Category Archives: Uncategorized

Let’s talk about rasam

Posted on by

Rasam is probably one of the most underrated dishes in South India. The plan is to deconstruct the benefits of rasam and consume rasam everyday.

Pepper, jeera, garlic, and tamarind are the major ingredients of rasam; each known to cure and heal a number of infections. When all these ingredients are used together, it becomes an ultimate medicine for so many health issues.

Tangy Tomato Rasam

Tangy Tomato Rasam

To name a few…
1. Digestion– It aids digestion and keeps intestines working properly.

2. Prevents constipation– Rasam contains tamarind that is rich in dietary fibre. It adds bulk to food and eases bowel movement.

3. Healthy skin– The ingredients in rasam are rich in antioxidants. Thus, it protects the body against attack of free radicals. The skin remains young, supple, and healthy.

4. Introducing baby to solid food– Babies can be introduced to rasam as their first solid food because it is easily digestible as well as tasty. Semi-solid food is the best type of food for a baby who has recently been weaned off mother’s milk.

5. Helps weight loss– The black pepper content of rasam is what helps the body lose weight. It promotes removal of toxins by making the body sweat. Thus, the body’s metabolism is kept working properly.

Moremilaga.com

Moremilaga Golu Contest!

Posted on by

golu-contest-1

It’s time to appreciate your hard work and dedication. Did you keep an innovative golu this year? Did you find an amazing theme? Or did you just keep a simple golu with utmost devotion?

Either ways, it’s time to showcase your creativity. Send us pictures of your golu (to our Facebook page) and stand to win exciting prizes. Hurry up, just 2 more days left! #MoremilagaGoluContest

Suda Suda Sundal: 9 varieties for 9 days!

Posted on by

It’s that time of the year again when Mylapore is flooded with roadside doll shops, Vijaya Stores is thronged with customers out to buy “Seap-Kannadi-Kumkumam-Manjal,” (Comb, Mirror, Kumkuma and Turmeric)   and items for gifts, and the shopping spree is ever so rampant. It’s also that time of the year where the sale of pulses and lentils reach an all-time high! YES, you guessed it right (Or just figured where I was going at after reading the title.)

untitled-design

Picture Credits: Google.

Golu Season is here and so is the nine days of protein filled healthy food! Navagrahas are the nine planet deities who are said to impact the lives of human beings. It is a common practice to appease these divine beings by offering grains and lentils. So, during Navrathri, sundal is offered each day in remembrance of these brazen deities to appease them and hope that all good things will reign! It’s not only the Navagrahas who are happy during Golu, it’s every mami, mama and child who leaves a house with at least one packet of this healthy and tasty (Yes, finally both manifest in the same food) snack. Here are 9 varieties of Sundal you can make this season!

  1. Black Channa (Konda Kadalai) Sundal: This is one of the most common varieties of Sundal that you would come across. Made with black channa and topped with grated coconut, this has 0% fat and makes a wonderful diet snack too!
  2. Horse Gram (Kollu) Sundal: It is a good source of protein, iron and calcium and is high in anti-oxidants. Horse gram is known to benefit diabetes and aids in weight loss as it low in fat and high in protein. If taken in moderate quantities, this is extremely good for health.
  3. Karamani (Black eyed peas) Sundal: There are two types of the Karamani sundal itself- Sweet and Spicy. Kids are particularly fond of the sweet sundal, and adults, spicy!
  4. Thenga-Manga-Pattani (Coconut-Raw Mango-Peas) Sundal: This is a very popular snack sold in Marina beach and is absolutely refreshing and tasty! Sour, spicy, and sometimes sweet, this is the complete package!
  5. Pacha Payaru (Green Gram) Sundal: This is one Sundal that a lot of people do not like because it is made of Green gram (Sprouts!) Doesn’t make it any less healthy though.
  6. Kadalai Paruppu (Channa Dal) Sundal: Made with a dash of lemon, this is a simple sundal, yet is packed with flavours!
  7. Rajma Sundal: This is a relatively new addition to the list of normal Sundals that people make. Rajma has a distinctive taste and the sundal is ever so healthy and one also gets a slight Mexican feel! 😀
  8. Ver Kadalai (Peanut) Sundal: Most common, most tasty! The peanuts in this sundal are crunchy as well as soft!
  9. Nava Dhanya Sundal: This is made with 9 different lentils/pulses and is completely protein packed. This is usually prepared on the 9th and last day of Navarathri.

