Indian Tea

Indian Tea .... Ahhh! Chai !

In India, teas are defined by the regions in which they are grown. Therefore we have Darjeeling Tea Assam Tea Nilgiri Tea Orissa Tea "Chai" is the hindi word for Tea. Indian tea is full bodied and strong. Known throughout the world and adored by millions. Today Indian teas come in a wide range of flavors and strengths. To be invited for a cup of tea, to an Indian house, means that not only will you get a cup of tea, but you will be served a plethora of yummy snacks. Indians are well known for their hospitality. So if you get invited for a cup of tea to an Indian house don't refuse the invitation, go and have a wonderful time. Make that plain cup of tea into "Masala" tea! Spices used in making Masala Indian Tea Some of the common spices that are added to a cup of Indian tea are Ginger Cardamom Cinnamon Cloves Black peppercorn Khus-khus Saunf (fennel seeds) You do not have to add all the spices to make masala chai. Sometimes " Ginger tea" or "Cardamom tea" is a great alternative. Today you will find a ready made "Masala Tea" mixture in many specialty Indian grocery stores. It is found in a powdered form. You use only a pinch at a time.

Masala Chai

1 ½ cups water

2/3rd cup whole milk

6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)

3 teaspoons any un-perfumed loose black tea or

4 single tea bags (Lipton)

1/4th teaspoon Masala Tea mixture

OR

A 2" piece of fresh ginger A pinch of Cardamom powder

Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the masala tea spice mixture. Let it boil for a minute. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. You may avoid adding the sugar and add a sweetener in the end while serving. Throw in the tea leaves or bags. The tea mixture will rise and many spill over the top, so be aware and remove from the heat (electric stove) or turn off the heat (gas stove). Let it sit for 2 minutes. Strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately. Sip and enjoy!

Plain Chai

Make the same recipe without the masala tea spice mixture for a wonderful cup of plain Indian tea. This traditional recipe is used by many. There are many that like to use half-and-half instead of whole milk. They say that no other milk can be substituted, if you really want the taste of "real chai". But, if you are a tea lover and want tea twice a day, then you can always use 2% or even skim milk.

My Morning Cup Of Tea

From Your Indian Gourmet... Indoindians We make our morning cup of tea with 3/4th cup hot water, 2 bags of Lipton tea in a microwave able cup. Heat on high for 1 minute and 25 seconds.............in our microwave ........your microwave might be different! Let it sit for about 10-20 seconds. Remove the bags pressing out the tea. Top it off with milk ( use any you prefer, I use 2%) and add sugar or sugar substitute. Enjoy!

Other Uses of Tea

Natural Hair Conditioner : Boil water. When the water starts to boil, add tea leaves/bags. Remove from the stove. Strain immediately. This will make a weak infusion of tea. Cool this weak tea. Rinse hair with this mild tea infusion. Leave to dry. Rinse with water. Hair will turn shiny. Skin Vitalizer : Dab a cold, used tea-bag, on the skin. Leave to dry. With regular use your skin should have a healthy glow. Getting rid of black rings under your eyes : Place a cold, used tea-bag, on each eye daily. Relax and watch the difference after a few weeks. Natural agent for aiding in curing Cancer Cardiovascular disease : Scientific discoveries suggest that tea has Flavnoids, an antioxidant that combats free radicals in the body responsible for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. As a cure for Arthritis : According to the scientisists at Case Western University in Cleaveland "Tea contains compounds that may help reduce inflammation and help arthritis. Scientists took two groups of mice and gave them injections of a substance that causes immune reactions similar to those due to rheumatoid arthritis. One group had regular water to drink and the other got water laced with polyphenols, chemicals found in green tea and, to a lesser extent in black tea. Nearly all the mice that drank regular water got arthritis-like symptoms, compared to less than half of the treated mice."

tips cooking

Tips for Eggless Cakes

Always preheat oven to the required temperature before placing the cake in the oven. Prick with a knitting needle or skewer to check if done. The needle should come out clean. Never keep the batter to thick. The cake will turn out hard and dry The cream used should always be chilled and beaten in sharp upward strokes to incorporate air. Never overbeat. While making butter icings, beat the butter well to make it light and fluffy. Then add sieved icing sugar and beat again. Add 2-3 drops lemon juice & colour and essence as required, and beat again. Turn the cake tin around between baking if the oven is not distribution even heat and the cake is baking unevenly.

Soya Beans A Boon To Vegetarians

Soya Beans A Boon To Vegetarians

Soya bean is cultivated extensively in south Asian countries and U.S.A. In India soya bean cultivation is introduced in 1977. In our country it is cultivated mainly in North Indian sub Himalayan belt. Even though it is the cheapest high quality vegetable protein, we are yet to exploit its full potential. Mainly the Japanese and Chinese consume it as the Chinese gourmet. Chinese create their delicious works of art with soya. In India people started liking this pulse mainly among the vegetarians. It is a boon to the vegetarians. Soya beans contains the highest protein among the pulses. Other than the whole pulse, lots of processed Soya products are available in the market. They include soya milk, soya flour, Soya curd and tofu (soya paneer).

