Neer Dose / Pan polo : yet another coastal delicacy.

Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates and accumulation of it in the body results in fat deposition!!! And there lies a myth of replacing rice with broken wheat to stay slim!! Do not opt for the polished- shiny rice for your diet. Instead go with the one with slightly red stains on the cereal... This partially polished rice would contain broad range of amino acids, vitamins and minerals required for a every day diet. The fact is, the Amino acid Methionine in unpolished rice takes part in the fat metabolism happening in the liver. This brings down the building up of fat in the body. The counteraction of breaking down fat happens only with the reddish tinged rice. It can be very healthy and tasty as well. 

Follow the breakfast recipe of coastal Karnataka, very famous NEER DOSE (in Kannada) / pan polo (in Konkani). Use the unpolished rice and improve on the health benefits this cereal provides...

Mango rice / Mavinakayi chitranna

White pulp to Golden Yellow (such a visual feast!!), unripe to ripe mangoes are rich in nutrients that aid in normalizing body's imbalances... There was a ground breaking research in biotechnology sometime back producing GOLDEN RICE! It had a gene to produce beta carotene artificially which would combat Vitamin A deficiency. But this fruit king has "it" naturally!! Poly-phenolic antioxidants, flavonoids, minerals, vitamins and pre-biotic dietary fibers makes it an interesting fruit to be consumed by those who are dieting.. Lowers appetite as you feel fuller due to vast range of nutrients in it. If consumed before meals, you tend to eat less.. The fibers in it improves digestion and brings down fat deposition too. Mainly focusing on LDL or bad cholesterol and ultimately bringing down the related adverse effects... Though it has lots of sugars, due to low glycemic index values, wouldn't contribute much to blood sugar levels and not a bad fruit for diabetics...

Mangoes do possess small amounts of copper which acts as co-factors to most of the enzymes in our body and makes it functional. You might be knowing about the usefulness of pyridoxine (Vit B6)  in homocysteine regulation in humans required for healthy heart to avoid coronary artery diseases (CAD) and stroke. Mangoes are rich in this vitamin... Some amount of fat is definitely required for uptake of those vitamins which are only fat soluble. For instance, if you are consuming Multivitamin tablet or any Vitamin rich fruits, don't let go wasted... Pop in an almond (contains good fat) and get the benefit of complete absorption of essential vitamins :)

Let me add some fat to a very traditional mango cuisine called as Mavinakayi chitranna or simply Mango Rice made using unripe Tothapuri variant of mango.

South canara delicacy- BUNS

Substituting Maida (All purpose flour) with wheat flour in the preparation of Indian breads/rotis, and sugar with jaggery is a current trend of a healthy diet. Remarkable differences in the content of both the flours dominates the use of one with the other.

Maida is nothing but the starchy inner part of the wheat devoid of fibers. The processed form of wheat is bleached chemically to get commercially available MAIDA. The chemical Alloxan or in simple terms analogue of toxic glucose is used to soften the flour. This has been a breakthrough research area and has found to be involved in destroying insulin producing beta-cells in pancreas leading to diabetes! Get alert and switch on to whole grain wheat flour to avoid adversities.

Jaggery replacing sugar is not very much a difference for the diabetics as the calories and glycemic values are almost the same. But, the complexity of jaggery is so high that it gets released in the blood a little slower compared to sugar. Happy news for those who are willing to lose weight! The potassium content in jaggery helps in reducing weight by increasing body's metabolism by involving in maintaining electrolyte balance. Thus brings down water retention and goals up to building muscle.

 Have you heard of South Canara delicacy- BUNS? Let us start with its prep. twisting the taste with the healthy flour and replacing sugar with jaggery.

Dill and white onion twist to ancient Thali-peeth, a Maharashtrian Breakfast!

Indian medicinal foods in Ayurveda plays pivotal role in healing. The same foods with taste bud tickling flavors, add much more to healthy being. Here I am to present you Dill leaves (Sabbasige in kannada) and white onions in the famous Maharashtrian breakfast Thalipeeth (Savory rice flour pancakes).

Dill leaves seems to be diuretics. Well, the scientific term will be explained briefly... You can call it a WATER PILL, which enhances urine production and thus helps to remove toxins from your body (DETOXIFICATION)... Aren't they great? It maintains stomach acid balance and thus brings down ACIDITY... Oops, this aromatic herb fights with bacterial infections and brings down the disgusting body odors. 

White Onions are highly recommended for medicinal use... It brings down swelling, bleeding and inflammations. Normalizing digestion can relieve constipation too... I have used it extensively with honey for treating my own cough... Use of Onions in preparation of VAJIKARA DHRAVYA is another astonishing property of this very favorite cooking ingredient.