Chakra needs more recipes

[Guest guest]

Dear Madhusudani:

 

It's no problem to submit recipes, but I made a mistake on the Sweet Rice

recipe and forgot to say Add Rice. I wrote in to correct it, and I haven't

seen the correction. Plus, there should be a paragraph break before

"Gandhara."

 

Anyway, here's the recipe that everyone loves. Madhava Maharaja taught showed

me how to make it, and I've adjusted it slightly.

 

Green Chutney

 

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Salt

Pepper (optional)

Hing

Touch of Nutmeg

Sugar (optional)

Any combination of Cilantro, Mint, Parsley, Basil

Nut butter (optional)

Chiles or Red Pepper

 

Put the olive oil and lemon juice into the blender and the fresh green chiles

(if you're using green, it's better to slice them in half lengthwise to reduce

blender wear). You can add the powders now or at the end--your preference--in

big quantities, I add them at the end.

 

The leaves should contain no woody stems. This isn't a problem for cilantro,

but mint leaves must be removed from the stems. I usually chop the leaves

coarsely to make it easier on the blender.

 

Warning: This recipe could burn out your blender.

 

When washing leaves, I always fill up a bowl of water and bathe the leaves,

allowing the sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl, and then I lift out the

leaves and see how much sand is in the bowl. Repeat washing the leaves until

there is no sand at the bottom of the bowl.

 

It's okay to add water if necessary, but the chutney must be thick, so you

have to add a minimal amount of water unless you plan to use the nut butter at

the end--in which case, you can expect to thicken it up with the nut butter.

 

Add a handful of leaves at a time. Put the lid on when you turn the blender on

as the contents of the blender have a tendency to fly out of the blender.

Then, with the blender on, add the leaves little by little until it seems too

thick to continue blending. Sometimes I take the blender cup off the blender

and (with the lid on) shake it up and down to give the blades a better chance

at blending.

 

NOW all of the above might sound complex, but it's not. I'm just trying to

give you the benefit of my experience with this recipe. ALL you're trying to

do is create a nice consistency with olive oil, lemon juice, and leaves. ONCE

that's accomplished, it's a cinch to add the hing, salt, and chiles. The rest

is optional.

 

Basil goes good with pasta (not surprisingly).

 

--

 

His Divine Grace Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told his cook,

Ananda Maharaja, that if he would cook for at least two people a day, he would

go back home, back to Godhead. The following recipes are Ananda Maharaja's

recipes, by the grace of Shrimati Tadit devi dasi:

 

Sweet Tomato Chutney

 

Heat ghee [from a protected cow]

Add mustard seeds

When they pop, add minced green chiles (which cools down the oil).

Add hing.

Add tomatoes, a dash of turmeric, and a splash of salt.

Cook til thick. Add sweetener.

 

Eggplant Spinach

 

Chaunce mustard seeds, chiles, and hing (see above).

Add small eggplant cubes, turmeric, and salt. Cook til soft.

Add spinach (cleaned nicely) and minced ginger.

Cook spinach until tender and mash. Add salt (careful!).

 

Jagannath Puri Dahl

 

Boil mung beans with ghee [from a protected cow], turmeric, and ginger. When

soft, add sugar, salt, tomatoes, and sweet neem leaves.

Chaunce black peppercorns (first), kalajeera, cumin, and hing.

 

How 'bout a simple rice recipe?

 

1 C. basmati rice

1 3/4 C. water

1 t. salt

1 T. butter [from a protected cow]

 

Wash rice and drain (through sieve). Throw all the ingredients into a pot and

bring to a boil. Stir once, turn down to low. Cover. If the lid for the pot

isn't tight, cover with aluminum foil or aluminium foil if you're British.

Cook for 12 1/2 minutes. Turn off. Leave covered for another 5 minutes.