PANAKAM ~ A Traditional Healthy Drink

Panakam is a traditional drink prepared in Indian households, particularly South India. One of the ancient recipes prepared by our ancestors to consume during summer and also distributed in temples on special occasions in summer. Panakam is a delicious combination of jaggery, tamarind juice, dry ginger powder and cardamom. The ingredients used tell us a lot about the wise choice and knowledge our ancestors possessed about what they consumed according to the season. Each of the ingredients used has its own health benefit and most importantly it balances the three doshas of our body.

I would call it an instant refreshing thirst quencher and definitely a healthy option when compared to Colas and other aerated drinks. It is prepared during Rama Navami festival (Birth of Lord Rama) as Neivedhyam (offering to God) in large quantities and distributed to all.

Refreshing, delicious. body coolant, thirst quencher, healthy, simple ingredients, no cook drink - Do we need another reason to prepare it? Here comes my twist to this wonderful drink, without spoiling its original taste at the same time not compromising on the healthy ingredients.

I had a good stock of lemons at home (a usual for summer) and wanted to put it to good use. Lemonade is nice but  I hate monotony! At the same time, I din't want to use it in cooking, I was looking for a drink. Ah! why not replace tamarind juice and prepare panakam was the instant thought. All excited to experiment, I started juicing the lemons but ho, I ran out of jaggery! Not wanting to use sugar, I used palm sugar syrup, which I prepare and store to use when required for sweet dishes. Also, it will give the colour which tamarind juice gives if I had used that. Enough said, let me give you the recipe now.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon - 3

Palm sugar syrup - 1/2 cup (adjust according to tatse)

Water - 31/2 cups (adjust according to taste)

Dry ginger powder - a pinch

Cardamom - 3-4  

METHOD

Cut the lemon and remove the seeds, squeeze the lemon by hand or using a sqeezer. Pour the lemon juice in a wide vessel or bowl and mix the palm sugar syrup using a spoon. Add water and give it a good mix. Please adjust the syrup and water according to your taste. Add the dry ginger powder. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the cardamom and add it to the juice. Mix well and serve. 

SPICY PRAWN CURRY

A recipe from my kitchen for that yummy prawn curry. Tastes good with rice, aapam, roti and dosa. You can even sandwich it between 2 bread slices and toast it on tava for a delicious prawn curry sandwich.

I have used only 2 whole spices in this prawn dish unlike other non vegetarian dishes. What makes this prawn curry different is that, it does not have ginger garlic paste and garam masala, which is a usual in most non vegetarian recipes. The spicy taste comes mainly from the chili for this dish. Please adjust the spice level as per your taste. If you prefer something mild spicy, please reduce the quantity of chili powder by half. Some of you might like it very spicy, in that case, you can add another slit green chili to the dish.

The ingredients below makes it a medium spicy gravy, nevertheless you can follow the above suggestions to suit your palate. I have marinated the prawns before cooking it in the gravy, this is done to infuse flavour into the prawn. It is sufficient if you marinate the prawns for a few mins. Overnight marination is not required. Easy to cook and tastes great as an accompaniment. Serve hot on a bed of hot steaming rice.

 

INGREDIENTS

Gravy

Prawns - 750 gms

Onion - 2 finely chopped

Tomatoes - 2 finely chopped

Garlic - 5-6 cloves finely chopped

Green chili - 1 slit

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

Chili powder - 1 tbsp  (Kashmiri chili powder) OR 

                        2 tsp if you're using ordinary chili powder

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Water - 1 cup

Coriander leaves chopped for garnish

Marination

Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Juice of half lemon

METHOD

Clean and devein prawns. Add all the ingredients for marination and marinate for 10-15 mins. In a pan, heat oil, add fennel and cinnamon. Once fragrant, add the garlic and onion, saute till they turn light golden. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chili, masala powders and cook till it gets mushy. Now add the marinated prawns, 1 cup water and cook for 15-20 mins or till done. Check for salt and spice level. Add more water if you want a gravy. Once done, garnish with fresh coriander leaves. 

Isn't this easy? Do try it and send in your feedback. 

MILLET CURD RICE

Curd rice completes a meal, at least for South Indians. This humble dish is a comfort food that we all love with or without any accompaniment. Thayir Sadam, as we call in Tamil is a delicacy and loved by all . We usually make curd rice with rice and sometimes with vermicille (bagala bath) and present it in different ways ~ we temper it with cumin and mustard, add fruits, veggies or consume as it is. 

Here, I've used millets to prepare the curd rice. Millets have a lot of health benefits and it's suitable for all age groups. I've already shared a millet recipe - one pot sambhar rice. Here's another simple and tasty one from my kitchen. At home, mom prepares curd rice by mashing the rice well and adds more milk than curd so it's never sour even if we have it late. It also gives it a rich and creamy taste. I've incorporated the same method here just that I've added milk while cooking the rice itself instead of adding it to cooked rice. 

