See? Curry is an all around dish after all! It's not only delicious but it's also good in our health. This article proves and explains it all!
Curcumin -- a chemical found in the spice turmeric -- may help slow damage from fatty liver disease, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at Saint Louis University in Missouri say turmeric -- one of the spices that gives Indian curries zing -- is also an ingredient in Chinese medicinals.
The study, published in Endocrinology, suggests curcumin may counter a liver disease associated with obesity -- called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis -- that can cause a type of damage called liver fibrosis and possibly cirrhosis, liver cancer and death.
"My laboratory studies the molecular mechanism of liver fibrosis," corresponding author Anping Chen said in a statement. "While research in an animal model and human clinical trials are needed, our study suggests that curcumin may be an effective therapy to treat and prevent liver fibrosis, which is associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis."
Chen and colleagues found leptin -- a complex hormone made up of proteins -- plays a critical role in the development of liver fibrosis. High levels of leptin activate hepatic stellate cells in the liver -- cells causing the overproduction of the collagen protein that characterizes liver fibrosis.
However, the researchers found one curcumin eliminates the effects of leptin on hepatic stellate cells and stops the formation of fibrosis.
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Curry healed our heartache: Separation, abuse and even murder have blighted the lives of these Indian sisters
Here’s a very touching story from dailymail.uk. Who would believe that this once a side-dish (CURRY) became their FOOD HERO? Check this amazing story that changed their lives.
For most of us, the dishes of childhood have a powerful nostalgic appeal. But for sisters Priya, Alexa and Sereena Kaul, these flavours and tastes are all the more important, given how traumatic their upbringing turned out to be.
One faced adoption because, as a girl in male-dominated 1960s Kashmir, she was considered a worthless burden. All three coped with long separation from their parents.
Most recently, they have lived through the murder of a beloved son and nephew. But throughout, they have clung - and cooked - together. Now, they've written a recipe book based on their consoling cuisine, in the hope of persuading the rest of us to follow their example.
Sister act: Priya, Alexa and Sereena Kaul have written a recipe book based on the consoling cuisine that saw them through a traumatic upbringing
Were it not for the obvious bond between them, you'd never guess they were related. Softly spoken Priya, 51, arrives wearing a purple beaded blouse, made in her husband's factory in Delhi. Alexa, 50, is every inch the mum-of-three in her stylish trousers and John Smedley cardigan, while feisty Sereena, 49, is pencil-slim in a tight designer dress, her highlighted hair pulled back off her face.
They even live on different continents - Priya in Delhi, Alexa in Surrey and Sereena in Florida. Despite the differences and distances between them, they still love to cook together. 'Often, I'll ring Alexa while I'm cooking and ask her what spices I should put in,' says Sereena.
Their culinary skills derive from their mother, Krishna, who married Omkar, an engineering graduate, when they were in their teens.
They were so poor they had to travel around India, living with whichever relation would put them up. In 1960, when Krishna was pregnant with Sereena, Omkar followed his brother to the UK to take a postgraduate degree at Leeds University, in the hope of improving his prospects. With only enough money for a single ticket, he left his wife and daughters with his mother in Srinagar, in the north of India.
There was much disappointment when another girl was born and Krishna was pressured by her in-laws to give Sereena up for adoption to a wealthy, childless couple. Though only 21 she found the courage to refuse.
Money was extremely tight. Omkar, while studying full-time, had a succession of menial jobs and sent all he could back to his family. Nevertheless, the sisters remember their early childhood as happy. After four years, their father had scraped together enough money to buy his wife a single boat ticket to join him.
Sereena, just three at the time, recalls hanging over the balcony with Alexa, arms outstretched to their mother, calling her to come back. 'I don't think Mum turned round - she was too heartbroken,' says Alexa sadly.
'I look at my own children now and don't think I could ever leave them. But if it was the only way I could get them a better life, who knows?'
Sereena stayed with her grandmother, while the eldest two were sent to stay with their great uncle. The regime was harsh. The girls were
sometimes beaten.
'When your parents aren't there, there's no one to speak up for you,' says Sereena. But after two years, the money was raised to bring the eldest girls, by then aged seven and six, over to Sheffield.
Alexa says, 'I remember this man walking towards us at Heathrow Airport, and Priya saying, "That's our Dad!" I said, "No, I've never seen him before."' Now an office worker, their mother had swapped her sari for a skirt and high heels. Alexa recognised her only by a mole at the corner of her eye.
