The merit of the vegetable diet depends in what state. It is taken into the system. We must consider whether these should be cooked or not. The method of cooking, the retention or not of the juice and the method of eating all will have their say in making the essence available to the system. No benefit will ensue even if the defect is caused by the tongue’s rebellious tastes. Poison is poison. The benefit to the system will certainly be spoilt.
The raw food takes the first place in dietetics. This prominence is in accord with the Shastras and experience. There is no doubt that cooking reduces the dietetic benefit. Research has not yet disclosed as to how the food is spoiled by cooking and how much and why. Just think of the difficulties of existence experienced in the pre-historic times by man! What was he doing before bringing fire under control? The sky was his roof; the forest his home, and the trees served as elevated sleeping cots! Who can say how many ages passed before the ancient man discovered the fire-stone!
In olden age
We burn cow dung cakes with kerosene and the fire is lighted within the safety of the four walls. To light the fire by striking stones in the middle of a forest the difficulties must have been very great. They ate vegetables, roots and greens and carried on the fight for existence in all physical vigour. The forest grains which grew wild went to make up the chief diet of the day. Physical health was at its supreme in those days. People did not succumb in great numbers for unnameable diseases.
The gossipwala on the pial would jump up and ask “how do you know all these?” The fact that the population of the world has remained to be doubled and trebled is sufficient evidence and proof for our assertion.
Evidence in Puranas
Read the great Epics, Sri Ramayana and Sri Mahabharatha. Many thousands are seen to have lived in those days on roots, vegetables, fruits and milk in the great Ashrams and forest abodes. Nowhere it is said that these had recourse to rural dispensaries to remove daily stomach aches. Nor do they seem to have spent their time in constant immersion in medical salts.
Slaves to fire
Civilisation came. The friendship with fire increased. Good resulted. But we did not know to remove its defects nor was there any attempt to think. We left Nature’s shelter; and entered the artificial dwellings. With us entered the diseases of the lungs! We donned dresses. Skin diseases also nicely slipped into the dress! The tongue wanted the food cooked. But illness began to fry the system. The stomach that pressed and threw out the stone, now trembles at sight of even baked greens. Everything has to be cooked well. The skin or the outer rind of these has to be thrown out. It is thought that even orange inner peel would injure the stomach lining! Ages passed! We became slaves to fire! Good and bad are the outcome.
PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE FOOD
Not suddenly
The stomach and the intestines are not now in the golden state of health. They seem to have lost vitality yielding to the inroads of civilisation. To stop cooking and to take in the food all of a sudden without cooking would upset digestion. The digestive organs for want of acquaintance with raw food will fail and rebel. Raw food must be taken to gradually.
Wash well
Even under the present weak condition of the digestive organs, some vegetables could be taken raw straight away. Cucumber, Lady’s finger, plantain, Snake-gourd, ashgoush, carrots, sweet-potato and white-carrot (Mullangi) can be eaten raw. The vegetables bought from the bazaar must be well washed preferably in warm or hot watef. These are sold in dirty places. The fields where they are grown cannot be clean. Many kinds of manures are used in the gardens where these are grown. If the vegetables are straight sent into the stomach from the bazaar, disease is sure to result.
These vegetables carry on the surface various destructive germs. When these are taken in raw without any cooking, then the germs will get into the body and produce diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, and what not. The snuff addicted cynic will give out then his mocking smile. He would laugh at us. “Do you now see your raw food? Where it has led you?” He would exclaim. The children at home will purloin the vegetables brought from the bazar, for eating. These do not know that the articles should be well cleaned. The elders should insist on this being washed first before eating.
Tender Lady’s finger
Many will cut the Lady’s finger into bits with a pen knife and eat. They do not wait for salt or hot taste. This is not a very difficult thing. Any one can eat tender lady’s finger like this. This will be slightly sweet and tasty. Cucumber is very commonly eaten raw. Both these do not require even salt. In a household it is impossible to find the next day the carrots and sweet potatoes purchased from the bazar the previous day.
The children at home will get no sleep so long as these vegetables are undergoing solitary confinement in the baskets. Like the proverbial cat searching for the milk these will be on hot embers! After they bury these in their stomach-locker only they would sleep! Is it therefore necessary to describe and adumberate on the tasteful nature of the raw vegetables?
Where is mustard?
One must get some practice to eat raw the other vegetables. The tongue will bawl out “where are my brothers the chilli, the salt, and the tamarind? Where is my dear little sister darling Mustard”? To control the bombast of this vociferous tongue we can prepare salads without cooking. Carrots, cucumber, lady’s finger can be cut into small pieces, mixed with fresh coriander green leaves and salad made. When mixed with curds this will become that special South Indian preparation “Thayir Pachadi” or Curd Salad. Other vegetables can be taken with salt and lime juice. When coconut chips are mixed, who would not relish these salads of raw vegetables? But be careful not mix chilli with these, whatever terror-dance the tongue may indulge in!
In thousands of homes, raw food may not be feasible. They have to be cooked. One must know therefore the method of healthy cooking.
Why to remove skins?
We remove the skins from all the vegetables and then cook. These peelings contain subtle good quantities and ingredients. When big dinners for hundreds and thousands are prepared it is not possible to go on scraping the skins from heaps of vegetables. In fact the skin is not removed. Cooked with skin the taste also does not seem to suffer. The roots known in Tamil, as Senai, Karunai, and Seppan and Jackfruit must have their skin pealed before or after cooking, making it fit for consumption. The skins of Cucumber, Potato, Sweet Potato, Carrot and similar vegetables need not be removed. These will become fit for the stomach by the grace of the Lord of Fire.
It will be injurious to drain away the water and juice of cooked vegetables. Some may not relish the taste if this water is not drained away. The vegetables can better be cooked into a stew to avoid this difficulty. Let us take an example.
The mixed vegetables
The mixed vegetables stew can be made when there are a variety of vegetables available. This can also be prepared when there are many varieties, each of which will not be sufficient for the day by itself. The lady’s finger and other slimy red vegetables may be eschewed. The bitter vegetable is also not mixed. The potato, Sweet potato, Cucumber and brinjals can be used as also Senai for this stew. Boil green gram dhal in a pot and add cleaned and cut vegetables when dhal is half baked. Then a little tamarind water is sprinkled and the whole thing cooked. If absolutely necessary a little black pepper, and coconut and Jirak can be ground into paste and added to the stew. Do not forget to add salt. Green coriander leaves also could be put in cut into bits when taken down. After the vegetables get cooked, then a spoon of rice flour paste is poured into it. Black gram dhal could be fried and used as seasoning. Mustard should be left out. Chilli should not be touched. This stew will be very tasty.
Avial
This stew is also called Avial in Tamil when curd and coconut are added. This is also good for eating. That which spoils the food value of this is the green chilli which is invariably added. That with which this is seasoned is the red chilli. When the chilli is removed this Avial becomes a very tasty and beneficial preparation.
Some will babble that when chilli and the tamarind are eschewed certain vegetables could never be tastily cooked. We can take the instance of the Lady’s finger and Seppan Kilangu. Health value should not deteriorate. The taste also should not go down.
Examine the suggestion given here.
Lady’s finger: Wash the Lady’s finger uncut. Remove the thick projection and cut the rest into round small pieces. Then fry black gram dhal in oil and put this cut vegetable into the pot. Turn the same well, pour thick butter-milk, just a little, and use a little salt powder. Add coconut chips and red cooked dhal and when the liquid mostly dries up, get the pot down and use the vegetable. For the Seppankilangu also the method of preparation is the same. One must use this baked with skin peeled away.