Eliminate the problem

Source :The Hindu:Namitha Jain :Oct 2,2011

Here are some simple ways to help the body get rid of waste

“I feel stuffed, gassy and clogged up. Why am I so constipated?”

It's not much of a consolation, but constipation is a common problem.

It can be a tough condition to deal with, but deal with it you must. Here are some tried and tested ways to combat constipation and alleviate your symptoms.

1. Eat fibre

Fibre adds bulk to the food and is an all-important source of roughage. The roughage component in fibre aids the digestive system, helping the body's elimination process, and is, therefore, referred to as “nature's broom”!

The National Cancer Institute of America recommends a daily intake of between 20 to 35 grams of fibre-rich foods. Dietary fibre is found in fruits, vegetables, sprouts, beans, legumes, flax, whole grain cereals, nuts and seeds.

2. Drink water

Water regulates body temperature, assists the digestive system, transports nutrients and eliminates waste from the body. On an average one needs 8 to 12 glasses of water every day.

3. Indulge wisely

When you are in a mood to indulge — cut back on quantities and savour the food in small portions. This is far better than going on an all-out binge which can cause indigestion.

4. Avoid large meals

Big meals are hard to digest and can make you feel sleepy. When you consume six to eight small, healthy meals every day, your body needs more calories to break down the food, thereby helping to raise your body metabolism.

5. Sit down and eat slowly; chew well

It's easy to overeat when meals are grabbed on the run, or while standing in front of the refrigerator. Eat slowly and chew well to give your body time to release the enzymes that tell your brain you've had enough.

6. Try reflexology

Try a simple reflexology treatment at home. Ask your spouse or a friend to massage the arches of your feet (these are the parts which correspond to the foot reflexology zones for the digestive system) in a circular, clockwise motion, for about five minutes on each foot.

7. Watch the clock!

The later you eat, the harder it gets to digest the food. If you have to have a late dinner, eat a small snack in advance, that way you won't be ravenous at dinner time. Give yourself two or three hours to digest any meal before going to bed.

8. Don't overeat if you are stressed out

Avoid eating as an antidote to emotional pain. Whether it is alcohol or food, excess of any kind leads to digestion problems and weight gain.

9. Eat nutritious foods

Choose whole, organic items rather than refined, processed foods that are full of additives. To preserve nutrients, eat freshly cooked food, rather than packaged foods.

10. Exercise regularly

An active body = active bowel movements.

Remember my mantra — Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!

Walking, swimming, cycling on a stationary bike and yoga can all help ease constipation and leave you feeling more fit and healthy.

Two Super Foods That Assist Digestion Mint

Mint is used as a treatment for indigestion, colic, heartburn and flatulence. It also can stimulate the appetite and cure nausea and headaches.

Figs, prunes and raisins These improve digestion and functioning of the stomach, spleen-pancreas and large intestine. Rich in iron and calcium, they also improve blood quality and build strong bones.

Tip: Soak figs, prunes or raisins in warm water for 10 minutes before consuming, to make them easier to digest.

“When is constipation serious?”

For most people it's more of an inconvenience than a major problem, but if it persists, consult your doctor. Sometimes, constipation can lead to haemorrhoids or piles that can be extremely uncomfortable, but is treatable.

Haemorrhoids are varicose veins that sit just inside or outside the anal opening. These swollen enlarged vessels lie just under the surface of the skin and can lead to irritation of the skin and occasionally, bleeding with bowel movements. Rectal bleeding should always be evaluated by your doctor.

Here are some tips to reduce problems from haemorrhoids:

* Avoid getting constipated. Try not to push or strain when you are having a bowel movement.

* Keep your feet elevated on a stool to enable easier bowel movement

* Use a doughnut shaped pillow to ease pressure on your rear.

* Sleep on your side, instead of your back, to take the pressure off.

The writer is a certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist.

Keywords: Digestive disorders,

Samaithu paar- Deepavali Special

source :The Hindu:24 Oct 2011

Photos:K. Ananandan (Sl.No.2 &3 only)

This is for all those who will open the newspaper, see the recipes and rush into the kitchen to supplement the store bought stuff. Most of the recipes are grandkids-tested and are made out of pronounceable, easily sourced ingredients, including thippili. Ammas, paatis, periammas and athais have made the kaarasev, maida biscuits, halwa and paniyaaram for you before, now it is your turn to make it for them. The lehiyam is the precautionary part of the menu. It is there to protect you from the eating onslaught of Deepavali. So go ahead and make it a cracker of a festival.

