The less celebrated : Amaranth or Rajgara paratha

Amaranth or Rajgara

With my constant desire to do a unique post which is healthy and yet different, I stumbled on amaranth. Amaranth is not a true cereal grain. The plant is an annual herb.It is a multi-purpose crop. The tender leaves of the amaranth plant are relished as a green leafy vegetables.And the grain is used to make parathas, poori's, pakoras, cutlets , kadhi etc.There are approximately 60 species of amaranth and there is no definite distinction between amaranth grown for the leaf (vegetable), and the seed (grain).Amaranth seed is high in protein (15-18 percent) and lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not commonly found in grains.It is high in fibre and contains calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and vitamins A and C.Amaranth also contains tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E) which have cholesterol-lowering activity in humans. Amaranth consists of 6-10% oil, mostly in the germ. The oil is predominantly unsaturated and
high in linoleic acid important in human nutrition. The amaranth leaf is equally nutritous as well. Containing higher calcium, iron and phosphorous levels.

Western science considers amaranth as a Nu-world grain from Mexico and other parts of South America. But amaranth has been an ancient grain in India. Nobody knows, how it came to India or may be it was taken to South America. But our ancestors were nourished by this wonderful grain. Rajgara meaning 'royal grain'.I came across an article which said, it is possible to sprout amaranth. So, I might try sowing amaranth seeds next spring to see if I can get amaranth plants for the leaves.



Amaranth or Rajgara parathas:


Rajgara flour or freshly ground grain - 2 cups
salt according to taste.
Ginger, grated - 1 inch piece
Sesame seeds (til) - 1 tsp
Green chillies, - 2 ,finely chopped
Potatoes - 2 , boiled and mashed
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp + for applying on parathas
Fresh coriander leaves -2 tbsp ,chopped

Amaranth or Rajgara parathas

Method:

Place ragjara flour in a bowl, I was not sure about the freshness of store bought flour, so made my own flour in a blender. The grain looks like a poppy seed. flour smelled like amaranth leaves. Mix in salt, ginger, sesame seeds and green chillies. Add mashed potatoes, yogurt, one tablespoon of ghee and coriander leaves. Knead into a semi-soft dough using water. Cover and keep the dough aside for an hour. Divide into small portions. Roll into balls. Dust with flour and pat into a round diskette on a dusted surface. Heat a tawa. Shallow fry the parathas on both sides applying ghee as required. Serve hot with yogurt. Amaranth or rajgara parathas with yogurt was our lunch today.It was a tastey and wholesome lunch :).You can also substitue yams
for potatoes in this recipe.

Be Nourished!!!

Whole Grains : Bulgur (NOT Cracked Wheat) Upma

Cracked Wheat and Bulgur

Confusing title! Ain't it? Well I guess Its not confusing if I say that ' Bulgur and cracked wheat are as different as me and my husband!!' Now I don't wanna grab 'poor' hubby dear in between while he has no clue, But I just want to emphasize the point that Bulgur is different from cracked wheat. Both are made from whole wheat, but the key attribute of traditional bulgur production is that the grain is parboiled (soaking, steaming,drying(usually by spreading in the sun) like the parboiled rice and then de-branned. On contrary to cracked wheat, which is made from crushed wheat grains which have NOT been parboiled. So why am I using Bulgur for cracked wheat in my upma recipe? Well its just a matter of choice...But may I propose to you a concept called 'phytic acid and gluten'. This is not some lecture on chemistry but a simple but important fact for us to know. All grains contain phytic acid(an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound)in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why diet high in whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss.The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in long term many other adverse effects.On the other hand refined flours and grain products are devoid of nutrition.There is a fix again! so what to do? As always look back to the old ways. Our ancestors soaked, fermented, sprouted there grains. Like in idli, the rice & dal are soaked all day and fermented overnight. For pesarattu, the mung beans are soaked over night. For haleem, the cracked wheat and dals are soaked over night. And there are many more examples to follow. Soaking, fermenting, sprouting allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. The action of these enzymes also increase the amounts of many vitamins, especially B vitamins.Now what is gluten? Gluten is a protein in grains, very difficult to digest. Grains fall into two general categories. Those containing gluten such as oats, rye, barley and especially wheat, should not be consumed unless they have been soaked or fermented. Buckwheat rice and millet do not contain gluten and are easily digestible.So soaking, fermenting, sprouting will help break the gluten for the grains.
So now you see why I am preferring Bulgur for cracked wheat in my upma recipe. Bulgur is already soaked.Well you can use cracked wheat too, provided it is soaked overnight or for 7-8hrs. Now my patient readers might start fretting ;-) about the process involved in cooking. But let me assure you that all it takes is planning ahead of time. The world has become so fast paced that we eat on the go.But it is better if we slow down and ponder on whats going inside of us, because it does make a world of difference.

