Upma

 Often a breakfast item.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c coarsely ground wheat ( or farina/sooji)

4-5 T ghee or butter

3 c water

1 T ginger, grated 

1 t mustard seeds

1 t cumin seeds 

1 t urad dahl

1/4 t hing

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 t ground coriander 

1 sprig curry leaves (optional)

1 t fenugreek seeds 

3 c chopped veggies  ( zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots…)

Salt ( about 1 1/2 t)

PREPARATION:

1. Toast the wheat in ghee or butter on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned 

2. Meanwhile, prepare a chaunk in the remaining ghee. 

Add ginger, mustard seeds and cumin. When the mustard seeds stop popping, add the remaining spices except the salt.

3. Toss veggies into the chaunk and add some of the salt and then stir fry to coat veggies with the ghee and spices. When a little browned and wilting, add some water (if needed, some veggies can cook in their own juices on very low heat) and cover and cook until veggies are almost tender (higher heat can be used if water was added) and water almost all evaporated.

4. Add 3 c more water and the remaining salt and bring to a boil. 

5. Add the toasted farina. Stir well. Cover and turn off heat. Let upma sit to absorb the water for about 10 minutes. Stir and offer piping hot to Krishna. Goes well with a chickpea dish or besan halava. Fried paneer patties (as pictured) And or a bowl of yogurt. Or sour cream 

VARIATIONS:

• Use paneer way instead of water.
• Soak the wheat overnight in water or whey. Stir into the dish when the vegetables are brought to a boil (in only 2 cups water).

Twig toothbrush

 After much research and trying to find a local supply of twigs, it was satisfying  to discover that my local supplier of twigs was all along right in our front yard. A willow tree. In this case, black willow. 

Another plus is the bark of this tree contains salicin and this used, with a little preliminary education, as a pain reliever. Salicin is the major component in aspirin 

YouTube videos are available to educate one how to use the twig for cleaning your teeth. You begin by chewing to create a brush at the top. 

This chewing action in turn begins the work of cleaning your teeth, beginning with the back molars used for the chewing. Then the brush is used to clean all surfaces and long strands of chewed twig can even get between teeth the way floss does

Seriously? What an amazing thought how mother nature is so perfectly designed for supplying  everything for our existence, even  tooth brushes. All by the father’s will, of course, dear Lord Krishna.

Well, the past couple days I put my first-ever twigs to the test. I’m happy about how clean my mouth has been feeling every time. For anyone interested, here’s  a video to get started: 

And Wikipedia lists some trees located in North America to do  the job: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth-cleaning_twig

August 2023 update: I found out that the thicker stems of curry trees, aka "sweet neem", can also work. We got plenty of curry plants around here!

Carrots for breakfast

That’s right. Carrots (New Talavan farm fresh, too!). I got off long ago the well beaten path of sugary sweet foods typical in the American diet. And breakfast over here has been evolving ever since.

 

The carrots pictured below accompanied some vegie rice with chickpeas and a bowl of sweetened yogurt.

Yesterday it was daikon radish and beets sautéed  together with their accompanying greens alongside freshly fried urad dahl dosas.  

Of course, we all crave some serious sweetness now and then, so things like cooked sweetened cereals and pancakes have not been discarded. It’s just nice to have a widening variety of choices and flavors for good health and Krishna’s offerings.

Tulasi Gets Elevated

Tulasi just wants to serve. And occasionally we get a chance for a little extra service for her.

 I started noticing browning on the tips of some of her leaves. So I went to a couple expert devotees for advice. Here was the reply:

“This is often diagnosed as black mold... If there is a way to elevate Tulasi Devi off the surface She is sitting on to create an air pocket underneath Her, this usually clears it up.”

Each Tulasi devi is now sitting on a cake rack for air circulation. I hope it helps! 

Later Note: Their advice worked!  :):):)

Tulasi Gets Her Bath

 In winter, Tulasi can suffer taken indoors into dry, heated homes in the west, since  she likes humidity. This in turn makes the infamous appearance of spider mites. To keep them away and keep Tulasi happy, spray under her leaves morning and evening. For smaller pots of Tulasi, a sprayer attached to a sink works well.

At the same time, Tulasi doesn’t require much water in winter. The drips afterwards are plenty for weeks. Only if her pot feels light and soil dry, give her a nice drink. Don’t wait until her leaves curl: it puts a strain on her. Best if the watering is followed by a sunny window. In other words, do not water at night, so not to invite soil diseases brewing underneath. I’ve never tried it, but in that case I’ve  heard that dried cow dung as a top dressing to soak in can disinfect the soil. Cow dung is naturally antiseptic. 

Keep her on a sunny window ledge during the day and remove her in the evenings, so she doesn’t catch a chill.

Caring for tulasi helps us build a relationship with her and pleases Lord Krishna very much.

Fresh Coriander Storage

Some people grow it and cut it as needed. Which is ideal. But to store it can be challenging. It doesn’t do well in plastic bags from the grocery store. Some suggest storing it with the tips submerged in water. Others say wrap it in a paper towel. Somewhere came the idea to wrap it unwashed in an absorbent cloth, then put it in the plastic grocery bag.

 Periodically, remove any aging leaves and stems . Also at least once, replace the cloth with a fresh, dry one and turn the plastic bag inside out so any trapped moisture accumulated can get evaporated. With this method the coriander leaves can stay good for at least a couple weeks!

DIY yogurt

Do you ever wonder how villagers in India make yogurt without getting some already made at the store to use as a starter to make your own? Well, several videos on YouTube show how it’s possible. Some make it from tamarind pods or chilies with stems intact. And others from a piece of lemon. 

We decided to give it a try. 

Basically you get a little warm milk, enough to cover a slice of lemon and its peel. Then keep it in a warm place for about 16 hours. In the following example, a warmed oven was used, and it got  warmed up again, as needed, in between time. I also keep a couple iron cast skillets in the oven. To keep the warmth in there.

The result was yogurt!

Now the observant will notice two pieces of lemon were used in this case. That’s because I spaced out and left the oven on too long. The heat kills the culture and perhaps whatever was on the lemon. So it got cooled down again and a second piece of lemon was  added, just in case. 

The finished product usually tastes a little lemony.  And maybe even more so this time around because of the inattentiveness. But the trick is to boil a bigger pot of milk and use this starter to make the bigger pot of milk into yogurt next.

After that turns to yogurt ( in about 5 hours ), bottle and refrigerate that amount to be used for making more pots of yogurt, using the amount needed in proportion to how much milk is used. This lessens any aftertaste over time. 

We tried chilies, too, and worked just as well. 

Speaking of yogurt, also know as “curd” in India, click here for some tips for the best ways to serve or eat it.