The Iron Story via Salad Bypass

"First get a  complete CBC ( Complete Blood Count) test ". Dr. Parihar was looking irritated.

"Is that all ??? I am having chest pain, gastritis trouble  has reached new levels and as I have already mentioned about my short breathing problem and dizziness and nausea .." I was also irritated.

"look madam, first get me the result of blood test and then I will prescribe any medicine or further tests." the Dr. raised his hand and turned his head towards another patient who was waiting at the door of doctor's cabin. 

I came out of the clinic and was still not convinced. How a simple CBC test will solve my problems ?? I scratched my head and a few strands of hair get tangled in fingers and reminded me that hair fall is only one of many troubles I am going through. 

"Your eyes are turning white Bhavana... look at your skin, it seems all the glow and color has been drained out. what is wrong ? are you alright ??" somebody in my office, asked me while glaring at my face.

"umm, don't know . just feeling low and maybe there is something wrong with my hemoglobin."

after two days.

"As I was suspecting,  you are severely anemic. Start this iron capsule and vitamin tablets from today and yes add more greens  in your daily diet."  The Dr. wrote the prescription and  then smiled at me.

" don't worry, it is a very common problem with ladies and all these symptoms are due to your low hemoglobin. hemoglobin is low because there is a serious deficiency of iron in your body. So start eating  green veggies, salad, fruits... Daily !!! (he emphasized).

"that's it ?"

"Iron deficiency is a lifestyle related problem. You might love to stuff your stomach with pizza, brownie, pastas but you don't shower the same love for green veggies and fruits. Do you ??" the doctor asked.

"You are absolutely normal and don't need any further tests but treat this iron deficiency seriously.  Eat healthy iron rich food and don't be careless, low hemoglobin is not a very good health situation."

After this short conversation with doctor, I again started scratching my head. what could be that one possible short cut for the Road to Iron Valley.  something that I can eat everyday and yet it should not be Boring !!!, It should be healthy and full of Iron. 

What about fruits ??? or just a bowl of salad ??? raw cabbage !!!  Spinach soup !!!! Methi ka saag !!! Beetroot juice !!!! .... so many ideas were floating in my fertile and intelligent brain. However, my lazy yet a health conscious soul was asking for a wholesome approach for Iron consumption. 

Eureka !!!! I found my that One Unique Recipe ... that wholesome Goodness of Iron in one dish ...a direct route to the Iron Valley was just a few minutes away. 

Here is my secret recipe to fight Iron deficiency with the powerful weapons of Mother Nature : Mix veggie and Fruit Salad

1. One medium size beetroot

2. One tomato medium size

3. Half Apple chopped in cubes one cup

4. A small bowl full of pomegranate seeds (arils)

5. thinly chopped cabbage one cup ( instructions : wash the cabbage properly and place it in warm water for ten minutes then bring it out and allow it to cool down before chopping. warming cabbage is necessary to remove all micro worms)

6. carrot fingers one cup

7. one cup plum pieces

8. half cup sweet corn

9.  broccoli one cup ( boil  the florets of broccoli  in an open deep pan)

10. one cup sliced cucumber 

For Seasoning :

10. black pepper powder as per taste

11.   Salt as per taste

12.  lemon juice two tea spoons

13. roasted cumin powder half tea spoon

14. freshly grated ginger half tea spoon

15. One tea spoon of desi ghee.

How to Prepare :

1. Boil the beetroot in a presure cooker ( it will take approx. 4-5 whistle to become soft).

2.  peel the outer skin of beetroot with your hands and cut it in to halves. make thin semi round slices of it.

3. cut the tomato in long pieces and dry roast them in a shallow pan for a minute. It will give them a flavor and the lycopene will do it's work in more better ways. in the same pan, roast the broccoli and seat corns with a tea spoon of  desi ghee.

4. Put all veggies and fruits (beetroot, pomegranate seeds, plum cubes, sweat corns, apple cubes, carrot fingers, cabbage, broccoli and tomatoes in a large bowl).

5. sprinkle the salt, black pepper powder,  cumin powder, grated ginger  and lemon juice over it.

6. mix all ingredients properly.  keep them in the bowl covered with the lid for five to seven minutes. allow all the juices and flavors to get mix with each other.  you will see that the beetroot juice is giving a rich pink color to all ingredients. 

