Snake Gourd, Club Gourd, Chichinda

• Snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) is extremely long fruit and only distantly related to the common cucumber.
• It is cultivated in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, West Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and tropical Australia.
• The fruit is white cylindrical, slender, tapering with a waxy surface. It is orange in color when ripe and pulpy red at maturity. The fruit can reach 150 cm long. Its soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the luffa (sponge gourd) and calabash (bottle gourd).
• Common names include snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, and padwal.
• The snake gourd is rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.
• The fruit is rich in dietary fiber and contains many medicinal compounds.
• The snake gourd consists of substantial amount of moisture and little protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate. It creates a cooling effect in the body.
• Its mineral and vitamin contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, substantial amount of carotene, little thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.
• It is a low-calorie food; diabetics can safely include it to reduce weight while getting enough nutrition.

Oats

Oats are available in several forms.

• Oat Groats are the whole seed with only the outer hull removed.

• Oats Flakes are Oat groats that are steamed, rolled, and flaked.

• ‘Old fashioned’ Oats are the Oat groats that are steamed, pressed with a roller and then dried without further processing. They contain all parts of the oat grain including the bran, endosperm and germ portion.

• Quick Oats are steel cut oat groats that are flaked to .014 to .018 inches thick. They require minimal cooking but, as a result, sacrifice some of the nutty flavor and texture; they are most often used in baking.

• Steel Cut Oats are whole oats that have not been rolled into flakes. Instead, they are cut approximately into thirds. These oats are chewy and often used for oatmeal and muesli. Steel Cut Oats are also known as Scotch Oats, Pinhead Oats (in Great Britain because they resemble the size and shape of the head of a large pin) and Irish Oats.

• Oat Bran is the outer coating of the oat grain which is even higher in fiber. It is usually available at health food stores.

• Oat Flour comes from ground oat groats and contains no gluten (gluten-free). Oat flour contains natural antioxidants that can actually prolong the shelf-life of baked goods. It is usually available at health food stores.

• Oatmeal Powder is the processed coarse powder prepared from Oatmeal, which, when cooked, becomes a thick broth. Finer oatmeal powder is often used as baby food.

Capsicum / Green Bell Peppers

English Name : Chili pepper or Green Bell Pepper

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Shimla Mirch

• In Northern India and Pakistan, word capsicum is exclusively used for Capsicum annuum.
• The species is a source of popular sweet peppers and hot chilies with numerous varieties cultivated all around the world.
• In the United States and Canada, the common heatless species is referred to as bell peppers, sweet peppers, red/green/etc. peppers, or simply peppers, while the hot species are collectively called chilies or chili peppers or hot peppers or named as a specific variety (e.g., banana pepper).
• In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the heatless varieties are called bell peppers, sweet peppers or peppers (green/red peppers, etc.) while the hot ones are chilies or chili peppers.
• In Australia, New Zealand and India, heatless species are called as capsicums, while hot ones are called chilies. The term ‘bell peppers’ is almost never used, although Capsicum annuum and other varieties which have a bell-shape and are fairly hot, are often called bell chilies.

Yardlong Bean

• The Yardlong Bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) is a long, thin Asian bean, also known as the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean.
• It can measure from one to three feet in length, but are best eaten when they are 12 to 20 inches long, before they reach full maturity
• It is a bean with a mild taste, similar to a Western string bean, that is grown in varieties identified by color as either light (pale) green or dark green beans.
• The plant is of a different genus than the common bean. It is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35-75 cm) immature pods and has uses very similar to that of a green bean.
• It is a vigorous climbing annual vine. The plant is subtropical/tropical and most widely grown in the warmer parts of Southeastern Asia, Thailand, and Southern China.
• They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.
• The crisp, tender pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. They are at their best when young and slender. Use before they reach full maturity.

