BBC News, Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Curry spice 'kills cancer cells'
An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown. The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.
Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab. More...
Why not gift your loved ones a Kurma cookbook or two! Or a 20-hour Kurma DVD cooking compendium.
I can autograph them for you, and post them anywhere in Australia.
Contact Kurma now: kurma.acbsp@pamho.net
This photo has been floating around my desktop for a few weeks now. It was taken at a private cooking class in Melbourne a few weeks ago. I'm showing the host's husband how to form balls of chapati dough in preparation for rolling them into flatbreads.
If you'd like to invite your friends to a cooking class at your home, read this.
Flesh of Your Flesh - Should you eat meat?
by Elizabeth Kolbert for The New Yorker, November 3, 2009
"Americans love animals. Forty-six million families in the United States own at least one dog, and thirty-eight million keep cats. Thirteen million maintain freshwater aquariums in which swim a total of more than a hundred and seventy million fish.
Collectively, these creatures cost Americans some forty billion dollars annually. (Seventeen billion goes to food and another twelve billion to veterinary bills.) Despite the recession, pet-related expenditures this year are expected to increase five per cent over 2008, in part owing to outlays on luxury items like avian manicures and canine bath spritz.
We have so many customers who say theyd eat macaroni and cheese before theyd cut back on their dogs, a Colorado pet-store owner recently told the Denver Post. In a survey released this past August, more than half of all dog, cat, and bird owners reported having bought presents for their animals during the previous twelve months, often for no special occasion, just out of love. (Fish enthusiasts may bring home fewer gifts, but they spend more on each one, with the average fish gift coming to thirty-seven dollars.)
A majority of owners report that one of the reasons they enjoy keeping pets is that they consider them part of the family.
Americans also love to eat animals. This year, they will cook roughly twenty-seven billion pounds of beef, sliced from some thirty-five million cows.
Additionally, they will consume roughly twenty-three billion pounds of pork, or the bodies of more than a hundred and fifteen million pigs, and thirty-eight billion pounds of poultry, some nine billion birds. Most of these creatures have been raised under conditions that are, as Americans knowor, at least, by this point have no excuse not to know barbaric."
Wow! It's almost a week since I last blogged! How time flies when you're having fun.
Today in this big dry land downunder there's a full moon in the sky. It's the last day of the Holy Vedic Month of Kartik, and it's also the day when half of Australia goes completely mad with gambling and drunken reverie - Melbourne Cup Day.
My Dad has gone out to join his friends in the excitement of sitting in front of a TV in a sweaty dark room watching horses run around a field, while on the track, intoxicated socialite ladies try to poke out each others' eyes with fashion stilettos and bash each other with champagne-soaked Armani handbags; and here I am, all alone, catching up on my blog, sweet incence wafting, delightful music filling the airwaves... It's a scorching hot day, so I know where I'd rather be.
The classes are racing by. Last Thursday I spent an enjoyable night demonstrating Vegetarian World Tapas at Foodstuff in Mona Vale, an upmarket gourmet food store in the upmarket Northern Beaches suburb of Mona Vale. Always a blast.
My weekend was spent in Wauchope, at a cookery retreat in the countryside of New South Wales. The still life platter above is part of my mis-en-place for the Turkish Rice Pilaff.
The complete menu: Kurma's Spice Trail, including BBQ Asparagus served with Balsamic-infused Semi-dried Tomato & Macadamia Pesto & Shaved Grana Padano, Turkish Rice Pilaf with Thyme, Currants & Pine Nuts, Crisp & Spicy Delhi-style Eggplant, Cauliflower & Potato Fritters (Pakoras) served with Fresh Lime Wedges, Classic Fresh Panir Cheese with Spinach & Cream (Palak Panir), Tender Hot Buttered Wholewheat Flatbreads (Chapatis), Orange-infused Hot & Sweet Apple Chutney, and Pakistani-style Cardamom & Rose-scented Creamy Vermicelli Dessert (Kheer Sevian).
In a moment of sheer brilliance, I decided to try adding icy cold soda water to my dry pakora batter mix. The result was sensational! Here's our grand Pakora Platter, featuring eggplant, sweet potato, potato, red pepper and cauliflower pieces battered to perfection.
The milk for my panir cheese-making was delivered fresh from a nearby cowshed still warm from milking. Big slabs of tender cheese were pan fried and slathered in our spice-scented creamed spinach for the best country-style Palak Panir I have ever made.
Okay, I know you're wondering who that dog is above, and what she's doing. That's Tilley the sheepdog, a resident of our Wauchope event. I always tell my students how fresh whey (the residue from panir cheese-making) is adored by animals like cats and dogs. To demonstrate, I filled up Tilley's bowl with warm whey and she slurped it all up in about ten seconds, licking the bowl and licking the ground where a little bit was splashed.