'There was never any arguing about who did what. Sereena laid the table, while Priya and I diced the onions, washed spinach and cooked the rice'
Despite speaking only Kashmiri, both girls settled quickly and happily into their new school. However, when Sereena was finally brought over to join them the following year, aged six, it took her longer to adjust. She couldn't remember her mother and had never met her father. 'I was sure of my sisters, though, and in a way Priya has been a mummy to me,' she says. 'They always looked after me.'
The sisters have always cooked together. From when Sereena was seven, she, Alexa and Priya were expected to prepare dinner every day before their parents came home from work.
'There was never any arguing about who did what,' recalls Alexa. 'Sereena laid the table, while Priya and I diced the onions, washed spinach and cooked the rice, for our mother to fry it all up when she got in and we'd have our family meal.'
After leaving school, before the elder two went off to university, they all moved in together and carried on their collaborative cookery.
'There was never any discussion of who was cooking - we did it as a group,' says Sereena, who admits she was 'very, very upset' when she got a telegram from Priya announcing she was getting married. 'I wasn't prepared for my sister to leave me. I felt abandoned.'
Priya, the eldest and most conventional of the sisters, accepted an arranged marriage and was introduced to Raj Kachroo, a civil engineer who runs a factory with his sister.
'They were friends of the family so my parents knew everything about him.' When I ask how many children they have, Priya looks down and replies, 'I had two, but my son died last year.'
The sisters' eyes fill up with tears, and Priya is too upset to elaborate. Later, the others explain that Aman died after being assaulted by fellow students at medical school in India in an initiation rite that went horribly wrong. He was 19. A murder trial is under way against his assailants.
Poignantly, the sisters have dedicated their book to Aman, 'who truly believed in us'. You get the strong impression that this project has been part of the sisters' healing process.
Alexa has three daughters from her marriage to an Englishman, Jamie Goodwin, whom she met when they were buyers at London fashion store, Browns.
Sereena, the most rebellious of the three, refused to contemplate university and went straight into marketing on a national newspaper. Much to her parents' chagrin, she fell in love with her boss, Norman Walker, a divorcé with children a decade younger than she was.
The sisters' cookery book is a celebration of the importance of eating together, which has helped them during the tough times.
Sereena says, 'We cooked for friends all the time, and they'd ask us for the recipe and spices to go with it, which is how we came up with the idea for the spice box,' a stainless steel container with all the spices needed to create their dishes, which you buy separately.
As a project to bring their family together, it could hardly have been bettered. Now the sisters hope their delicious, homely recipes will work the same magic for the rest of us.
Curry did heal their heartaches.
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
For most of us, the dishes of childhood have a powerful nostalgic appeal. But for sisters Priya, Alexa and Sereena Kaul, these flavours and tastes are all the more important, given how traumatic their upbringing turned out to be.
One faced adoption because, as a girl in male-dominated 1960s Kashmir, she was considered a worthless burden. All three coped with long separation from their parents.
Most recently, they have lived through the murder of a beloved son and nephew. But throughout, they have clung - and cooked - together. Now, they've written a recipe book based on their consoling cuisine, in the hope of persuading the rest of us to follow their example.
Were it not for the obvious bond between them, you'd never guess they were related. Softly spoken Priya, 51, arrives wearing a purple beaded blouse, made in her husband's factory in Delhi. Alexa, 50, is every inch the mum-of-three in her stylish trousers and John Smedley cardigan, while feisty Sereena, 49, is pencil-slim in a tight designer dress, her highlighted hair pulled back off her face.
They even live on different continents - Priya in Delhi, Alexa in Surrey and Sereena in Florida. Despite the differences and distances between them, they still love to cook together. 'Often, I'll ring Alexa while I'm cooking and ask her what spices I should put in,' says Sereena.
Their culinary skills derive from their mother, Krishna, who married Omkar, an engineering graduate, when they were in their teens.
They were so poor they had to travel around India, living with whichever relation would put them up. In 1960, when Krishna was pregnant with Sereena, Omkar followed his brother to the UK to take a postgraduate degree at Leeds University, in the hope of improving his prospects. With only enough money for a single ticket, he left his wife and daughters with his mother in Srinagar, in the north of India.
There was much disappointment when another girl was born and Krishna was pressured by her in-laws to give Sereena up for adoption to a wealthy, childless couple. Though only 21 she found the courage to refuse.
Money was extremely tight. Omkar, while studying full-time, had a succession of menial jobs and sent all he could back to his family. Nevertheless, the sisters remember their early childhood as happy. After four years, their father had scraped together enough money to buy his wife a single boat ticket to join him.
