MADIPHALA RASAYANAM

A ayurvedic medicine. I still remember my childhood days when my Mom and Grand mother used to prepare this in large quantity. With all the citrus goodness from fruits, this is a perfect immunity booster in kids. More over this increases the appetite in fussy kids too. It helps  indigestion problems in older persons.  Also this is a perfect medicine for morning sickness in pregnant women. It helps relieve nausea,vomiting. I still remember the taste of the recipe which my Mom used to make. I searched for the recipe everywhere online, but couldn't find the way which I ate as a child. I am sharing the recipe with all of you......... Use it to keep the allergies at bay, increase the appetite or simply enjoy the taste. 

INGREDIENTS

• Oranges                       6
• Limes                          6
• Lemons                       6
• Pomegranate               2
• Tangerines                  6
• Grape fruit                   4
• Sugar/ honey               as required
• Ginger                         50 grams
• Jeera                            50 grams
• Coriander seeds          50 grams

PROCEDURE

Extract the juice from all the fruits. 

Measure the juice and take 1/4th  quantity of the sugar.

I skipped the sugar and used only honey.

Soak the jeera and coriander seeds for 2 hours.

Grind the soaked jeera, coriander seeds, ginger with some water. 

Strain and extract the liquid.

Now if you are using sugar in the recipe:

In a thick bottom pan, (preferably non stick pan or stainless steel and not the iron one because you are using citrus juice and iron will react with citrus juice.) add the fruit juice, sugar, extracted ginger, jeera, coriander juice. 

Mix well and switch on the stove.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the flame to medium-low. 

Let the mixture thicken just like the honey.

It takes about 40 to 45 minutes depending on the amount of fruit juice.

Store it in a clean glass jar. 

You can increase the sugar depending on your taste.

The important point to remember is, Vitamin c doesn't destroy at boiling point, so you can be sure to retain the vitamin c even after this elaborate cooking. The Melting point of vitamin c is 190 degree centigrade.

If you are using honey in the recipe:

Boil the fruit juice, extracted ginger-jeera-coriander juice.

Simmer and let reduce to 1/4th of the quantity.

Now cool and finally add the same amount of honey. Heating of honey will destroy its nutrients so be sure to cool off the juice before mixing honey.

Store in a clean glass jar. 

The consistency will be as a liquid, but don't worry......this is good than the above traditional version.

SESAME-FLAXSEED POWDER

With the health consciousness increasing day by day in every one, consuming healthy foods is also increasing at the same pace. Who says healthy is not tasty. Right ways of cooking makes every thing taste best. This is the same case with the healthy flaxseeds.  Flaxseeds are full of nutrients, fiber, omega 3, protein. For many who would like to take flaxseeds,  but cannot take it due to its nutty  taste, this recipe is a must try. This can be had with any Indian breakfast recipe, idly dosa vada....... or with plain rice. 

INGREDIENTS

• Flax seeds                1 cup
• Sesame seeds           1 cup
• Jeera                        1 Tsp
• Salt                          to taste
• Red chilies              10-15

PROCEDURE

Dry roast the flax seeds on a very slow flame. Same way dry roast the sesame seeds and the red chilies. 

Cool them

Take the flaxseeds, jeera, red chilies, salt in a mixer and grind to a fine powder.

Now add the sesame seeds and grind well till the powder is well done.

Serve with idly or dosa or rice.

This can be stored for up to 1 month.

MIXED DAL LADDU

A touch of more protein to the already healthy sunnundalu........ Chana dal, moong dal and urad dal  along with jaggery and dried nuts makes these tasty and healthy laddus. For all those fussy and picky little  eaters, these laddus does wonders. Give them one each day and they will be out of their nutritional imbalance.

INGREDIENTS

• Urad dal                   1 cup
• Chana dal                 3/4 cup
• Moong dal                3/4 cup
• Jaggery                     1 cup
• Sugar                        1 cup
• Cardamom                6
• Nuts                           cashes almonds walnuts      
• Ghee                         1+1/2 cups

PROCEDURE

On a slow flame dry roast the dals individually. The dal must be fried from the inside but should not get burnt from outside.

Grate the jaggery or make a fine powder if the jaggery is hard.

Powder the sugar too along with cardamom.

Now grind the dals to fine powder.

Now you can dry roast the nuts and powder them too.

Mix in the dal powder, sugar powder and jaggery powder. 

Add the nuts powder and mix well

Add melted ghee little by little and make laddus.