French Beans - Green Beans

• French beans are tender, slender beans with green, rounded pods, 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long. French beans are smaller than common green beans and have a soft, velvety pod.
• The pods are eaten whole, including the immature seeds, when they are still young, juicy and tender.
• Quite fleshy for their size, only tiny seeds inhabit these delicate pods. They have a delicate texture and sweet flavor.
• French beans generally grow as a bush, which grows twelve to twenty inches tall depending upon the variety you decide to grow. However there are some varieties that climb similar to runner beans, these varieties grow up to seven foot tall.
• There are three commonly known types of green beans: string or runner beans, string less or French beans (depending on whether the pod has a tough, fibrous "string" running along its length), and snap beans, with a thin flat pod that requires less cooking time.
• French Beans are one of the most commonly eaten green beans in India. Most Indian households make French beans as a dry vegetable either with cubed potatoes or without them.
• French beans contain phosphorus, vitamins A, B, D and starch, much iron, which aid blood cells production.
• Vitamin B in them benefits the spleen and kidneys.
• They help to alleviate swelling stomach, bad appetite, premature ejaculation, and frequent urination.
• French beans are neutral in nature and can be consumed frequently.

Guar Ki Phalli / Cluster Bean

• The Guar ki Phalli or Cluster Bean (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus) is an annual legume and the source of guar gum.
• It grows best under conditions with frequent rainfall, but tolerates arid conditions well.
• About 80% of world production occurs in India.
• Young, fresh cluster beans have a narrow and long body with tiny pods. They are harvested for vegetable use.
• From the mature pods the seeds are harvested to be dried and powdered to flour known as guar gum. Guar gum is used as thickening agent in commercial food preparations like ice creams and as a stabilizer in cheese and cold-meat processing.etc.
• Cluster Beans are not only low in calories but are also very effective in lowering the blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Guar ki Phalli Chopped

Chhappan Kaddu (Summer Squash)

• Chhappan Kaddu (Summer Squash) also known as vegetable marrow (Cucurbita pepo) is the common vegetable in UK.
• The fruits may be green, whitish or irregularly striped green and white. The flesh is white with no cavity and the seeds are embedded in the flesh.
• The short stalk of the fruit is hard and deeply furrowed with 5 or 8 ridges and is only slightly swollen where it joins the fruit
• They are related to the zucchini. They have a very bland flavor and can be stuffed with stuffing.
• The fruit is used immature and is a boiled vegetable.
• These are available in North India especially in Punjab during the summer months.

Seim Ki Phalli ( Indian Broad Beans / Dolichos Beans)

English Name : Dolichos Beans/Hyacinth Beans

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Seim ki Phalli

• Indian Broad Bean or Seim ki Phalli or Dolichos Bean is an ancient legume crop which has believed to have originated in Asia.
• It is now grown for food throughout much of the world. It is a very popular plant in China where it has been grown on fences and trellises in back yards for centuries.
• It is an important food source in tropical Africa and Asia. In the United States, it is usually grown as an ornamental plant
• Bean plant is an excellent nitrogen fixer and is sometimes grown as a cover crop or for livestock fodder.
• Young immature pods have a strong, beany flavor and are cooked and eaten like green beans (older pods may need to be de-stringed).
• Young leaves are eaten raw in salads and older leaves are cooked like spinach. Flowers are eaten raw or steamed. The large starchy root tubers can be boiled and baked. The immature seeds can be boiled and eaten like any shelly bean.

Destringed Seim ki Phalli

Banana Pepper

• The banana pepper (also known as the yellow wax pepper or banana chili) is a member of the chili pepper family.
• Its shape and color resembles a banana.
• Its flavor is mild to moderately hot (0–500 Scoville Units),
• Its hotness depends on the maturity of the pepper, with the most ripe being sweeter than younger ones.

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Gilki Turai / Sponge Gourd (Luffa)

English Name: Sponge Gourd / Luffa/ Egyptian Luffa

Common Hindi Name: Gilki / Chikni Turai

• Luffa is 1-2ft long, cylindrical, smooth skinned gourd. The interior contains white flesh.
• It is an annual climbing vine, grown both for its edible fruits and as a source of sponges.
• The young fruits, when small, (around 6 inches) are cooked like other vegetables. They are also used in soup or stew.
• The older fruits produce a fibrous vascular system. This fibrous structure is bleached and dried to be used as a sponge. The sponge can be used as bathroom sponge, packing material, for making crafts, and as filters. It is environmentally safe, biodegradable and a renewable resource.

