another detox smoothie with pineapple, pomelo and bhumiamlaki (Phyllanthus niruri), a liver tonic herb

This common garden weed called as Bhumiamplaki in Hindi (Phyllanthus niruri) or Chanca piedra has immense medicinal properties and is a very potent liver tonic. It helps prevent stone formation in kidneys too (source) and is actually beneficial in many more conditions (read more).

I have myself seen it being used to heal the liver after jaundice in my family, fresh herb liquidized with water is given to the patient everyday for a week or so and one notices a difference. Since this herb bhumiamlaki grows profusely in the garden I sometimes pluck and add it to my smoothies.

 It is the most easy thing to do as the herb doesn't need any preparation before being added to smoothies or juices. This is the season of grapefruits (pomelo) too and the generous tree in my garden is weighed down by several of those heavy citrus fruits. See the article I wrote for Down to Earth about pomelo and how it is used across the country.

I use them a lot in my salads and smoothies.

Some slices of pineapple are always there in my freezer and come handy when making smoothies or the pineapple soup that I love so much.

Recipe of pineapple and pomelo smoothie with bhumiamlaki 

ingredients for one serving... 

one fat slice of pineapple
one cup of pomelo segments cleaned
handful of bhumiamlaki leaves and tender stems (all parts of the plant are edible)

procedure ...

Blend to make a smoothie. There will be a mild bitter aftertaste in this smoothie but this is one of those smoothies that work wonderfully to detoxify the system.

Make this smoothie with orange or sweet lime if you don't get pomelo, some citrus fruit makes this smoothie much more enjoyable.

And see how just three ingredients make this smoothie a perfect recipe to detox.

You can add a little ginger too if you have been experiencing DOMS after heavy workouts.

Get the fruits prepared and frozen if you want the smoothie ready quickly. Or just enjoy playing with ingredients before you blend your smoothie. It is great any which way.

This smoothie may taste a little bitter if the pomelo has a slight bitterness too, Bhumiamlaki has slight bitterness too so the combined effect may make this smoothie taste slightly bitter. Add more pineapple in such a case and the smoothie will still be great.

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pomelo salad with cucumber, beets and roasted peanuts and discovering more exotic salads at Pan Asian

There is nothing better than garden salads. Just pluck a few things bursting with natural flavours, chop them up into desired forms and toss with whatever dressing you like. Or just skip the salad dressing if you wish, trust me you can make great salads without any dressing added. Some salad ingredients complement each other so well you don't need a dressing poured over them.

This Pomelo-beets-cucumber salad is a fusion between the Thai pomelo salad and a khamang kakdi which is a much loved salad from Maharashtra. Use of roasted and pounded peanuts is very common in Maharashtrian food as well as Thai food, I took advantage of the fresh produce from garden and tossed up this gorgeous salad for myself.

This is one of those salads where you don't whisk a dressing and just mix all the ingredients and toss up really well. The fats in the peanuts, the acid in the citrus juices and the slight sharpness in raw beets and mustard greens balance the flavours as well as make the nutrient availability better.

ingredients 
(2 large servings)

2 cups separated pomelo segments
1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers, cut the cucumber in 4 parts lengthwise and then slice
1/2 cup thin julienne of beetroot
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions, preferably shallots
handful of mustard micro greens or any sharp greens or herbs you like
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
generous pinch of pepper powder
chopped green chillies to taste (optional, I use the less hot variety of green chillies)
2-3 tbsp of crushed roasted peanuts

procedure 

Mix everything up and give it all a good toss. You want the juices to mix up and the salt and sugar to get dissolved and soaked up by the vegetables and pomelo segments.

If you don't find mustard microgreens you can use tender radish leaves or radish julienne cut just like the beets.

If you have a pot you can sow some mustard seeds and get the microgreens in just 3-4 days. Keep using them till the first cotyledonary leaves give way to proper mustard leaves, the bigger leaves can also be used though.

Last weekend we enjoyed one of the best salads outside our home. This was at Pan Asian, Welcome Hotel, Saket where Chef Vaibhav Bhargava has created a new menu that boasts of fresh produce and great taste at affordable prices. Pan Asian used to be exorbitantly priced but now the a la carte menu looks much more extensive and pocket friendly.

The microgreens salad we had was a delightful mix of flavours and textures, with edemame and Japanese Bayberries, sesame etc. This was an absolute favourite.

We also taste pomelo salad but I was not impressed because I get to eat garden fresh pomelo anyway.

Another favourite was a Yellow tail carpaccio with ginkgo nuts and more microgreens. We loved the California rolls with a soy based wrap and the variety of seafood dimsums too. I did not like the vegetarian dimsums though.

We tried the signature Miso Black cod for main course. The fish tastes almost caramelized with miso paste, very flaky and succulent and each grain well seasoned and delicious. Chef Vaibhav told the fish is marinated for a couple of days before being grilled to serve. Truly a masterpiece.

This menu is one of those where one doesn't feel overwhelmed with heavy greasy food. I love the way fresh greens and vegetables are treated here and the seafood which is so light and flavourful. This menu does justice to anyone who wants a light yet filling meal or even a low calorie meal. Chef Vaibhav even serves gluten free and organic produce on request.

What is not to like when you are spoiled for choices of healthy and hearty food in a plush restaurant. Family celebrations are the times when one heads towards 5 star hotel restaurants and with this kind of food even the celebrations can get absolutely healthy yet very exotic.

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