coconut chutney

With the increasing hot weather, more yogurt is desirable. One use for yogurt is coconut chutney, the other is raitas and the other is lassi. More recipes are coming soon and how to make yogurt.

Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fresh coconut, finely grated
1-2 t fresh ginger, minced
1 generous T yogurt
1 T roasted chana dahl (or lightly toasted besan)
1 t lemon juice (or a pinch of tamarind paste)
1/2 c coconut water (or water)
salt, as desired

CHAUNCE:
1-2 T ghee
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/4 t black mustard seeds
1/4 t ground black pepper
4-5 curry leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put coconut in a blender with ginger, chana, yogurt, lemon and enough coconut water and or water to grind until chutney consistency. Pour into a bowl.
2. Chaunce in hot ghee the mustard seeds, cumin, black pepper and curry leaves and add to the coconut mixture.
3. Add salt and offer to Krishna with freshly cooked urad dahl dosas!

TIP:
Choose coconuts that are light colored and with no cracks or mold and make sloshing sound, full of coconut water

Women's Liberation

This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and a woman reporter took place at Chicago's Krishna center during the summer of 1975.

Reporter: What advice do you have for women who do not want to be subordinate to men?

Srila Prabhupada: It is not my advice but the advice of the Vedic literatures that a woman should be chaste and faithful to her husband.

Reporter: What should we do in the United States? We're trying to make women equal with men.

Srila Prabhupada: You will never be equal with men, because in so many respects your functions are different. Why do you say artificially they're equal with man's? The wife has to become pregnant, not the husband. How can you change this? Both the husband and wife will become pregnant—is it possible?

Reporter: [No reply.]

Srila Prabhupada: Is it possible?

Reporter: No. It is not.

Srila Prabhupada: Then by nature, one has to function differently from the other.

Reporter: Why does this mean that women have to be subordinate—just because they bear children and men can't?

Srila Prabhupada: By nature, as soon as you get children you require support from your husband. Otherwise, you are in difficulty.

Reporter: Many women with children have no support from their husband. They have no—

Srila Prabhupada: Then they have to take support from others. You cannot deny that. The government is giving them support. Today the government is embarrassed. If the husband supported the wife and children, the government would be relieved of so much welfare expenditure. So that is a problem.

Reporter: What happens when women support men?

Srila Prabhupada: First of all, try to understand that you are dependent. After a man and woman unite, there are children. And if the man goes away, you are embarrassed—the woman is embarrassed. Why? The poor woman is embarrassed with the child—she has to beg from the government. So do you think it is a very nice thing? The Vedic idea is that a woman should be married to a man, and the man should take care of that woman and the children—independently—so that they do not become a burden to the government or to the public.

Reporter: Do you think that the social unrest—

Srila Prabhupada: I am thinking like this. You give me the answer! Simply you go on questioning. I will question you—Do you think this burden to the government and the public is good?

Reporter: I don't understand what you're saying.

Srila Prabhupada: Every year the government has to pay out millions of dollars in aid to dependent children. Do you think that this burden caused when the husband goes away from the wife this burden to the government and the people is good?

Reporter: No.

Srila Prabhupada: That has happened—because the woman does not agree to be subordinate. She wants "equal freedom."

Reporter: And if women were subordinate to men, I suppose that would solve all of our problems?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. The husband wants that his wife should be subordinate—faithful to him. Then he's ready to take charge. Man's mentality and woman's mentality are different. So, if the woman agrees to remain faithful and subordinate to the man, then family life will be peaceful. Otherwise the husband goes away, and the woman is embarrassed with the children, and it becomes a burden to the government and the people in general.

Reporter: Is there anything wrong when the woman works?

Srila Prabhupada: There are so many things wrong, but the first thing is, Why should some man's wife and child become a burden to the government or the public? First of all answer this. Why should she become a burden?

Reporter: [No reply.]

Srila Prabhupada: What is your answer?

Reporter: Well, men are burdens to the government, too.

