Chapatis

I am totally revising this chapati post made many years ago. For one thing, I no longer buy factory produced flour. I get 50 lb bags of organic wheat berries and grind them very fine for atta or coarsely for sooji. I use the Komo Fidibus Classic Mill.


Generally, I make chapati dough at least a few hours ahead of time and let it sit a bit (unless kitchen is very warm). Also extra dough can be refrigerated until ready to use again. Freshly made, homemade bread on a moment's notice is easy when you know how to make chapatis!

INGREDIENTS:
Finely ground whole wheat flour (most favorite wheat we get is called kamut)
Salt, as desired
A little ghee (optional)
whey (from paneer or yogurt. Use water if no whey is available)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a mixing bowl or pan combine the flour and salt and a little ghee. Only recently I'm using ghee after seeing dozens of YouTube videos doing so. It does seem to make the dough more elastic.

2. Add the whey gradually and mix everything together with your hand. You can tell with practice by the feel of the dough if you need more water or not. When it feels almost sufficient in water but not quite, do not pour in  whey or water directly. Wet your hand instead in order to slowly add more until the ingredients all come together to make a dough. Conversely, if too sticky, slowly add more flour.
You want your dough to be neither sticky nor stiff, although.depending on the type of wheat you have and the humidity in the room, some dough has the tendency to become softer after sitting awhile. It just takes practice to get to know the ingredients you are dealing with.

4. Knead well. I like to knead inside the bowl or a wide, flat pan to not make a big mess.

5. Cover the dough and let it sit it for at least 30 min to an hour. If you won't be using it right away and the room temperature is warm, refrigerate it after sitting an hour or two, so that it will not take on a yeasty flavor. The hotter the room temperature, the sooner to refrigerate.

6. When ready to cook your chapatis, break off even pieces of dough and roll into balls.


7. Dip each ball of dough into a can of flour and roll it out on the counter top into a round chapati fairly thin and about 4"-5" in diameter (I like to roll chapatis on a wide cutting board for easier cleanup afterwards). Redip the dough in flour as needed,  so it won't stick to the surface while rolling. 6. Heat up a heavy cast iron griddle on med heat. Take one chapati that has been rolled out, dust off any excess flour and place it on the hot griddle. Bubbles will begin to form.


8. When you see them, flip the chapati over to cook the other side. Bubbles will continue to form.
 9. Turn on the flame of another burner. With a pair of tongs flip the chapati back to the first side directly onto the open flame. The chapati should immediately puff up like a balloon with hot air.



Those days when I had an electric range, I got the same effect by putting a cake rack over the hot electric spirals, so that the chapati does not come in direct contact with it.

Of course this all takes practice but chapatis then become super easy to make and are very convenient.

Chapatis are usually offered to Krishna freshly cooked and buttered. Or drizzle on ghee. Best served immediately as each one is cooked or keep in a stack and cover with a cloth. Generally they are served with a meal to be torn into pieces and used as a way to scoop up subji and chutney... Also good with various bread spreads, cheese melted inside or on top.... Chapatis are really worth taking the time to learn how to make!

Even on the Royal Road

Regarding the noble adherence to one's prescribed duties, Bhagavad gita 3.34 purport by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada warns: "One has to follow those rules and regulations, unattached to them, because practice of sense gratification under regulations may also lead one to go astray- as much as there is always the chance of an accident, even on the royal roads. Although they may be very carefully maintained, no one can guarantee that there will be no danger even on the safest road."

The biggest danger is so much material happiness can result that it can give rise to false pride, which in turn usually leads to offenses and the risk of rebirth. And then there's the danger of complacency, as described in Bhagavad gita 14.6 and purport:

 "The living entities conditioned by material nature are of various types. One is happy, another is very active, and another is helpless. All these types of psychological manifestations are causes of the entities' conditioned status in nature. How they are differently conditioned is explained in ... Bhagavad-gītā. The mode of goodness is first considered. The effect of developing the mode of goodness in the material world is that one becomes wiser than those otherwise conditioned. A man in the mode of goodness is not so much affected by material miseries, and he has a sense of advancement...Actually, in the Vedic literature it is said that the mode of goodness means greater knowledge and a greater sense of happiness.

