#covid19#lockdownhappybirthday#stayhomestaysafe

Every day is unique. Every day is beautiful. Today happy birthday 🥳 so special, why because it’s lockdown. Our way of celebrating birthdays are happy birthday and happy star birthday.  Birthdays are celebrated with cutting a cake and a non veg lunch or dinner. Most probably dinner to have with the family members. If it falls on a holiday then will go for lunch. Birth star celebrations are with a payasam and vegetarian dinner. Yesterday I thought what special non veg dish for my birthday tomorrow. Having eggs in the refrigerator. Okay, can have an omelette as special along with lunch. At 6.30am my husband wakes me up and told that our fisherman in here with fish. About him he is serving our community for the last 25 years. A simple, humble and generous soul 🙏 He started his work on 20th Monday when some relieve measures were declared in connection with lockdown. Last two days we didn’t see or hear him. What a surprise❤️ Only two types with him. Shrimp and sardines. Sardines are more healthier so bought a kilo and made a feast. Lockdown birthday lunch ready with the brain food ‘sardines’. Cooked in the traditional way recollecting amma’s (mom) and mattemma’s (my mil) cooking. Superb four dishes of sardines ready. Can have lunch with leftover veg dishes in the refrigerator. Look, what a beautiful day. For the last one month we didn’t have fish. Today on this special day our favourite fish at our doorstep. The blessings of the Almighty is always showering upon us. Let’s realise and serve for humanity. May the whole world enjoy Happiness and Peace 🙏❤️

#covid19#lockdownspecial# A great day to cook another traditional pradhaman ❤️

Again a beautiful day to serve in this lockdown period. Our neighbor expressed the wish to taste parippu pradhaman which is the most delicious dessert in sadya. Agreed and the ingredients fastly reached in my hands. Get ready to cook and done ✅ before lunch. A little bit improvisation made in the texture of moong dal. So it became more creamy with a melting effect on tongue. We both love to smile at others, be kind to others and with a wish to serve them. We are happy 💯 ❤️

Preparation 

Moong dal (cherupayar parippu) 4cups,jaggery 1 kg, coconut milk 1st, 1/2 litre, 2nd 1 litre and 3rd 1litre, cardamom powder 1tbsp., dry ginger powder 1tbsp., coconut pieces 1/4 cup, cashew nuts 20, raisins 2 tbsp., ghee 100gm., salt 1/2 tsp.

Heat half of the ghee in a heavy bottom uruli. Fry coconut pieces until golden brown and drain. Then fry cashew nuts, drain and finally raisins. Put the moong dal in the uruli, fry it for 2-4 minutes till it turn light brown. Add 10 cups of water and transfer it into a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Allow it to cool down. By the time melt jaggery in 3 cups of water in a saucepan, strain it into the uruli and add cooked dal to the jaggery syrup, add half of the balance ghee and cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add 3rd milk, mix well and allow to boil on medium heat while stirring constantly till it is thickened. Add second milk and continue stirring till it gets thicken. Add the balance ghee and salt now. Mix the ginger and cardamom powders in a little of the milk and add to the cooking mixture and combine well.  Finally add the first coconut milk and allow to bubble in low flame. Now garnish with the fried coconut pieces, cashew nuts and raisins. Delicious parippu pradhaman ready ready ❤️❤️

#covid19# lockdowntrip# Grandmas delights @ grandma’ home❤️

Clockwise
Bottle gourd, mango and dried baby shrimp curry
Taro stem in curd, cooked rice and legume leaves with potato stir fry

Today a blessed day. Quickly it comes to my mind about grandma’s cooking. Let me salute my grandma 🙏 She went for her heavenly abode seventeen years back. We were abroad in my childhood. Back to our village I was in sixth grade. 10-15 minutes walk to school from our home. Our grandma’s home is again a five minutes walk from school. Sometimes we pay quick visit  to our grandparents when going to school. Once in a while we get the opportunity to spend a half day or upto four a clock in the evening to spend at grandparents place with a little wish of our mom to bring grandma’s delights back home. Our mom loves grandma’s dishes. Today morning my cooking take me to our grandma’s home where my little aunt is living. Great changes made in the ancestral home. Earlier the kitchen was a two room structure with an open central area for the girls and women to sit and chat. Now constructed to a new model house.

We, me and my little sister, loves the day at grandma’s. We shall be the centre of attraction. Getting freedom to climb on trees, cook in the kitchen like that we enjoy the day. At that time cooking is on open stove with firewood. The smell of the burning firewood and the cooking smell along with garnishing punch is something we can’t explain. It’s nostalgic.

I am having open stove and firewood in our kitchen. We cook rice on the open stove. 

