Age of Ethics and Consciousness

Wild Harvested Tripe Fungus


Today's Juice
Today's 3-meal juice: apple, kale, cilantro, beet, carrot, cucumber, fennel, and ginger. All organically grown of course, and I soaked the ingredients in fresh cold water for 2 hours before juicing.




Turmeric-Habanero Sauce
The sauce was prepared at high-speed in a regular blender using:
1) quarter-cup of olive oil
2) two fine red habanero peppers
3) bit of ginger
4) four large cloves garlic
5) tablespoon of umeboshi plum vinegar
6) tablespoon of fresh powdered turmeric
7) teaspoon of local honey (sweeten to taste)

Photography, food creations and article by Jahrun Chilam Balam 2010.04.15

Before my bicycle ride today I had an inspiring and colorful lunch, featuring a trillium open-faced sandwich and raw warm borscht.

Open-faced Trillium Sandwich
On the plate are three open faced sandwiches of organic sour dough bread spread thickly with freshly-made hummus mixed-in with tamari and chipotle powder, topped with thinly-sliced onion, tomato, multi-colored sweet peppers, watercress and a pile of sunflower sprouts in the center.

Avocado Salsa on Brown Rice
Later, on returning from today's 28-mile bicycle ride, I used the blender again to make a avocado salsa using almost the same ingredients I used for the borscht, only I used a substituted an avocado instead of a red beet, and added freshly-squeezed juice from one whole lemon, a pinch of Celtic sea salt and half a teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper. In the bowl I placed a small serving of long-grain brown rice, smothered it with the avocado salsa, topped with a tablespoon of ground panch phoran mixture (panch phoran/sesame/flax/Celtic sea salt), and finally I garnished with sweet pea sprouts and watercress.

Home-grown Sprouts and Greens
Except for the toast and small portion of whole grain brown rice, these dishes are raw and use all organic or home-grown ingredients! It is easy to sprout and grow many foods in a sunny window. Here growing in the light of my window are the sunflower sprouts and the watercress shower and refill with fresh oxygenated water each day.


Enjoy!

~ Namaste

Nestled in the spice and herb cabinet here in the house I am staying are mysterious relic jars and containers left behind by previous tenants. Last week I discovered one relatively large glass jar half full of a colorful medley of seeds, and on the lid was written Panch Puran. India leaped out as I opened the lid. The aromas stirred my child's culinary curiosities and excitements. In an instant, a fireworks shower of creative visions appeared of how this fantastic assembly of seeds would become an intimate part of my foodie ways.

What is Panch Phoran?
Panch Phoron Ingredients:
1 part nigella (Kalonji or black onion) seeds
1 part black mustard seeds
1 part fenugreek seeds
1 part fennel seeds
1 part cumin seeds

Preparation: Combine all spices in a jar, store away from heat and light.


The Epicentre Encyclopedia of Spices describes Panch Phoron as follows:

The distinct aroma of Bengali cuisine is mostly due to the blend of spices known as panch phoron, or perhaps some other variation on this name (see below). Panch means "five" and phoron is "flavour" or "spice", hence the common translation Bengali Five-Spice". Panch phoron is a colourful blend of flavourful seeds: the green of fennel seed, black mustard seeds, nigella seeds, golden fenugreek seeds and buff-coloured cumin seeds. Some variations may substitute anise for the fennel seeds or wild mustard for cumin, radhuni seed for mustard, and possibly black cumin for nigella. Generally the ingredients are added in equal proportions, though this can vary according to taste.

Panch phoron is usually fried in oil or ghee before adding anything else to the pot, flavouring the oil and releasing the aroma of the oils in the seeds and causing them to pop in the pan. Other ingredients are added at this point, the mixture adding sweetness and bringing forward the flavours of vegetables, fish or lentils.