Statutory warning: Sweet and savouries are notoriously tempting. 

We are not responsible for indigestion, weight gain or hyperventilation.

1.Kaarasev

Ingredients

Gram flour: quarter kg

Rice flour: quarter kg

Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Pepper: 1 tbsp

Jeera: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: a pinch

Butter: 50 gm

Cooking soda: a pinch

Oil: 500 ml

Method

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and knead into a thick dough (chapatti dough consistency) using water.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Rub the dough through the ladle with holes in it over the oil.

Fry till it turns golden brown.

For those who like the taste of garlic, mix a little garlic paste into the dough as you knead it.

2.Crispy Maida Chips

Ingredients

Maida: 500 gm

Sugar: 4 tbsp

Salt: quarter tsp

Cooking soda: a pinch

Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds: 3 tsp

Cooking oil: 1 tbsp

Oil: For frying.

Method

Blend soda and butter. Mix with the other ingredients and knead into a smooth dough using enough water.

Let it stand for an hour. Roll into thick rotis and slice into small cubes with a knife.

Heat oil in a pan and add a handful of the cubes at a time, frying on a low flame till they turn golden brown.

Place on a hand towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. These chips taste good when eaten alone or when added to home-made mixture.

3.Godhumai halwa

Ingredients

Broken wheat: 1 tumbler

Sugar: 3 tumblers

Ghee: One-and-a-half tumblers

Roasted cashew nut: a handful

Hot water: a couple of tumblers

Method

Soak the wheat for four hours and grind coarsely. Add water and sieve. Repeat till the wheat milk has been extracted. Let it stand overnight. The next morning, decant the water on top of the extracted milk. You'll be left with about a tumbler of thick wheat milk.

Make sugar syrup with water in a thick-bottomed pan. Once it comes to a boil, add the wheat milk and stir. Add some hot water and continue stirring.

Ten minutes later, add some ghee and stir till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Add more ghee, a pinch of orange food colour and powdered cardamom. Once the mixture turns semi-solid, add a couple of drops of lime juice. Pour onto a plate greased with ghee and garnish with cashew.

After half an hour, cut it into pieces and serve.

4.Rava paniyaaram

Ingredients

Semolina (rava): 1 cup

Maida: 1 cup

Sugar: One-and-a-half cups

Oil: To fry

Method

Soak the rava in water for two hours.

Add maida and sugar to it and mix into a thick batter. Stir till the sugar dissolves and there are no lumps.

Heat oil in a pan. Spoon the mixture into the oil and fry till golden brown.

5.Deepavali Lehiyam

Ingredients

Omam: 50 gm

Jeera: 20 gm

Cinnamon: 5 gm

Clove: 5 gm

Elaichi: 5 gm

Kandathippilli: 5 gm

Ginger: 25 gm

Jaggery: 200 gm

Ghee: 1 tbsp

Honey: 1 tbsp

Pepper: 5 to 10 gm

Method

Dry roast omam, jeera, cinnamon, clove, elaichi, kandathippilli and pepper and make it into a fine powder.

Extract juice from the ginger.

Mix the juice with jaggery and make a thick paahu (one-string consistency)

Add the dried spice powder, ghee and honey to the paahu.

After a minute, take the mixture off the heat and allow it to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Keywords: Sweet and savouries

The reluctant gourmet - Eat like a king

Source : SHONALI MUTHALALY :The hindu : AUG 18,2011

The famed Moti Mahal of Delhi comes to Chennai with its delightful Indian variety

The guy in a checked shirt unwraps his present. It's a checked shirt. He looks delighted nonetheless. Perhaps, like Simi Garewal, he's found a signature style. He opens the menu with a celebratory air. A waiter materialises at his side. “So,” he says, thoughtfully rolling up the sleeves on his checked shirt, “shall we ‘check' the menu?” The three girls he's with giggle delightedly at his wit, all suitably impressed. Somewhere Russell Peters is quaking.

At this point I'm forced to stop eavesdropping. My waiter's hovering about solicitously waving a hefty menu. Moti Mahal has been drawing crowds ever since it opened a couple of weeks ago. The crowds are refreshingly diverse. Besides Checked Shirt Chronicles on my right, I spot an elegant old couple delicately eating kebabs, a gang of Americans digging into tandoori chicken and an oversized family with a penchant for dal.

