Drumstick Multani Preparation

  Drumstick  Multani Preparation

There is a tree all parts of which can be utilised. It is  a tree with multifarious uses. Right from its bark and seeds to its leaves,flowers and the fruit all are  consumed.The tree is known as Drumstick tree. It is grown every where in India. Since it is  grown in  most parts of the country, it is relished all over the country.  Whereas in  northen India its fruit and flowers are  taken , in the South the leaves are also taken.Very tasty pickles can be made with its tender  fruit.The bark is used for medicinal  purpose. It is medically efficient. It is rich in important  minerals,    vitamins and is an anti oxidant. 

   Today I am presenting a recipe for the preparation of drumstick flowers subzi. This  recipe is particularly  made by the people of Multan. Some  youngsters in the family have requested me to  post some Multani dishes  which used to be  prepared by the elders and  which are now forgotten . To keep the Multani tradition alive, I have already posted recipes of Doli ki Roti and Kadhai Wali Subzi in my earlier  posts.  Today I propose to record a recipe of Drumstick flowers, or Swanjana ke phool ki subzi.

Ingredients

1. Swanjana flowers, preferably  buds  250 gms

2 .Peas       1/2 cup

3 Onions     2

4. Tomatoes  2

4 Salt,Red chili powder, Turmeric powder,Amchur powder(mango powder)

Dhania powder.

5.Cooking oil    5 tbsp

6. Besan         1 tbs

7.Curd        1/4 cup

Method of preparation

Wash the Swanjana flowers and boil  them   with  salt.After it is boiled, throw the water and boil once  again. Squeeze  the flowers  very well.Keep aside. Heat oil and add chopped onions. Saute   for   a few minutes and add the chopped tomatoes.Roast for some time.Add the peas.Cover the peas for a couple of minutes.Then add the squeezed swanjana.Now  add salt and other spices. Stir it well.Next ,in  a 1/4 cup of curd  add 1 tbsp besan,Mix the besan and curd very well and pour it in  the swanjana. Keep stirring  till it integrates with the vegetable.Remove from the fire.  This vegetable can be taken with parantha or chapatti's.

• And now a few household  tips

  1. To make chapatis or paranthas soft,add a little milk or cream(malai) to the flour before kneading.

  2.To slice a very soft  bread  evenly, slightly warm the knife on a flame before cutting. The slices will  be neatly cut.

  3. To clean the glass of the spectacles, wipe the glass with a drop of vinegar.

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All time favourite Malayalam spiritual songs

 All time favourite Malyalam spiritual songs

 

Malyalam music is very pleasing to the ears. It  is very soothing. As Malyalam language is heavily  influenced by Sanskrit,  it is but natural that Malayalam songs  have a good sprinkling of Sanskrit  idiom. The melodious music overwhelms the senses. Today I am going to play all time favourite  Malyalam songs. The first one is dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

The next song is sung by Yesudas.It is a dedication to  Lord  Ayyappa.

                                    r

The following  popular song Chethi Mandaran Tulasi is  dedicated to  Bhagwan Krishna .Even small children love to sing and dance to its music

The last song in this collection ,again a dedication to Lord Krishna is  very melodious and at the same time very soothing.

 

 

All the four Malayalam spiritual songs,  have a close  semblance to Sanskrit and  can be enjoyed by non Malyalees as well.

All songs :courtesy You Tube

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this song is very 

Emotions of a last tree in the forest

I am a Banyan tree. I stand alone in a forest ,which was once upon a time  a flourishing  forest. with lots of flora and  fauna. It was a habitat for several animals like wolves, deer, foxes,elephants and  tigers etc.
                     I am   more than hundred  years  old. In these  hundred years of my existence ,I have been witness to innumerable changes. I recollect that two young boys had some seeds with them and they planted  me along with  ten more trees  We were all grown  in two rows We  grew together  enjoying the rains and the Spring  season.We also bore the vagaries of nature  bearing the storms and tornadoes. Slowly as the time passed  many more trees were grown. and the place became  a forest. All of us were friendly   I remember that being one of the oldest   I was respected  and sought after .Young or old, people loved to sit under my shade and  discuss  their domestic problems,politics  match making for their children.  Children used to love to play under my shade.  But all this merry making, and  joyous  pleasures did not last long. As  time passed  the population also   increased. With increasing   population  difficult time arrived   for us.
          People required  wood for construction of  house, preparing food, furniture. Slowly ,  one by one  the trees were  slaughtered.  When ever  we saw hordes of people  marching towards the forest  we  wondered whose turn would it be. We shuddered   when our friends were  stacked in lorries and taken away to unknown destinations.. Years rolled by. None of my companions are left.   To day the scene is that I am the  only one , a lonely  one,  standing all alone in this vast   desert like  land , pondering over the days that were once glorious and flourishing.