From setting up the golu steps, to brushing up on your Carnatic music, (Or saying, “Enakku paada varaadhu, aunty. Akka paaduva!” From giving gifts and getting gifts in return, the 8 day, 9 nights festival is truly special.

This nicest thing about Navarathri, however is the element of surprise. You wonder what Sundal your mother is going to make that day, what Sundal the pakatha veetu mami is going to give you and how much you are going to collect that evening! The smell of the asafoetida and curry leaves wafting through the house as you come back from school is absolutely divine. It is not every day that you find foods that are healthy as well as tasty (No, Maggi’s “Taste bhi, health bhi” doesn’t count.*MSG*) BUT SUNDAL DEFINITELY IS THAT FOOD.

-Anagha Natraj

You can order sundal and much more on moremilaga.com 🙂

NAVA-RASA: TOP 9 TYPES OF RASAM

Posted on by

“A South Indian soup, traditionally prepared using tamarind juice as a base, with the addition of tomato, chili pepper, pepper, cumin and other spices as seasonings” – Wait what? Is that all Rasam means to us? Of course, not! To a South Indian household, it is one of the staple diets. It might be called by different names, Chaaru, Saaru and Kabir, but the comfort that it gives us hasn’t changed overtime. On a cold wintry afternoon, you couldn’t possibly imagine anything better than a hot steaming cup of Rasam or hot rasam rice with ghee! Every time you fall sick, be it a cold, sore throat or a fever, the number of times hot hot rasam sadham has come to your respite is uncountable and the relief it provides, immeasurable. Rasam isn’t just a “south indian soup,” it’s a lot more than that. It’s something that your mom makes every day, it’s probably some secret recipe passed down for generations; It’s a constant.

rasammmm

4 of the Navarasas! Source: Google

Although it’s a constant, it has its own variables.  There are atleast 15 different types of Rasam. The Top 9 are:

1) Paruppu Rasam: This is the one we make at home regularly. Easy to make and extremely tasty, this rasam is also called Thakkali(Tomato) Rasam.

2) Poondu (Garlic) Rasam: Garlic has been a natural antibiotic and a blood cleanser which helps in lowering blood pressure. This rasam is not only nutritious but also incredibly tasty!

3) Jeera (Cumin) Rasam: Jeera is known for its digestive properties. This is made frequently in many households to keep stomach ailments away!

4) Pepper Rasam: It is prepared with cumin seeds, pepper and garlic. It is very comforting and effective when taken during fever or cold.

5) Lemon Rasam: Tangy and sour, this rasam is made by many who want to cut down the use of tamarind! It goes well with hot rice and ghee along with any vegetable stir fry!

6) Pineapple Rasam:  This is a twist in the normal rasam. Sweet and refreshing, this rasam is something completely different and is totally worth a try!

7) Mysore rasam: This is different from other standard types of rasam because of the use of coconut and a lot of spices!

8) Vepampoo (Neem Flower) Rasam: Neem flower has many medicinal properties and are used in treating intestinal worms. They are said to purify blood and remove toxins from the body. Although neem flower has a bitter taste, this rasam is absolutely delicious and the bitterness cannot be tasted!

9) Kandathippili (Long pepper) Rasam: This is the all in one medicinal rasam. It helps to cure cold, soothe cough and also helps with digestive and stomach troubles. This rasam is a testament to the fact that nature has a solution for every problem!

On a cloudy evening, sitting in the balcony, legs on the rails with a book in hand and piping hot Rasam. Bliss, isn’t it?

-Anagha Natraj

If you have difficulty preparing any of these nava rasas, either ask your mom/ grandmom  or just order from www.moremilaga.com or 9884721737 🙂

Make and Click: A Photo Contest!

Selfie contest

Moremilaga invites you to “Make and Click- A Photo Contest”
The rules of are very simple!
– Send us a picture of (i) Your home made dish and (ii) A selfie with your dish.
– It has to be vegetarian and you have to make it! (We can’t really check, but brownie points for honesty!)
-We will post it on our facebook page and the picture with the most likes will win cash prizes!

You can send us your pictures by messenger. Last date for sending your pictures is 21st August 2016! Hurry Up. Get Cooking, Get Clicking!
Send us a message on Facebook for more details!

