Tright here is probably no desi superfood that Chennai-based Meenakshi Boopathi has not consumed. At a time when the world is seeing an growing variety of individuals eagerly going again to forgotten conventional immunity-boosting meals, Meenakshi is an attention-grabbing case research.
Her mother and father’ house backyard has over 20 totally different sorts of superfoods that she used to eat whereas rising up. From leaves to stems, roots, flowers and seeds, each a part of the plant was used to make delectable and nutritious meals in her home. Her buddies and colleagues had been typically unable to include their curiosity each time she opened her tiffin field and so they caught a whiff of the distinct aroma of veggies and herbs which can be in any other case to seek out out there.
Meenakshi attributes this immense data of the well being advantages of each type of superfood partially to ancestral knowledge, and partially to experiential studying.
“With an intention to protect this information and share it with others, I began a page on Fb referred to as ‘Forgotten Meals’ after my sister Monisha prompt it. Right here I started posting in regards to the properties, advantages and recipes of superfoods that we’ve got been utilizing for generations,” Meenakshi, a software program skilled, tells The Higher India.
Taking a huge step ahead in her endeavour, Meenakshi just lately collaborated with Sahaja Samrudha NGO to make a calendar on superfoods. It was printed in Kannada and English, and later in Hindi and English with assist from Rajasthan-based NGO, Vaagdhara.
“Sahaja Samrudha is a individuals’s organisation comprising a community of farmers that share practices and alternate data about sustainable agriculture. The NGO works in the direction of preserving indeginous crop varieties, and yearly, they publish a calendar offering info on the identical. For 2021, founder G Krishna Prasad requested me to write down content material on superfoods. Because of Sahaja, we acquired funding from NABARD to publish 1,000 copies,” Meenakshi says.
The calendar is split into 5 segments (two months per section) — edible flowers, fruits and seeds, roots, stems and leaves. There are a complete of 25 lesser-known components divided into the talked about classes.
The calendar additionally mentions conventional recipes which can be an integral a part of native delicacies within the area the place the superfood is grown or obtainable.
The duvet web page has January and February. It has a picture of a tribal girl with rosselle flowers, that are used to make chutney and pastes in components of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Likewise, the pictures for each part are of native individuals who devour the superfoods every day to ship out a message that it’s not difficult to seek out such meals.
Leaves to Flowers: How Many Do You Know?
Edible Flowers
Meenakshi has talked about 5 edible flowers — Avarampoo (Senna), Pumpkin, Agati, Butterfly Pea and Moringa.
Whereas yellow-coloured pumpkin flower is a wealthy source of vitamin B9 and A, Avarampoo stimulates bowel actions. The flowers might be consumed as fritters.
“Agati flower or Sesbania grandiflora is alkaline in nature and useful to remedy toxicity and pores and skin illnesses. Additionally it is coolant in nature and plenty of dishes like pickle, curry, fritters might be made out of this,” reads a paragraph within the calendar written by Meenakshi.
Moringa flowers can be utilized in curries. The flower is packed with nutritional vitamins, proteins, iron, zinc and fiber that helps in controlling blood sugar ranges, boosting immunity and coronary heart and bone well being.
Lastly, there may be butterfly pea, the petals of which might be dried and used to make caffeine-free tea. The flower has antioxidant properties. In addition to tea, the flower can be used to make blue rice.
Meenakshi shares her house recipe for banana flower:
Substances
- Bengal Gram or Chana Dal 150g
- Banana flower ( half flower cleaned nicely by eradicating the
- undesirable stigma)
- Onion (half finely chopped )
- Pudina (half handful chopped)
- Coriander (half handful chopped)
- Ginger (1 inch approx finely chopped)
- Inexperienced Chilli (2 to three finely chopped)
- Curry Leaves (few) | Fennel Seeds (one spoon)
- Oil for Frying | Salt (as per style)
Process
- Soak 150g Bengal Gram or Chana dal for two to three hours in water after washing it nicely.
- Drain the water nicely and grind the dal into a rough paste. (These coarse particles add crispness to the vada)
- Add remaining components to the bottom dal and blend nicely with salt as per style.
- Take a deep kadai and add oil to get heated to medium flame.
- Make small spherical balls of the combination and press it to flatten the vada. Flip it within the scorching oil and fry each the perimeters until the vada turns golden in color and is nicely cooked.
Fruits and Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are beneficial for controlling ldl cholesterol and hair loss. Excessive in important fatty acids and magnesium, the seeds might be sun-dried and saved to be eaten as a nut.
Beneath fruits, Meenakshi mentions Black Nightshade (vathal in Tamil), a shrub that accommodates vitamin B advanced and helps in curing ulcers. It additionally acts as a healer for cramps and abdomen ache.