This post  the last tree standing in a forest is a part of="WOW" http://blog.blogadda.com/category/write-over-the-weekend-wow">Write Over the Weekend</a>, aneccentricgrandmum.blogspot.com

Today's youth whereto?

 

Today’s youth whereto?

A few days ago I read a news in the paper   that four young boys and girls, all drunk, in a car  dashed  into a stationary truck  in the early hours of the morning. All the four  died   on the spot. This news was very depressing. I  was  lost in deep thoughts. Where was the younger generation  heading  to? Who was responsible for this state of affairs.  I kept pondering over this issue for some days. My mind was  full of disturbing thoughts.

 A sort of debate was going on in my inner self,  when yesterday  a friend of mine disclosed to me  about her own family affairs. In  a  very moving  narration she described to me how  the elders in the family struggled hard to make a  a comfortable  living. And now the   youngsters do not realise how much  the seniors in the family  struggled  hard to keep  them  united and  self reliant.

 My mind was already full of these  thoughts. This disclosure  by my friend immediately triggered  in my mind  a necessity to  dwell on this  issue in an article  and invite comments and suggestions as to   how this  pernicious evil can be eradicated from  the society.

 The problem of waywardness in some young people is  not confined  to any one country.  This evil is spread  far and wide. Its tentacles are spread  all  over the  world and are deep rooted. It will be a yeoman’s task to   remove  this pest  for ever. If we analyse why do such   misguided people  indulge in undesirable  activities.  It is mainly to get quick money and the luxuries that come with it. Moreover there are  too many temptations all around and it is difficult to resist them. The question arises how can such poisonous elements who have spread their fangs far and wide be brought under the loop. Media is also partly responsibility for this situation. The concerted efforts from all quarters will be required to combat and counter this evil. How can such poisonous  elements  who have spread their fangs far and wide be brought into the loop. What is the solution? Any suggestions?

 

 

From my Kitchen part 15

 Baby corn fritters

  Baby  corn  fritters are very popular in our  house. They are easy to make,are tasty and are light

 on the stomach.  We can take them any time.Whether it  is  breakfast, mid morning tea or pre

dinner snack baby corn fritters are always welcome.  They are also a good snack  for cocktail.

Ingredients:

1 Baby corns                 250gms

2.Refined flour(maida) 1/2 cup

3 Cheese spread  (optional) 2 tsps

4.Salt                            To taste

5 Black pepper powder one pinch

6.Oil             For deep  frying

7.Baking powder      1/4  tsp 

8.Water 

Method for preparation

1.If the baby corns are thick cut  them length wise into 2 or 3 strips. Otherwise just trim them  from top and bottom.

2 Sprinkle salt uniformly on them. Keep aside.

3.To prepare the batter  take a bowl  add  all  the dry  ingredients .Add water and  mix thoroughly.

4. Put the oil in a wok  and place it on the fire.

5.When the oil is heated dip the  baby corn strips in  the batter and fry  on medium heat.

6.Serve them with  any chutney  of your choice.

I am giving below a few quotations on  cooking, which I like  and hope that they will be appreciated.

1. Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."

Author: Norman Kolnas

 

2. Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.   -Marcel Boulestin

3.The belly rules the mind---Author unknown

(Quotes source from the  internet)

 

Silence is a healer

 Silence is healer

  I remember  it was the year 1964, when  I was Principal of a school. I was posted there in the month of July.Within a  few days  I  observed that there was  great indiscipline in the school. I held  a meeting of the staff and expressed my  feeling of disappointment at the  state of affairs  of the school.  I advised the teachers to take up a project ,with the  help of the pupils .The objective of  this  project should be  to instil in the mind of the children  the value of  Silence. 

