Author: Sagar
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Palmyra’s ecological significance
Notwithstanding its uses nutritionally, medicinally and artisanally, the Palmyra tree has an incredible importance on an ecological level. Where it grows, they say cows will sleep. It is so because the roots of the Palmyra tree venture very deep into the ground and bring moisture up closer to the surface thereby maintaining a certain coolness…
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Fermented Ragi Porridge
Ragi Koozhu In this part of Tamil Nadu, Ragi is most popularly used in a preparation called Koozhu, which is a fermented porridge dish, drunk cold with salt, Chili and Onion and even raw mango.This is traditional farmer’s food! Koozhu is cooling for the body, and is served on the side of the road all…
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Coconut milk:
How many of us buy coconut milk from the store? Have you ever thought about the ecological cost of buying something that can easily be made at home? At Solitude, we have a simple solution for this. Go to your local vendor, and buy some coconuts. Grate 2 cups of fresh coconut, and add it…
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Papaya leaf skin mask
The papaya is a tree of wonder. You can use its fruit, vegetables, stem and leaf! The papaya leaf is extremely hydrating. Separate the leaf from the stem, add it to a mixer, and blend it with water. Strain the mixture, and apply it on your skin with a piece of cotton. Let the skin…
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Banana Stem Salad
Like the fruit, even the inner stem of the Banana plant (which is technically actually a flower stalk!) is nutritionally rich. Particularly in terms of fibre, and micronutrients such as Potassium – which helps muscle function, nerve impulses, maintenance of fluid balance and blood pressure within the body, and vitamin B6 – which helps the…
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Vegan Tabbouleh salad
Tabbouleh is a Mediterranean salad with finely chopped veggies and bulgur. Well, we localize it! Millets are cooked in different ways, but the easiest is to toast it first, and boil it in twice the amount of water. Our recipe for the tabbouleh is best with Thinai or Foxtail millet, but Varagu or kodo millet…
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Mudakathan Keerai / Balloon Vine leaves
Cardiospermum halicacabum The Mudakathan is a locally growing weed that’s well known in traditional Tamil cuisine. It is a perennial climbing vine with feathery edible leaves and small light green balloon-like seed pods. When popped open, the pod contains an adorable seed imprinted with a tiny white love-heart, hence the name cardiospermum or commonly also…
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Hibiscus Juice
As I wandered around Auroville, I saw large quantities of Hibiscus flowers growing outside many houses, but when I asked people, “are you making juice with them?” I learned that they weren’t. And it was obvious too, because the Hibiscus flowers were all still on the plant! Hibiscus juice is so tasty though! Put the…
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Foxtail Millet Adhirasam dessert
A traditional Deepavali sweet. This traditional sweet that would make its way joyously from hand to hand and from household to household on the festival of Deepavali was originally made from Thinai (Foxtail Millet) flour.As millets were grown on a small scale, in villages throughout Tamil Nadu, foxtail millet was a staple and readily available…
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Banana Flower
The Banana is actually a kind of grass! And it exemplifies one of the very interesting characteristics of local food, which is that diverse parts of the plant can be used. Apart from the Banana fruit, the Banana stem and the Banana leaves, there is also the Banana flower which is used in various cuisines…