Step by Step, into the past!

Posted on by

Gone are the days when making vadam was a family event. From buying ready made packets in stores and then directly into tiffin boxes, kids these days don’t know the emotions and sentiments attached to their every day foods.

Nice and Spicy Vadam koozhu

Nice and Spicy Vadam koozhu

Given below is a step by step ’emotional guide’ to the vadam making process.

Step 1: Paati would make the maavu, called vadam koozhu. Just like how we all attack the cake batter before it goes into the oven, the kids (currently, our parents) had to literally be driven out of the kitchen for the same!

Step 2: Paati would spread out the vadam koozhu in different patterns on thatha’s dhoti (which he desperately searches for, in the upcoming week!) and leave it out in the sun to dry.

Step 3: The kids then become the legal guardians of the “out to dry” vadam. They sit out in the sun all day, pretending to study and drive away the birds that come to eat their precious accompaniment to any food!

Step 4: BLAME THE CROWS for the missing pieces of vadam. Always blame the crows.

The crisp sound catches your attention very easily, but it’s the making that enticed kids from the 90s. Many a times, kids are found in the terraces and rooftops trying to shoo crows away. Sometimes it’s a squirrel or a small animal trying to get a nibble of some nicely ground and spiced up batter left to be dried. But, no. The kids would never let the animals win.

“I remember how my mother used to keep the vadam under lock and key. But most of the fun was in eating the semi dried maavu… That was totally in our control,” says Latha, a teacher. Change is the only constant and nothing is immune to it. Not even one of the tastiest traditional snacks of Tamil Nadu. “Nowadays, there’s just no time. Chillies have replaced the children as guardians, Thatha’s dhoti has become plastic sheets [good for thatha, but traditions?] and the packet vadam is still raw,” exclaims Shyamala Gopal, an IT professional.

Such a joyous occasion has been lost to the tides of time. Making Vadam koozhu is a ritual engaging the grandparents and the grandkids when the generation in between is out to work. Such bliss is incomparable. Unfortunately, it is now unrecognizable.

Get back the nostalgic feeling, order your homemade Vadam koozhu and much more, only at www.moremilaga.com

-Anagha Natraj

Joey doesn’t share food. But then…

Posted on by

Bring out the Photographer in You:

Contribute to Moremilaga’s ‘Share a Picture’ campaign.

Bring out the Photographer in You

Take out your Mobile Phones, tablets and click, click, click….

Share pics of your delicious Vegetarian Preparations ( Paruppu Usili,  Sakkarai Pongal, Paneer Butter Masala, just anything)  with us.

Mail the snaps to moremilaga@gmail.com

With your due permission we shall use it for representational purpose for the Daily Menu.

Every pic is a winner and we promise to share a collage every week with due acknowledgement to the contributors

If you are unable to share a picture, at least share this post 🙂

Yeah, we know…

Joey Doesnt Share food3

Share a Food Pic with Moremilaga  @      moremilaga@gmail.com

Kindness doesn’t cost a thing 🙂

 

Eating home-cooked meals may help keep diabetes away: Study

Posted on by

People who often eat food prepared at home are less likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who consume such meals less frequently, new research has claimed. There is an increasing tendency for people to eat out, involving more consumption of fast food, researchers said. The study has found that such people have a diet rich in energy but relatively poor in nutrients -this could lead to weight gain which is, in turn, associated with type 2 diabetes risk, said Qi Sun, from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Heath in the US.

Sun and his team employed large prospective datasets in which US health professionals were surveyed, with rigorous collection of data on health indicators, including eating habits and occurrence of diabetes. The results were corrected for factors that could affect dining habits, including marital status. The study analysed 2.1 million years of follow-up data.

Flier1

The findings show people who reported consuming 5-7 evening meals prepared at home during a week had 15% lower risk of diabetes than those who consumed two such meals or fewer. A smaller, but statistically significant, reduction was apparent for those who consumed more midday meals at home.

Moreover, less weight gain could partially explain the reported reduction in occurrence of type 2 diabetes in those often eating meals prepared at home. Well-established diabetes prevention strategies include behavioural interventions aimed at increasing exercise and dietary habits.

Source: Times Of India, July 7th 2016

So why wait, order today authentic Home-food from Moremilaga.