Srila Prabhupada: Do you think, from the social point of view, that this situation of women and fatherless children is a very nice thing?

Reporter: What I'm trying to say is that ... this may happen to some women ... I'm talking about women who are not

Srila Prabhupada: This is the general pattern. You cannot say "some." In America I see they are mostly women.... The woman should be subordinate to the man, so that the man can take charge of the woman. Then the woman is not a problem for the public.

Reporter: Is this true for all women and all men?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is the law of nature. You take even the dogs—they also take care of their children. The tigers—they take care of their children. So in the human society, if the woman is made pregnant and the man goes away, then she is embarrassed—she has to beg from the government. That is not a very good situation.

Reporter: What about women who do not have children?

Srila Prabhupada: Well, that is another unnatural thing. Sometimes they use contraceptives, or they kill their children—abortion. That is also not very good. These are all sinful activities.

Reporter: Excuse me?

Srila Prabhupada: These are sinful activities—killing the child in the womb and taking shelter of abortion. These are all sinful activities. One has to suffer for them.

Reporter: Is the social unrest in this country caused because—

Srila Prabhupada: Because of these things. They do not know that.

"From the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrishni, comes unwanted progeny. An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated...Those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell." --Bg1.40-43

Real Equality- Unity in Variety

Prabhupada: There are four division of your body—the head division, the arm division, the belly division, the leg division. If you engage the head for walking, that is mistake, and if you engage the leg for thinking, that is mistake. Similarly, there are different types of men, combine together, and it will be nice body, the leg will walk, the hand will protect, the head will give instruction, and the belly will get energy by eating food. Those divisions are required. Not that everyone is all.

No, there must be division of labor. So that is described, how to make civilization perfect, who is going to hear and take it. Catur varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. If you can adjust things, you can utilize things, then everything will be useful. And if you do not know how to utilize things, then everything will be useless. Take instruction from Bhagavad-gita and make everything useful. Then the human society will be perfect.

Otherwise you'll go on manufacturing ideas, you'll never be successful. Because nature's law is working, you cannot interfere with the nature's law. That is not possible. You may think yourself very much advanced in science, but nature's law, you cannot interfere. Just like now there is movement, man and woman, equal.

Nityananda: Women's liberation.

Prabhupäda: Yes, but how the nature's law is strong. Woman has to become pregnant, not the man. Why equal right? Let the man become pregnant once. Woman became pregnant once. The right. Where is that law? So why equal right? Brahmananda was saying one day they'll not mix with man.

Nityananda: Yes, they want to become not dependent sexually, even on the men. Just on themselves.

Prabhupäda: So you have to study first of all what is nature's law. You cannot surpass the nature's law. That is not possible. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Nature's law will go on. Best thing is, let the hand... the hand can typewrite, but if you say "No, the leg will typewrite," that is not possible. Take hand's business, take leg's business, and combine them cooperatively. Then the body will be nice. If the leg says "Why hand will type? I shall type," that's not possible. "Legs, all right, you walk, and hands that you type." Then combine together. Then it will be nice. You cannot change the different capacities. There is God's law, nature's law.

Let the man and woman combine together, live peacefully. The woman takes charge of the household affairs, the man may take charge of bringing money, and they meet together, have Deity at home, together chant Hare Krishna. Where is the difficulty? That is unity. Combine together, working differently but for the same purpose, for pleasing Krishna, then you will become happy. That is equality. Unity in variety. That is wanted. Variety is enjoyment. Variety is not disturbing. --Room Conversation, New Orleans, 7/31/75

Cooking Tips

For "hairless" grated ginger in your subjis and dahl, peel and cut the ginger into chunks no larger than 1 - 2 inches.

Make sure to grate each piece along the grain of the ginger (as shown above).

If you need to mince ginger, grating first saves time.

When you can begin to smell something that is baking, that's one clue it's just about done. Next, look for brownness on the edges, cracks forming on the top (in some cases) and firmness in the center when lightly pressed.