Other than the high protein content, it also has good amount of calories and fat. Soya bean contains 43 gms of protein per 100 gms, which is the highest among the pulses. It also contains 19.5 gms of fat, 21gms of carbohydrate and provides 432 kcal per 100 gms. The protein of soya bean contains all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts except methionine and cystine. Since it has majority of essential amino acid it is one of the best vegetarian food item as far protein content is concerned. It is a good source of thiamine, niacin, folic acid and a fair source of riboflavin. Soya bean contains a factor that inhibits the action of the digestive enzyme trypsin and this factor can be destroyed by heat. Soya bean should be cooked well for digestion and absorption. Studies have shown that in type II hyper cholesterolemia patients already on low lipid, low cholesterol diets, eight weeks substitution of animal protein by soya bean protein reduced plasma cholesterol by 23 to 25 percent.

Main disadvantage of soya bean is that the iron absorption is decreased on a soya bean diet compared to the diet of egg albumin or casein of milk. Supplementing vitamin C can increase the iron absorption. It also rarely causes conditions like soya milk goitre and Chinese restaurant syndrome.

Soya milk

This milk can be used for feeding infants and as supplement to diets of weaned infants and pre school children. This milk is also good for grown up. Commercially available Soya milk is prepared by heating at 14lb pressure for 30 minutes to destroy trypsin, growth inhibitors and haemagglutins and fortifying with sugars, vitamins and minerals. Soya bean milk can be prepared from soya bean. Its vitamin content is similar to that of cow's milk.

Soya milk can be substituted in-patients who have allergy to milk protein. It is available in different flavours and plain. Soaking the pulse and grinding and straining it can make soya milk at home. Soya curd can be made from this soya milk.

Tofu

Curdling fresh hot soya milk can make tofu or soya cheese. Tofu is prepared by adding calcium or magnesium salts to Soya milk. Fresh tofu can be preserved in a refrigerator for a day.

The other products made from soya bean are natto, tempehe, miso and soya sauce. These products are generally used in Chinese preparation. Like all other pulses soya bean can also be sprouted. Sprouting enhances the vitamin C content. Soya sprouts must be cooked in low heat. They can also be used in salads, soups or stir-fried. Chapathi can be made nutritious by adding soya flour to the wheat flour.

1. It is the cheapest high quality vegetable protein.
2. It is a good source of thiamine, niacin, folic acid and a fair source of riboflavin.
3. Soya bean should be cooked well for digestion and absorption.
4. Good for patient having hyper cholesterolaemia.
5. Soya milk is used in lactose intolerance both primary and secondary.
6. Soya milk preparations are used in galactosaemia. (Note: soya milk do have galactose but in less quantity)
7. Commercially available products in India are Nutri nuggets, Nutrila, Meal maker, Crunchies etc.
8. Soya bean reduces iron absorption.
9. Soya flour can be added to wheat flour to make chapathi.

Nutritive value of soya bean as compared to other pulses per 100 gms

Pulses	Protein (gms)	Fat (gms)	Calcium (mgs)	Carbohydrate (gms)	Energy (kcal)
Bengal gram dhal	20.8	5.6	56	59.8	372
Green gram dhal	24.5	1.2	75	59.9	348
Lentil	25.1	0.7	69	59.0	343
Dry peas	19.7	1.1	75	56.5	315
Rajmah	22.9	1.3	260	60.6	346
Soya bean	43.2	19.5	240	20.9	432

tips cooking

Tips for Puddings

Add a tsp. of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chilli, along with salt to make it last longer and taste fresher. Blend all ingredients together and keep overnight in a cool place. Use with any savoury dishes like pastas, minestrones, bakes, etc. Always sprinkle gelatine over the water. Never put in dry pan, then add water and heat. Never boil gelatine. Only warm to dissolve. Safest is to heat the container over a hot griddle (tawa). Stir always. While whipping cream never overdo it or butter will form . Always whip over a tray of iced water or ice cubes. Whip in sharp upward strokes till soft peaks form.Keep in refrigerator till used. Puddings (at least of my kind) are a no hassles beauty. No hard and fast rules about ingredients. Don't grimace if any of the ingredients is missing. Just substitute, compromise and eureka! You'll come up with an original. Just stick to general norms for mixing of jellies, gelatine, whipped cream etc. You cannot go wrong. You can top with any sauce of your choice, if you like while serving or accompany it and let the guests pour to their liking. Ideal sauces may be chocolate, custard, orange, grape, caramel or just basic coloured sauce. Cadbury's nutties & gems, gluced cherries, whipped cream, crumbled biscuits, dry fruits used inside, coloured sugar etc. make excellent decorations for party puddings. Day old bread slices can be substituted for cake if cake is not available at hand.