7.  your iron rich ready to eat salad is all set to work on your exhausted body.

This Salad Bowl  is sufficient for three people

Note : you may replace sweet corn with green beans or any other veggie/fruits. sweet corn are full of natural sugar therefore, it could be a good substitute for satiating the sugar craving. 

I chose this simple and not so fancy dish because salad is one of the those food items that we can eat daily either in lunch, brunch, mid day snack or even for breakfast. It  doesn't need much time or extra efforts to prepare this salad so it is a quick fix meal for working women. The veggies ( broccoli, cabbage and beetroot itself does not have any specific taste, so using the fruits like pomegranate and apple etc, gives it a flavour )

one may say there are too many ingredients in this salad and the quantity is too much for a salad dish, but remember that raw veggies and fruits are full of water and fiber; therefore, they are easy to digest and does not bloat your stomach and keep the digestion intact.

I added this salad in my daily diet for one year and now my hemoglobin is stable and yes no more breathlessness and such troubles.

An extra tip... keep yourself stress free, stay active and add some light exercises in your daily routine. A proper iron rich healthy diet along with healthy habits are the Road to Iron Valley . See you There Soon !!!!  

Here I am posting the pics of salad making process and the final dish as well as :

dry roasted tomatoes

in same pan roast the broccoli and sweet corn with desi ghee

place them in another bowl to let cool

arrange all the ingredients at one place

let's begin the show

start mixing veggies (beetroot and cabbage, broccoli, sweet corn and tomatoes)

mix all fruits and veggies and sprinkle the seasoning ingredients of salt, black pepper, cumin powder, lemon juice and ginger shreds  

cover the bowl and keep it for five to seven minutes

ahh, please ignore my bad drawing and enjoy the salad 

So !! what are you waiting for ?? devour it !!!

This post has been written for the Livogen Iron Chef Contest.

A Mouthful of Rajasthan

"Mummy bhookh lagi hai." I spoke while my eyes were still close.

"Pahle bistar se to uth jaa. Neend mein hi khayegi kya?".

I dragged myself out from the bed and headed straight towards the bathroom. 

"so, what was on the menu last night .. In your DREAMS?"  my elder sister Kittoo teased me when I was splashing my face with water.

It is a daily routine thing for me, I am always hungry when I get up from a deep sound sleep. People dream about the things they love and the same goes with me as my dreams are always filled with various flavors, colors and shapes. Yessss !!!!!!!   I dream for Food; eating, cooking and again eating. Good Food Is My Biggest Fantasy; as they say, before eating from the plate, you taste the food through the eyes. Therefore, I always have some room in my little stomach for any sudden invitation of eating or sharing the food,  especially, when it is too attractive to ignore.  

"Aye khaau ladki, get ready; we will be leaving sharp at 11:30 A.M."  

"Ohh, it's the second Saturday again." I chuckled. Every second Saturday is a get-together time for my mother and her close friends and this time it was scheduled at Kukku Aunty's house.

 Kukku aunty is a Food Angel and her home is a holy abode for food lovers like me. She is not just a fabulous cook, but she knows how to present the food. Need not to say, I started dreaming about the MENU. Ok, last time when we were there for a card game she pampered us with home baked cookies and muffins and all those delicacies served in stylish trays. 

Kukku Aunty's House

"Chintu, come here, see this is specially for you." (oh yes, I am waiting for the invitation). 

There it was; sitting in a mini glass plate, gorgeous Raj Kachori .. inviting me to start a journey towards Swadpur. That round shape, crispy golden big brown puffy kachori; It was covered with layers of creamy white yogurt, thick brown Imli ki chatni and green chatni. In fact, kachori was dipped in a little ocean of yogurt, chutnies and the masala. Yellow strands of maheen sev, juicy red pomegranate seeds and green coriander leaves sprinkled over the kachori were appearing as the crown jewels of Raj kachori. At the top of it there was a hole, giving a clear idea of what was stuffed inside the kachori.

