OATH

1) Before eating I will pray, “let everyone always have enough food”.

2) I will follow strict hygiene while preparing, serving and eating food.

3) I will prepare and eat food religiously with faith.

4) I will eat only after everybody is served.

5) I will not have any likes, dislikes or complain while eating.

6) I will not leave food in my plate or waste it in any way.

7) I will Eat Religiously with Happiness, Satisfaction and Contentment.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Golden-Morning Soup (Yellow Pumpkin-Corn Soup)


Golden-Morning Soup (Yellow Pumpkin-Corn Soup)  



Type:
Soup
Boiling Hot, Ice-Cold
For: 4 persons
Process:   Cutting, Chopping, Grating, Boiling, Seasoning
Dietary Value:  
Vitamins- Beta Carotene, C, B-plex
Mineral Salta & Fiber
Anti-Oxidants  
Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fat (all in Small amounts)

Time:
Preparation:
5-10 min
Serving:
5 min – with decoration of each bowl

Recipe:
5-7 min
Eating:
10 – 20 min














Name:
Golden-Morning Soup (Yellow Pumpkin-Corn Soup)  
Preface:
·         This is a naturally flavored, tasty, appetizing, satisfying and refreshing greenish yellow-orange soup that is also rich in vitamins and minerals.
·         This can be taken any time in a day but it is best at (or for) breakfast, with family (particularly on Sundays after morning walk, jogging or hill-climbing exercise), to start a day enthusiastically in a Golden and Warm mood.
·         It is also best as appetizer, half an hour before dinner or as a dinner (for old, obese, hypertensive or diabetic people).


We will prepare this Soup for 5-6 people (for 4 in our square family and some more for unexpected but welcome friends who will bring some more golden moments).
Pre-Preparation:
Preparation of Vegetable stock on previous night - take leaves and stalks of any green leafy vegetable; stalks of coriander; small portions of all vegetables available (and otherwise wasted) at home (one onion, onion sprouts, cabbage leaves, stems of cauliflower, half carrot, small tomato, piece of white pumpkin, skin of yellow pumpkin etc.), all cut into small pieces. Add them to about 1 Lit. water and simmer / boil on low flame (just maintaining boiling temperature) for 10 min. Strain them and allow to cool overnight. This clear and naturally flavored liquid, rich in minerals, is vegetable stock.
Preparation:
We will need 5 ½  cups vegetable stock (or water), 2-3 sweet corns (about 1 bowl grated corn), 3 X 3” piece (or 125 gms) of yellow pumpkin, 1 bowl coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilies, 1” ginger, 5-6 garlic cloves, half teaspoon black pepper powder, juice of half lemon, 4-5 teaspoons corn-flour, salt and butter. 
Recipe:
·         We will grate pumpkin and corn; chop coriander leaves, ginger and garlic; slit chilies longitudinally and soak corn-flour in half cup of water.
·         We will keep vegetable stock for boiling (today we will use stock of stalks of coriander and ‘Pokala” – leafy vegetable with red leaves, very common at our native place ‘Wai’).
·         We will add grated corn, ginger, garlic and black pepper powder. 
·         Just before boiling, we will add grated pumpkin, half of chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies; season with salt to taste and keep a lid.
·         At boiling point we will taste it and if it is perfect we will add pre-soaked corn flour and keep for boiling for 1 min.
·         We will season it with lemon juice and butter just before serving. (Or we can give Cumin in Ghee ‘Phodani’ – hot infused Ghee)
Fortification:
·         By using vegetable stalk instead of water and seasoning it with fresh lemon juice we have already fortified it. And we are going to add half to one teaspoon of butter to each bowl before serving. That is really enough. 
·         We can add coarse paste of green peas, fresh green grams or germinated green mung beans. This will fortify the soup with some protein and add to it’s taste, texture and colors.
Skills:
·         This soup needs no additional cooking skills.
·         Adding pumpkin and coriander just before boiling avoids overcooking and preserves color and (of course) vitamins.
·         Add green chilies late to preserve flavor and minimize pungent taste. It is better that way, since we are having the soup for breakfast. If you want in more hot, as an appetizer in the evening, add chilies early.
·         Add lemon juice just before serving to avoid bitter taste.
·         The soup is sweet enough with sweet corn and yellow pumpkin. So it is not necessary to add sugar.
·         Tasting it twice or thrice during preparation is absolutely necessary for perfect ‘Taste-Harmony’.
Decoration and Serving:
·         The soup is already attractive and tempting with greenish golden yellow color.
·         You can add some grated carrot to add orange color (because yellow pumpkin comes with varied colors from faint yellow to dark orange).
·         Add butter and chopped coriander leaves just before serving for white and green contrast (and of course for taste, flavor and fortification).
·         Add grated cheese or cheese biscuits for more fun.
Tasting, Sipping and Appreciating:
·         We will appreciate and taste ‘Golden-Morning Soup’ first with eyes, then, with eyes closed, with nose (don’t be over-enthusiastic to dip it in the soup) and then, very slowly, with tongue (It is boiling hot).
·         Afterwards you can sip it, surrrrr it, drink it, eat it or do whatever you like (maintaining your status).
Thinking:
·         One can’t think on empty stomach. If you are having it for breakfast, eat it first and then think (if you want to).
·         First warmth (of soup and of being with the family), then leisurely chatting and then satisfaction.
·         The things that give real satisfaction are really very easy and simple.
·         In the evening, if we are having it before dinner, with friends, it will enhance the warmth and pleasure of their company and of the evening and will increase the appetite. 
·         Remaining soup can be added to any gravy (without anybody noticing it).
·         According to the need and appetite this soup can be served (with or without modifications) with bread, Bhakari, Roti, Thalipeeth, or any type of rice. (Last two are, of course, very practical, unimaginative and unromantic thoughts.)