 "The difficulty here is that when a living entity is situated in the mode of goodness, he becomes conditioned to feel that he is advanced in knowledge and is better than others. In this way he becomes conditioned. The best examples are the scientist and philosopher: each is very proud of his knowledge, and because they generally improve their living conditions, they feel a sort of material happiness. This sense of advanced happiness in conditioned life makes them bound by the mode of goodness of material nature. As such, they are attracted toward working in the mode of goodness, and, as long as they have an attraction for working in that way, they have to take some type of body in the modes of nature. Thus there is no likelihood of liberation, or of being transferred to the spiritual world. Repeatedly, one may become a philosopher, a scientist, or a poet, and, repeatedly, become entangled in the same disadvantages of birth and death. But, due to the illusion of the material energy, one thinks that that sort of life is pleasant."

Repeatedly, for example, one may become a champion for Vedic dharma out of "familial, social and national affections" (Bg 15.5-6p) and miss out on absorption in Sri Sri Radha Krishna's divine pastimes in the all merciful land of Vrndavana.

In other words, if there is no sense of urgency to counteract the repetition of birth and death, we can safely guess we're in trouble. A very comfortable life may be every materialist's dream come true, but the reality is how Prahlad Maharja described in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.6.11-13:

"How can a person who is most affectionate to his family, the core of his heart being always filled with their pictures, give up their association? Specifically, a wife is always very kind and sympathetic and always pleases her husband in a solitary place. Who could give up the association of such a dear and affectionate wife? Small children talk in broken language, very pleasing to hear, and their affectionate father always thinks of their sweet words. How could he give up their association? One’s elderly parents and one’s sons and daughters are also very dear. A daughter is especially dear to her father, and while living at her husband’s house she is always in his mind. Who could give up that association? Aside from this, in household affairs there are many decorated items of household furniture, and there are also animals and servants. Who could give up such comforts? The attached householder is like a silkworm, which weaves a cocoon in which it becomes imprisoned, unable to get out. Simply for the satisfaction of two important senses—the genitals and the tongue—one is bound by material conditions. How can one escape?"

Another problem is that although we may follow our dharma most carefully, there's no guarantee for only good results. In the material world, a place of calamities and reactions for past sinful activities, we can expect that disasters must strike. Just look at what happened to King Nrga (SB 10.64) or King Anga (SB .13). Similarly, a wife and mother may have been most attentive performing her domestic duties, but some abuses or other misfortunes may have befallen her beloved children, or her good husband may have lost their life savings in the course of a bad business deal, or he may have drifted into the world of sense gratification once again.

Such adversity can be expected, but if a woman is fortunate to have followed her Krsna conscious sadhana very carefully in the mean time, she can then blessedly think about how so-called bad things can actually be very good because Krishna is all-good and only wants us to come back to Him. As the Supersoul within, He helps us see how these things happen for our purification from the bodily identity so much ingrained in us, so much so that we'll swear off even a farthing of a desire for material sense gratification. Queen Kunti aptly said to let the disasters strike because:

 "My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education, and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling."
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.26)

So hopefully, after all our hard work in the course of household life, we should become aware of Krishna's causeless mercy upon us, rather than surprised or lose faith when things don't go the way we expected them to. We should be able to look back and see how the bhakti yoga process of regular hearing and chanting about the all glorious Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna has given us not only the ability to perform the austerities of following our varnasrama duties and the strength to transcend the resultant happiness and distress, but also we can feel, as Srila Prabhupada stated, "unattached" to those duties that once were our life path, forgetting them in lieu of more direct devotional service. Thus the cultivation of our spiritual practices will prove to be the utmost important insurance while traversing the road of human life.

                             

Prabhu and Vaishnavi, a Double Standard

ISKCON's Women's Ministry (now known as the Vaisnavi Ministry) says that all women in ISKCON should be addressed as"Prabhu" instead of "Mataji" (Mother). "Prabhu" means "Master", and is therefore an equivalent to calling a woman "Mister",  a title that over time has been derived from earlier forms of the title "Master". At the same time, please note how the female "Prabhu" advocates like being called "Vaisnavi". Vasnavi is a feminine form of "Vaisnava".