And that's it for me this afternoon. It's 18 minutes to "Cup" time. All of Australia will fall silent as the horses thunder around the track, and then the two mile (3200 metre) equine scamper will be over for another year.
Was googling myself again this morning. Yes I know, I should stop it or I'll go blind.
Found this four legged version of myself.
Fetching.
Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet
The Times, 27 October, 2009: People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to a leading authority on global warming.
In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said: Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the worlds resources. A vegetarian diet is better.
"Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into people."
John P. Wiley Jr, (quoting Edward R. Harrison, Smithsonian Magazine, December 1995)
The house starts to fill! The tiered seating faciltated a perfect view of the cooking, with the aid of overhead mirrors.
Crisp wanton pastry sheets filled with whipped cream and mangoes made for a crunchy dessert! Here's Greg with his resounding bite.
All eyes on Greg as he took the plunge.
Pretty bogus captions, I know. Greg did assure me that he didn't mind being recorded mid-bite for posterity. He got his wishes fulfilled.
I had a great day. It was my 10th year at Cooking Coordinates, and my 18th class there. For me, the "icing on the cake" was this letter.
"Hi Kurma
I attended your class in Canberra today... thank you, it was wonderful. I'm writing to you so that you might post this little tip on your website.
I had an unfortunate accident today, where I spilled your delicious Chickpeas in Tomato Glaze all down the front of my white skirt. The lady next to me, and your assistant both told me that I would never get the stain out due to the turmeric. They suggested I consider dying my skirt yellow!
When I got home after the class, I poured pure Eucalyptus oil straight onto the stains. I let it soak for a few minutes and then poured soda water on top and used paper towel to dab the water off.
I then put the skirt into the wash and when it came out the stains were completely gone - not even a yellow tinge. I thought you and your readers might be interested given how often you cook with turmeric.
I am told that it works well with other stains too, eg. red wine. The trick is not to do anything to the stain before pouring the Eucalyptus oil on. I usually use Eucalyptus oil instead of fabric softener... no chemicals, your clothes are soft and they smell fantastic (it also helps keep the moths away).
Thanks again for a wonderful day,
Tamara"
I'm off to the national capital Canberra by bus - a comfy non-stop journey. I'll be snuggling down to some transcendental Ipod delights on the way.
In my opinion, three-and-a-half pleasant hours on the highway is a superior and vastly cheaper choice to an overcrowded airport gefuffle, being crammed into a plane at an ungodly, pressurised altitude.
A Saturday morning demonstration class is on my weekend menu. Demonstration classes differ from hands-on classes. As the name suggests, the guests (rather than participants) will be sitting and watching me cook, and tasting each course as it comes their way. Tiered seating plus a mirror over the cooking arena gives a great view for all.
I'm trying out a new menu, based on a tapas theme. Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm.
Outside of Spain, tapas has evolved into an entire cuisine. Patrons of tapas restaurants can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation where people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them.
The word tapas is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, to cover. The connection is a whole other story, too lengthy for this blog.
Our menu:
Vegetarian World Tapas
North Indian-style Butter-soft Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Glaze, Sicilian Eggplant Appetiser (Caponata) served with toasted Turkish Bread, Feta, Haloumi & Potato Spring Rolls with Green Pea Chutney, Tex-Mex Hot Cheddar & Jalapeno Chili Biscuits, Oven-Roasted Cauliflower & Stir-fried Snow Peas with Cashews, Mango & Cream Wonton 'Sandwiches'.
This style of class is a challenge. Three hours of simultaneous entertaining, educating, communicating, and of course quality cooking of 6 tastings for 40, all with non-stop-banter, requires the utmost concentration and professionalism. As always, I'll give it my best shot.
Oh, there's a few vacancies. Here's the details:
Cooking Co-ordinates Cookery School,
Belconnen, Canberra ACT,
Morning Workshop, Saturday 24 October,
Bookings call 02 6253 5133.
It's a virtual return to Roxby Downs to be more precise. You may recall a few warm-up articles about my visit to Roxby Downs, here, here, and here.
The Roxby Downs Monitor has written an accurate write-up of my visit last week for a weekend of cookery fun. Read the article.... (You'll need to scroll down a tad when you get there).
In fact it was Jennie from the Monitor who attended the first day of classes and wrote the article. That's Jennie (above, second from the right with her partner Mick standing behind) as we posed in the mid-morning desert sun out back of the school where we conducted the class.
Our venue for the weekend was the Home Economics classrooms of Roxby Downs Area School.
Our small but intimate team get the lowdown on the timeless art of cooking tasty hot wholewheat flatbreads (chapatis).
The Roxby Rollers in full swing.
