arasi, chalanata & others,
I took the advice of a local mami who suggested I marinate the cut chundkkais in yoghurt & salt. Which I did, and it tastes wonderful after just 2 days. (And I haven't even fried them yet!)
Looks like this thread is slowly turning into a regular Indian coffee house! We can thank Sridevi and her sore throat for this.
meena wrote:Before anyone gives a shot to our 'forum remedies' pl. check with ur physician first!
Meena good that you mentioned. I had more problems after taking Echinaceae tonic long back (not the one thanjavur mentioned though). It may react differently with individuals.
Yeah, it is better to be conservative and careful with all these off the shelf self medications. As an extreme case, I remember reading a while back that M.K. Thyagaraja Bagavathar's health condition worsened a lot after he took some 'medicine' ( not sure it it was ayurvedic ) given by a medicine man.
ramakriya wrote:jayaram, did that help your throat?
Now the next big question LOL
where do you get chundakkai in SF bay area ?
Just kidding!
Well, if some kind soul here can fund my London-SF trip, I can bring along bagsful (or is it bagfuls?) of your favorite green chundakkais. And we can also make it into a nice musical get-together, whaddya say?
I'm so happy madam has let her hair down in this thread...I always knew she had a streak of mischief in her.
Last edited by jayaram on 05 Dec 2006, 05:10, edited 1 time in total.
You can make very good "arai puli kuzhambu" with fresh chundaikkai. YOu begin by scalding the chundaikkais in oil and proceed as if you are making sambhar. In the end, add a good quantity of fresh coconut which has been ground in mixie. Add seasonings as usual. This recepie requires slightly more tamarind and little less dal than the usual sambhar. Enjoy.
VK,
Please don't post a photograph of chuNDaikkAi and take us away to chefland! The Food Channel is worried and there are going to be enough of canteen stuff with the Season postings:)
KalyANi, kAmbOdi, any one? (sitting in for Meenaji??)
Last edited by arasi on 05 Dec 2006, 14:53, edited 1 time in total.
@ Topic : The reason why the music season happens during December is because, the voice would be at its best during this month. This is because the ozone layer is closest to the earth during this month and it is good for the heath as well as the voice. I came to know about this from a lecture demonstration few years back...
A friend of mine was telling me that several Madras-based artistes have had problems with their voices, thanks to the often severe levels of pollution in the city. Hope something can be done...
I'm sure madam is in seventh heaven looking thru the pictures umpteen times...
By the way, in addition to the chundakkai (did i mention they are green ones?) we also get marthangali here. Not to talk about the naarthangai and maahani I've brought from home. (now that should get some mouths watering...)
Hey start one....fyi..manathakkali is actually a wild plant in some parts of U.S. One can see them aplenty in forest preserves.. You may still do good business with it since not too many people are aware it is available for free plucking...
vasanthakokilam wrote:Hey start one....fyi..manathakkali is actually a wild plant in some parts of U.S. One can see them aplenty in forest preserves.. You may still do good business with it since not too many people are aware it is available for free plucking...
I was wondering what manatakkALi is- and little googling helped In Kannada, we called it "gaNike" haNNu. Even though I have eaten lots of these (they used to grow wildly in our yard) I had no clue it is considered a delicacy as such!
For narthangai, may not be many takers - Many lemon species here (including the one in my backyard) are more narthangai than lemon
-Ramakriya
Last edited by ramakriya on 06 Dec 2006, 09:27, edited 1 time in total.
Back to Botany (anything to steer things away from victuals and aspiring spice vendors). manai (home grown) thakkALi--something that grows in the kitchen garden is also found as a weed in parts of the US. You don't have to add all that sodium for the vaTRal and raise your blood pressure by consuming it in a preserved state. Straight from the plant, it is not only tasty but mighty healthy--and sridevi, good for the throat too, I guess...
Last edited by arasi on 06 Dec 2006, 10:23, edited 1 time in total.
asanas will cure backache. try bujangasan and mayurasan.
Yoga asanas can help prevent backaches and other ailments from occurring in the first place. But once you have a backache, it may be a bit dangerous doing asanas!
