The Shining Skull

At 72, my Dad is as fit as a fiddle. Not that he was always health conscious. He used to be quite plump in his mid-forties, and I still remember the love handles of his waist, which is characteristic of middle aged people with a sedentary lifestyle and high adrenaline corporate careers.

One fine day, he decided that enough was enough and devised a strategy to get rid of the excess fat, and assiduously stuck to it till he was able to reach his target BMI (Body-Mass Index). He used a multi-pronged approach which included a change in dietary habit, water therapy and a regular physical exercise in conjunction with yogic practices. One of the yogic practices, which later received widespread acclaim through the teachings of Baba Ramdev, is a breathing exercise known as ‘Kapalbhati’.

Found in several sacred Hindu scriptures, such as Gheranda Samhita and Hathayoga Pradipika, Kapalbhati can be translated as ‘frontal brain bellowing’ or as ‘shining skull’. The benefits of Kapalbhati are numerous – it helps to improve the digestive functions, makes the mind more tranquil by removing drowsiness and blocking disturbing thoughts. It helps clean out the lungs and makes oxygenation more efficient. It also strengthens the respiratory muscles.

The technique of Kapalbhati is as follows:

Sit in a comfortable position with the back upright. Close your eyes and relax the body. Inhale by slowly allowing the abdominal muscles to expand and then exhale with forceful contraction of the muscles. This is one cycle. Repeat the inhalation/exhalation cycles at least 25 times initially. This will make one round. Try at least 10 rounds in the beginning and go on increasing the rounds every day, but not beyond your comfort level.

This exercise should preferably be done in an empty stomach, either in the morning or in the evening. People with heart ailment or respiratory problems should seek professional advice.

The practice explained above is for beginners. Advanced practices require following awareness on certain points and breath retention along with Kapalbhati. Inhalation can also be done forcefully, but then that is another practice called ‘Bhastrika Pranayam’. Normal breathing involves active contraction of the respiratory muscles while expiration occurs passively. Kapalbhati inverts this process which is the source of brain stimulation by reversing the flow of nerve impulses.

It might come as a surprise to the iPhone generation that such a simple and inexpensive practice can be so effective in reducing excess weight. I too was a sceptic till I saw this old technique make a new man out of my Dad. And the best part is that he has not regained the weight which he lost in a matter of a few months only. As they say, “Old is gold”, you can try this old practice and see for yourself the visible benefits in a few weeks’ time. So go for this practice, in all earnestness, and reap high dividends with very little investment.

Say Cheese

Everybody loves cheese! And besides its yummy taste, there is another reason to love it – cheese is packed with the goodness of calcium, essential  for strong bones and teeth. Strong bones are less fragile, hence less susceptible to breakage, aches and pains.

Paneer or the Indian cottage cheese, is a well-known food item not just in India, but the world loves it! While paneer is readily available in the markets in packaged form, I prefer to make it at home whenever I want to make a paneer dish. Home-made paneer is fresh and healthy, as it has no trace of preservatives. Also, it takes barely 10 minutes to make (after which it needs to cool and set), and is loaded with calcium and proteins. This cheese is light on the stomach as well, helping it to get digested easily. So the next time you plan to cook paneer, try to make it yourself at home, by following my quick recipe J

Make Paneer (Cottage Cheese) At Home

Ingredients: ½ litre milk (with cream), 100 ml curd (or juice of 2 lemon)

Method: Bring the milk to boil, and when it starts boiling, lower the heat. Start adding in the curd (or lemon juice) while stirring the milk. The milk will start curdling while you continue to add the curd (or lemon juice). Keep stirring till all the water separates and lumps of paneer (cottage cheese) float on the water. Take the vessel off the heat and drain out the water. Allow the paneer to cool. The paneer will still have a lot of water. So wrap the entire lump in a soft cotton cloth, make a small bundle and sqeeze off as much water as you can. Then place this bundle on a clean, flat surface and put a heavy material (a heavy vessel or jar or grinding stone) on top of it to drain off any remaining moisture. After 15-20 minutes, open the cloth and you will find a slab of fine white cheese. This cheese/paneer is fresh, has no preservatives, and so easy to prepare! You can store this in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Paneer Pakoda (Cheese Fritters)

Ingredients: 100 gms paneer (cottage cheese), 1 cup besan (gram flour), oil (for frying), 1 tsp lime juice (optional), chopped green chillies and salt (to taste)

Method: Cut the paneer/cheese into thin, flat strips so that they cook easily. Add a pinch of salt and lime juice, mix well and keep aside. For the batter, add water to the besan (gram flour) and mix till it forms a batter of thick consistency. Add in the chopped green chillies and salt. Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. Then dip each paneer/cheese strip into the batter, coat both sides well and lower in the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn the side and fry for 1 more minute. Remove from oil and the pakodas/fritters are ready to be served with chutney or ketchup as a delicious snack.

Stuffed Paneer Paratha (Indian Bread with Cheese Stuffing)

Ingredients: 100 gms paneer (cottage cheese), ½ onion finely chopped, a small piece of ginger finely grated, roasted cumin seeds (jeera), ½ tsp coriander powder (dhaniya), chopped green chillies and salt to taste, chopped coriander leaves, flour, oil

Method: For the paratha (bread) stuffing,  crumble the paneer and add onions, grated ginger, chillies, coriander powder, cumin seeds, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and keep aside. For the paratha, mix flour and water and make a soft dough. Now make small balls from the dough and roll out with a rolling pin, then add about 1 tbsp of the paneer filling, fold in the paratha from all the sides, and roll out again. Heat a flat pan/tawa and cook the paratha on it for a few minutes. Then turn the side and cook again. Now add 1 tsp of oil to each side and cook the paratha for 2 more minutes, turning sides. Remove from heat and serve your ‘cheesy’ lip-smacking parathas with raita or chutney.

Paneer Kheer (Cheese Balls in Sweetened Milk)

Ingredients: 200 gms Paneer (cottage cheese), 1 litre milk (with cream), 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom, finely chopped nuts (cashew, almonds, pistachio), raisins

Method: Knead the paneer thoroughly so that a smooth dough can be formed. Now make small balls from the dough (the balls should not crumble) and keep aside. Boil the milk in a saucepan till it reduces to half its original volume. In this condensed milk, place the paneer balls carefully and let it simmer. After a few minutes, add the sugar, cardamom powder, nuts and raisins and mix. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and cool. Serve this paneer kheer chilled, garnished with a few raisins and nuts.