But is this not a double standard? And what is wrong with being called "mother" in the first place?

Motherhood is a life changer. There are so many lessons to be had that a woman is no longer just a woman when she becomes a mother. And not only is nurturing children an important service, it appears to be a necessity for the quality of life for women.

Childless women, for example, often become teachers or nurses or at least adopt a pet to enable that nurturing sense to unfold. In women's magazines like Better Homes and Gardens they have huge, regular adverts referring to the pet being featured as one's child. Or a neighbor may be seen pushing her cat around in a stroller she bought at Petco.

In other words, it's a part of a woman's life difficult to get around, And there is mounting evidence how this need can result in physical and mental health problems if not addressed. Canakya pandita wrote that "a lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman". 

Sadly for many of us, such irreverence for motherhood has ruined being addressed as a "Vaisnavi". And the result has been confusion for many people. Or embarrassment. Such as when young men call an elderly mataji by her first name to avoid the titles altogether. But can you fault them for this?

In our Vaisnava culture we honor our spiritual fathers by addressing them as such. So why not our spiritual mothers, from whom we may learn the highest standards of sacrifice in devotion to Krsna?

"Never mind whether she is younger or older. It doesn't matter. Woman has to be addressed as 'Mother.'" - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bg 4.16 lecture, Bombay 4/5/74

Accommodation, the Threat to Gurukula Development

A strong division has been emerging in ISKCON between liberals and traditionalists, otherwise known as two ancient oppositions- the working class and the noble class. Working class in varnasrama are the sudras and sudranis. Nobles are the brahmanas and kstriyas and their women. And vaisyas and their wives are somewhere in between. Perhaps it was Krishna's plan all along, since the brahmana class especially is what Prabhupada worked so hard to produce, from which naturally the other classes will follow.

For the sudra class, the liberal mentality is naturally present.  ISKCON historian E. Burke Rochford calls them "accomodationists" in the article "The Future of ISKCON" . Because of sentiments based upon the disposable human body rather than the more important soul, they are the most accommodating and flexible. In a sense, this must be because they are needed to work within all sections of society in the service of all other classes and able to adapt to almost any situation, which also makes their services no less important to keep things moving in all areas of a society.

"Traditional" devotees, on the other hand, match more of the description of what a ksatriya and brahmana should be- upholding the highest examples of religious principles and fighting for them.  Rochford calls them "purists", and they are just as important if not more so, as long as they can recognize that not everyone may be able to follow their same strict standards immediately nor even in this lifetime. Traditionalists or nobles are meant to set the best examples, to lead while protecting religious principles and to see that everyone is engaged properly to reach the ultimate perfection.

Since time immemorial, sudra and vaisyas have been the most numerous; in every society they do all the hard work and providing, but they have always needed ksatriyas and brahmanas to look up to. Purity then, and such things like vow keeping, including the marriage vow, is an important criteria for recognizing the nobler classes. Srila Prabhupada desired to reinstate the nobler classes to lead people, and Lord Krishna speaks Bhagavad gita especially to them.

Rochford continued: "You know, taken within the context of earlier Vedic tradition, this could all be seen as the unfolding of the varnashrama system. Initially, Prabhupada wanted to create brahmanas, an intellectual class, to guide society and, clearly, a lot of the early devotees did see themselves in this way, even if many of them lacked the necessary qualifications. Then, again, many were qualified, and have shown it over the years. The point I want to make, though, is that this was a natural place for Prabhupada to start: his first and foremost concern was to create a society that had God in the centre. This necessitated the making of brahmanas - people who see spirituality as the most prominent part of their lives. In Prabhupada's wisdom, he emphasised this as the paramount thing, knowing that once he had a class of brahmanas the movement would be established on a strong foundation, and the other classes would grow out of that....