Except perhaps SavAsana.
manathakkali when soaked in butter milk or curd and salt and dried for days in sunlight gets seasoned and can be preserved for usage on and off. the fresh ones have to be used immediately. both are capable of curing mouth ulcers and as per traditional cancept unless there is ulcer in the stomach it would not reflect in the mouth.
manathakali keerai is non stop bitterness and only non CM rasikas can enjoy eating it!
Last edited by chalanata on 16 Dec 2006, 15:50, edited 1 time in total.
On my most recent trip to the local market, guess what I found...fresh mango-ginger! (mAnkai-inji or inji-mAnkai as it's called in Tamil). Promptly made some pickles with green chillies and lime. Simply out of this world!
Any throat rescue tips? My wife has to sing for a dance program on the weekend, the winter season has set in and her throat is not co-operating. On top of this she cannot really rest the voice due to scheduled rehearsals. For the rehearsals she has dropped her sruti half a kattai.
Well mohan,
If you stay in India, I would suggest you buy 'Samahan'. It is a powder available in a sachet that you will have to mix in hot water/tea/coffee and drink for sore throat/fever/cold/headache. It is really effective. The safe aspect is that you can drink this Concoction even 3 or 4 times a day. In fact, drinking it every 4 hours will help reduce the cough rapidly. I don't know if it is available in foreign countries.
Yes, that is the one, vasanthakokilam sir. =)
Thanks!
But, here in Chennai, it is called just 'Samahan'. I didn't know it was also called 'Samahan Tea'!
A spot of cointreau slowly sipped will do wonders. I am not a professional vocalist so take it with a pinch of salt (the suggestion, not the cointreau!!!).
Some vocalists use "Amodini", available from the "naatu marundhu" store on kutcheri road, mylapore.
Many traditional preparations have one thing in common: palm sugar. It is soothing. Honey too...(not for vegans though)
karthikbala, that is an interesting use for cointreau. i wonder if its sweet and bitter orange peel base has something to do with why it helps. In any case, this makes me look forward to my next bout of sore throat
Should she be straining her larynx if she has a sore throat? Maybe what she needs is to rest her throat after all, alongwith taking some of the recommended remedies.
Just taking the long-term view...
Gargling and rinsing your mouth with salt water may help. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, and gargle and rinse vigorously. Do this several times a day.
Couple of things - sore throat is usually pharyngitis, which while painful should not affect the larynx (and therefore, the voice). A remedy that works for pharyngitis - dissolve a tab of soluble aspirin (available in India as 'dispirin', in the US as Alka Seltzer with salicylate, do not know about the RoW) in a cup of warm water and gargle several times a day.
Pain on speaking, singing or vocalizing is laryngitis - many a time, pharyngitis spreads to involve the larynx, and causes the voice to become huskier, and phonation is painful, let alone singing. Some dos and don'ts - pain killers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen help, sucking on lozenges also help, steam inhalation helps, using a cool-mist humidifier at night will also help. Plenty of fluids - would avoid teas, because they can be mildly diuretic, causing paradoxical dehydration. Gargling with soluble aspirin will also help if she has both pharyngitis and laryngitis or if you are in doubt! Don'ts involve avoiding whispering (puts enormous strain on the vocal chords to whisper), avoiding second hand cigarette smoke, and avoiding talking (other than singing at the rehearsals of-course!).
Also check with your GP to make sure there is no strep infection! He would take a swab and send it for culture and will prescribe the RIGHT medication. DO NOT SELF MEDICATE WITH ANTIBIOTICS!!!
Thank you docs!
Will follow orders--though I am not giving any performances in the near future
Mohan,
Hope it all helps.
Will try samahan when I am in India (hope I don't need to, though!).
ragam-talam wrote:
Gargling and rinsing your mouth with salt water may help. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, and gargle and rinse vigorously. Do this several times a day.
Salt water may be a good and side-effect-free way to control a throat infection, but it may irritate. Also, I have heard conflicting advice on lozenges. I would be wary if one needs to sing. Complete rest (no speaking, especially no whispering) is probably best.
