Jawas Podi/जवस पोड़ी/Jawas chutney (spicy powder mix of flaxseeds)

Jawaspodi (Spicy powder mix of Flaxseeds) 

Flaxseeds (jawas) are those super food which is rich in vitamins, Micronutrients, water soluble fibers as well as water insoluble fibers. They are rich in minerals like copper, magnesium and calcium. 

Much needed omega-3 fatty acid and anti oxidants are richly present in them. So there is no doubt that Flax seeds are super food. 

Flax seeds are helpful in management of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. 

Flax seeds combined with ground nuts, sesame seeds, garlic enhance not only taste but adds lot more nutrients. 

This spicy powder mix is quite popular in western and Southern parts of India. 

Podi basically means powder. In Maharashtra it is called chutney. Dry powder can be stored in airtight container in fridge for as long as three four months, but one should make sure it does not come in contact with moisture at all. 

Flax seeds powder mix (Podi /chutney) can be taken as side dish with steamed rice-daal /roti-sabzi or with stuffed Paranthas. I even enjoy it with Dosa) Idli. 

Preparation Time : 10 minutes (peeling garlic) 

Cooking Time : 30 minutes (roasting seeds) 

Grinding Time : 10 minutes 

Servings : 255 gm (approx) 

Nutritional value of 225 gm Flaxseeds spicy powder (Jawas Podi Jawas)Chutney) : (approx. Values) 

• Energy : 800 cals 
• Fats : 82 gm 
• Carbs: 50 gm
• Proteins: 42 gm
• Cholesterol: 0 
• Sugars: 7.25gm 
• Fiber: 40 gm (20 - 40 %water soluble, 80 —60 %water insoluble) 
• Sodium: 15 mg 
• Potassium: 570 mg
• Micronutrients copper, Sulphur, Phosphorus magnesium,calcium, antioxidants 
• Vitamins B1, A, D 
• Omega 3 fatty acid 

Ingredients Required for Making Flax seed powder mix (jawas Podi /chutney) 

• Flax seeds: 100 gm
• Ground nuts : 50 gm 
• Sesame seeds : 50 gm
• Garlic : 50 gm (approx.) / 15-20 medium size pods
• Red Kashmiri whole chilies : 4-5
• Whole Red chilies : 3-4/to taste 
• Seedless Tamarind : 10-15 small pieces or to taste 
• Salt : 2 teaspoon / to taste 

Direction for making Flax seeds powder mix (jawas Podi/ chutney) 

• Break whole chilies and remove seeds. 
• Roast Flax seeds on low heat with constant stirring to make sure even roasting. 
• While roasting Flax seeds you will see that after some time oil starts oozing and covering seeds. This is normal thing to happen and indicates that seeds are nearly roasted. 
• When Flax seeds start spluttering nice aroma will start coming. Immediately remove Flax seeds from hot pan and transfer them to a plate. Hot seeds will keep cooking due to  hot oil in them. 
• While Flax seeds are cooling dry roast ground nuts on low heat to light brown. Transfer roasted nuts to a plate to cool so that their peel can be removed. 
• Dry roast on low heat sesame seeds to light brown. Seeds will splutter indicating their readiness to be removed from heat. 
• Dry roast chili pieces on low flame till they become crisp and change color but make sure they don't burn off. Burnt chilies spoil the taste of Podi. 
• Remove the brown cover (peel) of roasted ground nuts. 

Roasted Ingredients and salt 

• Place 
• Roasted Flax seeds 
• Roasted Ground nuts
• Roasted Sesame seeds 
• Roasted Red Chili pieces 
• Roasted Red Kashmiri chili pieces 
• Roasted Garlic 
• Salt 
• Tamarind in a mixer and grind them to powder. 
• While grinding the roasted ingredients the mixer and the ingredients in it will warm up. Stop in between to let it cool. 
• The oil from seeds and nuts will give lovely texture and flavor to the powder mix /Podi /chutney. 
• I prefer finely powdered mix. Some people like little coarsely powdered. So do as per your liking. 
• Flax seed powder mix /Podi /chutney is ready. 
• Store it in airtight container and keep in fridge. The oil may go rancid in few months if not stored in cool place. 
• I prefer storing it in two three small airtight containers so that only one is opened at a time till it finishes rest of tjw Podi is stored safe in containers. 
• Make sure moisture does not come in contact (wet spoon) while taking out Podi from container. 
• Enjoy this healthy, Nutritious, tasty Podi as side dish with dal-chawal /roti-sabzi/parantha/dosa /Idli or sprinkle little on pakoras. Permutation combinations are endless. 