   From  day one I noticed that the  advice was well taken   by  the teachers as well as  the students.  I took special care not to scold or punish  any one  on this  issue. I got a famous quotation of Mahatma Gandhi"I blame softly: I praise loudly."  written at strategic points  of the school. Apart  from   this I also  got  the words"Silence is Golden"framed and placed them at many places of the school. Within a few days there was a perceptible change in the  atmosphere of the school . Some of my teachers wanted me  to address  the pupils   on the importance of the word Silence.  I accepted their  request  and  spoke at length about the  values of Silence and  discipline.  I am giving below some  important  aspects of silence and its importance on which I laid emphasis in my speech. Silence  is a great healer.  There  are no two different opinions about the qualities and benefits of Silence.  I remember that I separated each alphabet of the word  and gave  a gist of  what each alphabet   implies.

S                     Serenity

I                      Ideal

L                      Light

E                      Equanimity

N                    Nonviolence

C                      Composure

E                       Ecstasy

l   made them understand  that  in each  alphabet of the word Silence are hidden so many treasures  of wisdom.There is so much   thought  hidden in  the folds of this word  that if we practise  all the  qualities  we can become  exemplary human  beings.

 In today's complicated world,  all sorts of sounds mingled  together  are sufficient to  affect   an individual's  health. What will be  the consequences if these  sounds are  reverberating all the  twenty four hours  a day.  Those people who live near  aerodromes, crowded market places or near the highways will vouch for  it  that they are more prone to  high blood pressure and related ailments.  Living in such  hub-bub  makes you realise that Silence  is a healer.

  It is  also  true that if  we are too talkative or  speak at the pitch of our voice in any gathering,  no body will listen to us. I have seen some assemblies  or even social functions  where  every body is speaking  with great enthusiasm, but no one listening. The result is  that when you reach home, you are  exhausted and suffer from migraine.  You  are  lost in thoughts.  You went for the party to refresh   your self  but came back  suffering .Loud  and way ward talks have affected  your nerves. Silence is  a great healer.

  Have you  attended  any  gathering where people are meditating.  There apparently you find pin drop silence. How peaceful is the crowd!  Meditation is the  best method of cultivating a peaceful mind. A peaceful mind will generate  divine vibrations  within us resulting in  a sense of well being. You must  consciously  develop a regular schedule where you can give in to total mental, emotional, physical  and psychological  silence.This will act as a spring board  to cure many a disease. Then and then only  you will realise the  worth of Silence as a healer. 

  There are some people who observe  Maun Vrat or Silence.  My Aunt used to have weekly  Maun Vrat.  She would confine  herself to  the puja room and eat only one meal. She would not talk  from morning  to night. I found her to be very strong minded and  rational. There was  a charm in her personality  because   there was no over crowding of  noises disturbing her. She was a person of few and measured words,  and was respected in the society.She was at peace with herself 'Silence  has also got  therapeutic  values. 'Silence is a great healer' is a well tested axiom.

The atmosphere of the school  drastically changed. Many a time  it happened that  when a visitor came ,he would enquire whether it was a holiday since there was pindrop silence in the school. Recently a teacher of that school came to meet me.Her voice was choked with emotion .She is now the Principal of the same school. She told me that my project  on  silence had  such a great impact  that it was declared the best school in the District She  touched my feet and said,'Maam, it is  only because  of the  project which you had taken up  that  changed the  whole  fabric of the school".

Ben Franklin,  a famous writer, wrote a very popular  saying, 'Silence is a great  virtue'. This  popular saying  has a great significance. When we talk too much or too less , we are bound to under play or  exaggerate a fact.  Both   can trigger  an  unpleasant   result.  We must talk  only when we must and remember that  Silence is a great Healer.

 If we sincerely  make efforts to speak in measured  words we are bound to be more SERENE in our behaviour. EQUANIMITY will then reign supreme .  The LIGHT in our personality  will  become an  IDEAL   for  others. Soft words , spoken in a measured NON VIOLENT way, will not only impress others but make us  more COMPOSED  and ECSTATIC.

