Monday, June 1, 2015

Food for love

IMG_0974IMG_0777The sweetest of all the sounds is that of the voice of the woman we love, so cook some aphrodisiac food for her will win her for you and will give you the happiness of your life. Food for love takes on a whole new meaning with aphrodisiacs. Known to have a direct impact on your sex life, aphrodisiac foods affect your hormones, brain chemistry, energy and stress levels and increase the blood flow to your genitals, making it a sure shot way to up the action in the bedroom. So here is some aphrodisiac foods-
Honey
Honey is aphrodisiac and boosting your libido may be as simple as adding honey to your diet? It’s been known that a simple food like honey has beneficial effects on sexual health. It promotes testosterone production in men and the mineral boron present in honey aids the use of estrogen in women. In addition, a scientific study found that a three-ounce dose of honey significantly increased the level of nitric oxide, the chemical released in the blood during arousal. These findings are not surprising as from time to time, Benefits of Honey would receive unsolicited mails that point us to honey as a potent home remedy and tonic for erectile dysfunction sufferers. Many of them attested to honey's effectiveness in improving overall energy level, blood circulation, and stamina.
The use of honey as an aphrodisiac today can be traced back to many cultures and traditions whereby the sweet sticky liquid is popularly shared between lovers as a sensual food. It is often associated with blissful times, romance, union in marriages, and honeymoon. In Indian weddings for instance, the bride offers honey to the groom as a symbol of sweetness in life. According to ancient Viking tradition, honey is a fertility booster. Daily, the newlyweds would drink a cup of honeyed wine, called mead in their first month of marriage. Particularly in Eastern European traditions, the making and gifting of honey cakes was associated with rituals of courtship and romance. In ancient Chinese wedding ceremonies, a goblet of honey and a goblet of wine are tied together with a red thread, and the bride and the groom would take sips and then exchanged the goblets in their bridal chamber to symbolize their union of love. Today, the practice of honey gifting permeates through many cultures and modern wedding celebrations - small jars of honey are given away as favors.
Actually, as far back as 500BC, honey has already been known as an aphrodisiac food. It was said that Greek physician Hippocrates, one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine, prescribed honey for sexual vigor and advocated the taking of milk and honey to induce love and ecstasy. And finally, it's also worth noting that Avicenna, another great ancient healer and philosopher who is known as the Father of Modern Medicine, apparently recognized the superb value of honey to the human body as he described the golden liquid as "the food of foods, the drink of drinks and the drug of drugs", and specifically advised that honey could be mixed with ginger and pepper and consumed as a sexual stimulant.
So if you are looking for an agent to awaken the senses and a libido-arousing element for sexual intimacy, there is little reason not to give honey a try.
Garlic
Yes we know it's stinky but it is also full of allicin, an ingredient that will help increase the blood flow significantly from the medical point of view. The upshot? High arousal level. Garlic is completely herbal and most remarkable home remedy, which is very beneficial in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and impotence.
Improve the blood circulation. Medical researches proved that garlic in certain forms could stimulate the production of NOS particularly in individuals who have low levels of this enzyme. An enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is primarily responsible for the mechanism of erection.
Folklore dating back centuries has hailed garlic as an aphrodisiac and now studies have also proven this legend to be true. We are aware that garlic aids in blood circulation and keeps veins and arteries youthful, but that is only one way it helps with impotence.
Garlic contains hundreds of minerals and nutrients. It is very likely that no one ingredient is the "active ingredient". To obtain an erection an enzyme is required called nitric oxide synthase, and compounds in garlic stimulate the production of this enzyme in people who suffer from low levels of it.
It is an herbal, natural and harmless aphrodisiac. According to an eminent sexologist of the United States, garlic has a pronounced aphrodisiac effect. It is an herbal medicine or tonic for loss of sexual power due to any cause, and for sexual debility and impotency resulting from sexual overindulgence and nervous exhaustion. Researchers recommend that two to three cloves of raw garlic should be chewed daily.
 Asparagus
The secret to asparagus is in more than its shape. This pencil-sized vegetable is also packed with nutrients needed for healthy hormone production, including an injection of vitamin E–also great for your skin. It’s also a source of foliate–important for reproductive health, ladies. Lastly, you might be surprised to learn that asparagus is one of the antioxidant rich foods and will help fight the aging process.
Asparagus is considered to be a great source of folic acid, which boosts histamine production. Roughly translated it helps you reach the heights of an orgasm. So well know are the aphrodisiac properties of an asparagus that bridegrooms in the 19th century were served a three-course meal of asparagus at the prenuptial dinner to boost their sexual performance.
Bananas
The very shape of the fruit indicates a sexual connection but apart from the obvious, bananas have a lot to offer to the world of romance. Bananas contain chelating minerals and bromeliad enzymes which are said to enhance the male libido. They are also loaded with potassium and vitamin B, both of which aids sex-hormones production.
Bananas originated in Asia, where they became one of the earliest cultivated fruits. In India, where their aphrodisiac nature was embraced early on, bananas were said to be a favorite fruit of the sages. Even today, bananas are included in Indian offerings to the fertility gods.
Their sexy reputation extends to many other cultures. In Islam, the banana, not the apple, was believed to be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden.