Otherwise, Rochford continued, "if devotees assimilate too well they will, in a sense, minimize the urgency of establishing the varnashrama system. There will be virtually no need for it, at least as a formal institution. If devotees take advantage of the already existing infrastructure of the material world, in terms of work etc., they will not find the need to establish modes of employment within the confines of the movement, which will remain a small, economically inefficient society. So that's one potential problem. Related to this is the problem of gurukula. If devotees make use of outside schools, they will never feel the urgency to develop the gurukula system."

Now, in Kali yuga everything is topsy turvy because not much reformation of character is going on in the form of gurukula training. Instead, most people are trained to be sudras via non devotee schools. Unfortunately, in ISKCON today, western education and culture is all the rage. Even in Mayapur, one of the few and most important institutions, the Mayapur gurukula, which actually has male teachers and actually cares about training good men, men who will see women as servants of God rather than objects for their senses, is being overshadowed by the western accommodating institution, the Mayapur International School. And until this changes, putting gurukula as priority, our society will become more and more mainstream, feminized and useless.

The problem is that sudra have much power in numbers and,  for positions of leadership in a democracy, the tendency is to appoint the same- leaders who appeal to their senses rather than doing what sastra says, to establish gurukula training.

The solution? Let the "traditional devotees", who by nature not only value such training but also most easily can follow and be examples of, be recognized to take the seats of ministering and managing ISKCON! 

A Note on What "Prabhupada Says"

Dear Reader, Often used in this blog are quotes from lectures and books given to us by His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This may be easily misunderstood to mean merely Srila Prabhupada's opinion, but that is not the case; Prabhupada is repeating only what he heard from his spiritual predecessors or what is related to Vedic dharma.

His Divine Grace is coming from a disciplic succession that can be traced back to Lord Krishna Himself. So what "Prabhupada says" is coming from the opinions of Lord Sri Krishna, the supreme goal of all Vedic wisdom, and "Prabhupada's books" are translations and authorized commentaries blessed by the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava disciplic succession. He may quote other sources, but only what is supported by sastric evidence.

Consciously or unconsciously, we all follow someone.  Everyone needs direction. Without a doubt, all that Prabhupada has taught has proven to be true for the authoress of this blog. Therefore we take the opportunity here to offer him our heartfelt respects, taking shelter at his lotus feet.

For readers who wish to get to know Srila Prabhupada: Click here and read for yourself the amazing, transcendental translations and purports from India's wonderful storehouse of Vedic wisdom he singlehandedly and out of love for his spiritual master, brought to the west.
om tat sat

Please note that these pages may be subject to revisions at any time without notice. Recipes, too, since everyday home cooking is such a dynamic activity!

SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS: Bg= Bhagavad Gita As It Is, SB= the Srimad Bhagavatam, CC=Caitanya Cartamrta, NOD= The Nectar of Devotion, KB= Krishna Book, SBB= Sri Brhad Bhagavatamrta 


Recipe Abbreviations: t=teaspoon, T=tablespoon c=cup

the elixer

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in any thing
To do it as for Thee.

Not rudely, as a beast,
To runne into an action
But still to make Thee prepossest,
And give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glasse,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it passe,
And then the heav'n espie.

All may of Thee partake:
Nothing can be so mean
Which with this tincture, 'for Thy sake,'
Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause
Makes drudgerie divine;
Who sweeps a room as for Thy law
Makes that and th' action fine.

This is the famous stone
That turneth all to gold;
For that which God doth touch and own
Cannot for lesse be told.
--George Herbert

Crunchy Besan Noodles

These noodles, aka "Chudy Noodles" were found in the old Hare Krishna cookbook, now available on Prabhupada's folio CD.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 t cayenne pepper (or as desired)
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 t salt 
• ghee for deep frying
• a few tablespoons of hot water

PREPARATION:

1. Mix together in a bowl the besan and spices and salt.
2. Add the hot water to make a semi firm dough, moist enough to squeeze through a ricer. *
3.  Fill the ricer with the mixture and squeeze into a pot or wok of hot ghee. Make noodles as long or short as you wish.
4.  Deep fry until lightly browned and crispy.
5. Offer to Krishna when slightly cooled.

*Amazon. com sells these to use for this purpose. There are cheaper products than this, but this ricer really does the job, is easy to clean and stainless steel.

