Topic started by Ramki (@ 1cust214.tnt1.bloomington.il.da.uu.net) on Mon Oct 7 10:45:47 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Dear all,
I deeply regret the sad demise of our active and generous hubber Mrs Soma.
I am posting all her personal recipes in this thread,so that everyone can cherish and remember her always.Please let us all make a thread In memory of Mrs Soma,who is still alive amougst us through her writings.
Thank you
Ramki

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:36:54
  
  • From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-025txhousp0447.dialsprint.net) on: Mon Sep 23 09:30:06
  
  Dear Mrs. Soma,
  Thank you for posting the Black Halva recipe. Our recipes are almost the same, except that the one I have has Rose water as an extra ingredient. Rose water is added, after the rice is cooked, and before adding the ghee.
  Your hard work is very much appreciated. Thanks...
  
  • From: Rimi (@ dsc03.aui-tx-2.rasserver.net) on: Mon Sep 23 12:39:49
  
  Hi Mrs. Soma;
  Your Black Halwa recipe looks tempting. My sweet tooth will force me to try it one of these days.
  Please let me know if I can also cook the Halwa by substituting jaggery and coconut milk with brown sugar and plain milk. Thanx for your contribution.
  • From: Mrs. Soma (@ 203.121.0.17) on: Wed Sep 25 03:03:34
  
  Dear Rimi, Thanks for your compliments. Yes, you can use brown sugar. As for the milk, Rimi, you see we use very little ghee. The coconut milk towards the end of cooking becomes oil.WE need lot of oil for halwa.So I am not sure how you can use plain milk. Hope Chitra can help in this matter.
  
  Dear Chitra, I have posted the Banana Flower Tuvayal ( Chutney) I hope I have made myself clear on how to clean the flowers. I have also given all the ingredients name in English. I feel scared when people bombard me with questions.
  Thanks for your young jack fruit pan fry.Later I will post few recipes using tender young jack fruit.Thanks
  
  
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:38:26
  
  • From: Mrs.Soma (@ 203.121.0.17) on: Wed Sep 25 03:12:47
  
  BANANA FLOWER TUVAYAL ( CHUTNEY)
  
  Ingredients
  1 medium banana flower
  8 dried chillies
  1 tbs black gram dal
  2 tbs scrapped coconut
  2 tsp oil
  ¾ tsp mustard seeds
  ¼ tsp tumeric powder
  little asafoetida
  1 small marble size tamarind
  salt to taste
  little curd
  
  Method
  Remove the maroon coloured sheath of the flower.
  Remove a bunch of florets at a time.Remove the stamen and also the white pinkish petal.
  While cleaning, try not to separate each floret, then it will be easy to cut.
  Cut the bunch into small pieces. Wash them in water mixed with little curd.
  ( This is to avoid it becoming black )
  Cook the cleaned flowers with little water and ¼ tsp tumeric powder..
  When cooked, remove and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
  Heat oil in a wok and fry the black gram dal, dry chillie, mustard seeds.and asafoetida.
  Grind the fried ingredients with coconut, tamarind, and salt to a fine paste.
  Lastly add the cooked banana flower and grind to a coarse paste.
  
  Note: To aviod the stains in hands while cleaning the flowers apply coconut or olive oil very well in your hands before cleaning
  
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:39:45
  
  • From: Rimi (@ dsc02.aui-tx-1.rasserver.net) on: Wed Sep 25 12:27:43
  
  Dear Mrs. Soma;
  Thank You for your advice. Your explanation really makes sense. I will stick with coconut milk.
  I also want to try your banana flower tuvayal. Back home we had banana trees galore and I used to enjoy this dish very much.
  Thanx again.
  
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:40:41
  
  • From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-026txhousp0483.dialsprint.net) on: Wed Sep 25 14:39:15
  
  Dear Mrs.Soma and Rimi,
  About substituting milk for coconut milk in Halva, I think that Mrs.Soma's explanation is correct. Of course we can ask Hemantji, about his expert opinion on this. Hope he got a minute to spare...
  
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:42:38
  
  • From: Mrs.Mano (@ 213.42.1.165) on: Thu Sep 26 08:38:07
  
  Dear Soma,
  Eventhough our 'karunaikizhangu' episode had ended, I am happy that another episode with 'banana flower' had started. Yr 'banana flower thuvaiyal' realy is a rare and very different recipe. I have to really thank you for this. I am also eagerly expecting varieties of 'young jack fruit'.All these are coming from yr mother?
  
  
• From: Chitra (@ sdn-ap-017txhousp0122.dialsprint.net) on: Tue Oct 8 00:46:02
  
  • From: Mrs.Soma (@ j161.kja34.jaring.my) on: Fri Sep 27 08:47:48
  
  BANANA FLOWER CHIPS
  
  Ingredients.
  
  200 grms banana flower
  11/2 tsp chilli powder more or less to taste
  ¼ tsp tumeric powder
  1 small marble size tamarind
  little asafetida
  salt as per taste
  oil for frying
  
  Method
  
  Discard 1st 2nd layers of the banana flowers ( It would be a bit tough )
  Clean the flowers by removing the stamen and the pinkish petal.
  Extract little juice from the tamarind.
  Mix all the ingredients with the flowers using the tamarind juice.
  Keep aside for about 10 minutes.
  Heat a wok with oil, when it becomes hot ,fry the flowers little at a time.
  Fry till crisp and remove from the fire.
  The flowers will cook very fast and would be very crispy.
  It’s best eaten when hot.
  It will become soft when cold
  It’s a good snack for a rainy day.
  