They were introduced to the Caribbean and Central America by early Portuguese and Spanish explorers. The fruit’s aphrodisiac nature quickly took hold and still remains today. In Central America, the sap of the red banana tree is sipped as an aphrodisiac elixir.
 Hot Chilies
Chile peppers have a wonderful attribute in their ability to release endorphins, natural painkillers triggered to put out internal “fire.” Endorphins also cause the high of extreme physical exertion — a floating, energized feeling so powerful in its pleasure that it can cause addiction to spicy cuisine.
Among its additional attributes, chile peppers contain capsaicin, which increase heart rate, doubling the pleasure of a mealtime rendezvous. So powerful is its chest thumping ability, chiles have actually been administered as an antidote for heart attacks.
With a power to raise body temperature and make lips swell to a kissable plump pout, the effects of eating red hot chile peppers can telegraph the visual cues of a sexual flush. It is believed that this sexy physical attribute can put a lover’s mind in the mood with as little as one delicious glance.
Each of the hundreds of chile varieties produces a different level of heat and subtly unique flavor. Chipotles promise a smokiness, from which even the merest whiff is arousing. Habaneros are among the most hot, thereby the most dangerous. The heat of chile peppers is concentrated in the veins. To decrease heat, remove the veins before cooking the peppers.
Historically, chile peppers were used by multiple cultures not only as an aphrodisiac but also as an anesthetic, to promote cardiovascular health and to alleviate chronic pain. Most famously, chile was used a key ingredient in the fortifying chocolate drink the great ruler Montezuma consumed to make his tongue dance and his pulse quicken in preparation for his daily visit to his beautiful concubines.
Chocolate
The Aztecs may have been the first on record to draw a link between the cocoa bean and sexual desire: the emperor Montezuma was said to consume the bean in copious amounts to fuel his romantic trysts.
Nowadays, scientists ascribe the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate, if any, to two chemicals it contains. One, tryptophan, is a building block of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal. The other, phenyl ethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine, is released in the brain when people fall in love. Research proves that many women prefer eating chocolate to having sex so stock up on the feel good aphrodisiac for some action.
Figs
Legend has it that eating a fresh fig while naked in front of a woman is one of the world’s most erotic acts. (Can’t think of, since I’m not in the habit of eating naked in front of other women). Because when its split down the center and cradled by a palm, the fig’s pink flesh is said to resemble a woman’s sweet unmentionables.
An open fig is known to emulate the female sex organs, making it a psychologically stimulated aphrodisiac. The ancient Greeks looked at figs as a sacred fruit that was responsible for love and fertility.
Oyster
According to the researchers, oysters and other bivalves contain rare amino acids (chemical compounds that form proteins)*, which are not commonly found in nature. These two amino acids -- D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) -- play a role in hormone synthesis. D-aspartic acid has been found to temporarily increase testosterone levels and improve sperm motility. NMDA is an agonist (a substance that initiates a physiological response) that can increase neural excitability. When the scientists injected rats with these amino acids, they found increased testosterone production in males and increased progesterone production in females, hormones that increase libido. **
“Spring, when the molluscs themselves are breeding, is best. There is the highest concentration of these two amino acids then... Oysters have to be eaten raw to be most effective. Cooking them reduces the quantity of D-Asp and NDMA molecules.”
Oysters have long had the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. They say that Casanova, the French adventurer/womanizer, used to eat fifty oysters a day. Perhaps that's what helped him get all the ladies! Being a culinary symbol of passion, oysters are best served with a glass of chilled Champagne for some great action!
Basil
Although most of us probably best know this herb as a flavor-booster for foods with an Italian flare, basil was once considered among the earth’s most noble and sacred plants. The basil plant is believed to have originated in Asia, but its use in European culture dates back to Ancient Greece. In Roman times, basil was a symbol of love.
Modern science has traced basil’s flavonoids, illuminating to us the source of the herb’s anti-inflammatory properties. In recent studies, its oil has shown promise in inhibiting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Although it might come as a surprise to most pesto lovers, basil’s leaves contain a variety of libido-lifting nutrients. It is considered a good source of Vitamin A. It also provides beta-carotene, magnesium, potassium and C.
Avocado
In the beginning, the avocado was deemed an aphrodisiac for its appearance. The Aztecs, the first documented avocado eaters, dubbed the avocado tree ahuacuatl, or testicle tree. If you’ve ever seen avocados growing, you know that the fruits dangle low, often in pairs (testicles)!
Although the Aztecs may not have been equipped to explain it, modern science has given us insight into the fruit’s aphrodisiac reputation. We now know that avocado nutrition delivers a punch of nutrients essential to sexual health, including beta-carotene, magnesium and vitamin E, (which is sometimes called the “sex vitamin“). An avocado also delivers more potassium than a raw banana. It even offers 2.4 grams of protein for every 1/2 cup of fruit, an essential ingredient for a successful late night tango.
Avocado is also excellent as a part of an all-natural beauty regime. According to the January 2001 issue of Prevention magazine, when it is applied topically, it adds shine to hair. The oil can be applied as a treatment for dry and irritated skin. In South Africa, it is mashed and mixed with honey and lime as a facemask and soothing after-sun treatment.
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Sunday, May 31, 2015