Sereena, just three at the time, recalls hanging over the balcony with Alexa, arms outstretched to their mother, calling her to come back. 'I don't think Mum turned round - she was too heartbroken,' says Alexa sadly.
'I look at my own children now and don't think I could ever leave them. But if it was the only way I could get them a better life, who knows?'
Sereena stayed with her grandmother, while the eldest two were sent to stay with their great uncle. The regime was harsh. The girls were
sometimes beaten.
'When your parents aren't there, there's no one to speak up for you,' says Sereena. But after two years, the money was raised to bring the eldest girls, by then aged seven and six, over to Sheffield.
Alexa says, 'I remember this man walking towards us at Heathrow Airport, and Priya saying, "That's our Dad!" I said, "No, I've never seen him before."' Now an office worker, their mother had swapped her sari for a skirt and high heels. Alexa recognised her only by a mole at the corner of her eye.
'There was never any arguing about who did what. Sereena laid the table, while Priya and I diced the onions, washed spinach and cooked the rice'
Despite speaking only Kashmiri, both girls settled quickly and happily into their new school. However, when Sereena was finally brought over to join them the following year, aged six, it took her longer to adjust. She couldn't remember her mother and had never met her father. 'I was sure of my sisters, though, and in a way Priya has been a mummy to me,' she says. 'They always looked after me.'
The sisters have always cooked together. From when Sereena was seven, she, Alexa and Priya were expected to prepare dinner every day before their parents came home from work.
'There was never any arguing about who did what,' recalls Alexa. 'Sereena laid the table, while Priya and I diced the onions, washed spinach and cooked the rice, for our mother to fry it all up when she got in and we'd have our family meal.'
After leaving school, before the elder two went off to university, they all moved in together and carried on their collaborative cookery.
'There was never any discussion of who was cooking - we did it as a group,' says Sereena, who admits she was 'very, very upset' when she got a telegram from Priya announcing she was getting married. 'I wasn't prepared for my sister to leave me. I felt abandoned.'
Priya, the eldest and most conventional of the sisters, accepted an arranged marriage and was introduced to Raj Kachroo, a civil engineer who runs a factory with his sister.
'They were friends of the family so my parents knew everything about him.' When I ask how many children they have, Priya looks down and replies, 'I had two, but my son died last year.'
The sisters' eyes fill up with tears, and Priya is too upset to elaborate. Later, the others explain that Aman died after being assaulted by fellow students at medical school in India in an initiation rite that went horribly wrong. He was 19. A murder trial is under way against his assailants.
Poignantly, the sisters have dedicated their book to Aman, 'who truly believed in us'. You get the strong impression that this project has been part of the sisters' healing process.
Alexa has three daughters from her marriage to an Englishman, Jamie Goodwin, whom she met when they were buyers at London fashion store, Browns.
Sereena, the most rebellious of the three, refused to contemplate university and went straight into marketing on a national newspaper. Much to her parents' chagrin, she fell in love with her boss, Norman Walker, a divorcé with children a decade younger than she was.
The sisters' cookery book is a celebration of the importance of eating together, which has helped them during the tough times.
Sereena says, 'We cooked for friends all the time, and they'd ask us for the recipe and spices to go with it, which is how we came up with the idea for the spice box,' a stainless steel container with all the spices needed to create their dishes, which you buy separately.
As a project to bring their family together, it could hardly have been bettered. Now the sisters hope their delicious, homely recipes will work the same magic for the rest of us.
Curry did heal their heartaches.
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
NO EXPERT INCLUDED: A VERY EASY CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE
Hey folks! Are you a big Curry fan? If you want to make your own Chicken Curry and find it hard to cook like a PRO, WORRY NO MORE! This simple Chicken Curry recipe is made just for you.
BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE
For Marination
800 grams of chicken cut into pieces (preferably boneless)
1 tablespoon(s) slightly sour yoghurt (optional)
1 tablespoon(s) vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon(s) each of coriander, cumin and red chilli powders
1 onion chopped and made into a paste (optional)
2 teaspoon(s) each of ginger, garlic pastes
salt to taste
a few drops of edible orange-red color (optional) For the Gravy
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon(s) fresh cream
1 teaspoon(s) each of coriander, cumin, red chilli and black pepper powders
2 teaspoon(s) each of finely chopped ginger and green chillies
salt and sugar to taste
melted butter, fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Prick holes and make cuts in the chicken pieces. Mix well the ingredients for the marinade and rub into the chicken pieces. Let it marinate for a few hours, overnight if possible for best results.
