The Goodness Of Centella ( Gotu Kola) Leaves

Centella,  which is commonly known as Gotu kola, is used as a leafy green in Sri Lankan cuisine The Fresh  leaves can be eaten raw as a salad. It grows well in damp places like marshlands, swamps, and paddy fields. It only takes a couple of months for the crops to be fully grown . It is commonly believed  that eating a few leaves of  Gotu kola every day will "reinforce and rejuvenate exhausted bodies and brains. In Sri Lanka, the  Gotu kola  leaves are crushed  and made into a hot beverage or eaten as a salad ,which is the most  common type of consumption . A  nutritious porridge known as ‘Kola Kenda’ is also made with Gotu Kola.

Recently, I introduced Gotu kola leaves to my children.I was a bit hesitant at the start ,thinking they wouldn’t like the somewhat bitter taste, but they proved me wrong.They really relished it. My mother always made a spicy  salad  out of  Gotu Kola leaves  and  with her gastronomic know-how  used to   draw  out the  tanginess  in the leaves  with the extra flavorings she added.But as my children do not really eat the spicy stuff.I tried out an entirely  different one. Which was of course very much closer to a regular salad. As this was the first time they were trying this salad ,I cut a few slices of cucumber and lined it around the plate ,to convince them that ‘gotu kola’ was indeed a kind of salad. This is delectable when  eaten with plain white rice, chicken/beef/fish curry and with other curried vegetables.

Method-Pick the  Gotu kola  leaves off the stem  and  wash thoroughly in running water.Finely chop the leaves and add  chopped onions,  green chilly, salt to taste and a little lemon /lime juice. Mix well.

You can also add more spice and  flavoring to get that extra zing.Sparingly add to the above, red chilly flakes, coarsely ground maldive fish and scrapped coconut . 

Food Addictives And Allergies

A few years back, it was distressing for my husband and I, to see our younger daughter fall sick, every time she ate some of her favourite food. She would either start coughing; a nagging cough which would linger for sometime or she would get itchy red bumps on her arms, sometimes on her face, (later I learnt the red bumps were hives.). We were clueless as to why she got them constantly.

After many visits to the hospital we learnt that it was due to an allergic reaction, but was not certain what triggered the “hives” on her. The thought of this, gave us many sleepless nights and constant worries, until one day our very own Sri Lankan Doctor, a paediatrician, who was attached to a reputed facility in Saudi Arabia, who on learning of our daughter’s condition helped us identify the root cause of her allergy. She was vulnerable  not only to certain foods like coloured candies and coloured drinks, but also to the strong smell of perfume, washing powder, bleach etc, all, with a considerable amount of additive compounds in them. Gradually, with much cajoling, we made her stop eating her favourite titbits like the multi coloured candies, chocolate chips and the luminous coloured drinks. After following the doctor's advice and guidelines, we saw a vast improvement in our daughter’s health. He helped us to keep a food diary and note carefully for any adverse reactions whenever she ate food. In the case of a sensitivity being identified, the practice was to eliminate all suspected foods from the diet and then reintroduce them one by one, to see which additive (or additives) caused the reaction. This was done under the supervision of this good-hearted doctor, whom we are ever grateful to. With the invaluable information on food allergies/additives, which my husband and I acquired, each time we accompanied our daughter, during the fortnightly visits to the doctor, we have become more selective in the choice of food we consume.

 Our distressing nightmare maybe over, but with four growing children and their immune system  different from one another, I sometimes  get the creeps to think,  what if , one of them  goes through that agony again.

( - This is an excerpt from my published article- )

What Is Acidity?

Though some may not have a deep understanding about it, they probably may know someone  who  experience it. Most likely you must have  heard of acidity. What is acidity - those who have not experienced it  may wonder . Acidity  takes place when there is an  excess secretion of  gastric acid in your body, leaving you with  a burning sensation in your throat or a bitter and sour  taste in your mouth.This is a condition that affects the digestive system. However, this  is an uncomplicated problem that could go out of control when you ignore it. There are many causes for the acidity levels to elevate in your body. Stress could be defined as one of the main cause to aggravate the situation. However, high intake of fatty and spicy food,refined and fibres foods, overeating and eating hurriedly ,could further lift the acidity levels in your body .It is also known that excessive intake of caffeine  helps to build up  the acid in the body. Other causes that intentify the acid level may be due to pregnancy,aging,anxiety and obesity .During my pregnancies, I experienced heartburn. And I was advised to eat and drink a lot of cooling food. Eating banana,watermelon and cucumber gives instant  relief . On the other hand, altering   erratic meal times and bad eating habits help prevent acid reflux.  In any case, consult your doctor  if symptoms persists.

Here are some home remedies to ease the acidity.

Chew a few basil leaves.Repeat every hour till the acidity subsides

A common remedy is to drink coconut water.Drink this 3-4 times a day.

Have plenty of milk and milk products.A cold glass of  milk or a cup of ice-cream could be taken for instant relief.

Fresh mint juice prevents  acid reflux.Water controls the acidity.Drink water with a teaspoon of honey every morning.

Drink herbal tea.

Take lots of cumin seed and ginger- boiled in water.

Eat meals in small quantity and do not gulp the food .

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Birthday Bash

Remember,I was cake hunting and wanted it to be a surprise for my son’s seventh birthday.And Guess what! Who do you think came to my rescue ! 
Spider -Man of course!