MURG KE PARCHEY



Parchey or Patra meaning piccata, here inspiration drawn from the land of Awadh, chicken piccata in aromatic spice marinade.

INGRDIENTS
Chicken breast piccata-500gms
Ginger garlic paste-30gms
Rock salt-15gms
Brown onion paste-40gms
Fried chironjee paste -30gms
Brown cashew paste-60
Hung curd-45gms
Lucknowi Ittar-2drops
Awadhi potli masala-4gms
Yellow chili powder-3gms
Saffron- 1/2 tsp
Desighee-For frying

METHOD
  1. Cut the chicken breasts in very thin picattas length wise and pat dry on a kitchen towel.
  2. Make a marinade by using all the items listed above and marinate the chicken, keep aside for 30minutes.
  3. Gently Heat desi ghee on thick tawa and cook the marinated parchey turning the side (without giving too much color) when each side is cooked.
  4. Serve hot with some lime juice sprinkled on top and Ulta tawa paratha.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Roasted Eggplant Chutney

Preparation Time- 35 min
Cooking time 45 min

Ingredients
4-6 no Eggplant
6 oz red chili whole
1 cup tamarind pulp
1 cup jaggery
3 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp ginger chop
1 tbsp salt

for tempering:
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp methi

Method:

  1. Wash and clean eggplant and roast them.
  2. Peel the skin and fine chop them.
  3. Heat oil and fry red chilis and make fine pate with tamarind pulp.
  4. Temper spices in hot oil and chopped ginger.

  5. Saute it for a while and add tamarind and chili mixture.

  6. Add jaggery and let it mixed with mixture well.
  7. Add eggplant and cook it well and set seasoning with salt.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Chicken Chettinad







Serving: 6
prepration time: 30 min
Cooking Time:45 min

Ingredients:

1 tbsp pepper corn
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp  cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp pool mass (patthar phool)
1/2 tsp Haldi
1/2 Mustard seeds
1 no cinnamon stick (2 inch)
5-6 Cloves
12-15 Red chili whole
5-6 leaf bay leaf
3 no star anise
1 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp refined oil
2 tbsp salt
2 no red onion chop (3/4 cup)
2-3 no tomatoes chop (1/2 cup)
1 inch ginger julinne
4 tbsp tamarind pulp
2.5 lb chicken curry cut style

