Food, Culinary And Recipe Blog

For the first time, Greek researchers have found that eating a diet rich in choline and betaine, two related compounds is linked to indicators of inflammation. The researchers looked at 3042 men and women between the ages of 18 to 89, culled from a large study dubbed ATTICA. They found that those with the highest intakes of choline and betaine and the lowest levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, homcysteine, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor.

Rich sources of choline include eggs, wheat germ, pork, beef, cod, chicken, shrimp, salmon, broccoli, cauliflower Brussels sprouts. Betaine is highest in wheat bran, wheat germ, spinach, shrimp and beets.

 Choline helps make neurotransmitters and fats in cell membranes, while betaine helps reduce homocysteine levels.  These findings suggest that both may be key to reducing inflammation, now considered a stepping stone to heart disease and other chronic conditions.

As I hail from India, the recipes that I give out on this blog are mostly Indian recipe. Alon with Chinese and Thai, Indian culinary has become legendary over last few years and is a status symbol to dine in an Indian restaurant specially in the UK. Here is one more such recipe -

Ingredients:

• 100 gm carrot
• 80gm zucchini
• 100gm baby corn
• 80gm red peppers
• 80gm yellow peppers
• 100gm broccoli
• 50gm gherkins
• 40gm asparagus
• 8 prunes
• 100gm cottage cheese

For the marinade

• 30ml olive oil
• 15ml lemon juice
• 1tbs garlic paste
• 1tbs cayenne pepper
• 1tbs balsamic reduction
• 1tbs roasted clove powder
• 1tbs chipotle paste
• 30 ml sundried of tomato paste

For the salad

• 200gm iceberg lettuce
• 20gm juliennes of beet root and yellow peppers
• 20gm juliennes of beet root
• 10ml vinaigrette dressing

For the rice

• 20gm butter
• 4 small cups cooked rice
• Diluted saffron, for color and flavoring
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1tbs chopped jalapeno

Method

wash, peel and cut all the vegetables in fancy shapes. Marinade with all the ingredients mentioned. Keep for 30 minutes. Spread vegetables on a baking tray and grill till done. Mix the rice well with butter, saffron and jalapano. Mix the ingredients for the salad with the dressing.

Now everything is ready and boast yourself by serving it.

In recent years, internationally renowned brands of beers, wine, whisky and other alcoholic beverages flooding Indian market as it is growing at an exponential pace. Along with the menfolk, many Indian women too are taking a liking to drinks like their counterparts in western countries where drinks are normal. This is notable because for so long Indian society has been perceived as conservative and drinks by even men has been a taboo. But since the liberalization of the economy started, along with emergence with new economies like software development, IT enabled services and entry of all major foreign TV channels - a whole new society - flush with cash and avid fan of wester culture has emerged. For drinking drinking together in pubs and discos is social activity. A recent study in metropolitan cities shows that almost 30 percent of ladies are into drinking. Small cities are not far behind with more than 15 percent womenfolk liking a peg or two!
But drinking is not confined only to the upper class or affluent section of the society. It has been found that even women belonging to the lower strata of society, who eke out their livelihood as domestic help are drinking fondly along with their menfolk.
while drinking to relax and socialize is good, alcoholism is not good. Finding chronic drinkers among women in India is also a reality. In fact, over the last fifteen years or so, the problem of alcoholism among women has spread worldwide cutting across economic and social barriers. Besides, it has been observed that, women become addicted to alcohol much quicker than men.

Now, lets discuss why are more and more women taking to drinks!

Experts say that the main reason behind the phenomenon is nothing but want of enjoyment in life and forget problems. A recent report in Germany confirms that of the approximately 1.7 to 1.9 million alcoholics there, 30 percent are of fairer sex. Women too want to feel the magical effect of being drunk and forget all the storms of life. Some women also believe that drinks will give them the feeling of ultimate orgasm and drink only so as to achieve it during sex.

Alcoholism among women is hardly recognized for what it is except in some developed countries where rehabilitation centers have mitigated the situation to some extent. Researchers have found that, women who drink too much are twice as likely to develop breast cancer than those who are not addicted. Alcoholic women are also less social than normal ladies and are likely to loose their normal beauty.

So drink and enjoy but don’t get addicted.
Cheers

Most of us who are regular tea drinkers know that it, specially the green variety contains anti-oxidant that wards off dreaded diseases like cancer. But these days, many are using tea to cook different type of dishes to change and enhance the traditional tastes.

Here is one such Indian dish that you may try at home-

Indredients:

• 75mg sliced fish (surmai or bekti)
• 2 cups hot tea
• 1 lemo, thinly sliced
• 4 tsp honey
• 1 tsp golden rum
• 1 green chilli, slit and deseeded
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method:

To a litre of hot tea made with the best tea in your kitchen, add the lemon slices and honey. Stir well. Before serving, bring the tea punch to the table in a crafting dish or a casserole which will fit over a candle warmer so that it remains hot. Warm separately but do not boil the rum. Add sliced fish to the rum and toss. Set rum and fish ablaze with a match. Pour fish in the hot tea and simmer. Add ginger and green chilli. Ladle the soup into mugs. Put chinnamon sticks in the mugs as a stirrer.

