Tag: Salad

Pineapples grow with ease in our climate here in Auroville. And they are also quite low maintenance in that they can tolerate a certain level of dryness, nor is their growth impeded by the shade of other trees in the garden. At the same time as being delectable, they offer a range of micronutrients, particularly…

There are times when we have so many Papayas on our trees waiting to ripen, that it can be overwhelming, so we take down some green ones and use them in various ways at the Cafe. This Green Papaya soup is one such creation that our guests adore, as we do too! Try it out…

Snake gourd lentil curry, or Podalanga kootu, is one of the most traditional dishes of Tamil cuisine. Every Tamil household has their version of it. Through generations of family recipes passed down, we hold a part of our cultural identity. Our food, even with its variations, brings us together. To make it: Boil your moong…

There was an era before petroleum came on the scene, and plastics, and lorries, and tele-advertising, and mechanized dental chairs even! And there were people in this era who brushed their teeth too! And one of the ways some of them did that, was by going up to a Neem tree, breaking of a twig,…

Murungai Keerai Poriyal In the form of a Poriyal, or stir fry, this is perhaps one of the best ways to consume the superfood that is Moringa leaves. This is a very easy recipe to reproduce – the most effort needed is perhaps in just separating the leaflets from the stalks. It is culturally considered…

Terminalia catappa ‘Nattuvadumai’ The Badam or the Indian Almond, is a fast growing tree with huge leaves that turn red in the summer and fall to the ground. It is grown extensively in the tropics as an ornamental tree, particularly because of the vibrant, striking shades of its leaves, and the aesthetically pleasing, symmetric form…

Mucuna pruriens The Sanskrit name for this plant is “Kapikacchu”, because contact with the fine hairs on young foliage and on the shells of the seed pods can make one itch like a monkey! It is also known as “Secret Self” due to its high levels of Dopamine – it contains 4-7% by weight of…

Vethala Valli Kizhangu The Air Potato is a traditional yam of the genus Dioscorea. It grows on an herbaceous twining vine, meaning it uses other vegetation to cling to and support its weight. It is worth noting that it actually grows in a semi-wild state without any effort required for its cultivation. The plant takes…

Pacha Manga Kuzhambu As the precursor to the arrival of ripe Mangoes in their season, is the ubiquitous sight of Green Mangoes dangling from their stems on the many Mango trees growing around our Bioregion. They sometimes even fall down and begin rotting away. To make use of these green Mangoes, especially those varieties which…