This is made with Barnyard millet but you're free to choose the millet variety of your choice. If you're using rice instead of millet then cook it in a pressure cooker with water in 3:1 ratio i.e 3 cups water for 1 cup rice because we're looking for a mushy consistency. Once the rice is cooked, mash it further adding milk and temper!  

INGREDIENTS

Barnyard millet - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Thick curd/yoghurt - 1/4 cup

Water (to cook millet) - 1 + 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

For Temering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Dry Red chili - 2 

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp 

Curry leaves - 6

Coriander - chopped finely for garnish

METHOD

Wash the millet in water for about 5-6 times. This recipe uses Barnyard Millet, feel free to use any variety of your choice. Add the millet, water and required salt in a vessel or boiling pot and keep it on high until it boils. After the first roaring boil, slow down the heat, add the milk and keep mashing until all the liquid is absorbed by the millet. This will take about 7 minutes. Switch off the heat, mash the millet further with a wooden ladle. Check for salt and add the yoghurt. Give it a good mix. 

In a small pan, heat oil, add mustard, cumin, urad dhal, dry chili and once the mustard splutters and the urad dhal has become light brown add the asafoetida and curry leaves. A quick stir and add to the curd rice. Transfer it to the serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander. 

Note:

You can add grated carrots, pomegranate or chopped ginger if you prefer. It enhances the taste. 

BANANA AND CINNAMON SMOOTHIE

There're days we like to start our day with a light and healthy breakfast. A smoothie or a health shake is what strikes us first. Smoothies are filling, healthy, light and easy to prepare on a busy day. Though they're easy and fuss free to prepare, it gets boring to have the same everyday. Why not try and play with spices is what struck my mind.

Cinnamon is one of the few spices that's used in cooking, baking, to spice tea and flavour cakes. It pairs beautifully with fruits and love the aroma of fresh cinnamon in cakes. This urged me to try using it for a smoothie too. I had planned on a banana smoothie for breakfast to make it easy as it was a busy day ahead. To make it interesting, added this wonderful spice and oh it was heaven!

The creamy banana with cinnamon makes it rich in taste. Make sure you use fresh cinnamon powder, though you can use store bought ones, the fresh one has its place. For sweetness, it has honey, as you all know I don't like to use white sugar and avoid it as much as I can. You're free to use sugar or any sweetener as per your taste. I've used milk to blend them, vegans can choose a nut milk instead. 

INGREDIENTS

To make a tall glass of smoothie

Banana - 2 (I've used hill banana)

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Honey - 2 tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

METHOD

Chop the bananas into small pieces, add it to a blender along with milk, honey, water and cinnamon. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender till you get a creamy frothy texture. Serve it immediately or cold. Here you go, your breakfast smoothie is ready!

You can use all milk and no water for a nice thick smoothie. In that case, add 1+1/4 cups of milk. Vegans can substitute nut milk in the above recipe. The milk quantity remains same for nut milk but please add water if you're using a nut milk.

If you're serving this for kids, replace milk with vanilla ice cream and they'll love it! If you're using a mixer jar to blend, first blend the banana, milk and honey nicely. Then add the water and cinnamon. Also, try it with other fruit combinations and drop in your feedback. 

VEGETABLE CLEAR SOUP

The one thing that we all crave or wish to have when we have a cold is some good hot soup! At the same time who feels like preparing one with all the blending, grinding and boiling procedure when we're sick.. this recipe comes in handy and my go to recipe for such times! 

It's one pot, no grinding required, mild and soothing! You can prepare this soup with veggies of your choice. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

Carrot  - 2

Beans - 10

Frozen peas - 1/4 cup

Onion - 1

Tomato - 2

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Cumin - 1/4 tsp

Clove - 2

Freshly ground pepper - 2 tsp or more as per taste

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Water - 4 cups

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt

METHOD

Chop the beans into 2 inch pieces and the carrots into thick pieces. Slice the onions and cut each tomato into 4 pieces. In a pressure cooker, add oil and saute the onion and the veggies. After a minute or two add the tomatoes with salt, turmeric and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add required water. Check for salt and add more salt and pepper if you require. Close the lid, after 3 whistles switch off  the heat and let the pressure release. In a small kadai, temper cumin and clove. Open the lid and add the tempering to the soup. Mix and serve hot. 

Isn't this simple? 

SPICY CHILLI POTATO FRIES

Potato is one versatile vegetable and loved by all. From soup to desserts it can be used in all! So here's another recipe with the versatile potato. Potato fingers is a good old recipe and I've already posted one of my Potato Fingers recipe but this one is a little spicy and different from that. Try it out, it's very simple to prepare. A very good evening snack recipe that can be had with rice preparations too.