Jawaspodi (Spicy powder mix of Flaxseeds) 

Tips: 

• Always do roasting of ingredients on low heat and do not over roast them. Over roasting will spoil the taste, flavor and destroy nutrients. 
• Roasting on high heat will not give that nutty flavor and may cause burning of ingredients. 
• While grinding the mixture stop the mixer in between to cool the ingredient and container. 

• Check the hotness of chilies before adding. 

Alternate Suggestions :

• Garlic though adds flavor and goodness to Podi but if one wants it can be avoided. 
• Flaxseed meal may be an alternative to Flaxseeds but without roasting that nutty flavor will not come. 
• Dry roasted coconut pieces (upto 50 gm) can be added along with other ingredients. 

Jawaspodi /Jawas chutney 

Gravy Lazawab(Poppy Seed Based Gravy)

As it is said that how a person is dressed makes the first impression, how the person speaks makes the second impression and the last impression is made by the behavior. The same is true for food also. The first look and smell will make the first impression of food on the person. And in Vegetables / Chicken / Paneer (Cottage Cheese) with gravy, the texture and color of gravy is the big deciding factor. The taste of the Vegetables ,Chicken or Paneer (Cottage Cheese) can be changed by simply changing the gravy.

Preparation Time: 10 min.

Cooking time: 30 min.

Servings: Sufficient for 1/2 kg vegetables/ chicken/ paneer (Cottage Cheese)

Ingredients Required For White Gravy:

• 100gm.Onions( cut to long pieces.)
• 25 gm. Garlic-Ginger paste.
• 2 Tea spoon paste of Poppy seeds.
• 2 Tea spoons of Sesame seeds paste.
• White pepper powder to taste. 
• 50 ml. Cream.(4 Tea spoon of fresh Malai )
• Salt to taste.
• 2 Bay leaves.
• 3-4 Cloves.
• 2cm. Piece of Cinnamon.
• 1 Pinch of Nutmeg Powder.
• 10-15 ml. Cooking oil.
• 200ml. water.

Direction For Preparing White Gravy:

• Take a thick bottom wok and 8-10 ml. oil in it and heat.
• When smoking hot add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves and cook for 1 min.
• Low the heat and add onions and cook on low flame till completely transparent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2-3 min. on low flame.
• Allow it to cool .
• Remove Bay leaves, cinnamon stick and grind to paste ( if required add very little water).
• Add the remaining oil in wok and heat.
• Add sesame paste and cook for 1min.
• Add poppy seeds paste and cook for 2-3 min.
• Add the cooked paste of onion, garlic, ginger and cook for 4-5min.
• Add white pepper powder and cook for 1min.
• Add nutmeg powder and cook for 1min.
• Add 100-150-ml. of water, salt and cook for 4-5min.
• Add cream, cook for 1 min. and remove from heat.
• Cover and leave for 4-5min. The gravy will become thick, creamy and yummy!!!  

 Sauteed  Vegetables / Chicken / Paneer (Cottage Cheese) added to this gravy and cooked for  5 mins. and further allowed to stand covered for 5-10 mins. makes the perfect Veg/ Non-Veg dish

Tip(s):

• Always take a thick bottom wok this will ensure that onions are properly cooked without turning red / brown.
• Those who do not take onion/garlic the amount of poppy seeds paste can be increased to 5-6 spoons.
• Make sure the poppy seed and sesame seed paste is cooked properly.
• The color of the paste of poppy seeds and sesame seeds will change to little transparent when cooked.
• Do not add too much water as it will change the texture and taste of gravy.
• Soak the poppy / sesame seeds for 30min. before making paste.
• The gravy will taste little sweetish so if you want you can add dry mango powder according to the taste.
• To add color to the prepared dish season it with fried whole red chili, cherry and sprig of coriander.

 Oops!!! my son is not going to like the last sentence. He does not like coriander. But it can always be replaced by Kasoori Methi (dry methi).

16 Tips To Make Your Kitchen Work Easy.

Despite of being a regular hand in the kitchen some times practical difficulties are faced. This blog has taken shape from the experience of my elders passed on to me when i was a new bee in the kitchen and saved me from many difficulties. I dedicate this blog to my granny, mother and all those ladies who taught me the finer points of kitchen.