1. Heat half the butter on medium level in a heavy-bottomed pan and put in the chicken along with the marinade. cover and cook for about 25 minute(s) or till the chicken is fully cooked. After the liquids have evaporated, stir fry the chicken for some time in the residual fat.
2. Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan and add the red chilli, coriander, cumin and black pepper powders. Fry for a few seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and cook uncovered on medium level for about 7 minutes till the puree thickens and the fat separates. Stir in the beaten cream and reduce the heat to low.
3. Add the chicken, chopped ginger and green chillies to the simmering gravy. Sprinkle salt to taste if needed. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or till the curry is thoroughly heated through.
Just before serving pour melted butter over the curry. Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves.
TIP:
• For a thicker and richer gravy cashewnut paste (soak cashewnuts in water for an hour or so and grind them) can be added while making the gravy in step 2... fry it along with the spice powders and then proceed as above.
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE
For Marination
800 grams of chicken cut into pieces (preferably boneless)
1 tablespoon(s) slightly sour yoghurt (optional)
1 tablespoon(s) vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon(s) each of coriander, cumin and red chilli powders
1 onion chopped and made into a paste (optional)
2 teaspoon(s) each of ginger, garlic pastes
salt to taste
a few drops of edible orange-red color (optional) For the Gravy
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon(s) fresh cream
1 teaspoon(s) each of coriander, cumin, red chilli and black pepper powders
2 teaspoon(s) each of finely chopped ginger and green chillies
salt and sugar to taste
melted butter, fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Prick holes and make cuts in the chicken pieces. Mix well the ingredients for the marinade and rub into the chicken pieces. Let it marinate for a few hours, overnight if possible for best results.
1. Heat half the butter on medium level in a heavy-bottomed pan and put in the chicken along with the marinade. cover and cook for about 25 minute(s) or till the chicken is fully cooked. After the liquids have evaporated, stir fry the chicken for some time in the residual fat.
2. Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan and add the red chilli, coriander, cumin and black pepper powders. Fry for a few seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and cook uncovered on medium level for about 7 minutes till the puree thickens and the fat separates. Stir in the beaten cream and reduce the heat to low.
3. Add the chicken, chopped ginger and green chillies to the simmering gravy. Sprinkle salt to taste if needed. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or till the curry is thoroughly heated through.
Just before serving pour melted butter over the curry. Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves.
TIP:
• For a thicker and richer gravy cashewnut paste (soak cashewnuts in water for an hour or so and grind them) can be added while making the gravy in step 2... fry it along with the spice powders and then proceed as above.
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
Monday, November 1, 2010
CURRYsma: Why is curry so tempting?
It’s not a person or a diamond, It’s CURRY! It was once a side dish, now a main dish. Here’s a tale of total neglect to total attention.
It’s funny how people considered the curry before as a type of “gravy” or a sauce and a side-dish. So picture curry as the children’s tale “ugly duckling” and the Sorcerer’s apprentice who seemed so vulnerable and dependent but time transformed them into the biggest superstars. But how did they survive?
Unlike other side-dishes in the history of side-dishes the Curry became an international hit and it wasn’t even just a “one-time-fame” but THE CURRY, my friends, became prominent and phenomenal. This magical dish which originated from the subcontinent of India (the home of spices) started as a combination of India’s sacred ingredients: yoghurt, ghee, and besan. Then over time, people experimented with this sauce by incorporating meat and vegetables. Then, TADDAH! Hundreds maybe thousands of Curry flooded all over the world leaving humans in awe. Let’s just say that Curry is definitely a jaw dropper. And this is the dish’s cute little history.
But what we are talking here is the Curry’s tempting charisma or shall we say, CURRYsma. When I read some forum on the internet about people who loves curry, I found some pretty authentic proof Curry’s adaptability that appeals a lot of people. Some answers were because of its smell and fantastic aroma, its color, and lastly some pointed out its spicy feature as its biting taste. But as I read more and more posts from these curry lovers, I noticed TWO common reasons why they love curry which I labelled as the ultimate CURRYsma. The two main reasons are: it’s easy to cook and because of its versatility it can be matched with almost all other kinds of dishes.
There you go, now you know the CURRYsma! Happy eating!
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
Sunday, October 31, 2010
OBAMA EATING WITH HIS HANDS? How about a curry? It’s a STRESS RELIEVER
Yes! United States of America President Barack Obama WILL indeed use HIS HANDS at Bukhara Restaurant, a well known Indian eatery since he will be staying at the luxury hotel ITC Maurya from Nov 7-9.