Bulgur or Cracked Wheat Upma:

Bulgur - 2 cups
(or)
Cracked Wheat - 2 cups soaked 7-8 hrs
Water - 4 cups
Onions - 1 medium
Green chillis - 2
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
For popu or tadka - 1 tsp each : urad dal, chana dal, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida.
coconut oil - 2 tbsp s (using coconut oil is a whole new article in itself. I would be covering that soon)
cilantro - 2 tsp finely chopped
lemon juice if needed for some tangy taste.

Bulgur upma

Because of the large size of the grain, roasting is not necessary.Take the oil in a pan, add popu ingredients in the order mentioned above.When mustard seeds start sputtering add onions, Green chilies.Saute them till tender and add ginger garlic paste.Add the water and bring it to boil. Now add bulgur and if adding soaked cracked wheat, then drain the water and add.Be careful not to wash it as the wheat is soaked, it makes it difficult to handle.Cook until water is evaporated. Keep stirring once in a while. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with some lemon juice or a pickle.It has a nutty flavor with chewy texture. It was our Breakfast today.Bulgur is more costlier than cracked wheat. So I use bulgur when I am not planned and had to fix a quick meal, otherwise I soak cracked wheat for this recipe.

Be nourished!!

Whole Grains : Exotic Rice Blend

Clock wise: Brown rice, Wild rice, Parboiled rice, Red rice

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the humanity. Many cultures and civilizations are associated with rice. So significant of a grain, but is it nourishing our bodies? Coming from a state called as 'rice bowl of India', I grew up eating sona masoori rice my entire life. But recently ,If not late, I found an interesting fact about the rice I eat......It is just 'empty calories'. No nutrition whatsoever from that rice. I was surprised by the fact and did my research, I came up with some interesting facts:

1)Dehusked, unpolished rice grains(brown rice) are covered by the nutrient-rich bran and aleurone layers. Because these layers are rich in lipids they oxidizes rapidly when exposed to air, hence the grains turn rancid and untasty during storage.
2) Polishing, on the other hand, produces rice grains(white rice) devoid of the nutrients contained in the outer layers but not susceptible to changes in color, odor and taste.

Now this is a real fix!! If brown rice goes rancid and white rice is devoid of nutrition.......What is the the best alternative ? Shall we stop eating rice? I guess that is not an answer. Well there sets in the knowledge of our ancestors who knew it all and found an alternative ...Parboiled rice. Yes!! I am not kidding. What is parboiled rice? The three steps of parboiling – soaking, steaming and drying are generally achieved by soaking paddy in cold water for typically 24–48 h until the kernels are saturated. The soaked paddy is then boiled at c. 100
C for typically 1 h to obtain 80% gelatinized starch (Priestley, 1976a). The boiled paddy is sun-dried until the moisture content is reduced to c. 14%. Finally the dried grain is then milled.Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is nutritionally similar to brown rice . Because of this, parboiling was adopted by North American rice growers in the early 20th century.The starches in parboiled rice become gelatinized, making it harder and glassier than other rice. Parboiled rice takes less time to cook, and the cooked rice is firmer and less sticky.
Now is there something like Indians (especially south Indians) over eating rice ? Well the answer is relative. There is always a factor called over indulgence. It would be beneficial if we include different grains in our diet.Try to eat different rice like red rice, brown rice, wild rice( not really rice) etc. often and replace white rice with parboiled rice.A research shows that Asians have larger pancreas and salivary glands in proportion to body weight than westerners, and these traits make us ideally suited to a grain-based diet.

Parboiled Rice - Usna chawal, Puzhungal arisi,Uppudu biyyam,Kusubalakki, Puzhangalari, Ubla hua chawal, Sidda chowl, Ukra chawl.

Exotic Rice Blend:

Exotic rice blend : Brown rice, Wild rice, Red rice
Ingredients:

Long grain brown rice - 1/2 cup
Bhutanese red rice - 1/2 cup
Wild rice - 1/2 cup
water - 4 and 1/2 cups
a pinch of salt to taste.

Wash the rice, add water, cover and cook. It goes well with any curry. We just had it with ghee and vellulli karam for lunch today. Be Nourished!!!

Cooked Parboiled rice, Exotic rice blend