Done :D.

Now you can taste it and serve to other connoisseur of exotic dishes.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sized prawns, shelled and de-veined
• 1 stick lemon grass
• Lemon zest of 1 lime
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs fresh cream
• 1 tbs white wine (optional)
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp chopped onions
• ½ tsp butter
• A few crisp arugula or iceburg lettuce leaves

Method

Saute onions in butter till they are glossy. Add white wine, lemon zest, and lemon grass. Add 1 cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add prawns and salt to the boiling lemon flavored stock, reduce flame and simmer for two to three minutes till prawns are just done. Remove prawns to a platter and keep aside. Reduce the cooking liquid till it is of syrupy consistency, add cream. Strain, put the prawns back into the reduced stock, simmer for half a minute, add lemon juice. Check and correct the seasoning. Arrange the prawns around arugula/crisp lettuce leaves, pour sauce on top of the prawns and serve immediately.

Most people love eating different types of foods except those who suffer from the wrong conception that food causes gaining huge weights. But here, I am not going to discuss or argue about food and its relation with weight loss or gain.

Instead, I am going to present to my readers some mysterious facts, trivia and history that you might have not known earlier.

1. The first ice-cream soda was sold in 1874 in the U.S.
2. There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes in the world.
3. China uses 45 billion chopsticks per year. 25 million trees are chopped down to make the sticks.
4. The Chinese first discovered the tea. actually, it was a Chinese Emperor who first tasted the brew in 2737 B.C. when some tea leafs accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.
5. Did you know that an onion, apple and potato all have the same taste? The difference in flavor are caused by their smell!!

I hope you have enjoyed reading these interesting facts about food.

Growing demand for quality wines in India and Russia has made Champagne a scarce commodity for other countries. The situation has reached to such a stage that, if production is not increased significantly over the next few months, Britain might have to do rationing for the mother of all wine. The restrictive French law, which limits the area that produces champagne is also hampering supply.

To tackle the situation France government has initiated a process to include 40 more villages in the exclusive list of  champagne quality grapes producing area through amendment of a 1927 law AOC (”appellation d’origine controlee”). At present the area is limited to only 35,000 hectares.

Industry figures indicate that import of champagne from India has been growing over triple digit figure and that of from China and Russia in the high forties. In total France exported 150 million of bottles last year and French themselves drank roughly around 188 million bottles.

As usual, here is another great recipe for a great Eastern dish called  “Norther Thai Squash Soup With Banana Flower” .

Ingredients:  

• 300gm butternut squash
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 cup beans, cut into small pieces
• 50gm banana flower (optional)
• 1tbs Thai fish sauce
• 25 raw shrimps
• A bunch of fresh basil
• 150gm shallots sliced
• 2 fresh green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
• /2 tsp  shrimp paste

Method:

first make a chilli paste by making a puree or pounding the shallots, green chillies and shrimp paste together. Add salt to taste. Now dice the squash into  neat cubes. Heat the stock gently in a large pan. Stir in the chilli paste. Add the squash, beans and banana flower. Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add the fish sauce, shrimps and basil. Bring to simmer point, and then simmer for three minutes. Serve in bowls accompanied by rice.

You are done!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ kg spare ribs

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 medium sized onions, diced
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 ½ tbs grated jaggery
• ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
• A pinch of dry mustard
• 2 cups stock (chicken or mutton)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Rub ribs with garlic/ place in a baking pan and roast for 30 minutes at 350 degree F. Cook onion in butter. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and simmer for one hour. Pour sauce over the ribs. Cook for 45 minutes more, basting frequently. Serve with a green salad.

Done.

Our endeavor is to collect recipes of delicious Indian items and present them to our valued visitors who love Indian delicacies.

So here goes another Indian delicacy- “Butter Chicken With Almonds”

Ingredients :-

• 1 tandoori chicken
• 1 kg tomato
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbs kasuri methi
• 2 tbs tomato ketchup
• 1tsp red chilli powder
• 100 gms cream
• 50 gms butter
• 50 gms almond
• Green chillies
• Salt to taste

The Method:-

Make your almond paste. Puree the tomatoes and ginger together. Heat the butter, and fry the almond paste. Add a bay leaf, and the onions. Fry them for two minutes. Now add the tomato-ginger paste, slat and red chilli. Cook for a while. Put the ketchup, add the tandoori chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Now add the cream. Simmer for 2 minutes. Dry roast kasuri methi on a tawa, crush it with your hands and add to the chicken. Garnish with the green chillies.

You can have your chicken now.

As told by Rahul Verma on Graphiti Magazine.