Raw Cuisine Ideas
There are many recipies out there on the Internet that use this seed mix in the traditional way of quick frying them in oil in a hot wok. However good this may taste, it does not appeal to my increasing shift to eating raw foods. In fact, I believe that the traditional way of frying these seeds until they pop is a sure way to destroy the nutritive and medicinal values. Worse yet, as with any food, subjecting these seeds to a high heat will certainly transmute otherwise healthy substances into nasty carcinogens - i.e. cancer causing substances. Notice below in the Ponch Phoran and Health section the mention of omega-6 and volatile oils... Do you really want to over-heat these and destroy their molecular form, and hence their benefits?


Imagine using your grinder to pulverize some panch phoron seed mix along with raw sesame seeds, flax seeds, and coarse celtic sea salt. Put the mixture in a little sauce pan and add a little water, raw unrefined organic oil, maybe some umeboshi plum vinegar and then briefly warm the mixture to be no hotter than 104 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius)... warm to the touch... still raw. Yet you still get the benefit of encouraging the release of the nutritive medicines from the seeds into the liquid through a slow, gentle and short-lived heat.

This tasty nutritive sauce can now be added to your raw soup, or ladled over finely slivered raw veggies or salads, sprouts, sprouted grains, beans or quinoa, or even fresh slices of tropical fruit, like a ripe mango! Also, if you're like me, you do embark on some cooked foods as a base from time to time like organic whole-grain rice or organic pasta made from rice, artichoke or buckwheat, or some other low gluten seed or grain. Top your cooked grain or pasta with a sauce, and sprinkle a bit of freshly powdered panch phoron on top.

I have been increasingly enjoying experiments with curries, masalas, and am now delighted to have discovered yet another treat from the East India, Bangladesh region of ancient medicinal and culinary wisdom.

Panch Phoran and Health
The five types of spices used in panch phoran have significant health benefits too.

Cumin Seeds:

• Cumin seeds have a beneficial effect on the digestive system.
• Research in animals has indicated that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, important factors in proper digestion and nutrient assimilation. As with other carminative spices, cumin's digestive stimulating effects are due to its volatile oils.
• Cumin seeds may also have anticancer properties.
• Cumin has shown to enhance liver's detoxification enzymes.
• See also: http://www.herbreference.com/cumin.html

Mustard Seeds:

• Mustard is a good source of selenium and magnesium. Selenium helps people with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis while magnesium lowers high blood pressure, reduces migraines and also prevents heart attack.
• Mustard seeds are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, protein, niacin and dietary fiber.
• The essential oil Tocopherols present in mustard inhibits growth of certain yeasts, molds, and bacteria, enabling mustard to function as a natural preservative.
• See also http://www.herbreference.com/mustard_seeds.html

Fenugreek Seeds:

• The seeds of the fenugreek plant are known to be great cleansers of the system.
• They are have a beneficial impact on the digestive tract, stomach, respiratory infections, blood sugar and diabetes.
• It also reduces cholesterol.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends fenugreek for treating arthritis and asthma.
• When looking for this, it may be labeled as Methi.
• See also http://www.herbreference.com/fenugreek.html

Fennel Seeds:

• Fennel acts as a digestive, appetite enhancer.
• It is considered very marginally diuretic.
• The seeds are supposedly laxative and an aphrodisiac.
• Fennel seed is also lends itself to excellent respiratory tonics.
• Fennel is very effective in reducing acidity.
• Fennel is very popular spice in india available at any indian spice shop.
• See also http://www.herbreference.com/fennel_seed.html

Nigella / Kalonji Seeds / Black Onion Seeds:

• Kalonji seeds have been know to have many healing properties including migraine, chronic colds, palpitations, alopecia, asthma, bee stings, paralysis, amnesia, skin disorders, facial palsy, earache and respiratory diseases.
• It is also known to benefit the stomach because of its anti-bacterial properties.
• See also http://www.herbreference.com/nigella.html

See Also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_phoron
http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Panch_phoran

~ Namaste