 

This post is from the archives of my blog, as an entry for BAR

 

parenting

  In marital life bringing up children is one the most important roles  that the parents have to perform. I  am of the opinion that two individuals  may rather remain single if they shun children.Marriage is followed by  child birth sooner or later.Parenting is not an easy job.Parenting means that you  take the responsibility of bringing a living individual in the world.Parenting does not mean that we bring a child to the world and allow him to grow like a wild growth of bushes,uncared,unattended and unloved. Good parents care for the physical,emotional and social growth of the child.

              When we married we were both working. As working parents the  challenges are more. The child has to be kept in  the care of domestic helpers as was the case with us.We had no elders to  care for our children.How ever  after struggling for some months  we found a maid. She was from a good family background and took up the job solely for economic reasons. She stayed with us  for fourteen years.By the time she left  children were grown up and  wise enough to distinguish  between good and bad and right and wrong. We have two children, a boy and a girl. A major factor in bringing up children is how we treat them. Some parents are too strict while there are others who are over indulgent. In our case we were realistic.We took care to nurture in  them  self confidence and self dependence. However I will not call it independence.I narrate an incident when our son was admitted to St. Columba's School which was quite far away from our house. A taxi which  was  already ferrying  children  from home to school  and back was hired for sonny. We were  concerned how he would  cope up carrying  a heavy school bag . The taxi used to leave the children at the school gate. The class rooms were quite far from the gate. For a few days my husband went to the school and stood at a   crucial place from where he could see sonny boy going into and coming out of the classroom . It was on the second  day that he saw sonny  coming out and walking  towards the taxi.Suddenly the boy  hit some stone and fell down.Instinctively my husband  moved forward to help the  child but he withdrew  just to see the reaction of the child. Sonny got up and looked all around and dusted his school dress, took his bag from the  ground and  walked confidently  to the taxi.  Such incidents ensured the child would become  self reliant. At the same time we  inducted discipline in  them  without mentioning the word.'discipline'. I will quote another  instance to prove this. Sonny  did not like Laddoo.  One day ,as ill luck would have it,there was nothing I could give him for his School  tifin, except laddoos. I also told him to finish the  laddoos. Later I even forgot about it. After  school when the taxi came back   leaving all the children   home, sonny was not there. Two hours had elapsed and there was no sign of my son. I became panicky.  I questioned the taxi driver. He said that he thought that his  father  would have brought him back.I was scolding him when I just saw sonny boy  walking from a distance proceeding towards home.  The taxi driver rushed and brought him. I asked  sonny what happened, how he missed the taxi etc. He started crying and sobbingly replied that he was  eating the laddoos. Right from childhood  discipline was  ingrained. Our daughter too was taught the nuances of discipline since childhood. She had acquired the habit of sucking her thumb.People used to give  unsolicited advice,which I felt would hurt the child's mind.I  took a beautiful piece of cloth,decorated with sequins,  and  beads and stitched  a mitten.When I was embroidering it,she was curious to know what I was making. When it was completed,I made her  put it in her hands.  She was so happy to wear it.In the process she forgot about sucking her thumb. My purpose  was served. 

                     When they  were in school   there was  hardly any occasion  to  direct  them to sit and study. In the evenings,we used to sit in the living room reading  some book or the news paper. An atmosphere  of studying  was created.The children  too would sit and  read their school books. So without coaxing them to sit and study, a natural  method was evolved. Due to regularity in studying  both of them did very well in school. At the age  of adolescence  we  noticed the change in their  behaviour. This is the most delicate stage  when the child himself fails to understand what is happening to him.  At this stage care  should  be taken  to ensure that parents are soft and considerate  towards the children. Aggressive and autocratic  attitude should be  eschewed.

When sonny  reached  class ix every one advised us that he should take Science stream.We knew that he was not performing well in Physics and in his interest guided him to opt  for Commerce Stream. We did not force him  but  left the decision  to  him. It was he who finally decided to opt for Commerce stream.  Right from the time when they were small  they used  to  talk about their ambitions. Our daughter wanted  to  become a Doctor and the  son had  a wish to be a Chartered Accountant. Since they were very focused,they achieved their  goal.

Now our children have  children. I have noticed that  grand children are being brought up   on the same principles.As good governance is least governance, good parenting is least interference.I conclude with  the  following quotation  from Franklin D. Roosevelt. " We may not be able to prepare the future for our children,but we can at least prepare our children for the future."

P