Finishing off a delectable batch of fresh panir cheese, tomatoes and green peas (matar panir).
Our second day of classes was a bigger gathering, but the warm sun had disappeared behind looming cloud cover. Would it rain? Indeed not. It hardly rains in Roxby.
This is Bernie, our clever and imaginative facilitator, who made it all happen in Roxby. Thank you Bernie.
The groaning banquet table called us forth for a second time on the Sunday afternoon.
It wasn't long before I found myself back in the humble Olympic Dam airport, poised for the long flight home.
It's one of the smallest airports I have ever visited, but it got me where I needed to go.
Farewell Roxby Downs, see you next year!
If animals could write...
Excerpts from a Dog's Diary
"8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing! 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing! 12:00 pm - Lunch! My favourite thing! 1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favourite thing! 3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing! 5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favourite thing! 7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favourite thing! 8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing! 11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!"
Excerpts from a Cat's Diary
"Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.
In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow - but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now."
Living Near Green Lowers Anxiety, Depression Rates, Study Finds
By Kristen Hallam
Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- People living near gardens, parks and other green spaces have lower rates of anxiety, depression and poor physical health than those living in urban areas, Dutch researchers found.
The scientists reviewed the medical records of more than 345,000 people in the Netherlands and calculated the percentage of green space near the patients homes. For those with 10 percent of green space within a 1-kilometer radius of their homes, the prevalence of anxiety disorders was 26 out of 1,000 people, according to the study. In a residential area that was 90 percent green, the prevalence was 18 out of 1,000.
Better health may stem from access to fresher air and more opportunities to relax, socialize or exercise, though more research is needed to confirm those theories, said Jolanda Maas and colleagues at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Expanding green spaces may help prevent chronic illnesses that cost billions of dollars to treat each year, they said.
The role of green space in the living environment for health should not be underestimated, they wrote in the study published in the British Medical Journals Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Most of the diseases which were found to be related to the percentage of green space in the living environment are highly prevalent in society and in many countries, they are the subject of large-scale prevention programs.
The study also found fewer cases of depression, heart disease, back pain and asthma among those living near green spaces. The link between green space and health was strongest for children and people with low incomes, who are less mobile and spend more time closer to home, the study found.
The research was funded by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
"With many charming jewel boulders, the mountain named Govardhana offers a sitting place for Lord Krsna. With the cooing of many birds Govardhana offers Lord Krsna a welcome. With its swiftly flowing streams filled with lotus flowers, durva grass, and syamaka seeds, Govardhana offers padya. With limitless new shoots of darbha grass growing near deer-hoofprint puddles, Govardhana offers arghya.
With ponds where jati, lavanga and kakkola grow on the shores Govardhana offers acamaniya. With fresh, fresh, fresh, yoghurt, ghee, and honey Govardhana offers madhuparka. With water from a clear spring at its summit Govardhana offers bathing water.
With golden tree bark, fine like silk, Govardhana offers garments. With fragrant powders, sandal paste, and red and white minerals Govardhana offers fragrant ointment. With blooms of malati vines and other vines Govardhana offers pleasing flowers.
With the dust raised by the surabhi cows hooves Govardhana offers incense. With the glistening of its many jewels Govardhana offers a glittering lamp even in the daytime. With charming gunja, peacock feathers, clusters of flowers, and many other pleasing objects, Govardhana offers ornaments.
With pleasing fruits and roots Govardhana offers delicious meals. With cool flower-scented water mixed with fragrant and pure tulasi leaves Govardhana offers water to rinse the mouth. With campaka flowers and other glorious blooming flowers moving in the gentle breeze Govardhana offers arati.
With budding nakula flowers and other trees Govardhana offers a graceful parasol. With blooming branches moving in the breezes from the Malaya Hills, Govardhana offers the service of fanning Lord Krsna. With the dancing of the cooing peacocks Govardhana offers a festival of dancing.
When, attracted by Krsnas flute music carried by the breeze, a gopi comes, Govardhana prepares a soft couch of flowers. With the cuckoos cooing Govardhana makes sweet singing. Gazing at Lord Krsna and performing these services to please Him, Govardhana Hill confirms his reputation as the best of the Lords servants."
(from Sri Gopala-campu, 1.77)
This festival was brought to the West in the 1960's by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, affectionately known as Prabhupada, who is the Founder and Acharya of the Hare Krishna Movement. Nowadays this event is celebrated 'simultaneously' (staggered actually, in all the world's time zones) all over the planet.
Here's a gorgeous hand-crafted miniature hill-cake of confectionery, painstakingly crafted at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire, England, and created almost entirely out of milk from the temple dairy herd.
Here's a colossal offering of many hundreds of varieties of sanctified vegetarian delicacies. Not sure where it is, though I found the picture on the Phoenix, Arizona Hare Krishna Temple website.