Jackfruit / Kathal

English: Jackfruit

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Kathal

• The Jackfruit is a species of tree in the mulberry family (Moraceae), which is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh.
• In Bangla it is called as ‘Kathal’, in Kannada ‘Halasu’, in Malayalam ‘Chakka’, and in Marathi it is called as ‘Fanas’.
• It can be eaten unripe (young) or ripe, cooked or uncooked. Unripe (young) jackfruit may be eaten whole. Young jackfruit has a mild flavor and distinctive texture. The ripe fruits are sweet, cooling, laxative, aphrodisiac and tonic.
• Jack-fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
• The seeds of the fruit are edible, similar to chestnuts in taste. They are sweet, diuretic, aphrodisiac and constipating. They contain starches and dietary fiber.
• The Jackfruit is rich in antioxidant flavonoids like β-carotene and lutein. These antioxidants are found to be protective against colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
• It is one of the rare fruit that is rich in B-complex group of vitamins. It contains good amounts of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), niacin, riboflavin and folic acid.
• The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous. It provides food energy and is a source of dietary fiber.
• The Jackfruit leaves are useful in fever, wounds and skin diseases. The ash of leaves, burned with corn and coconut shells, is used alone or mixed with coconut oil to heal ulcers.
• Chinese consider Jackfruit pulp and seeds tonic, cooling and nutritious, and to be "useful in overcoming the influence of alcohol on the system."

Phool Gophi (Cauliflower)

English: Cauliflower

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Phool Gobhi

• Cauliflower is a vegetable belonging to the Brassica oleracea species, which also includes Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Kale, Broccoli and Collard Greens.
• Cauliflower has a white compact head of undeveloped white flower buds, stalk and thick green leaves. However, the stalk and the leaves are usually discarded and only the head (white curd) is eaten. The thick green leaves that surround the head protect the flower buds from the sunlight. The lack of exposure to sunlight does not allow chlorophyll to develop. Therefore, color is not produced, and the head remains white in color.
• Cauliflower is originated in the Northeast Mediterranean and is presently cultivated in most of the countries of the world.
• Cauliflower can be had in the raw, cooked or pickled form, though it the raw form that holds the highest nutritional value.
• The allicin in cauliflower is known to promote a healthy heart and reduce the risk of strokes. It has been associated with the maintenance of a healthy cholesterol level.
• Cauliflower contains selenium and vitamin C, both of which work together to strengthen the immune system. Being rich in folate, it is known to help improve cell growth and replication.
• The high amount of fiber in cauliflower improves colon health and can even help prevent cancer.
• Recently, it was found that cauliflower contains ‘indole-3-carbinol’, a substance that can prevent breast and other female cancers.
• The glucosinolates and thiocyanates, present in cauliflower, increase the ability of liver to neutralize potentially toxic substances.
• To keep the flower head (white curd) creamy white, they should be protected from sunlight. This is done by tying the close-by leaves together over the heads when the heads are the size of a quarter. Over-maturity makes the heads get loose and grainy surfaced, and lose much of their tenderness.

Plantain

• The Plantain (musa paradisiacal), belongs to banana family.
• It is starchy, low in sugar and is eaten cooked rather than raw.
• The peel of plantain is green, brown or black in color. The interior color of the fruit is creamy, yellowish or lightly pink. The flavor of the flesh is bland and its texture is starchy. As the peel changes to brown or black, it has a sweeter flavor and more of a banana aroma, but still keeps a firm shape when cooked.
• A banana is ready to eat when the skin is yellow whereas a plantain is not ready to eat "out of hand" until hydrolysis has progressed to the point where the skin is almost black. The fruit is eaten at all stages of ripeness from green to black.
• The sweet banana is very easily digested, but the plantain must be boiled, steamed, roasted, or deep fried to make it soft and palatable.
• Plantain has the stinging, bitter latex, so the peel is removed with a knife and the pulp is soaked in salt water for 5-10 minutes before cooking.
• Plantains are bigger than bananas, harder to peel (especially when green. Plantains are very versatile. They are always ready for cooking no matter what stage of ripeness - green, yellow or black, and plantains are used in different dishes from appetizers to desserts.
• Plantain is eaten in most tropical countries of the world.