Different fruits embrace Glue Berry (Lasura), Ardour Fruit, Turkey Berry and Mulberry.
“Glue Berry fruits are pickled and likewise used as vegetable fodder. The leaves yield good fodder and the seed kernel has medicinal properties,” writes Meenakshi.
“Mulberry bushes carry colourful berries — mostly black, white, or crimson — which can be typically made into wine, fruit juice, tea, jam, or canned meals, however may also be dried and eaten as a snack,” she provides.
Leaves
Colocasia, arbi leaves, or Taro leaves are a superb source of fiber and resistant starch that improves cardiovascular well being, will increase protein within the physique, and is sweet for the eyes. The elephant-shaped ears are generally utilized in recipes throughout India from Gujarat to Karnataka. Actually the 2 states have an analogous course of to make ‘patra’ or ‘pathrode’.
A powerhouse of important nutrients, water spinach accommodates, iron, Vitamin A and C and different minerals. Additionally referred to as Kangkong or Chinese language spinach, it may be utilized in salads, stew and soup.
Dwarf copper leaves (alternanthera Sessilis) are aquatic creepers which can be good for the attention, whereas wild spinach (White goosefoot) is low in energy and fat and wealthy in vitamin, iron, calcium and potassium. The chickweed purslane or poi saga in Oriya is sweet for immunity and in preventing pores and skin illnesses.
Stems
Stems are arguably essentially the most underrated a part of a plant and are sometimes discarded. However Meenakshi provides examples of assorted stems that can be utilized to make totally different meals dishes like salads, juice, curries, soups, stew and sambhar.
Beetroot, lotus and banana stems are wealthy sources of fiber, potassium, nutritional vitamins, zinc, copper and iron.
Do you know that water chestnuts, generally referred to as ‘Singhara’, are aquatic tuber greens which can be typically used to make rotis? They’re low in energy and excessive in antioxidant compounds.
Anshuman Das from West Bengal, who can be a follower of Meenakshi’s Fb web page, shares his recipe for banana stem rice, domestically often known as Thor Chal.
Substances
- Basmati Rice or Any Conventional Aromatic Rice- 1 cup soaked for 15 min
- Banana Stem – 250 g nicely cleaned and grated
- Inexperienced and Pink Chilli few as per spice requirement
- Ghee 2 Tbsp | Cinnamon – 1 | Bay leaves – 2
- Raisins and Cashews – As required
- Chopped Coriander for garnish | Salt – As per style
Process
- Grate the Banana Stem and maintain it apart.
- Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and maintain apart.
- Take a wok and add 1 spoon of ghee to it, adopted by inexperienced and crimson chilli, bay leaves, cinnamon and grated banana stem.
- Add the nicely soaked rice of your selection into the masala and add desired salt to the combination and blend it nicely.
- Add needed water to cook dinner the rice of your option to pulao consistency by closing with a lid for 15 to twenty minutes.
- As soon as the rice is cooked, slowly puff it up, stir round slowly, and add the ghee fried raisins and cashews over it.
Roots
“As cornstarch is excessive in carbs and fewer in vitamins, it may be simply changed with nutrient wealthy arrowroot powder as a thickening base. Arrowroot tubes which develop under floor are nutrient wealthy and a protected gluten free possibility for starch. Most of us confuse Arrowroot with Tapioca, however they’re utterly totally different crops and used to take care of intestine well being,” writes Meenakshi.
On this closing part, she has given examples of roots and tubers which can be simple to develop at house. For instance, the aerial potato (Dioscorea bulbifera), which requires no area to develop, can twine round shrubs and bushes. The plant is packed with carbohydrates, proteins and calcium. It is a perfect weight loss program for the diabetic sufferers.
Chinese language potato or Koorka in Malayalam, Sirukilangu in Tamil and Sambrali in Kannada is efficient to remedy digestive points. In the meantime purple yams are loaded with nutritional vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
S R Syam Kumar from Kerala shares the recipe for Arrowroot halwa (Referred to as Koova halwa in Kerala)
Substances
- ArrowRoot Powder 1⁄2 cup
- Jaggery Powder 1⁄3 cup
- Cardamom Powder one pinch
- Ghee 4 spoon
- Cashews few – fried in Ghee
- Water 1 cup
Process
- Dissolve the Jaggery in a cup by heating it to medium flame.
- In kadai, put one cup of water and add the arrow root powder.
- Add the liquid jaggery within the kadai slowly and maintain stirring until no lumps are shaped.
- Add Ghee and blend it nicely
- Grease a plate and slip the combination onto it and flatten it. Sprinkle the Cashews and roasted dried coconut over for garnish and reduce them in sq. or diamond form.
- Koova Halwa is able to eat
Click on here to see the calendar
Edited by Divya Sethu