Finding Joy in Every Day Life

With Krishna consciousness, everything- housekeeping, relationships, cooking, nature study...becomes intensely interesting because the soul is naturally joyful in connection with Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the source of everything. There's no need to travel far.

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through a door.

I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days; a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my windowsill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.

Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things--old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.
~ Grace Noll Crowell

More Homey Touches

This is late posting, some photos that were taken a couple months back:

This years wreathe was made from dried vines from the back yard and leaves. The leaves were painted with gold, copper, and silver paint (at Dick Blick) and then glued to the vines which had been twisted into a wreathe shape and held together with wire.  Some saved ribbon and a splash of white paint for faux snow gave a final touch. 

From India came this collection of skeleton keys that wound up as a tinkling wind chime on the front porch. Same paint as was added to the leaves above. A top coat of varnish can help keep the paint on. The contraption they are hanging from is a busted computer part. That got painted, too. Both these projects kept the grandchildren busy.

Here, nature came indoors as cut spring branches in a vase, supported with pretty stones inside.

OK, this has got to be a best discovery yet. Not wanting to throw anything out without considering how it may be reused, these amazing rags were born. They come from cotton thermal leggings that were too worn to pass on. The fabric is absorbent and has a texture that makes any cleaning easier.

 

They are cut into useable pieces and kept handy.

beet raita

Found this recipe online.  I steamed my beets the first time and got lots of positive feedback. Steamed or raw the recipe is a good one.  I also used more salt than the original recipe called for.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c raw beets, peeled, grated
• 2 T ghee
• 1/2 t bl mustard seeds
• 1/2 t cumin
•  1/2 small green chili, chopped
•  5 curry leaves
• 1 pinch hing
• 1 c yogurt
•  1 T cilantro
• salt, as desired

PREPARATION:

1. In hot ghee,  fry the mustard seeds and cumin, chili and curry leaves. 
2. When the mustard seeds stop popping, add the hing. Pour this into the yogurt. 
3. Add the beets and cilantro and then salt. 
4. Stir to mix nicely before offering to Krishna.

braised brussel sprouts

On busy days at home (which day isn't?) the subjis are often simple. Here's a prime example and a family favorite:

INGREDIENTS:

• brussels sprouts, sliced in halves
• 3-4 T ghee
• 1 t fresh ginger root, minced
• 1/4 hing
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 t turmeric
• water
• salt, as desired
• a squeeze of lemon juice 

PREPRATION:

1. In a frying pan on high heat, chaunce in the hot ghee the ginger until browned. Add hing and then the coriander and pepper and turmeric.
2. Add the brussels and stir fry a few minutes until they begin browning.
3. Add water and cover. Cook on high heat until the water evaporates and brussels are tender and beginning to brown on the bottom.
4. Add salt and a little lemon juice as desired and offer to Krishna.

Weaving with T-Shirt Yarn

The idea came from here to use some old T-shirts instead of throwing them away:  T-Shirt Weaving .  Something to do with the grandchildren during break. 

A good way to link the strips together without sewing is found here: Making Fabric Into Yarn.

In this case the T-shirts were cut straight across:

The loom was made from a large piece of cardboard, and the warp threads from collected string and yarn. A ruler and yarn needle made the weaving faster.
 

The result was a small mat or rug.

fried chickpeas

These are good especially at breakfast time. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 2 T ghee
• 2-3 t fresh ginger, minced 
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1/2 t mustard seeds (opt)
• 1/2 t ground coriander
• 1/4 t black pepper, ground 
• 1/8 t hing
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/2 t fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 celery stick, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 small bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• salt. as desired
• fresh coriander leaves
• a slice of lemon

PREPARATION:

1. Bring the chickpeas to a boil with fenugreek seeds and then simmer until done. Drain.
2. Chaunce in hot ghee the ginger, cumin and mustard seeds. Fry until the ginger is crispy brown and the mustard seeds stop popping. 
3. Add the hing, black pepper, coriander powder, turmeric, celery and chickpeas with fenugreek in quick succession and stir until everything is well incorporated. Turn off the heat. Stir in fresh coriander.
4. Offer to Krishna with a wedge of lemon.