Geetha's Kitchen

Home Grown Mint (Mentha spicata) Mint is perhaps the easiest of herbs to grow at home - and the benefits of having this brightly aromatic herb fresh are endless ... delicious in salads, teas, curries, wraps, and of course as garnishes .... desserts, fruit salads and fancy beverages would not be complete without a little sprig :D. Although there are different kinds of mints used in the kitchen, spearmint (Mentha spicata) is the most popular. P eppermint is used predominantly for teas and flavorings and spearmint for tea as well as all other cooking needs. Mint is an enormously useful herb beyond the kitchen too: it is used in medicines, perfumes, soaps, oral hygiene products, insect repellents, etc, etc. I find that stem cuttings are the best and quickest way to grow mint. It grows quite easily from cuttings - child's play :>! I grew mine years ago from the leftover stems after using the leaves for cooking. Since it is a perennial herb, o nce planted mint will keep growing ...

Taro Plant - 2010 Taro has been grown for human consumption since antiquity - some estimates say that it was in cultivation in tropical India before 5000 B.C.E. Taro is grown and eaten in many countries around the world. It was a popular food in Europe during the Roman Empire and many ways of preparing them are found in the ancient Roman cookbook Apicius. These "tropical potatoes" are known as Chembu in Malayalam, Cheppankizhangu in Tamil, Arbi in Hindi, Satoimo in Japanese, dasheen/eddo/callalloo etc. in the Caribbean/Polynesian islands and other parts of the world. Taro is more nutritious than the regular potato; comparatively taro contains more protein and higher amounts of calcium and phosphorous in addition to goodly amounts of Vitamins A, B6, C and E. It is easily digestible and so good for people with delicate digestive systems. Although the corms (modified stems) are the most prized parts, the leaves and stems are also eaten. I grow taro for the l...

Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) is a gorgeous member of the onion family. Similar in flavor to chives, garlic chives have a mild garlic flavor and is often used as a vegetable in Asian cuisines. Known as Gau Choy, Chinese chives, Nira, etc, both the leaves and the young flower stalks with the buds and the flowers can be used in cooking in place of green onions or regular chives. Garlic chives can be easily grown from seeds or plant divisions. It is a perennial plant that does not require a lot of care. Once planted, it slowly spreads and self seeds also. Harvest the grass like leaves and flower stalks by cutting close to the base. The seeds can be collected to make delicious tasting sprouts during winter months when the chives themselves slow down. Garlic chives make wonderful border plants in regular as well as the herb gardens with the fragrant and attractive white star-shaped flowers. I have used them in bouquets in high summer when there aren't a lot of other flowe...

Gongura plant Gongura, Roselle, or Hibiscus subdariffa is another wonderful herb/leafy green to grow at home. The leaves have a tart lemony taste similar to sorrel and are used in dals and chutneys especially in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh - famous for Gongura Chutney. The dried calyxes or sepals are perhaps better known as Jamaican Sorrel, Flor De Jamaica or Mexican Hibiscus tea and are used to make delicious beverages in Jamaica, Central America, Mexico, Egypt and many African countries - more about that another day, another post. In addition to being so useful, it is also a lovely plant. The the red stems and buds, strikingly beautiful divided leaves with red veins and stems (petioles), and the pale yellow flowers touched with a faint blush are quite distinctive and ornamental. I grew mine from the stems from a bunch purchased at a grocery store. I was actuually trying to keep them fresh in a jar of water and lo and behold! they had rooted very quickly. They c...

Chayote squash is a wonderfully versatile vegetable delicious in salads, curries, kootu, soups, or casseroles. Pronounced "chay-yo-tay", it is also called Bangalore/Seeme kathirikai, chow-chow, etc in India and vegetable pear, Buddha's Hand squash, christophene, choko, mirliton, etc in other countries. Natives of Central America, chayotes belong to the cucurbit family which includes cucumbers, melons, and squashes. Although the chayotes themselves are available pretty much year-round, the leaves are not available for purchase. So in my quest for edible leaves (don't mind a few fruits too :}), I have been trying to grow it for years but alas have not succeeded yet in establishing it outside. Every time I have planted it outside, the whole thing is gone overnight without a trace in a disappearing act. I am determined to find a way to get past the chayote thief, oh yes. The best time to start growing chayote is probably just before spring so that as soon a...