Method:

  1. Marinate the chicken with turmeric and chili powder, little tamarind pulp, salt, slit green chilis.
  2. Broil all the dry masala with little coconut oil, leaving some for the frying during the cooking.
  3. Grind it into a semi fluid paste.
  4. Heat some coconut oil and refined oil in a pan, fry red chili, curry leaf, ginger juliennes, add the marinated chicken and braise for 2-3 minutes and rest of the spices and the ground paste.
  5. Step it well, add chicken pieces and cook till the chicken is nearly cooked.
  6. Add tamarind extract towards the end.
  7. Finish with black pepper powder and lemon juice


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Khandvi

Ingredients:

Khandvi
Khandvi
  1. Basen flour                              -250g
  2. Salt                                          – to taste
  3. Turmeric powder                    -1tsp
  4. Green chilly paste                   -1tbsp
  5. Water                                      –600ml
  6. Coriander                                -10g
Tempering:
  1. Oil                                              1 tbsp
  2. Mustard                                    1 tsp
  3. Jeera                                          1 tsp
  4. Sesame                                      1 tsp
  5. Red chilly whole                      2-3 no
  6. Green chilly slit                       2-3 no
  7. Grated coconut                        1/2 cup
Method:
  1. Mix the basen flour with salt, turmeric powder, green chilly paste and add 300ml of water to it to make a batter.
  2. Keep the batter for some time and strain
  3. In a thick bottom sauce pan cook the batter, continuously whisking and gradually keep on adding rest of the water till the batter sticks and hangs to the spoon
  4. Pour one katori of the mixture on to a clean table and spread it just like a dosa. Repeat the same with the rest of the mixture.
  5. Allow the pancakes to cool and then roll it tightly and cut it into small pieces and arrange on a plate. Make a tempering and pour it on the Kandvi and serve.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Hot n' Spicy - Indian spice at glance