Bottle Gourd / Lauki / Ghiya

• The bottle gourd is a common vegetable in India. It is yellowish green, having the shape of a bottle. It has white pulp, with white seeds embedded in spongy flesh.
• In India, it is known as lauki in Urdu or dhudhi or ghiya in Hindi, lau in Bengali, sorakaya in Telugu, dudhi-Bhopala in Marathi, sorekayi inKannada, and suraikkaai in Tamil.
• The dried and cored thick outer skin has traditionally been used to make musical instruments like the Tanpura, Veena etc.
• The bottle gourd is low in fat and cholesterol yet high in dietary fibre. It contains 96% water. It is rich in iron and also has vitamins C and B complex. It has sodium and potassium making it suitable vegetable for hypertensive patients. It is excellent for light, low-cal diets, as well as for small children, people with digestive problems, diabetics and convalescents.
• This vegetable is very good for balancing liver function. It is often recommended by Ayurvedic physicians when the liver is inflamed and cannot efficiently process food for maximum nutrition and assimilation.
• Bottle gourd is very valuable in treating urinary disorders. It serves as an alkaline mixture for treating burning sensation in urinary passage due to high acidity of urine. It carries the potential for breaking calculus (stones) in body.

Red Globe Table Grapes

• The Red Globe table grape is a variety of very large, seeded red grapes with firm flesh and crisp ruby red skin.
• It is almost round, similar to a globe and hence the name given.
• The Red Globe is popular for both eating and decorating during the holiday season.
• It is mildly sweet and flavorful, not as tangy as Flame or as sweet as Thompson, with plenty of juice.
• It can be grown outdoors in very warm areas with long growing seasons such as California or Australia, but in most of the world it is strictly a greenhouse grape. The majority of Red Globe production in the US and Australia are exported to Asia.
• This variety of grape is considered as good quality grape even though it is seeded.

Potato / Aloo

English Name: Potato

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Aaloo

• The potato is the most popular tuber vegetable in the world. Potato tubers are thick, uneven shaped stems (tuber) that grow underground.
• Potatoes have a thin skin that is usually red, yellow, or brown. Inside the potato is pale flesh.
• Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content. The predominant form of this carbohydrate is starch. A small but significant portion of this starch is resistant to digestion by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, and so reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits as fiber: it provides bulk, offers protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lowers plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increases satiety, and possibly even reduces fat storage. The amount of resistant starch in potatoes depends much on preparation methods.
• Potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals. Potassium, vitamin B6 and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
• Potatoes are a traditional heart and circulation remedy, but can be used to soothe inflammations and encourage the healing of skin infections, dermatitis, wounds and ulcers. Potato juice can be used to relief indigestion, and constipation. Grated potatoes mixed with olive oil, is useful for sunburn, cracked skin and swollen eyelids. Slices of potatoes are great for sores, chilblains, headaches and migraines.

Carrots / Gaajar

English: Carrots

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Gaajar

• It is a root vegetable; the edible part is taproot with a crisp texture when fresh.
• In the North India, carrot is pink-red in color comparable to plum or raspberry or deep red apple in color (without a touch of yellow or blue). Most of the varieties of carrots in world are from orange to yellow in color, comparable to Halloween’s pumpkins.
• Ever since the late 1980s, baby carrots or mini-carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders) have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food available in many supermarkets.
• The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange color from beta-carotene.
• Beta- carotene is believed to be a strong anti- cancer, artery protecting and immune boosting antioxidant. The beta carotene contained in carrots is converted to Vitamin A. This is said to be vital for healthy skin and disease- resistant mucous membranes, which is the reason why eating carrots is seen as important for the protection of lungs and helps keep the respiratory system in good working order.
  Beta - Carotene is believed to reduce the chances of acquiring degenerative eye diseases as well as suffering from chest pain.
• It is also reported that consuming carrots increases the skins resistance to ultraviolet light, so it helps in protecting against skin cancer along with premature ageing. Carrots are rich in fiber and may help reduce blood cholesterol and are said to combat constipation.

