Cooking is a medium to express yourself; let’s start cooking!

With the fast world we run behind money, wealth, luxuries, designations, social acceptance, achievements ……………. The blank is for you to fill, if you find more.

In this long run have we ever felt something is lacking in our lives? We might be doing our best to others; for our parents, husband, children, relations, and friends; but still we find there is a gap which makes us bit distant from our loved ones. If I am not wrong, it’s the expression of love which we have missed in everyone’s life.

Most of us do not know how to express our love, affection to our loved ones. In my personal perspective vanishing of the concept of cooking from our homes is one of the main reasons for our poor expression of love. Sometimes the food can speak better than words. Have you ever noticed that? Today the domestic engineer is contributing a lot for the economical upliftment of the family by compromising cooking and feeding.

Is this transformation good for our social health?

Exactly no. In the past, going out with the family members and dining from a restaurant was a source of relaxation. But today as we are spending most of our time outside, staying in our homes and cooking something by ourselves is the best way to relax. When a home maker initiates cooking, a language of love speaks where it helps to strengthen the bonds. "But cooking is easier than people think. It can drastically improve your health and is more fun and cheaper than eating out. And no matter your ability, anyone can learn to do it." Says Dr. Eisenberg in Harvard health publishing.

When you embrace cooking to your lives; you will always focus on giving the healthiest to your loved ones. You will be prone to add more fresh fruits, vegetables and sources of proteins to the diets making them the balanced diets. You will always try to avoid artificial additive and flavors. If you have a member in the family with a health impairment such as diabetes, high blood pressure… You will be keen on selecting the best food for him/her. You will keep on learning about the nutrient content of each food and you will be an instant healer at times where your loved ones are not well. When your family get delicious food from home; they tend to limit the consumption of junk food. One of the catastrophic result of junk food is the destruction of phytophonics. Phytophonics are free radicles which are available in our food to prevent us being subjected to diseases. If we can limit the consumption of junk food by our family members … Yes of course we are much successful as homemakers. This success in return can promote the motivation you have on cooking. Such kind of motivation leads you to prepare variety of dishes with the without compromising taste or nutrients. At such instances, even your life partner, children and other family members will love to accompany you by giving a helping hand. This will directly increase the productive time you spend with your family members and thus strengthen the family bonding. And further, the tastier you cook, the more you love to share your food with your neighbors, relations and friends which is a good mode of building up social relationships.

Another interesting fact; cooking nutrient meals for your family will not only protect the physical health and social bonding but also the mental welling of your loved ones. As per various literature sources I have gone through, having a balanced and safe diet is beneficial for mental health. For instance; dishes which contain more fruits & vegetables provide antioxidants that help to prevent cell damages. Also healthy fats found in fish is considered to be good for our blood vessels and brain. Further they are found to have an anti-inflammatory response which is supportive in avoiding inflammation.

This is another fascinating attempt by creative kitchen girl on making a stunning dish which is more like a balanced diet. It’s the Jaffna odiyal kool or spicy Jaffna sea food soup. As per the facts shared by my grandmother it’s a good healing meal for cold flu. When reviewed about the nutrient content of this dish, it has sufficient amount of omega -3 fatty acids as it a good combination of sea food. In addition the vegetables used here is bit contrasting than the normal vegetable soup we make. Long beans, tapioca, jack fruit, drumstick leaves and jackfruit seeds are used here which add some nutrient content to the dish. Most important ingredient of this dish is use Palmyra tuber flour or Odiyal flour. Odiyal flour is found to be a good for the digestion. At the same time this improves in boosting of the metabolic activity, improving the blood circulation, weight loss activity, heart health, infant health, immune system, and also contribute to prevent from cancers.

Let’s start cooking Jaffna kool with creative kitchen girl

Recipe credit goes to my grandmother

· Fish – 500g

· Cuttlefish/Squid – 300g

· Prawn/Shrimp – 300g

· Crab – 300g

· Long beans – 100g

· Tapioca – 250g

· Jack fruit-200g

· Jackfruit seeds – 200g

· Palmyra tuber flour/Odiyal flour –3 full table spoons)

· Brown rice – 50g (cooked)

· Red chili flakes – 50g(I used a special chilie powder made according to my grandmothers recipe)

· Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon

· Pinch of salt – As per your taste

· Thin tamarind juice – 200

· Water – 1000ml

· Few stings of drumstick leaves

· Few garlic cloves

Here we go….

· Cut and wash all the sea food items. Then add these pieces of fish, squid, prawns & crabs in to a large cooking pot. Add salt and turmeric powder. Cook them (covered with a lid) in high flame for about 15 minutes. In between give several good mixing.

· Then add all the carb vegetables (excluding long beans and drumstick leaves) and cook covered for another 15 minutes. Mix hem in between. Check whether the vegetables and sea food is cooked enough. If not continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

· While cooking now smash the vegetables using the back side of the spoon you used to mix.

· Add the long beans and then let it be cooked for another 5 to 7 minutes uncovered.

· Add the chili flakes and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the tamarind juice. Mix well. Later add the cooked rice.

· Finally add the odiyal flour mixture (mixed with a cup of water). Then stir it continuously for some time till your hand feels that the soup is getting thick and everything is well mixed. Taste and add the lacking spices.

· Once the soup is taken out from the stove, add the drumstick leaves and give a final mix.

Odiyal kool is ready to be served.

Something to think of….

Cooking is both self and self-less care which meets the basic need of you and others. Cooking brings everyone together; helps to build communities which ultimately gives us the feeling of bonding and happiness.

Let’s start learning cooking with the basic, keeping three things in the mind; cooking is easy, funny and anyone can do it without having any master’s qualifications.

Just watch few cooking videos of simple recipes you will get the curiosity to try it out. Say Hi to your kitchen with some of the short and sweet recipes like fruits &vegetable salads, omelet, toasts. With the eventual development of the skills, you can go ahead with more and more carbohydrate dishes and full meals.

The more you cook varieties; healthier you live

By creative kitchen girl@yummypots