Today cooked all the dishes on the stove recollecting the visit to our grandparents. Childhood memories are great ❤️

#covid19# lockdown# experiments in kitchen with ration rice

No words to say anything about our parboiled white ration rice. It’s super. When you know closer you know the goodness. During the lockdown period we both decided to go for simple and humble life with whatever we have. Also decided to explore the values hidden in each and everything. 

It was understood that parboiled ration white rice is not having any superior or individual qualities. For cooking rice it gets cooked quickly rather than red rice. So leftover rice if any is not good to use for next day. It is used along with raw white rice to prepare idli and dosa. It is not at all used for making  appam, puttu, neerdosa or Oothappam. 

Our story 

We got 10kg of parboiled white and 5kg of parboiled red rice. I decided to break the rule in case of this ration rice. So go on with experiments. It comes out superb. It is having great individual characteristics if we can break the chain of misunderstandings with this simple and humble product.

Here I am sharing the dishes made during the lockdown with the parboiled white ration rice. Please don’t underestimate anything before you experience the goodness. Sorry that I can’t caption the dishes. As you may know idli, dosa, Moringa leaves Oothappam, appam, neerdosa, puttu etc are in this blog. Preparation details are in my cookery blogs.

sumasindianrecipes.blodspot.com

sumashealthyrecipes.blogspot.com

#covid19#lockdown#Stay safe stay healthy# massage your hands and protect health

It’s corona time. Health is the prime important. Concentrate on your health with simple exercises. Hand reflexology is a self massage technique that puts pressure on the reflex points in and around your hands. These points correlate to different body parts. Massaging on these points help to relieve any discomfort or pain in the area.

The great thing about hand reflexology is that, it is safe and a natural healing art that you can do whenever you wish. You can feel ease and relieved. Whenever you feel discomfort, find a place to sit down and massage your right palm with your left palm gently for five minutes. Enjoy the relaxed feel. Then massage your left palm with your right palm gently for another five minutes. It helps to turn off the body’s fight or flight response and turn on the parasympathetic nervous system. This promotes a state of balance. Focus on the reflex points, gently massage on them to stimulate your body’s own healing mechanisms. Visualize that you are doing yourself good, you will be doing yourself good and you are healthy and happy. Mindfulness results in better relief. Care should be taken to apply pressure with fingerprints rather than the tips of your fingers. 

Benefits 

Relieve from common ailments such as constipation, cold, allergies, headache, frozen shoulder, back pain, spondylitis and stress and anxiety. 

Gives better sleep, better mood, greater confidence and self esteem.

After the practice, cover your hands with a warm towel for five minutes. Drink a glass of water to flush out the toxins released out during the massage. 

#covid19#lockdown#Homestead gardening

Today morning look around in our homestead. Done some weeding. Sprinkled water for the onion and potato sown yesterday. The health benefits of homestead gardening is gaining good health. Good health is leading a quality life with a sense of society and happiness. Benefits are incredible

Strengthens your heart by burning calories. 

Improves your physical strength 

Provides quality products

Keeps you energetic and healthy 

Reduces stress and boosts happiness 

Helps to sleep better which is vital for health 

New and innovative cooking ideas using own garden products

Cut taro stems, leaves and tender bilimbi for preparing side dishes for today’s lunch. Time is so precious. Thank God for new ideas on cooking. I am getting more creative and curious to get more information on the products in our garden.

Made taro stem masala curry with stems, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, tomato, coconut milk, chicken masala and coconut oil.

Made taro leaves in yogurt with onion and garlic garnished in coconut oil. The leaves need to be precooked in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to get rid of the arcid flavour.

Made tender bilimbi thoran with shallots, garlic and grated coconut garnished in coconut oil along with mustard and cumin seeds. 

An experience of a trip just before Lockdown

We were on trip from 2nd March to 21st March. The trip was planned much earlier to for a genuine cause. We preferred train and so the tickets were booked well in advance. We had led TA classes. The mission of our trip was done ✅ From 16th onwards things were going upside down to the novel corona virus. The parks and other public places were closed. Some long distance trains were cancelled. Luckily was not our train. In Kerala it was getting worse during that week. We went to be with our relative at Ruby Hall Hospital Pune on 11th. The malayali nurses on duty was jokingly telling us not to go back to Kerala now because of Corona. Our return was on 19th from Pune in Jayanthi Janatha one of the oldest long route train. For the last four days we were getting messages from the railway authorities about our trip back home about the withdrawal curtains and blankets and safety of the passengers. So we felt safe to travel. 

Our return day arrived and by the time Corona situation in Pune also grew up. Stored enough hand sanitizer, sanitized wipes, dettol soap 🧼 masks and sheets of our own to use in the train for about 34 hours. In an Uber we reached Pune Railway station. There even the crowd inside was less people seems to be so calm. Train arrives, passengers were about 1/4th only. A nuclear family husband wife and a kid to South Kerala were our co travellers. Ticket examiners asked only names to confirm the passengers. During day time perfect cleaning by railway every three hours was done. No outside merchandise inside. Enough sanitizers and soap were kept in wash rooms and wash area. We were so comfortable and had good sleep in the two nights in the train. Hats off to the railway authorities for the care and concern to the travellers which made us cool and comfortable.