Now, it was impossible to control anymore, so my sister and I picked up our tools aka spoons and started digging the Gold Mine.The very first bite was filled with chunks of boiled black grams, boiled potato pieces, dahi-vada, mathri pieces and a rich coating of yogurt-chutni. Next bite was even more yummy, as my tool found many more hidden things in that ocean of yogurt, e.g. strands of beetroot, colorful raita boondi, green chilli, etc. all wrapped up in the crunchy crispy shell of kachori. I was slowly slowly taking the bites form that ocean of colors and then suddenly my sister said, "it is looking like a watercolor painting framed in a glass plate". She pointed towards the mini plate which had an elegantly designed border. I stopped eating and tried to understand of what she was saying. 

Yes she was right, Raj Kachori was now revealing all its treasure. The streams of yogurt, chutnies and  stuffing were creating a mix  pattern of colors and designs. The borders of that shallow transparent glass plate were perfectly holding the delicious painting. After taking the final bite, my eyes fell on a name  that was carved on the bottom of the plate, "BOROSIL".

After the kachori session, we children got busy with some outdoor games and our mothers were  busy with their own games of gossips, etc. After one and half hour , they called us for LUNCH for which I was waiting so eagerly.

I almost rushed to the dinning table, grabbed a chair and took the plate and then I saw those colorful polka dotted plates, bowls and serving dishes.  

The very first dish I noticed was KABULI, that mouth watering authentic Rajasthani rice dish and to increase our hunger it was kept in a transparent deep round glass casserole. All colors of Kabuli were easily visible and it seemed like multicolored gems has been engraved in that shinning glass. Now it was impossible to control, so I took a big serving of Kabuli and put it into my plate. Kabuli is prepared with premium quality Basmati rice and vegetables with a touch of strong whole dry spices. It was decorated with fried bread slices, fried onion rings, generously scattered cashews and raisins, some colorful cherries and of course fluffy paneer cubes. Kabuli is quite different from other vegetable pulav; due to its masala consisting onion-garlic-ginger paste mixed with thick curd and well sauteed in Desi Ghee. Curd gives it a typical sour yet a savoury taste as well as. 

I took a spoonful of rice, every single grain was en-wrapped with the aroma of saffron, curd and ghee. The vegetables and fruits (sliced round potatoes, gram flour Gatta balls, capsicum rings, yam cubes, grapes, pomegranate seeds and apple cubes) were layered with curd masala and thus creating a tangy-sweet-piquant taste. Need not to say that such a big variety of veggies and fruits was not leaving any room for any other curry dish. Fuchsia pink and Indigo blue polka dot design of the plate was matching the Kabuli ingredients. 

"It seems like, the colors of Kabuli and fruits are reflecting on the plate."  I giggled. 

"Don't tell me that you want to eat the plate as well as." Kittoo laughed at me.

"Chintu, have you tried this?" Kukku aunty asked with a mysterious smile and passed on another stunning  round shape glass casserole. I looked at it and my mouth remained open in an awe; golden yellow colored thick curry and light brown color round balls were showing their beauty through the glass walls. 

"I love it. So it is going to be a complete Rajasthani Thali."  I declared while pouring the Gulab Jamun Curry from the casserole into the bowl, while trying to avoid the excess amount of  ghee, which was creating layers within curry and over the jamuns as well.

"Yes, almost." she replied and placed a round glass platter in the middle of the dinning table; that platter had a robust metal stand along with a metal Huck. It was more like a decorative piece rather than a food platter. Square pieces of Malai Ghewar and Soan Papadi  were neatly placed on the platter; both sweets were creating a mesmerizing color contrast on the glittering bright platter. 

Malai ghewar has been an all-time favourite of mine; the crispy orange/brown toast like base structure and smooth khoya cream spread over the base and decorated with pistachio and almond pieces. Sweet and soft topping and a little crunchy base at the same time that is well-capable to take your taste buds to another world. Soan Papdi has a complete different structure, those delicate sheer yellow strands complied in one rectangular shape and small crunches of pistachio sprinkled over the papdi.  It gets melt in your mouth and you don't even get chance to chew it; all you think for one more bite, one more piece.   

"Kukku, is it a new dinner set and new table wares? From where did you buy them?"  My mom asked.

"Yeah, what a stylish platter stand and this melamine is quite lustrous, but anyway after sometime all melamine lose the shine and smoothness." That was Sunita Aunty.