Place a wooden spoon over a pot of milk on high heat to prevent it from completely boiling over in case you forget about it. Better yet, unless you are in a hurry, keep on low heat the milk that you want to boil. You can then go about your business without worrying it'll boil over.

Washing a milk pot after use with cold water makes it easier to clean rather than hot water.

Extra peeled potatoes can be preserved by covering with water and refrigerating until ready to use.

If rice is sticking to the pot, turn off the heat and add a little water and cover a few minutes before serving. Then the stuck rice will come out nicely with the rest. This works well with subji dishes, too. In this case, water isn't usually needed. Just turn off the heat and the remaining steam inside the covered pan can help loosen the stuck layer of subji underneath.

To juice a lemon (or orange) without a juicer, a cooking spoon can work just as well. Hold half a lemon in one hand and press and turn the spoon into it with the other, but from the side rather than pressing the lemon down the way you do with a simple manual juicer. Before tossing the rinds, squeeze them once more before tossing, to get any extra juice.

If chapatis can not be served immediately, do not butter them. Add softened butter when serving. Or butter them, and when finally ready to serve reheat on a skillet. Or keep them warm inside the rice or dry subji pot kept warm over a pot of hot water.

To make fenugreek seeds less bitter, fry them briefly towards the end of a chaunce. For more bitterness, fry longer.

Stir metal pots with wooden spoons to prevent a gradual micro erosion of unwanted metal from cooking pots from getting into the food.

After chopping fresh hot chilies, immediately rub onto fingers full strength dish soap (without water) to remove irritating oil. Rinse with cold water only.

To soften cold butter quickly, grate it.

Cold, hardened paneer that was stored in the refrigerator can be cubed and boiled or grated to soften. Or it can be fried first in a pan before  subji is added and will soften while cooking in the subji juices.

Paneer made from yogurt whey or paneer whey or buttermilk will be softer than made from citric acid. Also paneer need only be pressed a minute or two for softer texture. But if over-pressed very dry, not a problem, see softening methods above.

Grated paneer makes a superior "scrambled paneer" dish.

To get the last bit of honey out of a narrow necked container, leave the jar upside down so the honey can gather at the mouth and be collected for quick removal. Be careful, some lids are not very secure. Repeat as needed

Cut melons and juicy fruits over a kitchen towel.

First sift carob powder and then blend it with a little milk to get out the lumps before adding to a pot of milk. Better yet, use a blender with carob powder and a little milk before adding to remaining milk.

When using a recipe with besan, add liquids in small amounts to the besan first,  to smooth out any lumps.

Measure salt by storing it in a container that is large enough to dip a measuring spoon in. This creates less waste because it is easier than pouring the salt into the spoon.

When cooking beans and various dahls, add tomatoes after the beans are tender. Otherwise, the acidic quality of the tomatoes inhibits the cooking.

Leave your washed okra out on an absorbent towel to dry before cutting, to reduce slime. Dry lettuce so the dressing can cling better.

You may also like  Part II and More

Long Bean and Coconut Salad

Ingredients:
*about 6 cups of long beans, washed and cut into 2" pieces
2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon yellow asafoetida powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 t sugar
salt
1/3 cup roasted peanut powder
1/2 cup finely grated fresh coconut

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil the beans in lightly salted water until they are cooked but not mushy. Drain, rinse with cool water, drain again. Allow to cool.
2. Chaunce in the ghee the mustard seeds in a heavy pan over moderate heat until the seeds crackle. Add the asafoetida and saute momentarily. Pour the chaunce over the beans.
3. Toss in the black pepper, salt (as desired), sugar, peanut powder, and grated fresh coconut with the beans. Offer at room temperature.

*I never saw long beans in the mainland U.S. but maybe check Asian grocers.