The original Moti Mahal in Delhi claims to be the inventor of — trumpet call — butter chicken, dal makhni and tandoori chicken. That's a lot of feathers in one cap. (Pun unintended.) The restaurant's flagship opened in Delhi in 1975, after which it quickly spread in the form of franchises across the country. The Chennai restaurant features spacious but carefully bland interiors, monochrome with startlingly gaudy wall hangings.

Our waiter swings between being fondly avuncular and snippily impatient — a sort of Dumbledore meets Voldemort affair. Fortunately he's at the avuncular stage when we order: warm and helpful. I appreciate the fact that he doesn't push us to pick the most expensive things on the menu, and stops us when he feels we're going overboard. “Madam, I don't know how much you eat,” he hems and haws delicately, “But this might be too much.” It's a relief to be able to trust your waiter. Far too many restaurants encourage staff to push customers to run up big bills.

This restaurant seems designed more to make people feel comfortable than wow them. Checked shirt at the next table is already on backslapping terms with the menu, confidently ordering a long list of food with delicate adjustments: “I want gravy taste to be different for veg and non-veg. Nicely put ghee, ok? No diet-wiet here. Haan. And lots of raw onions.”

I silently sympathise with the girls he's with, but quickly get distracted. As waiter after waiter passes by with platters of sizzling food, the air thickens with the scent of smoky barbeque. Although we ordered vegetable sheekh kebabs, our meal begins with tandoori paneer since Dumbledore-Vodlemort has got the order mixed up. I point it out politely but am quickly quelled by a cold stare. The paneer is delicious, creamy with crisp edges, deftly marinated so the spices enhance flavour.

Our waiter's back in a good mood when he brings the main course, and we flatter him ingratiatingly, cooing and gasping over his skill in balancing plates. Portions are so big they're almost intimidating. So big that despite all my posturing I eat less than one naan, generously slathered in garlic and mint. There's dal makhni, of course, served in a dinky brass bucket. It's toothsome and rich without oozing butter. Not the best dal makhni I've tasted, but certainly better than most pretenders. The butter chicken's rather tomato-heavy, resulting in the more subtle flavours being drowned. As legend goes Indian classics like this need to be made a hundred times before they taste just right. I'm guessing the kitchen's still at No. 65.

Most of the food resonates with the distinctive smokiness that makes tandoori food so special. More importantly, nothing oozes oil, butter or ghee. I'm not naïve enough to assume that this is health food. (Though to be fair, kebabs are actually diet-approved.) But I do know that my fingers aren't stained with food colour and sticky with sludge after the meal. A good enough reason to return.

Hopefully Voldemort will be in a better mood by then. He dropped his Dumbledore prefix by dessert time when I decided to share my almond-studded kulfi and asked for an extra plate.

Moti Mahal is at 7 Jagannathan Road, Nungambakkam. Call 42137540 for details.

How to make…Parangikkai Payasam

Source :PADMA S. :tHE HINDU :13TH oCT 2011

Parangikkai payasam is a healthy and tasty kheer

 made for the festive season using yellow pumpkin.

 I learnt this dish from my mother.

 This recipe serves three.

What you need

Grated yellow pumpkin - 1 cup

Milk – 2 1/2 cups

Jaggery – 1/2 cup

Almonds - 6

Cashew nuts - 6-7

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Ghee – 2 tsp

Cooking instructions

Blanch almonds and grind them with a little milk.

Melt jaggery in 1/4 cup water, strain to remove impurities and boil for a few minutes.

Heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and keep aside. In the same pan, sauté the grated pumpkin till the raw smell disappears.

Boil milk till it reduces a little, then add pumpkin, ground almonds and cook well.

Add jaggery, cardamom powder, stirring continuously and remove from flame.

Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and serve hot or chilled.

(Padma is a passionate food blogger

 who loves cooking healthy vegetarian dishes for her family.)

It's different

Source :The Hindu :Bangaluru :MARIANNE DE NAZARETH: 15th Oct 2011

Luckily, eating ‘healthy' need not be unappetising, as we found at Healthy Affair.

It has finally hit us. Finally across the board, we city dwellers have realised that eating ‘healthy' and ‘organic' is the way to go. And strangely it is the NRI who has come back who is driving that message home, especially here in Bengaluru.

All in-house

On offer was a pairing of Indian wines with a set dinner menu. As we began with dainty Bruschettas, Krupa Dass, the young and dynamic owner, told us that even the bread for the bruschettas was made in-house.