"No Sunita, it is Borosil Melamine, they are stain and fade proof and most of all non-toxic as well as. I chose this BLOOM-FIDENZA collection as I loved the vibrancy and warmth of  this design. I ordered them ONLINE." Kukku aunty replied with a proud smile.

"Borosil !!!  Yeah, I too have heard a lot about it. And, what you saying, bought it online?" Now my mom and Sunita aunty both were awestruck.

Ohh, in this conversation, I forget to tell you about the Gulab Jamun Curry, another unique specialty of Rajasthan. They are not our regular sugar syrup dipped gulab jamuns, which we usually buy from sweet shops, rather those are insipid Gulab Jamuns filled with khoya and cooked with rich cream and spicy curd masala. I took a mouthful bite of gulab jamun curry with chapati. Gulab Jamun curry had a balanced flavour of spices, it was neither too hot nor too dull, it was a perfect rich creamy curry adored with raisins and coconut powder and it seemed that the jamuns has absorbed all the spices and curd flavour in them. The mixed aroma of curd, ghee and coconut powder was creating a relishing environment and of course, it was bringing water into our mouth as well.

"Look, gulab jamuns are also printed on the dinner set as well." Little sonu (Sunita aunty's son) spoke cheerfully.

"They are more like footprints of a small CAT." I laughed.

"These glass wares are also Borosil?" Mom was more curious than hungry.

"Yes, all of them and guess what, they are microwavable and the glass dishes comes with handy grip and lids." 

Awwww, I don't like chatar-patar while eating, so I turned my head towards the other end of the table and found that there are some other dishes, which I haven't touched yet, however, Kittoo has already started with them.    

I took a NARGIS kofta and dipped it into green coriander chutni. Yummm.. It had a fine layer of  besan-rawa outside and inside it had dark pink and green shades of beetroot and green-peas with sweetness of raisins. Koftas and chutni were kept in an elegant round shape glass chips and dip tray;  the dipping bowl was in the middle of it and was surrounded by koftas, fried papad and khakhras. 

Apart from the koftas, there was another melamine serving dish whose lid was half open and some drops of daal were scattered on the edges of dish. I quickly guessesd what it could be... the hallmark DAAL of Kukku Aunty. A combination of three different pulses; split green gram, green gram, split red lentil and split black gram, creating an ambrosial dish. It is a kind of a fusion of north-south style cooking; I took a sip of daal and as I was anticipating, first I felt a strong flavour of sambhar masala along with sourness of kokam-imli and in the next sip onion-garlic masala made their presence in my mouth. 

"Try this Aruna, it has lesser calories." Kukku aunty brought a square glass dish from the kitchen and placed it in front of my mom. I could see that it was a freshly backed dish, some sort of a green vegetable with melted cheese on the top were easily visible and the aroma of cheese and spices were refueling our hunger.  

"Ummm, this sponge gourd is so tasteful; the stuffing is a little crunchy.. what it is.. grounded peanuts ?? and you backed it in the same dish?"

"Yes, I told you naa, Borosil glassware are microwavable."  

"It's looking quite pretty, may I have some..?" Kittoo asked. 

Why Forgetting me, I too want to  taste this backed beauty.

"Emmmm, it is crunchy, creamy and chewy.. where is Turai in it??" I asked while eating a small piece of it.

Finally, we finished the lunch with a chilled glass of Bel Sharbat; I noticed that the glasses have embossed polka dots at the outer surface. Kukku aunty told us that is the Medallion collection of Borosil. For a moment those dots of glass seemed like frozen water drops.  

Not just our stomach, but our hearts were also satiated. It was a celebration of flavours, colours, textures and fragrances.. It was a feast for taste buds and delight for eyes. 

"So, that was My Beautiful Yummy Food Bonanza...  when is the next second Saturday?"  I spoke with utmost innocence in my voice. 

"Next Second Saturday is our turn to cook and host the party, Fat Duck." Kittoo replied.

"Excuse me, Miss thin goat, I am not FAT rather I am a Food Admirer."

This Post has been written for the contest "My Beautiful Food!" sponsored by Bororsil and ocnducted by indiblogger.in

Take a look  Here to explore the world of elegant and delightful products of BOROSIL.