Burfi

These sweet balls look like galubjamuns, but they are not. The glossiness comes from using whole cow's milk straight from the cow. Many devotees add a little pat of butter near the end of cooking to compensate, if only store- bought, homogenized milk is available, but that is optional. Very fresh milk gives the best results. Also slow cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of milk (makes a dozen medium-small sized pieces)
1/2 cup sugar (turbinado, mishri...)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour the milk into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot and place over high heat. Add the sugar. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat so that the milk boils steadily but without rising. Stir now and then so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. When the milk thickens, stir very often and towards the end stir constantly, preferably using a wide wooden spatula.



3. Continue cooking until all the burfi pulls away from the pan and is very thick. This takes practice to know when to take it off the heat. It stiffens more as it cools. Transfer it to a buttered plate to cool.



4. When cool enough to handle, pat into a cake or roll into balls. It helps to moisten with a little water a spatula to pat the burfi down smoothly into a cake. When thoroughly cooled, cut the cake into squares.




VARIATIONS: Burfi, another name for caramel, is tasty on its own, but a wide variety of other flavors can be added to it toward the end of cooking. You may want to experiment with crushed nuts, toasted or dried coconut or ground cardamom-all are typical flavorings for burfi.

GETTING FANCY Decorative molds can be purchased in India for pressing burfi into.

Eggplant, Chickpea and Tomato

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups whole chickpeas (garbanzo beans) sorted, washed, soaked overnight in water, and boiled until tender
3 medium eggplants, washed, peeled and cut into cubes
6 medium-size, firm ripe tomatoes, skinned, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup ghee
2 T grated fresh ginger root
3 seeded, minced fresh hot green chilies (use as desired)
1 T cumin seeds
1 t black mustard seeds
scant 1/2 t hing
2 turmeric
salt (as desired)
3 T chopped fresh coriander leaves, parsley or 1 t roasted, ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 T sugar, honey, or equivalent sweetener

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium to medium-high flame for 1 minute. Drop in the ginger root, seeded chilies, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds, and fry for about 30 to 45 seconds or until the cumin seeds turn golden brown. Add the hing, and then immediately add the eggplant cubes. Stir-fry for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the ghee is absorbed into the eggplant and the cubes are brown.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, and the drained, cooked chickpeas. Add a couple cups of the drained chickpea water and bring to a boil.

3. Partially cover the pot, reduce the flame to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, or until the eggplant is butter soft.

4. . Before offering to Krishna, mix in the fresh coriander or roasted ground coriander, lemon juice, and sweetener.

VARIATIONS: Cooked, chopped spinach may also be added to this dish. If you want a drier vegetable, remove the lid, raise the flame to high, and quickly cook off the excess liquid. If you wish a pureed eggplant-and-tomato vegetable, cook over medium flame, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, until the ingredients have merged into a thick velvety sauce.

This recipe serves 6-8 people.

Besan Yogurt Soup

(AKA "cuddy" sauce, pronunced "cuddy" but with a slight r sound for Indian way to say "curry", and the d's should be written with a dot underneath))

I make this whenever fresh curry leaves are available:

INGREDIENTS: (serves 4)
1/2 c chickpea flour (besan)
2 c water
2 c yogurt 

3/4 t turmeric
2 t sugar
salt

CHAUNCE:
2 T ghee
2 t fresh ginger, minced
1 t mustard seeds
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
6-8 fresh curry leaves
1/2 t ground coriander powder
1/4 t yellow hing

GARNISH:
2 T fresh coriander leaves, chopped

PREPARATION:
1. In a saucepan, whisk water into the chickpea flour. Whisk in the yogurt. Then whisk in the turmeric and sugar.
2. In a smaller saucepan, heat the ghee and add the ginger. Fry until a little brown, then add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds are almost done popping, add the remaining ingredients in quick succession. Pour into the yogurt mixture.
3. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Add salt, 1/4 t per finished cup
5. Garnish with the fresh coriander leaves.

Offer to Krishna with stir fried potatoes, cooked rice or biscuits or fresh parathas

VARIATION: Stir in cooked vegies before offering.

When no curry leaves are available, use 1 t fenugreek seeds instead