“Only whole wheat flour and olive oil is used. We do not buy anything frozen; every piece of meat is fresh and even the fish is bought on a daily basis,” she said. “That is our USP, because after coming back to Bengaluru from San Francisco, I found there was nowhere in the city where I could get a meal free of preservatives and saturated fats. All our masalas and dressings are made in-house and even our pesto and peanut sauce is made minus butter and heavy fats.”

Luscious grilled prawns and a Satay Chicken with peanut sauce were served as appetisers. The peanut sauce was thicker than we are used to with Thai Satay but it was flavoursome and different. Big Banyan Sauvignon Blanc was the wine paired with our starters.

We crunched our way through an Organic Healthy Affair Rocket Salad mixed with generous slices of grilled chicken, encrusted with spices, chilli flakes and marinated in pineapple and lime juice with a sprinkle of walnuts; ambrosial. The last time I had a salad as distinctive was in Amsterdam.

“We go to Anekal to a farm run by an old couple to buy our salad leaves,” reveals Brian Ireland, head steward. The dressing was light and flavoursome and did not sit heavily in our tummies.

Veggies can enjoy Bruschettas with garlic and herb mushroom or grilled potato with capsicum and pineapple appetisers washed down with a large glass of Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc.

For the main course, a Chicken Sizzler with a thick mushroom sauce was served along with a glass of Shiraz wine.

Main course

The steak was well done and yet the meat was tender, thickly basted with the sauce and served with a generous helping of fresh and crunchy broccoli. The Grapefruit Indian Salmon is another of their signature dishes.

For us old Bengaluruans who had a pomelo tree in our homes, the slightly bittersweet distinctive flavour of the grapefruit was a piquant contrast to the meaty salmon. The sauce could have been thicker and was just swirled over the slice of salmon. A glass of Rosa Rossa made the dish that much more enjoyable.

Veggies can order either a Veg sizzler or Pineapple Eggplant with a Shiraz or Caberenet Sauvignon.

Despite eating so much, the feeling of being stuffed was missing and we had room for dessert. A large helping of Grilled Banana drizzled with caramalised brown sugar or honey and a scoop of natural ice cream rounded off an enjoyable meal.

Quick facts

Where it is: Healthy Affair, 2041, 1st Cross, 17th Main, HAL, 2nd Stage, Indranagar, Bangalore 560008. Call +919900690600 for reservations

Wallet factor: Rs. 1800–2000 for two with wine

USP: All ingredients are freshly procured and organic

Service: Unobtrusive, quick and helpful

நார்ச்சத்துள்ள உணவு உண்டால் உடல் எடை குறையும்

 ஒன்இந்தியா :சனிக்கிழமை, அக்டோபர் 15, 2011, 9:48 

எதை உண்பது என்று அறியாமல் பசிக்கும் போதெல்லாம் கிடைத்ததை சாப்பிடுவதனால் உடல் எடை கூடி அவதிப்படுபவர் பலர். தேவையற்ற உணவுகளை உண்பதால் உடலில் உள்ள ஜீரணமண்டலம்தான் அதிகம் சிரமப்படுகிறது. உணவை அரைத்து சத்தாக மாற்ற முடியாமல் போவதால் செரிமானக்கோளறுகள் ஏற்படுவதோடு பல வித நோய்களால் உணவுக்குழல் பாதிக்கப்படுகிறது. இதில் இருந்து பாதுகாக்க நார்ச்சத்துள்ள உணவை அதிகம் உண்ண வேண்டும் என்று மருத்துவர்கள் அறிவுறுத்தியுள்ளனர்.

நார்ச்சத்து நன்மைகள்

நாம் உண்ணும் உணவு எளிதில் செரிமானமாக முக்கிய பங்காற்றுவது நார்ச்சத்து. நார்ச்சத்து இரண்டு வகைப்படும். நீரில் கரையும் நார்ச்சத்து, கரையாத நார்ச்சத்து. கரையும் நார்ச்சத்து பெரும்பாலும் கரைந்தவுடன் ஜெல்போல ஆகிவிடும். இது பெக்டின் உள்ளவை. ஓட்ஸ் உமி, ஓட்ஸ், பீன்ஸ், வேர்க்கடலை, அரிசி, உமி, பார்லி, சாத்துக்குடி – ஆரஞ்சு போன்ற ‘சிட்ரஸ்’ பழங்கள், ஆப்பிள், கோதுமை, பருப்பு இவை கரையும் நார்ச்சத்து கொண்டவை. இது நாம் உண்ணும் உணவில் உள்ள கொலஸ்ட்ராலை குறைக்கும்.

