Fenugreek potion for PMS and Fenugreek (Vendhaya) Idli for a healthy meal

Fenugreek (vendhiyam/uluva/methi) is as bitter and as healthy as it gets. Back home in India, fenugreek is often a recommended household remedy for alleviating menstrual cramps (Post Menstrual Syndrome), curing indigestion, promoting lactation , and preventing diabetes.

It's efficacy in lessening severe menstrual discomfort is something I have first hand experience in. In fact I got this little secret from my friend Bhooma who worked with me at my very first workplace, Indian Express.


First, the PMS remedy:

Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon (5 gms)
Milk - 1/2 cup

Rinse seeds and place them in a cup.Boil milk and pour over the fenugreek seeds.Cover and let stand for an hour or so. Warm the milk again, chew the swollen seeds, and drink the warm milk. Alternatively blend it and gulp down. Add sugar if you absolutely must. Do this everymonth commencing 2-3 days prior to the date of menstruation and continue till second or third day.

Alternatively soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning blend them with warm milk and drink.

Now, for a fenugreek based breakfast recipe:




I learnt this from my mom's aunt, Valli paatti with whom I shared an apartment during my work stint at Chennai.

Idli rice (Raw rice or par boiled rice works as well) - 2 cups
Fenugreek seeds - 1 small fistfull
Sesame oil (gingelly oil/ellenna/nallennai)- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Soak rice and fenugreek seperately for about 3 hours.Grind fenugreek into a smooth, fluffy paste as you would grind black gram (urad/uzhunnu) for ordinary idli batter. Grind rice too into a smooth batter. Whisk both batters together along with the sesame oil and salt. Let ferment overnight or a minimum of 8 hours (depending on the climate). Pour into idli moulds and steam till done.

The PMS fenugreek remedy is off to the Home Remedies 1 event on at A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine





The fenugreek idli is off to my friend, Yasmeen's Health Nut Challenge 4 - Bitter Better Health on at Health Nut

Rainbow Salad Meal

When my veggie intake has been low for a couple of days (nowadays weeks), I decide it is time to make my rainbow salad meal. I call it a meal 'cause it is substantial in itself. For an extra dose of protein alongside, I serve grilled chicken or chickpea sundal.Sometimes I just decide to toss in a handful of sprouts into the salad itself.

Red bell pepper - 1
Yellow bell pepper - 1
Carrot - 1
Zucchini - 1/2
Broccoli - 1 small head
Purple cabbage - a few leaves
Celery - 1/2" stick
Macaroni (any kind) - 1 cup (boiled as per manufacturer's instructions)


For the dressing
Low fat yoghurt - 2 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Mustard paste - a couple of teaspoons
Green chillies - 2 Nos
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Ground pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Whisk everything together with a fork or, put them into a glass bottle with lid and shake well.

Cut all veggies into small strips. Steam them for just a couple of minutes (skip this step if you want to). Add the cooked macroni. Pour in the dressing, toss evrything together really well. Let rest covered for 15 minutes. Eat

My salad is off to the Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast Food event on at Sourashtra Kitchen and Cook like a bong

Pineapple and Spinach Chunky Soup

No yak yak this time! Been really busy, missed wishing all of you a happy pongal! I did make venpongal, sarkarai pongal, and puli gojju. Abhi loved them (didn't give her the gojju, of course).Hubby is on a tight schedule and that means less respite for me even in the evenings. Add to that a nagging headache that just refuses to completely go. And, call it post pregnancy blues (they do continue this long ?)or whatever, I feel someone wound a tight band around my forhead and wont let go! But decided to post this tonight 'cause I've promised Usha of Veg Inspirations an entry for her first food event. And, she is one nice person I've met through food blogging.


Pineapple (really ripe) - 1 cup (chopped)
Spinach - 1 small bunch
Beans - a few
Carrot - 1 medium sized
Ginger - 1/2" (chopped fine)
Green chillies - 4 (more or less)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Optional seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Canola oil - 1 teaspoon

Chop all veggies into bite sized chunks, saute for a few minutes in olive oil. Add the water and 1/2 the coconut milk. simmer till veggies are almost done. Throw in the spinach along with the rest of the coconut milk, salt, and the garam masala. Simmer till spinach wilts.Add salt to taste.

Crackle the mustard seed and add if you opt for the seasoning. I loved this soup made on the go to save an over ripened pineapple from ending up in the waste bin.Its spicy, tangy, and sweet!

Off this goes to Usha's "Healthy Inspirations Event-Soups" that's on at http://www.veginspirations.com/2010/01/event-announcement.html

Podi chammanthi (Coconut chutney to go with appams)

I am a true blue crab sun sign...if I find someone pursuading me too hard (be it for anything) I retreat into my proverbial shell all suspicious :-) what's that to do with cooking? Nothing. Just in a 'verbal diarrhoea' mood coupled with two stray instances of insistent people! I have a bad back thanks to many reasons. Now with Abhi around a bad back is a big hinderance to happy 'mommying'. Hit upon chiropractice as a possible solution albeit a very expensive one. Towards the end of my schedule the therapist started suggesting that my husband who happened to have sprained his back undergo a session and he declined.Then one day I could not go for a prefixed session because abhi (my baby) had to have her vaccination shot. The chiropractor told us that vaccinations were bad and that they affected the nervous system, if we were insistent on giving abhi her shot then we should bring her for a spine adjustment chiro session!! That decided the end of 'my' chiropratic sessions!
Another minor incident is with facebook. I'm newbie at facebook and am fine when people suggest I follow their websites or blogs. I check it out and if I like it I accept. Some are blogs of people who I already follow through a list on my blog, so when they ask me to do the same on FB I am glad to do so. But there was one very persistent person who added me as friend (I'd never before seen that particular site), then suggested I follow the blog. I accepted both suggestions. Then soon after, I was asked to become a 'fan' of the same blog. I declined. Thereafter, I keep getting repeat suggestions that I become a fan of the said blog even after declining it each time! Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

Podi chammanthi is my mom's favourite side dish option with appams (vellayappam) when she is running short of time. It does taste fantabulous with hot appams (I dont like it with idlis and dosas).



Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Shallots (small onions) - 2 Nos
Ginger - 1/4" piece
Dry red chillies - 4 Nos (more or less as per your spice tolerance)
Salt to taste

For tempering

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coconut/canola oil - 1 teaspoon

Grind all ingredients together in a mixie/food processor adding just a teaspoon or two of water till coarse. Heat oil in a skilet and crackle mustard and fry curry leaves. Toss in the coarse mixture, saute for a minute or two to take away the raw taste of shallots.There, that was quick, was it not?