  Dear Mrs. Mano,
  Thanks for your kind words. Yes these are from my mum.She is a tunnel of knowledge, with lots of recipes all in her head.This is another rare recipe, try it when time permits. Thanks
  NOTE: This was her last recipe, posted on Friday, September 27, 2002.
  
  
• From: Mini (@ dsc03-ati-ga-6-217.rasserver.net) on: Tue Oct 8 10:11:29
  
  Thank you Chitra and Ramki for your good work to collect Mrs.Soma's recipes. By protecting these recipes for the future hubbers and for us, we can at least convey our gratitude and eternal love and respect to our kind friend and guide Mrs.Soma. And I think this is her last post.
  
  
  From: Mrs.Soma (@ 203.121.0.17) on: Wed Sep 25 01:56:03
  
  
  Dear Sam, karunai kizhangu in english is elephant yam.
  The tubers are highly acrid and cause irritation in throat and mouth due to excessive amount of calcium oxalate present in the tubers.
  Normally after harvesting, the tubers are kept aside for sometime ( about a month ) for the juices to dry.
  There is a variety for commercial cultivation in India called Gajendra. It is non- acrid and does not cause any irritation while eating.
  Many indigenous Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal preparations are also made using it's tubers.
  The tubers are believed to have blood purifer property and are used in medicines for piles,Asthma dysentery and other abdominal disorders.
  Hope you are clear now,and happy cooking with elephant yam. Thanks
  
  Note: If you have been following the thread you could have read Hemantji has mentioned that Karunai Kizhangu is elephant yam
  
  
• From: Ramki (@ 1cust158.tnt1.bloomington.il.da.uu.net) on: Tue Oct 8 11:31:14
  
  Thank you Chitra& Mini.
  
  I know that now every new hubber will be benifited by these simple delicous authetic recipes by Mrs Soma.
  
  Ramki
  
  
• From: jani (@ 1cust158.tnt2.campbelltown.au.da.uu.net) on: Tue Mar 16 05:38:55
  
  I have just been looking for a recipe for black halva to cook for my husband. Could anyone please send me a recipe for this. It would be much appreciated.
  
  
• From: niche (@ 203.116.61.131) on: Tue Mar 16 23:33:58 EST 2004
  
  hi, ramki
  
  these are only recipes of mrs soma is it? she has told in one of the responses that your karuvapilley kolambu is very nice - where is the recipe.. where is the recipe for black halwa cannot find them or do you have any other thread.. i don't understand, is anything missing (recipes) missing from this thread... pls explain.
  
  
  
• From: Jani (@ 1cust217.tnt2.campbelltown.au.da.uu.net) on: Thu Apr 1 08:33:23
  
  Please....where is the black halva recipe?? Can someone send it to me??
  
  
• From: Indera Sitham (@ jrc-cache5.jaring.my) on: Thu Apr 1 12:05:20 EST 2004
  
  Dear Jani, I am reposting the BLACK HALWA RECIPE.
  Click the old responses, you will get more recipes
  
  Ingredients.
  500 grms rice flour
  400 grms finely grated jaggery
  2 litres coconut milk from 2 coconuts
  1 tsp cardamon powder
  50 grms chopped cashew nut
  50 grms melted ghee
  a big pinch of salt
  
  Method:
  Mix the flour, milk and jaggery.
  Dissolve the jaggery and pass through a muslin or a strainer.
  Put the mixture in a big wok,with cardamond powder, chopped nuts,
  Salt, and cook on a slow fire, stirring all the time, till the mixture turns thick.
  ( The fire has to be slow to allow the flour to be cooked )
  Add the ghee and continue cooking, till the mixture leaves the sides of the wok.
  A small portain of halwa rolled between the thumb and forefingers forms a non-sticky ba#ll.
  Put in a well- greased tray, level the surface, set aside to turn cold.
  Cut into small squares when cold.
  
  It’s hard work, but the end result will be sweet.
  reposting the black halva recipe
  
  
• From: Indera Sitham (@ jrc-cache5.jaring.my) on: Thu Apr 1 12:08:48 EST 2004
  
  Sorry, the reposting the black halva recipe was wrongly printed at the bottom. Thanks
  
  
• From: Shanthy (@ ip-82-145.dot.net.au) on: Thu Apr 1 20:46:16 EST 2004
  
  Hi Ramki
  
  I have joined in the forum recently. I have missed most of Mrs.Soma's recipes. When I tried the old responses it goes back to 3 full screens and stops. If you have a recipe collection from Mrs.Soma, could you please email it to me?
  Thank you
  regards
  Shanthy
  
  
• From: uma (@ 203.116.61.131) on: Thu Apr 1 23:05:06 EST 2004
  
  yes even I need the recipes thank you ramki in advance.
  bye
  
  
• From: Indera Sitham (@ bkj-cache2.jaring.my) on: Fri Apr 2 01:46:32 EST 2004
  
  Dear Shanty and Uma,Please click OLDER TOPICS, and see the threads:
  Hemant's Cookery corner,
  Recipe of the week contest,
  I can't believe it's non-vegetarian,and
  Kerala Recipes.
  You can find all Mrs.Soma's recipes.
  Note: Mr.Ramki is no more.
  Thanks
  
  
• From: Shanthy (@ ip-83-62.dot.net.au) on: Fri Apr 2 06:56:53 EST 2004
  
  Thanks for your response Indera. I will try and get the recipes.
  
  Shanthy
  
  

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