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Surya namaskar means salutations to the sun. Surya is sun and Namaskar is salutations. The origin of the Surya Namaskar is found in the Vedas, one of the most ancient scriptures of India. In India, the sun is deeply revered and worshipped as a powerful manifestation of the Divine. Therefore, worshipping the sun translates into surrendering yourself to God.
It is said and believed that a capable and healthy person must practice Surya Namaskar every day and one who practices it every day will never fall ill in life. However, an incapable person with pain in the back or waist is advised not to practice Surya Namaskar, as it involves bending forward.
Surya Namaskar is a complete body workout that involves complete workout of the hands, legs, neck, shoulders, waist, back, spinal cord, abdomen and pelvic region. Basic Surya Namaskar consists of 12 different poses coupled with rhythmic breathing. You finish a complete round when you have performed two consecutive sets. Easy breathing is followed in surya namaskar. You have to exhale when you bend forward and inhale when you bend backwards.
Surya Namaskar is a spiritually uplifting exercise for everyone and is especially beneficial for women during postpartum period. It is a holistic exercise, performed slowly and gracefully. It gives mental and physical health benefits by relaxing your mind and improving your balance and flexibility of your muscles, bones and ligaments of your entire body.
In the video below, I am doing the basic Surya Namaskar. You can incorporate several other asanas/postures in order to enhance the benefits you get out of it.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Onion Chutney - All Purpose and Tangy
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This is my own recipe of onion chutney that you can relish with dosa, idli, uttappam, malabar parotta, etc. It is my native recipe of onion chutney or sammandi ( as the people from central malabar, Kerala call it) but I have improvised it a little to make it a little more tangy. Small madras onions are used as opposed to big onions, as small onions are a bit more pungent and less sweet than big onions.
Ingredients - (as shown in the picture below) - 200 gms of small madras onions, 4 flakes of garlic, (you can add a few more, if you like garlic), 4 green chillies (not very hot), 2 sprigs of curry leaves and 2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder (it is not pungent as opposed to red hot chilli powder), salt to taste and 2 tsp coconut oil.
Fry all the ingredients together, without adding the curry leaves and kashmiri chilli powder, on medium flame, until the onions turn translucent and soft.
Grind the fried mixture, along with curry leaves, chilli powder, salt and 2 tbsp water.
and voila! tasty, tangy onion chutney is ready. Add 2 tsp of coconut oil ( or more, if you prefer) over the top of the chutney and mix well. Coconut oil gives out its aromatic flavor that is typical with this chutney.
Note: My aunt, who lives in a small village in Kerala, makes onion chutney, that is to die for. She only uses small onions, whole red chillies and salt, that is lightly fried and then ground. The reason for its extraordinary taste is that its is ground on a stone, (picture below) that is still used in several households in the villages. Grinding on stone enhances the flavor of food tremendously. Whenever I visit my native village, the unpolluted air and the sweet water from the well, works up my appetite so much that I find myself relishing the simple food that is cooked in a simple fashion with minimum spices.
This is my own recipe of onion chutney that you can relish with dosa, idli, uttappam, malabar parotta, etc. It is my native recipe of onion chutney or sammandi ( as the people from central malabar, Kerala call it) but I have improvised it a little to make it a little more tangy. Small madras onions are used as opposed to big onions, as small onions are a bit more pungent and less sweet than big onions.
Ingredients - (as shown in the picture below) - 200 gms of small madras onions, 4 flakes of garlic, (you can add a few more, if you like garlic), 4 green chillies (not very hot), 2 sprigs of curry leaves and 2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder (it is not pungent as opposed to red hot chilli powder), salt to taste and 2 tsp coconut oil.
Fry all the ingredients together, without adding the curry leaves and kashmiri chilli powder, on medium flame, until the onions turn translucent and soft.
Grind the fried mixture, along with curry leaves, chilli powder, salt and 2 tbsp water.
and voila! tasty, tangy onion chutney is ready. Add 2 tsp of coconut oil ( or more, if you prefer) over the top of the chutney and mix well. Coconut oil gives out its aromatic flavor that is typical with this chutney.
Note: My aunt, who lives in a small village in Kerala, makes onion chutney, that is to die for. She only uses small onions, whole red chillies and salt, that is lightly fried and then ground. The reason for its extraordinary taste is that its is ground on a stone, (picture below) that is still used in several households in the villages. Grinding on stone enhances the flavor of food tremendously. Whenever I visit my native village, the unpolluted air and the sweet water from the well, works up my appetite so much that I find myself relishing the simple food that is cooked in a simple fashion with minimum spices.
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