Get that phlegm out!

One stick of long turmeric root is all it takes!
Roast the root over a flame and inhale the smoke. This is a time tested mucolite that clears nasal passages instantly.

Dandruff Cure

Here is a perfect solution to a flaky scalp. Get rid of those dandruff shampoos that cause hair loss. I tried this on teenagers with dandruff that fell like snow on their shoulders and it worked without the harmful side-effects that chemicals like selinium sulfide, commonly found in dandruff shampoos, have.
Ingredients
fenugreek seeds 3 tbsp
Method
Soak the seeds for an hour or two until soft.
Grind to a thick paste. The paste may be made in a larger quantity and refridgerated in an air tight container for a week.

Apply the paste directly on the scalp. If your hair is long, part hair and apply to scalp.
Allow it to sit for five minutes. Massage scalp and rinse off. This leaves the scalp clean and hair soft.

Dilute with warm water if thick and cold to make the application soothing.

Recipes

Perfect Pori Urundais
Time: about 30 minutes
Yeild: About 6 large balls
Ingredients:
Jaggery, powdered 1/2 cup

Pori (there are two varieties...either one crisp will do) 1 1/2cups

Water 1/2 cup

The jagggery and pori work well in a 1:3 ratio. I prefer smaller quantities to begin with as it is easier to control a smaller amount. I made three batches with ease.

Finely chopped coconut 1/4 cup

Dried powdered ginger 1/4 tsp

Powdered cardamum 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Saute the coconut in ghee. Stir in the ginger and cardamum powder and set aside.
2. Clean your pori and keep it ready in a wide bowl.
3. Take a kadai and heat the jaggery in the water.
4. When all the jaggery dissolves, the sand, if any will settle at the bottom. Transfer the liquid to another bowl taking care not to disturb the dregs.
5. Rinse the kadai to remove the sand dregs and transfer the liquid back into the kadai.
6. Heat over a medium flame checking the consistency of the jaggery constantly as it thickens
7. When the jaggery becomes a two string consistency (it will drip off a spoon in two strands) make the heat low in order to stay in control!
8. As it thickens, it will begin to froth and darken. Give it another few seconds so that it is thicker than a two string consistency but not completely caramelized. This is the tricky make-or-break point. If the syrup is removed from the heat too early, the urundais will be soft. Thick syrup (2+ string consistency almost 3) makes crisp and crunchy urundais. If the syrup is too thick, you get jaw breakers.
9. Stir in the sauteed coconut. Take it off the heat.
10. Drizzle the jaggery syrup, paahu, immediately over the pori, stirring to spread the paahu over the pori.
11. Grease your hands quickly and grab handfulls of the sticky stuff and press into orange size balls.
12. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.

Your pori urundais should be crisp and tasty. There are two reasons for soft urundais...

1. The jaggery syrup was not thick enough
2. Storing the urundais while hot and fresh in an airtight container causes condensation within the container.

Be careful, if there is a concentration of jaggery syrup in the pori, it might scald.

Dark caramelized jaggery syrup makes pretty urundais but they will be harder to bite into.

Plain caramalized jaggery can be dropped into water to make balls that are all day sucker jawbreakers. Great stuff to keep kids preoccupied.

This year my urundais were perfect! Good luck with yours

Nutrition during pregnancy and post childbirth

There are several wonderful nutritional guidelines beneficial for pregnant and nursing mothers.
Called variously by different communities, these dietry guidelines help nourish th emother, produce milk, prevent colic in infants and keep mother and baby healthy. the diets vary according to regional and community habits, availibility and preferences.

Pattiya Saapadu
Common Tamizh Brahmin traditions call for feeding the mother a gently spiced dishes with green gram and bottle gourd. Bottle gourd increases breastmilk production. Kootu is the simplest and most effective recipe.
I invite readers to share their recipes and traditions in this blog. Please mention the region and commuity you come from as this is relavant to the users.

gooseberries are the greatest antacids. They can be eaten stewed, grated in salads and made into chutney.

Culture and Tradition

This is a wonderful opportunity for all of to pool our resources together and save the snipets of our culture and traditions that were once a part of everyday life