Sometimes it’s good for you. Sometimes schools of thought treat it like some totally lethal poison. I’ve personally blogged about its somewhat doubtful consumption.
I’m talking Coffee here.

Today an update pops into my mailbox from a pretty neat site called RealAge, that should make coffee drinkers do the salsa.
Here is some of it…

Coffee Graduates to Health Food Status
Your favorite morning brew has a surprising new perk.

Good news for the 80 percent of Americans who down an average of 3.2 cups of java a day: Your liver loves it. And because the liver is your body’s vital detox center, that’s a big health plus. It’s not the caffeine. Apparently, it’s the antioxidants or other compounds in coffee that keep your liver humming. So if you were just thinking you could do with a cup of joe, go for it.

The liver is a major multitasker. It’s a housekeeper: (more…)

Appams are a delightful Keralite ‘pancake’ (for lack of a better word) that goes with almost anything. And making the perfect appam is an art form.
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APPAMS Makes 20-25
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INGREDIENTS
2 cups rice
2 cups parboiled rice
3 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 coconut grated

PREPARATION
Wash and soak rices, dal, seeds together for 6-7 hours.

Grind to a smooth batter, add salt and keep overnight. Keep batter thick as coconut milk will be added.

Next morning, grind or scrape coconut, soak in 2 cups warm water for 15 minutes.

Blend in a mixer, strain and extract the thick coconut milk.

Mix soda and coconut milk into the rice batter.

Apply a little oil on a non-stick or heavy griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter on hot griddle. Hold handle and rotate and tilt griddle quickly such that its full base is covered with batter.

Do not spread with spoon. A thin pancake-like effect must be the result.

Stack or eat immediately with chutney, yoghurt, gravy vegetables or pickles.

As of lunchtime yesterday, I have turned vegetarian for 15 days. For anyone who knows me it’s obvious this is a big deal. Believe it or not, to the utter amusement of my colleagues, this is actually about work. For having something we’ve done and re-done and suffered over for almost 2 years for a client, finally being approved. Needless to say, I better not reveal more. Have you heard of the guy, Mark Jen, who was sacked from Google for blogging about them? Well, I don’t need that. And the point here isn’t to crib here anyway. It wasn’t a deal with God, or a thanks giving or anything. It was a simple case of saying aloud in heartfelt disgust, “I’d rather go veg for a fortnight than start back at the drawing board on this one.” And so when it was approved, I think I should keep my side of the bargain. What say?

We celebrated by going to a rather nice place called Pune Gate, out beyond Nigdi. It was cloudy but not raining and we sat out in the open. The others celebrated with delightful (so they told me repeatedly) Manglorean sea food. I had Vegetarian Gassi and Appams. I’ll reserve comment on the Gassi. It wasn’t because it was vegetarian, but simply that it wasn’t anything to write in about. The appams were wonderful, soft, fluffy and light.

Well today I shall look for the interesting options. Will keep you posted I’m sure…

My mom has a favourite fall-back recipe that all my growing up years, she called “Milk Cutlets”. We all loved them. Looking at the recipe recently I asked her why, because frankly, it looks more like “Egg Cutlets” to me! She says, “well you never liked eggs, so if I’d called it that, you wouldn’t have touched them.” Hmm, Can’t argue with that really.
Ok so here’s to Milk Cutlets, Egg Cutlets, whatever!

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EGG & MILK BAKE Serves 8
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INGREDIENTS
4 large onions
6 green chillies
1 cup chopped coriander
1 heaped tsp ginger garlic paste
3 tbsp gram flour
3 cups milk
4 eggs
Pepper and salt to taste

PREPARATION
Chop the onions fine and saute on low heat.

Add the chillies, coriander, ginger garlic paste, cook 7 more minutes.

Take off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Set the Oven to heat at 300degrees C

Meanwhile beat eggs lightly, add milk.

In a separate small bowl fold in the gram flour in to a little water to make a paste and add the the egg mixture. Ensure there are no lumps.

Add this to the onion mixture very slowly till blended. Add salt and pepper.

Pour into a flat slightly greased oven dish.

Turn the oven down to 170degressC and bake for about 40 minutes till set. Check by piercing with a dry knife which should come out clean.

If you want you can cut it into 3×3 inch pieces and shallow fry before serving if you want it crisp, and of course, greasy! But this really isn’t necessary.

More Egg recipes

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YOGHURT FRUIT SALAD Serves 6
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INGREDIENTS
1 meduim sized melon
2 cups strawberries
1 apple
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp grated lime zest
2 cups plain yogurt
¼ cup sugar
A pinch of salt and pepper.

PREPARATION
Chop the melon into 1 inch chunks. Halve the strawberries. Chop the apples up as small as possible.

In a large bowl, toss the fruit together with the lime juice(All but 1 tablespoon). Pop it into the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, combine the yoghurt, sugar, lime zest and 1 tablespoon lime juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Mix into the fruit and sprinkle over with a little salt and pepper.