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes - 3 medium size

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Corn flour - 2 tsp

Salt 

METHOD

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into long strips. In a bowl add chilli powder, salt and corn flour. Mix well. Heat oil and fry immediately. Serve hot. Add corn flour if you're going to fry it immediately otherwise add when you're going to fry them. 

CHETTINAD EGG ROAST

Egg Roast is a typical Kerala dish and quite popular too. It's usually a thick gravy with hard boiled eggs served with Appam or Idiyappam. Unlike the typical Kerala egg roast, this egg roast recipe of mine is a dry dish prepared using spices specific to chettinadu ( a place in Southern part of India). Chettinad is known for it's spicy and aromatic cooking. This recipe though not an authentic one, tries to bring the chettinad flavours. It's pretty simple to prepare and goes well with any rice preparation or simply enjoy it as a starter.

INGREDIENTS

Hard Boiled eggs - 3

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

Roasted cumin/jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Roasted Saunf/Sombu/Fennel seed powder - 1.5 tsp

Coriander seed/ dhania powder - 1/2 tbsp

Salt 

Oil

Coriander leaves chopped for garnish

METHOD

Slice the hard-boiled eggs into 2 halves. Mix all the spice powders, ginger garlic paste along with little salt, to a thick paste consistency adding little water. Spread the thick paste on the yellow part of the eggs and let it sit for 10 mins. Heat a non stick pan, add a tsp of oil and roast the eggs (masala side down) in low flame, now flip it (masala side up)and roast. Keep flipping and roasting both sides until its done. Serve it garnished with chopped coriander leaves. 

CHILLI PANEER/ CHILLI TOFU

This dish pairs wonderfully well with fried rice and noodles. Since it's not very spicy you can have it like a starter or an evening snack too. Use homemade paneer for best results or buy the best quality available, that makes all the difference. Vegans can follow the same instructions and use tofu instead of paneer.

INGREDIENTS

Paneer/ Tofu - 250 gms

Onion - 1 (cut into square pieces)

Capsicum - 1 (cut into square pieces)

Spring Onion - 4 stalks (slice the white onion and finely chop the greens)

Ginger - 1 inch piece (finely chopped)

Garlic - 3 pods (finely minced)

Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Green chili sauce 1/2 tbsp

Gingely oil - 2 tbsp

Salt 

To coat paneer/tofu
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Green chili sauce - 1 tbsp
Maida - 1 tbsp
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

METHOD

Cut the paneer into 1 inch cubes and keep aside. In a bowl, mix together 2 tbsp of tomato sauce, 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of green chili sauce. Coat the paneer cubes with this paste. Next, in another bowl mix 1 tbsp maida and 2 tbsp cornflour along with 1/2 tsp chili powder and little salt. Take the coated paneer cubes and gently toss them in this mix. Once done, take a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the paneer till lightly crisp. 

 In the same pan, add oil (sesame oil/gingely oil gives a very good flavour) and saute the ginger and garlic, once they're brown add the onion, sliced spring onion whites and capsicum pieces. Fry till they're crisp and cooked. Now add the sauces, check for salt. Give it a good stir and finally add the paneer pieces and the greens. Toss and remove from flame. 

If you want a gravy, before adding the paneer, make a mix of cornflour and water. 1 tbsp of cornflour in 1 cup water, add this, let it boil and then add the paneer. 

PUMPKIN AND BROWN CHANNA PORIYAL/ PUMPKIN AND BROWN CHICK PEA STIR FRY

Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A, which aid vision. It is high in antioxidant and a good source of Vitamin C. Pumpkin poriyal is what all of us usually make at home. I came across a recipe which added channa or chick pea to it and I found that interesting. I don't remember the other ingredients of that recipe so did a basic poriyal with onion, pumpkin and finally added boiled chick pea. It was different and good.

INGREDIENTS

Yellow Pumpkin - 250 gms

Onion - 1 sliced

Brown channa/ chick pea - 1/2 cup boiled 

Cumin pwd - 1tsp

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Dry Red chili - 1

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Sesame oil - 2 tbsp  (can use any oil) 

Salt

METHOD

Wash, peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of Gingely/sesame oil and temper the mustard, cumin seeds and red chili. Add the onions and saute till light brown. Then add the pumpkin along with turmeric and cumin powders. Cook on high flame for a minute and then close the lid and cook on low heat till the pumpkin gets tender. I dint add water. Once it's done, add the boiled chick peas and saute for 2 mins till it gets coated with all the masala. Serve hot. 