This one is at the Hare Krishna Temple in Brooklyn, New York.
And this one's closer to home - at New Govardhana, the famous Hare Krishna Farming Community near Murwillumbah, northern New South Wales.
The hills of prasadam, spiritualized foods, take sometimes days to prepare, but only minutes to be demolished and eaten.
A taste of this trancendental food will infuse you with Divine Love, bhakti. Check your nearest Hare Krishna Temple for details of this once-a-year event.
Just one week to go for my annual cookery class in Australia's capital Canberra. If you live in or near this spacious, airy city and haven't been to a class of mine before, here's your chance. There's a few vacancies left. But hurry - this class always fills. Here's the details.
Cooking Co-ordinates Cookery School, Belconnen, Canberra ACT, Morning Workshop, Saturday 24 October, Bookings call 02 6253 5133.
My Dad is unwell so I'm keeping a close watch on him from my office that adjoins his bedroom. In the meantime I'm blogging away merrily.
I did a search for something and fell upon some articles written by Manoj, a friend and facilitator of my classes on La Trobe University Campus earlier this year. It's nice to read a report written by someone else for a change. I especially liked part 4 and part 5.
By the way, just in case you'll ask, that's not my Dad, nor is it Manoj cutting the pumpkins.
Melissa from Australia wrote:
"Hello, I would love to make a chickpea curry and I would like to serve it up with Poori but don't have a recipe. I would love it if you could give me a recipe for Poori. By the way your recipes are by far the best i've come across on the internet. Thanks a bunch. Warm regards Melissa."
North Indian Puffed Fried Breads (Poories)
Popular over all of India, pooris are ideal to cook for small dinners, parties or even festivals with hundreds of guests. On a number of occasions, I've cooked 500 or more pooris in a few hours for big feasts. Once you get the rhythm down, it's effortless and rewarding. Pooris are traditionally made with straight wholemeal flour, but you can vary the ingredients. One-half chapati flour or atta, and one-half unbleached plain flour makes lighter breads.
If you're expert at rolling, try using just plain flour for translucent, gossamer-thin pooris. You can add yeast to your pooris for light, bread-like results, or add spices to your dough; you can sprinkle sugar on top of pooris for a sweet snack, or you can stuff them with various sweet and savoury fillings. Pooris are traditionally eaten hot, straight out of the ghee or oil, and are even great served at room temperature for picnics or snacks when travelling. Makes about 16 pooris.
2 cups sifted atta flour or half atta and half-unbleached plain flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee, 2/3 cup warm water, or as needed, ghee or oil for deep-frying.
Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter or ghee until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add up to 2/3 cup of water, slowly pouring in just enough to form a medium-soft kneadable dough. Turn the dough onto a clean working surface and knead for 5 - 8 minutes or until silky smooth. Cover with an overturned bowl and leave for ½ - 3 hours.
Knead the dough again for 1 minute. Divide the dough into 16 portions, roll them into smooth balls, and cover them with a damp cloth.
Preheat the ghee or oil in a wok or deep pan over low heat. Roll all the balls of dough into smooth disks about 11½ - 12½ cm wide with a rolling pin. Increase the ghee or oil temperature until it reaches about 185°C/365°F.
Lift up a rolled poori and slip it into the hot oil, making sure it doesn't fold over. It will sink to the bottom then immediately rise to the surface. Hold it under the surface with a slotted spoon until it puffs up into a balloon. After a few seconds, when it is browned to a light-golden colour, turn it over and cook the other side to an even golden colour. Lift out the poori with the slotted spoon and carefully drain it in a large colander.
Repeat for all the pooris. Serve immediately, if possible, or leave in a preheated, slightly warm oven for up to 2 hours.
Mario from St Andrews, NSW, wrote more on cutting boards:
"I read with great interest you opinion on wooden cutting boards in "Backblog # 1 Wooden Versus Plastic Cutting Boards".
I can still remember the debate in butcher shops because they were forced to throw away the old wooden chopping blocks and buy new plastic ones. As it happenned, chemicals had to be used extensively to sterilize these new blocks. Not long after the decision had to be reversed because it was found that wood, even years after being cut from the tree, still retained its natural ability to neutralize bacteria.
A useful experiment, although a bit wasteful, is to place a piece of home made paneer on a wooden board and one on a plastic board. Put them out of reach of children and leave them for a week. Interesting results:
The panir on the plastic board becomes quite slimey and unpleasant looking and smelling while the second piece on the wooden board starts to harden with a small amount of growth which resembles normal cheese production."
These workmen are cleaning up at the end of the day after installing bollards to stop nurses from parking on the pavement outside Belfast's Royal Hospital. What's wrong with this picture?
