Dr. Mantena's Kitchen

Today’s special on Mantena’s Kitchen is everyone’s favorite rainy season snack “Palak Pakodi”. Unlike the palak pakodi’s you usually prepare at home or at the roadside stalls, our special palak pokodi is made without the use of oil, salt or any other harmful element. Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju has designed it by taking every possible care to match its taste and flavor.

Mantena’s Kitchen is a unique blog based on the teachings of Dr. Mantena Satyanarayana Raju. It is as unique as Dr. Raju himself. I called it unique because you don’t find any blog or a website all over the internet which promotes a healthy cuisine. You don’t find a website or a blog related to cuisine which provides recipes without using salt, oil, ghee, tamarind, Red Chili Powder, Sugar and Masalas or Spices etc. On the other hand you neither find a person like Dr. Raju across the world who is so prominently promoting the healthy and natural way of living. We often see people preach something and follow something else. He is not of that kind. He is a man of action. He follows to perfection what he preaches.

Dr. Raju has realized that no household in India prepares food without these seven elements of taste. He calls them - the seven enemies of good health. Use of any of these seven things leads to serious health hazards in the long run if not immediately. Each one of us know the fact and still do not try to change our eating habits. Unless we get prone to lifestyle disorders like diabetes, constipation, intestinal ulcers, liver and kidney malfunctions etc, we aren’t making an attempt to change our lifestyle. Surprisingly today’s younger generation is becoming an early prey to these lifestyle disorders.

Every time we eat, we always try to satisfy the little tongue neglecting the needs of other major organs of our body. Mantena’s Kitchen is an attempt to promote good eating habits by cooking different types of recipes in a harmless way and yet deliciously. Dr. Raju has proved time and again that we can cook all the recipes in a healthy way without using those seven enemies of health. He thoroughly studied and designed various techniques to supplement the seven enemies of taste. Let us now get into the business of preparing a delicious and harmless “Palak Pokodi”.

Ingredients:

1. Spinach - 5 Bundles

2. Chickpea flour - ¼ Kg

3. Lemon - 5 Nos. (big in size)

4. Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

5. Cream - 1 tbsp (is also used occasionally)

6. Curd / Yogurt - 4 tbsp

7. Green Chillies - 10 (finely chopped)

8. Curry Leaves - 10 (finely chopped)

9. Ground Nuts - 50 gms (fried and half crushed)

Making Procedure:

1. Cut the Spinach into small pieces and keep it in a bowl.

2. Extract the lemon juice and mix it thoroughly with spinach using ur fingers. This helps in making the Pakodi soft and delicious.

3. Add chickpea flour to the spinach and mix it well using your fingers.

4. Add 2-4 tea spoons of yogurt and mix it well. Usually water is used for softening the flour. Since we are making the pakodis without salt and oil, use of water makes them more insipid. Therefore, addition of yogurt gives some nice sour taste to the tongue substituting the need for salt.5. Add 1 tbsp of ginger paste to the mix of spinach and chickpea flour for taste. In natural way of living ginger is used quite occasionally only while making this kind of special recipes. Since ginger is a herb and daily usage of herbs weakens our immunity system, we use them occasionally. Herbs and medicines should be used only when needed and not every day.

6. Add finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves into it and mix it well using your fingers.

7. Add half crushed groundnuts duly fried into it and mix it well. These groundnut pieces give you a crunchy taste while eating.

8. We are half done now. It’s time to fry the pakodis.

9. Light-up your stove and put a non-stick pan over it.

10. Now make small rolls of the paste with your fingers and put all over the pan and cook till it gets brown. When the rolls gets brown turn to the other side using your spoon and cook till brown. During all the process you must put your stove in a simmer as high flame might burn the pakodis and spoil the taste. Here you need little patience because frying stuff without oil is always time taking. So be patient for your health and enjoy the hot, spicy and crunchy pakodis.

We tried these pakodis quite number of times and we really enjoyed it. I hope you people try to make these kind of harmless and healthy snacks and enjoy it staying fit.

Many of my friends and the followers of Dr. Mantena Satyanaryana Raju’s Natural Way of Living are requesting for frequent updates in the blog. Let me tell you that I personally involves in making these recipes with my wife and try to take the photographs as well. As both of us are office goers we hardly find time to make different recipes and bring to you. I really regret for that and I promise to upload a new recipe every now and then possible. Therefore do not get disappointed and keep watching the space for more updates. Do join in our journey to the healthy way of living and take others with you. I would like to end up on a note by Baba Ramdev – “curing a disease is always like trying to save a house caught up in fire.” Therefore, do realize the mantra “Prevention is always better than cure” and act accordingly.

I hope you enjoyed the blog. and keep watching the space for more updates..!