• Make puree of tomatoes when less expensive and store in fridge as cubes. Handy and easy to use for one and all.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

•  While making the gravy for any vegetable, chicken, mutton, Rajama, Chana .

• Do not make paste of onion, garlic, ginger and then fry.

•   Instead, first cut the onions, garlic and ginger to pieces.

•  Shallow fry them using little oil in a nonstick thick bottom wok.

• Once the mix of onion, garlic, ginger is golden brown allow it to cool and then grind.

               You will save time, energy and of course the oil required will   also be reduced. Thus making the food less oily!!!

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

• Instead of buying garlic, ginger pastes from market make it at home.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/11/home-made-ginger-garlic-paste.html

Home Made Ginger-Garlic Paste

•     For working ladies and mothers with very small children it is really helpful to store the cooked paste of onion, garlic and ginger in the fridge

          The cooked paste can be stored in deep freeze for a month without   

           getting  spoilt. Just take the required amount, thaw it and use.!!!!!!!!!:)

• If by mistake salt is added in excess then

• Take a medium size potato.

• Wash, peel and cut it to 4 big pieces,

• Add it to the vegetable along with little water and cook the vegetable gravy to required thickness.

• Remove the potato.

• Potato will absorb the salt and save you from trouble.

This can be done for vegetables with gravy, not to dry vegetables.

• If during cooking food gets stuck to the bottom of the container and starts getting burnt,

• Do not scrape it immediately.

• Remove it from gas.

• Remove the lid and allow it to cool so that the burnt smell escapes.

•  Once cooled remove the food layer by layer without disturbing the burnt part.

• Old bread from the fridge should not be discarded but can be cut to 2 cm. pieces and added to Poha.

• Old bread can be dried and powdered to use as crust for making cutlets/ fish fry.

• To maintain green color of spinach in Palak Paneer,

• Dunk the cleaned and washed spinach in salted boiling water and remove after 2-3 min.

• Grind it to thick and added the paste to the paneer masala and cook for just 2 min.

• Added 1 tea spoon of coriander leaves paste just before removing from gas

                  Vegetable will come out of beautiful green color.

• To increase the shelf life on Semolina (Suji), Ground nuts,and sesame seeds :, palak Paneer,

• Roast them before storing.

• While making vegetable of Okra (Bhindi),

• Do not add salt in the starting.

• Add all spices except salt, cover and cook on low flame.

• When all sliminess of bhindi disappears then add salt and mix gently and cook till done.

                   This way the okra vegetable will always come out nice and dry.

• As far as possible cook food in nonstick pans,

• This ensures less oil consumption.

• Least possibility if food sticking at the bottom.!

• For those who are weight conscious and so purchase toned milk,

• Instead get full cream milk.

• Heat it 10-12hrs. Before required time and keep in fridge.

• All cream (Malai) will get deposited at the top.

• Remove the cream and collect it in a bowl.

• After a week take it out and beat nicely using your fingers/fork/egg beater.

• Butter will separate.

• Remove the butter use it or heat it on low flame to convert it to Ghee.

• Add some curd to the left over milky liquid and keep it overnight, fat less butter milk is ready for consuming.

• Else heat the milky liquid, paneer will separate which can be used to make stuffed paratha/paneer bhujji.

Do not keep the cream in the fridge for more than 10 days else it will start getting rancid.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-ghee-clarified-butter-at-home.html

• Try to dry and store Methi, Palak, during season when it is less expensive.

• Just clean (do not wash) and shade dry.

•  It comes handy when vegetables are either very expensive or leafy vegetables are not available in market.

• Just take handful of dried vegetable soak in water for 10min., sieve wash with running water in a sieve.

•  Cook with potato pieces and make tasty  vegetable/add it to dough of whole wheat flour and make tasty puri, parathas.
• Kasoori Methi is nothing but dried methi leaves and is very expensive in market, so you will have home made Kasoori methi !!

• While cleaning chicken rub it with lemon it will not smell.

• While making chicken biryani do not discard the skin. Boil it with 2-3 cloves, 1cm. cinnamon stick, and pinch of nutmeg powder. Filter and use the stalk for cooking the rice instead of water, it will enhance the flavor of biryani.

• To the marinade of mutton add 2 tea spoons of raw papaya paste.

• Mutton with cook better and fast.

• Do not add papaya paste to chicken