that they’re high in an antioxidant known as beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A once consumed. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre, which has been shown to promote a healthy digestive system.

Though sweet potatoes are an excellent addition to a balanced diet, they contain oxalates which bind calcium and other minerals. Too many oxalates in the diet may cause kidney stones and so should be eaten in moderation by those who have existing kidney stones or are at high risk of developing them.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized sweet potatoes, cooked, skinned and cubed

1 big tomato cut into small pieces

Some curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp sambar powder

1 tsp tamarind pulp or ½ tsp dried mango powder

Salt to taste

Jaggery or sugar to taste (optional)

1 ½ cups water

Instruction:

  • Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped tomatoes.
  • Stir on medium heat and when tender, add all the masala powders, mix well and add water, salt, sugar and tamarind or dried mango powder.
  • When it boils, add the sweet potato pieces and simmer for five minutes.
  • It is an awesome accompaniment for chapatis and steamed rice.

 

10 Signs you are Allergic to Gluten (And What to Eat Instead)

We’ve eaten wheat all our lives and since the symptoms are not fatal, we never realise if we’re allergic to it. So I thought it’s a good idea to just mention the symptoms here so that you can decide if you want to check.

Bloating: You’ll find your belly area fat, at times even when you haven’t eaten much.

Constipation / Diarrhoea: Stools tends to be hard, followed by loose

Fatigue: You feel so, so tired, without having exerted yourself. May feel like sleeping all the time and it’s never enough

Abdominal pain /heaviness: Belly may feel heavy/ painful even when you haven’t eaten too much

Headaches: Another common symptom, people may also develop migraines.

Skin Problems: Acne, psoriasis, urticaria, hair fall are all common symptoms as well.

Iron Deficiency Anaemia: and also dehydration, palpitations and dizzy spells when you suddenly get up are quite common.

Joint pains: Frequent joint pains and at times heightened sensitivity to cold is also common.

Anxiety: People tend to be highly strung and easily stressed too.

Brain Fog: It’s as if your brain has shut down, you simply cannot think, at times.

What You Need to Do

If you have a lot of the problems described above, please simply avoid wheat in all forms (atta, maida, rava, barley, most soy sauce, most chocolates, possibly beer, etc)

You’ll probably see a difference in your weight and health in a couple of weeks and a drastic difference in about 6, if you really are intolerant to gluten /wheat. I’ve observed that every time I eat wheat, I get a reaction that lasts 2 weeks.

You could get an allergy test if you’re in the habit of visiting doctors. I hope this helps. My estimation is that a lot of people today are quite allergic but completely unaware.

I should mention that I’ve observed that even those who are not ‘medically’ allergic to wheat have shown similar symptoms and they have been cleared upon avoiding wheat. So a medical test can confirm if you do have the allergy, but if it doesn’t, there’s no way of really knowing if it is messing up your life, unless you actually stay off of it for 6 weeks

Wheat causes heightened reaction to sugar as well, so you’ll get a lot fatter than normal every time you eat sugar. Another common (but not in everyone) symptom of usually gluten + lactose intolerance is teeny tiny pus dots on the back of the upper arm. Not everyone is lactose intolerant, but A1 milk is certainly not very helpful to the body and many people I know have switched to vegan diets after they’ve moved out of India because they couldn’t digest the milk anymore.

So What Do I Avoid?

Grains containing gluten – wheat (including wheat varieties like spelt, kamut, farro and durum, plus products like bulgur and semolina), barley, rye, triticale and oats (pure oats themselves don’t contain gluten, but packaged oatmeal does – gluten free oats are available on bigbasket)

Other products containing gluten – Soy sauce, chocolates both contain gluten normally. (Gluten free options are sometimes available, though expensive)

Gluten free grains – corn, millet (bajra, ragi, proso, kodo, little mille), rice, sorghum (jowar).

Gluten free pseudo-cereals – amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa.
All seeds like chia, flaxseeds, sesame, etc are gluten-free

What!!! Can I Eat Anything At All?

I know the list sounds intimidating and it is appalling how many foods contain gluten today – which is probably the reason why the body is starting to reject it. In 5-star buffets I have found that I can eat barely a third of the items available, sometimes even the salads have croutons!

But if you’re going to do the cooking, actually there are plenty of options and you may

Poha is a nice option for breakfast, especially if you make it with a lot of vegetables instead of the standard, plain version. You can still eat idli, vadas, sambar, chutney etc. You can make chapatis with rice, jowar, rajgira and kuttu. I made a banana brownie the other day with kuttu ka atta and it was absolutely marvelous!

You’ll be surprised to find that within no time you’ll actually have no craving at all anymore.  My go to substitute for rotis is jowar and for Western (pancakes, cupcakes, cakes) it is buckwheat (kuttu). When I feel like eating Atte ka Halwa, I just make Amaranth Halwa instead and actually find it more soothing.

People have been concerned about substituting wheat with rice because rice has such a bad rep. But really, it is unreasonably infamous. There are 40,000 different varieties of rice. The most starchy ones are actually eaten in places like Vietnam and Assam where people have much fewer health problems. The least starchy ones are probably basmati, which I have found most weight-inducing. Carbs and starches are good for health, they are a critical part of a healthy diet. Just like fats – which also we’ve tried to take out and many people have replaced it with highly toxic refined oils, of which the absolute worst is rice bran oil – nothing less than poison.

A balanced diet is one of moderation. I remember going to a South Indian household and finding that their regular lunch was pepper rasam, potato palya and white rice. No protein! And the ratios were horrible. Rice should be a part of the meal, not filling up half or more of the plate. And then it’ll work just fine. Millets are the latest in-thing but too much millets can also cause problems. So moderation is the key.

Gluten-Free Divine Brownies

A friend came over and brought a beautiful, ripe banana with him. I was supposed to make a banana-coconut pudding, because that’s his favouite, but not only was this the wrong banana (this one was the big, soft one), it was also perfectly ripe for making a baked banana item. Something like a bread. Or a brownie.

I wracked my brains and googled for the best gluten-free recipes, and finally just combined two recipes to come up with this. As you can see, it didn’t cut evenly – we were too impatient for it to cool down. And the beauty of banana breads/ cakes is that it gets better with time. So 2 days later, it was beyond divine. “Made in Heaven”, he said.. “I’m going to call them Divine Brownies. I could eat this all three times everyday for the rest of my life!”

I hope you love this one just as much as we did.
Skip the banana if you don’t have one, add 2 tbsp butter extra instead.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup + 2 tsp cocoa powder
1 egg
¼ cup flax seed powder
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup walnuts

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 180 C and grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
  • Mix buckwheat flour, flax seed powder, baking soda and nutmeg powder, and whisk together.
  • Mix butter, sugar and cocoa powder and warm over bain marie until melted and mixed.
  • Let cool and add egg and whip.
  • Mix in mashed banana
  • Stir in  flour
  • Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  • Bake for 30 min until the toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool and cut into squares.