கரையாத நார்ச்சத்து

கரையாத நார்ச்சத்து என்று கூறப்படும் செல்லுலோஸ், ஹெமி செல்லுலோஸ், லிக்னின் உள்ளவை. இவை பழங்கள், காய்கறிகள் தானியங்களிலும், காணப்படுகின்றன. ஆப்பிள்தோல், முட்டைக்கோஸ், பீட்ரூட், காலிஃப்ளவர், கேரட், போன்றவற்றில் கரையாத நார்ச்சத்துக்கள். காணப்படுகின்றன. இவை ஜீரணத்திற்குப் உதவும், மலச்சிக்கலைப் போக்கும்.

நார்ச்சத்தின் பயன்கள்

1960 –ல், டென்னிஸ் பர்கிட் என்ற ஆங்கிலேயர் கிராமங்களில் வசிக்கும் ஆப்ரிக்க மக்களுக்கு ஒருவகைக் குடல் புற்றுநோய் தாக்குவதை கண்டறிந்தார். ஆனால் ஐரோப்பியர்களை இந்த நோய் அபூர்வமாக தாக்குகிறது என்றும் இதற்கு காரணம் அவர்கள் உண்ணும் நார்ச்சத்து உள்ள உணவுதான் என்றும் கண்டுபிடித்தார். ஐரோப்பியர்கள் அதிக நார்ச்சத்து உள்ள உணவை உட்கொள்கின்றனர் என்று டென்னிஸ் நிரூபித்தார். உணவில் நார்ச்சத்து சேர்ந்து கொள்வதால் நுரையீரல், பிராஸ்டேட், கணைய புற்று நோய்கள் தடுக்கப்படுகின்றன. அதுவும் சைவ உணவு உண்பவர்களுக்கு நார்ச்சத்து அதிகம் கிடைக்கிறது. இதன் பிறகே நார்ச்சத்து பற்றிய ஆய்வுகள் நார்ச்சத்தின் மேன்மையை பறைசாற்றின.

புற்றுநோயை தடுக்கும்

கரையாத நார்ச்சத்து நீரை உறிஞ்சி மலத்திற்கு அடர்த்தியையும், திடத்தன்மையையும் கொடுக்கிறது. இதனால் மலம் மிருதுவாகிறது. இதனால் மலம் எளிதில் வெளியேறுவதால் மலச்சிக்கல் மறைகிறது. இதனால் குடல் அழற்சிகள் தடுக்கப்படுகின்றன. இதன் மூலம் குடல்களில் உண்டாகும் புற்றுநோய்கள் தடுக்கப்படுகின்றன. கரையாத நார்ச்சத்தினால் வயிறு நிரம்பிய உணர்வு உண்டாகிறது. 4 முதல் 6 மணி நேரம் வரை பசி எடுப்பதில்லை. இந்த செயல்பாடுகளால் பசியைத்தூண்டும் இன்சுலினை கட்டுப்படுத்துகிறது. இது உடல் எடையை அதிகமாக்காமல் பாதுகாப்பதால் குண்டானவர்களுக்கு எடை குறைய உதவுகிறது.

ரத்த சர்க்கரையை கட்டுப்படுத்தும்

கரையும் நார்ச்சத்து பித்த உப்பு, கொழுப்பு அமிலங்களை ஸ்பாஞ்ச் போல உறிஞ்சி மலமாக வெளியேற்றுகிறது. கொழுப்பு மற்றும் கொழுப்பு அமிலங்களை குறைக்கிறது. இதனால் இதயம் பாதுகாக்கப்படுகிறது. சர்க்கரை செரிமானத்தை மந்தப்படுத்துவதால் நீரிழிவு நோயாளிகளின் இன்சுலின் மற்றும் ரத்த சர்க்கரை அளவுகளை குறைக்கிறது என்றும் மருத்துவர்கள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

எனவே செரிமானத்திற்கு அதிக நேரம் எடுத்துக்கொள்ளும் கொழுப்புச்சத்துள்ள உணவுகளை உண்டு உடல் எடையை கூட்டுவதை விட எளிதில் ஜீரணமாகும் காய்கறி உணவுகளை உண்டு ஸ்லிம்மாக உடலை மெயின்டெய்ன் பண்ணுங்க.

