Singhare Ka Atta or Water Chestnut Flour

• Singhare ka atta is prepared from Singhara or Water Chestnut.
• Singhara are floating annual aquatic plants, growing in slow-moving water up to 5 meters deep, native to warm temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa.
• Singhara plants bear ornately shaped fruits that resemble the head of a bull, each containing a single very large starchy seed.
• Singhara has been cultivated in China and India for at least 3,000 years for these seeds, which are boiled and sold as an occasional street side snack in the south of that country.
• Singhara flour or Water Chestnut Flour is made from dried, ground water chestnuts. The nuts are boiled, peeled, dried then ground into flour. The nuts are also eaten raw.
• The Singhara flour is bright white fine powder; it is actually a starch rather than flour.
• Singhara flour is primarily use as a thickener. It is also used in Asian recipes to make batters for deep-frying.
• Singhare ka atta is used in many religious rituals and can be consumed as a phalahar diet on the Hindu fasting days.

Jaggery (molasses)

English: Jaggery (molasses)

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Gur / Gud

• Jaggery is a traditional unrefined sugar used throughout South and South East Asia. It is normally manufactured from either sugar cane or date palms, but recent trends in its manufacture have resulted in jaggery made from the sap of coconut and sago palms.
• It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. In Mexico & South America, it is also known as panela.
• In traditional Indian medicine, called Ayurveda, this sugar has several purposes. It may be prescribed for use for people with sore throats. It has some use in the treatment of bronchial or lung infections, and in fact in research has shown to possibly offset some of the lung damage caused by silicosis, a disease of the lungs that occurs when people are exposed for a long time to silica powder.
• In taste this unrefined sugar has been compared to brown sugar, and to other forms of raw sugar.
• It is high in simple carbohydrates. It is rich in magnesium, iron, & potassium.

Kuttu Ka Atta or Buckwheat flour

• Kuttu Atta is flour ground from Fagopyrum esculentum, known more casually as buckwheat.
• It has a rich, nutty flavor and a very high nutritional value, making it popular in many nations, especially in Asia.
• Buckwheat is not a cereal or grass. It is called a pseudo cereal to emphasize that it is not related to wheat.
• Buckwheat flour is gluten free, leading people with gluten intolerance to seek it out as a flour alternative
• The buckwheat is ground, typically with the outer bran, which is high in fiber and other nutrients. The bran turns the resulting buckwheat flour a rich brown color, with dark flecks. Then, the buckwheat flour can be packaged for sale on its own, or blended with other flours.
• Most buckwheat is ground into flour and used for a variety of foods, including noodles in Japan and pancakes and breakfast cereals in the U.S. Russians and eastern Europeans make a wide range of foods with buckwheat.

Rose Water

• Rose water or rose syrup is the by-product of the process of extraction of rose oil, which is obtained by steam-distilling the crushed petals of roses. This process was first developed in Persia and Bulgaria.
• Classically, rose water is made using damask roses, many-petaled and fragrant. These were first grown in Iran and Bulgaria, but are now frequently found in Spain, Italy, and France. However, the Middle Eastern countries remain some of the largest producers of rose water because of the availability of damasks.
• Rose water has a very distinctive flavor and is used heavily in South Asian, West Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines.
• Rose water is used to flavor food. It is sometimes used as a component in some cosmetics. Throughout Europe and Asia it is also used for religious purpose.
• Traditionally roses have also been used for medicinal purposes. With more vitamin C than oranges, they contain vitamins A, D, and E and many antioxidants.
• In Iran it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities, and in the Arab world and India it is used to flavor milk and dairy-based dishes such as rice pudding etc. It is frequently used in Mughlai cuisines.

Bhagar / Samo Seeds

English Name: Jungle rice

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Bhagar/ Samo Seeds

• Samo seeds or Mario seeds popularly known as Bhagar in India are seeds of a grass Echinochloa Colonum .
• Echinochloa Colonum was described in 1833, as a type of wild grass which originated from tropical Asia. It was formerly classified as a type of panicum grass.
• It grows amongst the rice paddy as it requires damp and moisture laden soil.
• In Rajasthan in India the seeds are used as rice, hence its common name in English is jungle rice (wild rice).
• The wild rice is prepared in different styles across various states of India. It forms a heavy and a filling meal and used generally by Hindus on fast days.
• It forms one of the most essential Maratha cuisines and tastes excellent when prepared and accompanied with peanut curry.
• With digestible fibers, high nutritional content and excellent nourishment, bhagar is immensely popular amongst the Indian majority.
• Jungle rice is found in the Central Valley, San Francisco Bay region, western South Coast ranges, southern Sierra Nevada foothills, southwestern region inhabiting the summer-irrigated crop fields and other disturbed, moist sites. It germinates throughout the summer.

Badiyan (Sun dried ground Ivory White Lentil Dumplings)

These Badiyan are made of Urad Dal (Black Gram). These are also known as Masale Wali Badiyan because lots of spices are mixed in urad dal to make these.

Badiyan are available in Indian Grocery Stores. These can be made at home also but they need good sun light for at least 2-3 days.

How to make Badiyan at home:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup split and skinned black gram/Ivory white lentil (Dhuli urad ki dal)
• 1” Ginger piece
• 2-3 Green Chilies
• ¼ tsp of Asafetida
• 1tbsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp red chili flakes
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 cup grated cabbage

Method:

• Soak urad dal overnight.
• Drain it and grind it with ginger and green chilies to a fine paste without adding water.
• Now add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Grease a polythene sheet or a steel thali (plate).
• Pour 1 spoonful of the paste all over the sheet or thali and let it dry in the sun for a day or two.
• When dried store them in airtight jars.

Salt

English Name: Salt

Common Indian Name (Hindi): Namak

• Salt is a dietary mineral essential for animal life, composed primarily of sodium chloride.
• Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes, and salt is the most popular food seasoning. Salt is also an important preservative.
• Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt.
• It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light gray in color, normally obtained from sea water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly grayish in color due to this mineral content.
• Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living creatures, including humans.
• Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body.
• Over consumption of salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure.

Here are some of the common types of salt:

Table salt: It is a fine-ground, refined rock salt with some additives to keep it free-flowing. This is the common salt normally found on every table.

Coarse salt: It has large crystals with jagged edges which make this a good choice for sprinkling on pretzels or corn on the cob because the edges tend to cling and the salt does not readily melt.

Iodized salt: Salt which has iodine (sodium iodide), added. Iodine is a mineral necessary to the body to prevent hypothyroidism and some countries actually require iodine added by law. For those who live in areas away from oceans, iodized salt is an easy way to get this necessary nutrient into the diet. Surprisingly, iodized salt contains a small amount of sugar (usually indicated as dextrose in the ingredients listing), without which the salt would turn yellow due to oxidation of the iodine.

Kosher salt: This is a coarser grind of salt with large, irregular crystals. It contains no additives. It is a favorite with not only Jewish cooks, but also professional and gourmet cooks who prefer its texture and brighter flavor. When substituting for table salt, you may need more to taste since it seems less salty.