Plain green leaves of Sorrel (in the foreground) happily growing with Red Chard Sorrel or French sorrel is a wonderful herb and does well in a pot or in the ground. It has a lovely acid flavor that works well in salads, soups and curries. For those who love Gongura, sorrel is a fabulous alternative as it is available quite readily as plants or seeds in most nurseries. It is a perennial plant that tolerates some cold weather and is available year around in mild winter areas. Harvest leaves by carefully breaking off the stems from the base. Tender young leaves can be added to salads. Add a few leaves of finely chopped sorrel to soups, dals, or kuzhambus to add a delicious piquancy. I like to chop them finely so that the leaves can mix in thoroughly in whichever dish they are added because they turn a dark olive green upon heating. Try cooking the leaves in: Mung Kuzhambu , Mor Kuzhambu , Mor Kootu , etc.

Beautiful Ruby Chard growing happily with Sorrel Swiss chard is a very easy to grow plant with ample rewards of succulent stems and leaves. The word "Swiss" was added simply for marketing purposes. Chard originates from the Mediterranean region and is well loved by the cooks there. It has many names such as silver beet, sea beet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, mangold, etc and is related to garden beets and also spinach. Chard has abundant nutrients that make it a super vegetable that one should eat often. Chard can be grown in the garden or in pots from seeds. Chard comes in many colors in addition to the white ribbed type. I love to grow a variety in large pots for the beautiful colors which are so pleasing to the eye not to mention the palate too. Seeds can be purchased for " rainbow" or " bright lights " chard which include ruby, pink, orange, and yellow-stemmed varieties which are very ornamental no matter where they are planted. Once...

Curry leaf trees are ubiquitous in South Indian gardens as they are one of the most commonly and avidly used flavoring ingredients in practically all savory recipes. It is a small tree with highly aromatic leaves with a faint citrus and anise flavor. They are prized for their unique flavor as well as medicinal properties and are used in Ayurveda, the ancient art of medicine in India. Amma used to say that curry trees were always planted close to the house to catch the breezes and that it is very healthy to breathe the air wafting through the curry tree branches and leaves! If you have ever eaten South Indian food, you probably know how important curry leaves are to this cuisine. There is hardly a dish (exceptions being desserts of course) that could not benefit from a flavor boost from the curry leaves. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the curry leaf is one of the quintessential aromatic ingredients in South Indian cooking. Curry leaves are one of the major flavoring...

Variously called Malabar or Ceylon Spinach, Basale or Pasalai Keerai, Pui/Poi Saag, etc in the many Indian languages, Basella is a wonderful alternate for the regular spinach. It is used in other Asian cuisines as well.  Basella grows readily during the hot summer months unlike the sensitive spinach which bolts into seeds at the barest whisper of warmth. There are two varieties of basella - the green-stemmed alba and the red-stemmed rubra. Both are delicious and nutritious. Lovely basella grows readily from cuttings or seeds. These plants grew from a few pieces of the stems I saved from a bunch bought for cooking. They can be rooted in water first or directly in a pot of soil; my experiments proved both methods to be successful. This particular plant is growing well in a large pot - although the vines are getting so long that they need a trellis - some of the leaves are larger than my hand! Practically all parts of the plants are useful; apparently even the roots are...

Lentils, Peas, Red Chori, Mung, Brown Chick Peas Dry ones in the foreground; soaked ones behind It is very easy to sprout various dried beans and peas. Sprouting does take a little planning though; it takes about 2 to 4 days from start to sprout (in warmer weather the seeds sprout quicker). This is also an educational and fun "cooking" activity for children - they can eat their experiment :) !! As you probably know, children will most likely eat what they help prepare. You don't need any special equipment for sprouting; just any bowl and a clean piece of cloth will do. I like using glass jars for my sprouts; I love watching the progression from seed to sprout. It is fun to have a few types going at the same time. I sprout and store the different types of beans in their own containers and mix them for specific dishes as needed. Sprouts make a nice addition to all types of dishes - salads , Chundal , Bajji , Adai , Corn Cakes, Molakootal, Kootu, stir-fries, c...