The memories of my vacations during schools days are still fresh in my memory. Each summer my parents used to drop me off at grandparents place.We lived in a hill station and they were in the plains.Every summer when people tuned to hill stations for vacations, I used to head to grandparents home. Though it is in the plains, it is as cool the place where we lived. Anyways, the days used to pass on without much excitement.In those days when the place was still a village, there was no cable TV and the regular transmission was not something to look forward to. I was not allowed to go out on my own.Grandpa used to take me out on small trips ,like the dam nearby or the crocodile farm near the dam, his friend's cotton industry once in a while..
My biggest time pass was chatting with my grandmom.As she prepared the meal, I would sit in the kitchen and listen to her talk about her childhood.Then there was my great grandmom who was in her late 80's sharing with me memories of her childhood. Then both of them used to recollect the places they lived as a child,the functions and festivals they celebrated etc. I loved to listen to these stories.Great grandmom and I used to play ludo / cards in the evening.
The favorite part of summer vacations was the 'eating' part.Grandma used to dish out delicious food stuffs and I was always stuffed. Grandpa used to make sure I finished all the items on my plate before I could wash my hands. I had to take a nap no matter what.When I used to wake up after the nap, there was sure to be some delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.Then there was a regular dose of Chyawanprash that was given to me every night.When it was time for the school to reopen , parents would come to pick me up and I would be in tears.Grandma would wave a teary goodbye and I would return home and look forward to the next summer....How I miss those lovely day....
During my stay with grandparents, I also remember grandpa preparing this Sonti bella to be taken after a heavy meal.Sonti and bella in Kannada means ginger powder and jaggery.A small amount of this digestive kindles the digestive juices and the tummy is ready for the next meal.
We made this Sonti bella as a part of the Chitra maasa panaka poojay thali
You need :
Ginger powder / Sonti Pudi - 1 teaspoon
Powdered jaggery - 1 teaspoon
Ghee- to mix
Take the ginger powder and jaggery in a bowl. Add ghee drop by drop and mix well so that the jaggery and ginger powder are well blended and it should have the consistency as shown in the click. A small quantity from this ball can be taken after the meal.This can be refrigerated for a couple of days...
Note :
- You can add a little more jaggery if you feel sonti bella is too spicy.But just remember that it should not be too sweet.You have to feel the spiciness from the ginger powder.
- Only a small quantity should be taken. The quantity in the click was used over a period of 4 days by three of us.
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Bon Appetit...
Labels: Grandma's Remedy, Madhwa Cuisine