Hot n’ Spicy




India is among the most unique, oldest, and continuous civilizations in the world, begun about 4500 years ago. In India, there is an amazing cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and Northeast have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. There is hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India. India is a vast country, having a variety of geographical features and climatic conditions. India is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, including four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
India’s contribution to the world is unforgettable, India invented number system, Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. Can anybody believe today's life without numbers when everybody is running behind numbers? When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu valley, which is also known as Indus valley civilization.
Sanskrit is the classical language of Indian and the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is also one of the 22 official languages of India. The name Sanskrit means "refined", "consecrated" and "sanctified". Sanskrit is the mother of all the European Languages is an ancient language of India and is the most suitable language for computer software- a report in Forbes magazine in July 1987.
The Great Mind Game and favorite of the royal fraternity, "Chess" was invented in India, also known as Shataranja or Ashtapada. It is a descendant of a game called chaturanga, which was commonly played in India during that time. The name chaturanga is a Sanskrit word that refers to the four divisions of the Indian army, including "Elephants", "Chariots'', "Cavalry", and "Infantry". These pieces became the basis for the four types of pieces in the game. Two of the key similarities between chess and chaturanga is that different pieces have different powers and victory is based on what happens to the king.
Yoga is a complex system that focuses on harmony between body and mind. Yoga derives its philosophy from Indian metaphysical beliefs. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit language and means union or blend. The ultimate aim of this philosophy is to strike a balance between mind and body and attain self-enlightenment. To achieve this, yoga uses movement, breath, posture, relaxation, and meditation to establish a healthy balanced approach to life. This ancient practice has existed from the beginning of Hinduism. It is considered to be the oldest physical discipline in existence and symbolizes balance in every area of life. I feel pride in saying that I was born in India, who gave the world the chance to regenerate.
Now let's talk about Indian food which is getting popular day by day all over the world and again it’s a matter of pride for me that I am associated with this art and living it every day. As Indian civilization food is also having the same diversity and importance in Indian culture and it’s actually a way of living for Indians and they take it damn seriously.
Broadly Indian food is divided into four regional styles: North Indian cuisine (Benarasi, Kashmiri, Mughlai, Punjabi, and Rajasthani ), the South Indian Cuisine ( Andhra, Kannada, Kerala, and Tamil), East Indian Cuisine (Assamese and Bengali) and Western Indian Cuisine (Gujarati, Maharashtrian, and Malwani). The interesting thing here is the treatment of the spices and their blend which make these cuisines so different and diverse as the outcome is so unique and auspicious.
Spices play a major role in Indian cuisine and the fame of Indian spices is older than the recorded history. The story of Indian spices I believe, as old as humans come into existence. It is believed that the Parthian wars were being fought by Rome largely to keep open the trade to India.
It is also said that Indian spices and its famed products were the main lures for crusades and expeditions to the East. If you want to read more about the ancient fame of Indian spices then follow my next coming article where I will pick one spice and will try to make you familiar with it.
The variety of spices now being used were not all actually from India, they came to India through spice trade and invasion of different cultures and dynasties. Portuguese brought potatoes, tomato, refined sugar, and chili to India. Saffron's introduction to Indian cuisine as a result of the spice trade by Arabs.
But the beauty is that how Indians transformed all these foreign spices into Indian colors and now even converted them into Indian spices, as now they are an integral part of any Indian recipes.
There is a big misconception and wrong understanding about Indian food, "that its always hot" and some call it "spicy". But I want to clear this doubt for you all today by this post. I love to make my food spicy rather than hot because if one will not infuse the flavor of spices in Indian food then it is not Indian food and that person is not trained enough to cook Indian food. Therefore this is very important to know that spicy does not mean that food will be hot. So spicy and hot are two different things but in the case of Indian cuisine, they are generally misunderstood and confuses the people who know less about Indian food and scares them from trying this divine art of cooking. Let's discuss how the characteristics of spices that make them or their blends different.
In a broader way, there are three categories of spices, which are generally used in Indian cuisine-
  • Strong flavor spices- 
cloves
  • Mace, Nutmeg, clove, Black cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, and bay leaf. The combination of these spices is also known as Garam ( hot) Masala (a blend of spices). It should not be mistaken here again by the meaning of garam masala, because garam means hot so it makes the food hot. No, it is called garam masala because the spices used to make this blend gives warmness to the body and at the same time excess use of these spices can create loose motion, burning sensation and even makes food bitter also. Garam Masala normally used for non-vegetarian dishes and sometimes it may be used for vegetarian dishes.
  • Mild flavor spices- 
cumin seeds
  • cumin, coriander, turmeric, saffron, fenugreek seeds, and dried leaves, carom seeds, green cardamom, Asafoetida and fennel seeds, etc. These all spices having mild and sweet aroma generally and commonly used for vegetarian dishes.
  • Aromatic Spices-

    Sandalwood powder, Vetiver(khus) root dried, Rose petals, Cassia (unopened flowers of cinnamon tree) buds, Stone flower, Fennel seeds, Beetle Tree Root, Camphor, Dry ginger, star anise along with some selected spices from the above to categories make a special blend of spices called aromatic spices. Aromatic spices are used for biryani or Indian pilaf.
So the above all spices are to make Indian food spicy and full of flavors but they do not make food hot. The only spice that is responsible for making food hot is chilli. Though if one knows how to use the spices can do wonders because Indian cuisine is rich in the use of spices and having the potential to tingle any body’s taste buds. So timing plays a major role in putting the spices in any dish and changing its whole taste and appearance

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

SEV PAPDI CHAAT

Making time: 10 minutes
Makes for: 4



Shelf life: fresh

Ingredients

12 pieces. Flat papdi
½ cup. Sev
¼ cup. Chopped boiled potatoes         
¼ cup. Sprouted or boiled whole green moong dal
¼ cup.  Boiled and crumbled garbanzo                                   
3 tbsp. Tamarind Chutney    
3 tbsp. Mint and cilantro chutney       
4 tbsp. Yogurt                                                             
1 tbsp. Sugar for yogurt                                            
¼ tsp. Salt for yogurt                                                 
¼ tsp. Roasted cumin powder for yogurt1

Method

1.      Mix potatoes, garbanzo and sprouted lentils.
2.      Arrange the flat papdi on a plate.
3.      Top each papdi with a tea spoon full of the above mix.
4.      Drizzle the sweet yogurt over each papdi (1 tea spoon per papdi)
5.      Then sprinkle sev on each piece, enough to cover the papdi.
6.      Drizzle tamarind chutney and mint and cilantro chutney over each piece.

7.      Serve immediately.