PASTA SALAD

I love salads and these pasta salads are my favourite for it's simplicity and taste. These salads are kept on all the buffets these days! As usual, I wanted to re-create that at home just by tasting and without finding out what actually goes in. I usually do such experiments at home, sometimes, it's a hit and at times it's a miss. Don't worry! I share only the hit ones here.

Here's my recipe for the pasta salad, try it out and I'm sure you'll love it. It's a cold salad, so chill it before you serve. Also, do add your favourite seasoning or veggies to it if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS

Pasta - 100 gms (I've used Penne)

Fresh cream - 1 tbsp

Eggless Mayonnaise - 1 tbsp

Cherry Tomatoes - 5

Fresh Basil - 3 leaves

Celery - 1 tbsp finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper - a pinch 

Salt

METHOD

Boil pasta with enough water and salt. Add a drop of oil to prevent from sticking together. Make sure you don't over cook them. Once done, run under cool water. Add all the ingredients except cherry tomato and give a good mix. Finally add the cherry tomatoes and give a light mix. Chill and serve!

Note

If you don't have cherry tomatoes, then use 1/4 tsp tomato sauce to give a tangy and sweet taste. Use not more than 1/4 tsp otherwise it'll alter the whole taste. 

VEGAN DATES SMOOTHIE

This smoothie is an ideal breakfast for kids as well as adults. It's vegan too! Made with Arabian dates and raw peanuts, it has all the necessary nutrients for a power packed breakfast. At home, I avoid using sugar as much as I can so I've used honey for this one. You can use sugar if you prefer.

*Peanuts are not only good in taste they're also rich in monounsaturated fats and numerous other nutrients that have shown to promote heart health. It's a legume and not a nut! They're rich in antioxidants and folic acid. They're low in carbs but packed with protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals. It has a low glycemic index, hence suitable for diabetic patients too.

Since we're using raw peanuts here, it should be soaked in water overnight or at least for 6-8 hours. This eliminates digestive issues caused by having raw peanut. Please don't skip this process. It is necessary.  

INGREDIENTS

For a big glass of smoothie

Raw peanuts - a handful, soaked in water overnight. 

Arabian dates - 6

Honey - 1/2 tbsp 

Water - 1 cup or more

METHOD

Blend the nuts with little water to a smooth paste, then add dates and honey. Use more water if required to get the smoothie consistency. Pour it in a glass and enjoy! 

 Note

Feel free to use any fruit of your choice along with dates or without dates. 

*Source - www.whfoods.com 

ROASTED BELL PEPPERS AND PESTO SANDWICH

I love wholesome sandwiches, it's simple to prepare and filling too. Ever since I had a yummy sandwich stuffed with bell peppers and loads of mozzarella at a near by cafe, I wanted to re create the same at home. It was delicious and I gobbled all of it without the tomato ketchup (I usually need tomato ketchup for every bite I take) so you can imagine how good it was!

So here's the recipe for the yummy, hearty and healthy sandwich! I've been getting a lot of requests for vegan recipes, so here you go! This is Vegan too! Please feel free to use cheese if you're not a vegan! To add some flavour I wanted to use some quick pesto sauce (my recipe). You can omit this if you don't like pesto.

INGREDIENTS

Bread - 6 slices (to make 3 sets)

Vegan Pesto sauce - 3 tbsp (recipe below)

Red bell pepper - 1 (thinly sliced)

Green bell pepper - (thinly sliced)

Onion - 2 (finely sliced)

Egg-less Mayonnaise - 3 tbsp 

Olive oil - 1 tbsp 

Salt 

Freshly ground pepper for seasoning

METHOD

To prepare the pesto sauce:

Pesto sauce is a combination of crushed garlic, fresh basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil. It originates from Italy. The traditional way of preparing, is by pounding the ingredients using a wooden mortar and pestle. Since it's vegan I haven't added cheese in my recipe. Also, instead of pine nuts I've used walnuts. I've also added a few fresh thyme leaves along with basil. 

In a mixer coarsely powder 4 whole walnuts, then add 2 garlic cloves roasted in olive oil or use it raw, 2 handful of fresh basil, a sprig or 2 of fresh thyme, 4 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Using the pulse mode blend to coarse mixture. 

Bell pepper stuffing:

Heat olive oil in a pan, when hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt and saute till light brown, add the bell peppers and saute till they're soft, add required salt and a pinch or two of pepper. 

Assemble & Toast

Take a slice of bread and, apply the pesto sauce, add some filling and 1 tbsp of mayonnaise to another slice and close with it.  Follow the same for other slices. If you like it with cheese, add some grated cheese. I would suggest mozzarella  or cheddar or a combination of both for the filling and some butter to toast. 

Toast the sandwich in a pan with olive oil or use a sandwich maker. Enjoy the yummy goodness!