Baingan / Aubergine

English: Aubergine / Eggplant

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Baingan / Brinjal

• The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal (Solanum melongena), is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades) and genus Solanum.
• It bears fruits which are used as a vegetable in cooking. It is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to India and Sri Lanka.
• The fruit is botanically classified as a berry, and contains numerous small, soft seeds, which are edible, but are bitter because they contain (an insignificant amount of) nicotinoid alkaloid, which is a close relative of tobacco. Eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant.
• As a native plant, it is widely used in Indian cuisine, for example in sambhar, chutney, curries etc. Owing to its versatile nature and wide use in both everyday and festive Indian food, it is often described (under the name brinjal) as the 'King of Vegetables'.
• It helps to block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.
• It is believed that Aubergine contains properties that may help reduce cholesterol levels, decrease high blood pressure and protect the heart as well as containing anti-cancerous properties.
• Aubergine supply the heart protective nutrient, Vitamin E. Aubergine is also a very useful source of potassium, which helps keep blood pressure at normal levels. Aubergine contains Vitamin K, which helps promote blood clotting and stops bleeding.
• Eating Aubergine is reported to counteract detrimental blood effects from fatty foods. It features antibacterial properties, which may increase the amount of urine passed. Aubergine, tomatoes and potatoes are all part of the nightshade family, which is reported to exacerbate joint pain.

Mentha / Mint / Pudina

English Name: Mentha/Mint

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Pudina

• Fresh mint is a perennial plant which is cultivated in many regions of the world these days. The most common and popular mints for cultivation are Peppermint (Mentha × piperita), Spearmint (Mentha spicata), and (more recently) apple mint (Mentha suaveolens).
• Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow. The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.
• They have wide-spreading underground rhizomes and erect, square, branched stems.
• The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Spearmint and peppermint are often the varieties of fresh mint that are used.
• The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol (the main aroma of Peppermint and Japanese Peppermint) and pulegone (in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint). The compound primarily responsible for the aroma and flavor of spearmint is R-carvone.
• The tender leaves of the mint plant are commonly found used in Middle Eastern cooking, as well as Thai and Vietnamese dishes. It pairs well with lamb, vegetables such as peas, fruits, salads, and of course chocolate!
• Peppermint has high menthol content, and is often used as tea and for flavoring ice cream, confectionary, chewing gum, and toothpaste. The oil also contains menthone and menthyl esters, particularly menthyl acetate. It is the oldest and most popular flavor of mint-flavored confectionery. Peppermint can also be found in some shampoos and soaps, which give the hair a minty scent and produce a cooling sensation on the skin.

Red Chili / Lal Mirch

• Chili is the universal spice of India. It is cultivated in all the States and Union Territories of the country. The important States growing chili are Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh alone commands 46% of the chili production in India.
• Chilies have two important characteristic. One their color, because the pigment called Carpathian in it and two the biting pungency, because of Capsaicin. India is the only country rich in many varieties with different quality factors.
• Red chilies contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene ("provitamin A"). Yellow and especially green chilies (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, peppers are a good source of most B Vitamins, and Vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in Potassium and high in Magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal, such as beans and grains.
• Indian Chilies are one of the famous in world and have huge demand in the overseas market. India continues to be the main producer and exporter of most verities of chilies like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Middle East and other countries.
• Red Chili Powder or Lal Mirch (Hindi) Indian chili powder is made from ground chilies. This vibrant and tasty red chili powder imparts a rich flavor and color to the dishes it is used in. Used in Tandoori and other barbecue marinades. Mainly used in Indian and Pakistani curries to create the attractive red color
• Indian Chili Powder is much hotter than the chili powder commonly found in most stores in the US which is mostly a blend of red peppers and cumin, coriander etc. The ground product ranges from orange-red, to deep, dark red.
• Red pepper is a pungent, hot powder with a strong bite. Paprika is a mild form of the red chili powder.