                                                A  birthday surprise 

                                                His favourite snacks

I made his all time favourites : Tuna and potato cutlet , cheese mini toast and rainbow sandwiches.  I used ,carrots,beetroot and lettuce to get the colour in the sandwich.  After the wishes,kisses and blowing off the candles, when it was time to cut the cake, my son quickly  whispered, ‘Please Mom ! don’t cut SpiderMan’. So keeping spider-man intact, we enjoyed the rest of the cake.

For refreshments- I made Faluda, a milkshake with rose syrup and condensed milk , with scoops of vanilla ice cream for extra flavour.  

There’s No Party , But Still..

As if he read my mind, my soon- to- be- seven- year- old son said to me ‘Mom please don’t make the same kind of  cake  for my birthday this time too'. Well , what was I supposed to do after he said that! Obviously, I had to start looking for a new cake recipe .I am a bit concerned because there isn’t much  time left for a trial. In actual fact, for weeks it was on the preparation agenda , to bake the same simple chocolate cake that I have been making for the last few years, for all of my children’s birthdays . When I told my husband about the cake dilemma, He solved the problem in a jiffy.He suggested  to get a cake made by a  professional.Now why didn’t I think of that before?  After an exchange of discussions , we have now decided to go for the  specialist’s touch. I still haven’t told the rest of my children as we want to give our son ,the birthday boy, a surprise. He is a great fan of cartoons. Almost certainly we will get it designed accordingly. I am also planning to make some of his favourite hor d’oeuvres. I wish I could surprise him with a big party, but unfortunately I cannot at this juncture , as my oldest daughter’s grade 12 th board exams are going on and I would’nt  want to disrupt the studying atmosphere at home. I am sure our youngest wouldn’t mind when he sees his little surprise.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Once in a while I  take a walk down memory lane. And whilst on the way,gather some  bits and pieces of my childhood. A few moments ago ,I ventured on this nostalgic journey  again. I stopped  for a moment, when I envisaged my childhood home, where I had spent  great many years of happy times with my family, I mentally zoomed  in to the dining hall,where my large family used to  gather during  mealtimes.Whisperings, followed by loud laughter would  erupt throughout the hallway, which would quickly   be silenced by the food that would soon be laid on the table. Mother would painstakingly prepare part of the breakfast while  my siblings and I would wait impatiently around the breakfast table for Father, who would bring the main part of the breakfast,the freshly baked bread from the Baker, which we all took delight in eating, with the coconut “sambol” ( chutney ) Mother made. Even though we had a choice for breakfast, we always tried to eat Mother’s favorite. With stinging eyes and  runny nose, my whole body would be encircled with a burning sensation. I wouldn’t give up!! Hastily gulping water in between each morsel, I would fan myself with the morning newspaper, to cool that sweltering in me and pretend that everything was just fine. I would n’t dislodge from the breakfast table till I finished the last mouthful of that spicy coconut sambol, which was a mixture of scrapped coconut, red chilly ,green chilly and chopped onions sprinkled with lemon juice and salt. This was my mother’s  specialty! A simple dish made with great labour of love.

Goodness me! Now I have  partially  regained my composure from my reminiscence  and still in the  state of  drooling, walk toward the kitchen looking for scrap, crumb and pieces of ingredients to prepare my favourite  breakfast dish.

Curried Green Peas In Coconut Cream

Green pea is a vegetable which  has a whole lot  nutrient values  of vitamins and proteins.  I’m glad I introduced it to my food finicky children a couple of years ago. From that time on , I knew  when they   tasted the very first morsel  of my curried pea , that they were going to be hooked  to it forever. Ever since there has been no looking back. Although I cook  green pea as an accompaniment to the main dish, rice, they prefer to eat it  as a meal itself. As a result I cook extra and let them indulge into the peas, peacefully and  very heartily.  Green peas can be eaten boiled or cooked with  a variety of other vegetables .We all love the pea,which is cooked  to  perfection with carrots and cashew nuts. This is a popular side in many of our occasions ,like festivals ,wedding dinners and even family get -togethers. Come please ! Join me if you may,  as I cross over to my ‘cooking session’ for the specialty of the day: Green Peas with Carrots, Cashews and Coconut Cream.

By the way It’s just a coincidence ,I ‘m cooking with a lot of C’s ( carrots, cashews and coconut cream) A colourful curry indeed!

 Ingredients

250 grams green peas (boiled)

250 grams cashew nuts ( par boiled)

2  carrots ( par boiled and diced)

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

1 green chilly chopped ( optional)


3 cloves of garlic chopped


Half a tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp curry powder ( you can adjust accordingly)

One tablespoon of oil

A few curry leaves ( optional)

Salt to taste

1 cup water (250 ml)

3 generous tablespoons of coconut milk powder

Method

 Heat the oil in a pan . put in the mustard seeds .

When  it starts to splutter, turn in the chopped onion and the green chilly. Cook till onions become translucent and then stir in the garlic and the curry leaves . (cook for less than a minute)

Mix in the turmeric and the curry powder. Add the cup of water into the pan and bring it to a boil.

Now add the boiled peas,carrots and the cashew nuts into the pan  and continue cooking for about 5minutes.Mix in the coconut milk powder , give it a quick stir, so that no lumps form.

Lastly add salt to taste .Cover the pan and simmer till the liquid reduces a little .

This could be eaten as an accompaniment  with either

Steamed rice, onion pickle  and a meat dish of your choice.

Or with  biryani rice and other side dishes.  

Bon Apetit!