Image from: usateaparty
Former President Clinton and his daughter Chelsea had a platter after visiting Bukhara so it will be no surprise if Pres. Obama will have his own. A curry maybe? His platter is expected to have some prawn, lamb and murgh kuchnar along with baked bread.
The ambience at the signature restaurant - voted one of the world's best Indian restaurants for northwest frontier cuisine that has been patronised by world leaders who visited New Delhi - will remain the same.
A curry dish may have not been mentioned in his expected platter but we’re sure that Obama is going to have one, possibly a ‘Beef Curry served with roasted onion’. From hours of travelling and hours of working Obama should be exhausted and the good news is INDIAN CURRY doesn’t only prevent certain diseases, including colon cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease BUT it is also the yummiest STRESS RELIEVER! The only simple reason for that are its spices and herbs. They can somehow change your mood. Amazing isn't it?
So why don't you try your own curry?
Curry Hotline; Bristol's best delivery service
Celebs and their ghar ka khana (Home Cooked Food/Curries)
Bollywood celebs. talk about their favourite curry dishes. Read the entire article below about their preferred local Indian dishes and why they like them so much..
Want to know what Bong beauty Bipasha Basu or Punjabi kudi Minnisha Lamba eats at home? Yummy Bollywood beauties talk about their favourite hometown dishes.
Bipasha Basu: What I like about Kolkata food is the jhal muri, aloo kabli and very soft rossogullas.
Anushka Sharma: My parents are from Uttaranchal. I like khichoni and chaishu, two local dishes.
Minissha Lamba: I am a Sardarni — so in Punjabi foods, I love butter naans, garlic naans, missi roti, tandoori chicken and tangdi kebabs. Murg malai tikka is my favourite. And of course, last but not the least, the Punjabi raita.
Isha Sharvani: I am a Gujju so I chiwda in the evening. My favourites Gujarati food is dhoklas. I also love the Gujju thali. When I visit Ahmedabad, I am greeted with fafda and jalebis for breakfast.
Asin: My favourite dish from Kerala is rice and prawns — eating that, is sheer bliss.
Jacqueline Fernandez: A typical Sri-Lankan meal would be red rice, accompanied with a non-vegetarian coconut based curry and a dal. And a salad of herbs and onions. My favourite Sri Lankan dish is Lump rice. It’s a rice dish baked in a banana leaf. It has a boiled egg, dry fish, onion and some non-vegetarian fare. My grandmother makes it and it tastes like heaven.
Deepika Padukone: In South Indian food, I like idli, dosa, pulyogare (tamarind rice) and ghar ka khana. My favourite dishes from my home town, Mangalore are fish curry, kori roti, prawn curry, fish fry etc.
Bollywood News Service
Want to know what Bong beauty Bipasha Basu or Punjabi kudi Minnisha Lamba eats at home? Yummy Bollywood beauties talk about their favourite hometown dishes.
Bipasha Basu: What I like about Kolkata food is the jhal muri, aloo kabli and very soft rossogullas.
Oh, how I miss them and my mom’s cooking, especially prawn curry, mustard fish.
Anushka Sharma: My parents are from Uttaranchal. I like khichoni and chaishu, two local dishes.
Minissha Lamba: I am a Sardarni — so in Punjabi foods, I love butter naans, garlic naans, missi roti, tandoori chicken and tangdi kebabs. Murg malai tikka is my favourite. And of course, last but not the least, the Punjabi raita.
Isha Sharvani: I am a Gujju so I chiwda in the evening. My favourites Gujarati food is dhoklas. I also love the Gujju thali. When I visit Ahmedabad, I am greeted with fafda and jalebis for breakfast.Asin: My favourite dish from Kerala is rice and prawns — eating that, is sheer bliss.
Jacqueline Fernandez: A typical Sri-Lankan meal would be red rice, accompanied with a non-vegetarian coconut based curry and a dal. And a salad of herbs and onions. My favourite Sri Lankan dish is Lump rice. It’s a rice dish baked in a banana leaf. It has a boiled egg, dry fish, onion and some non-vegetarian fare. My grandmother makes it and it tastes like heaven.
Deepika Padukone: In South Indian food, I like idli, dosa, pulyogare (tamarind rice) and ghar ka khana. My favourite dishes from my home town, Mangalore are fish curry, kori roti, prawn curry, fish fry etc.
Bollywood News Service
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