  The return to home on 21st was to attend some NGO activities back home on 22nd Sunday. That was great for us. 22nd curfew followed by the lockdown leads us to the serious phase to face Covid 19. At Aluva railway station health team was waiting for us. Took our addresses from where to where. Then examined our temperature. Everything normal. Send us home with a suggestion to contact nearest health centre in case of any fever or other symptoms of corona virus. Thank God for bringing us back home at the correct time after our mission. 

Pune Railway station 

Settling down for two nights
Jayanthi Janatha train 

We went on self quarantine. Thanks to Nissar and family for bringing groceries for us. We went close to our garden which fill positive vibes in us. Did yoga and meditate for the wellness of the whole world 🌍 Now 24th we are back home. Let’s observe social distancing to flatten the curve of Covid 19 and to overcome the pandemic situation in the Globe 🌏 Hats 🎩 off to the Governments and the professionals in fighting the Corona Virus to save our lives risking their lives . Thanks to all the volunteers and the people in this world for the cooperation 🙏🙏

#Covid 19#Lockdown special# Earthen cookware Passion #

Earthen cookware had always been an intrinsic part of our household. In olden days cooking was done in earthen pots over open fire stoves. Authentic home cooking of yesteryears is so special, why because I feel mom is there as the Home Minister in the kitchen. All the cooking is done in earthen pots and some on special days in copper vessels. I remember in my younger days once in a year during the temple festival trades our mom entrust her assistant giving instructions of the shape and size of the pots to buy. The temple festivals are during summer months. So we are on school vacation. But as kids we were not allowed to do any assistance. Seasoning  of the pots are a big task in the following days. Then only it will put in use. My mom used to fill water in the pots overnight. In day time she season the pots with the rice washed water. While washing the rice for cooking the water is collected in the pots and allow to boil. It will take days to season all the pots bought. It is breakable so have  to handle with care. This is a continuous process in every year. By tear and wear cracks are formed in the pots and not in use, the flatten pots are used raise seedlings. We get the opportunity to sow vegetable seeds and take care of seedlings. Authentic cooking then and now is a fine art. For me traditional way of cooking in earthen pot is always nostalgic. Now a days in daily life cooking in earthen pots are an easy job.

In the urban era due the fast life the maintenance of the pots and and slow cooking procedures, the earthen cookwares had lost its identity. This situation  lead us adopting easy to handle and timesaver kitchen utensils  like steel and aluminium pots, pressure cookers and nonstick cookwares.

I love to cook in earthen pots. But some times. This lockdown time leads me to take care of my earthen pots and experience the rich cooking . Food taste better when cooked in earthen pots why because it is healthy for us and the Earth 🌍 Earthen pots are eco friendly. Go for unglazed pots. Glazed one have toxic chemicals in it.  If cooked over open fire that’s the best. 

Benefits of earthen pots 

They are alkaline in nature which neutralises the acids in food while cooking.

This makes easier to digest.

The porous nature of the pots allow the heat and moisture to circulate evenly during cooking.

Makes the food remains juicy and tender. 

The clay is rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Slow cooking process retains the natural oils in food. Natural aroma of the food and the aroma of the clay make the food more healthier. 

Experience the goodness of health and tempting flavours by cooking in earthen pots when you feel so and when you have time. 

Different shaped and sized earthen pots are available to suit all types of cooking like boiling, steaming, sautéing, frying, dry frying and stewing. Storing water for drinking in earthen pot gives a feel of fresh water from the stream. 

Dear friends let’s go grab some pots to cook and can keep as showcase pieces which reminds our traditional style❤️

 

Together We Fight against Corona Virus 🦠

To all our dear and near and the lovely friends across the Universe 🌍
United We Fight 🙏🙏
We are facing a pandemic situation of the Novel Corona Virus. Prayers for the departed souls to rest in Peace ✌️✌️Salutations to the Health team and the authorities around the Globe for their restless services to save the people🙏🙏 Let’s step up for the Humanity.
Let’s observe the precautions cleaning hands and Social distancing. Fear is not the way. Stay safe and stay Strong. Do yoga or any indoor workouts. Try out your skills, your passions, your likes. Work on it to keep yourself busy. Teach kids special skills. Go on with tele chats to motivate and empower your dear and near. Take sips of hot water. Drink green tea and have more fruits and veggies. Nurture your garden to enjoy nature. Yes, we can and we will face the Global Disaster COVID 19 🙏🙏
Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavanthu!God Bless 🙏🙏