   

Murugan Idli Kadai

RA CHANDROO Even as a child it was my dream to run the shop, but my family felt the physical labour was not suited  to educated people. —S Manoharan, Owner, Murugan Idli Kadai

A Steaming Success

It started as small pavement shop in Madurai. Now Murugan Idli has 

become a destination for South Indian fast food in Tamil Nadu and abroad.

   sOURCE  :      SUBHASHINI SEN  in outlook bUSINESS MAGAZINE oCT 15,2011

If his parents had their way, S Manoharan would never have set foot inside a kitchen. “They wanted me to join a bank or become a professor,” laughs the 52-year-old proprietor of Murugan Idli Kadai. Instead, Manoharan tucked away his law degree to take over the reins at the small coffee shop run by his parents in Madurai—and transformed it into a fast food chain that has branches in Madurai, Chennai and even Singapore, clocked revenues of Rs 25 crore last year and is now eyeing markets in North and West of India.



Every day, Murugan Idli Kadai churns out 25,000 idlis at its 13 outlets in Tamil Nadu (one in Singapore). At any time of day or night, there’s likely to be a queue waiting to be seated—waiting half an hour to 45 minutes at peak times is commonplace. And while most patrons ask almost automatically for Murugan’s trademark supersoft idlis and variety of chutneys, the menu has expanded to offer other traditional South Indian snacks. Not a mean feat for an eatery that started as a pavement stall.


The Inception


The foundations of Murugan Idli lie in a roadside shop that Manoharan’s mother set up in the 1960s as a way to supplement the family income. The stall was nothing fancy, Manoharan recalls. “My mother sold only idlis with two kinds of chutneys and no sambhar.” But even the limited menu proved to be a big hit—Manoharan remembers then Chief Minister K Kamaraj driving past and, on seeing the crowd gathered there, stopped to eat idlis. By the 1970s, the stall had expanded into a small, permanent shop named Murugan Coffee Nilayam after the family deity, but the menu remained unchanged.


Manoharan came on board in 1993, after completing his education and against the wishes of his family. “Even as a child it was my dream to run the shop, but my parents and my siblings felt the physical labour involved was not suited to educated people. But I was adamant,” he says. Once he took over, he added more seating capacity and modernised the interiors. The store was rechristened Murugan Idli Kadai and the menu expanded beyond idlis to include other “tiffin items” such as chakkarai pongal, dosas, vadas, more chutneys and sambhar.

Murugan’s USP is that it doesn’t adhere to just traditional South Indian fare but also innovates to include inventions like theJigarthanda.

Within two years, Manoharan had opened two more branches in Madurai and in a span of 10 years, with an annual turnover of Rs 30 lakh, was looking beyond the temple city to Chennai. After two months of “market research”—which involved checking out the eateries across Chennai and sampling their menus—Manoharan opened the first city’s first Murugan Idli Kadai at T Nagar, a bustling shopping area. There was some initial doubt about the name—kadai is Tamil for shop and Manoharan’s friends worried that it sounded “too downmarket”—but customers ate it up. Six months later Murugan Idli had to open a second kadai in T Nagar to cope with the demand and the pace of expansion has kept up since then—there are now 10 Murugan Idli Kadais across Chennai and Manoharan is convinced there is room for 20 more.
Meanwhile, he’s not hesitated to venture outside India. In 2008, Murugan Idli Kadai opened a branch in Singapore, strategically located in Little India, opposite department store Mustafa’s. The sizeable Tamil and Indian expat population in Singapore ensured the eatery’s success. “There was a queue outside on the day we opened,” Manoharan says with pride.
The USP
What makes Murugan Idli successful in a region that’s stuffed to the gills with South Indian restaurants? Manoharan believes the quality of the food and the traditional service at Murugan Idli is the differentiator. While restaurants are managed independently, food is cooked in a central kitchen to ensure standardisation and maintain quality. All food is served on banana leaves and waiters offer you unlimited quantities of chutney and sambhar, “just the way your mother serves you at home,” he adds.

Importantly, the chain has also stuck to what it does best—traditional South Indian snacks. In contrast, local rivals like Saravana Bhavan and Apoorva Sangeetha have book-sized menus that include North Indian and Chinese dishes and even pizzas and burgers—of course, that variety has also been responsible for the faster growth and higher revenues of these chains. Says a Chennai-based market research professional, “Murugan Idli Kadai has not fallen into the trap of serving everything from Chinese to chaat, maintaining its standard and quality.”
Since a lot rides on the quality of the eponymous idlis, the proportion of rice and dal in the batter is kept secret. So is the special brew of “degree coffee” served at the restaurant. The menu has been developed entirely by Manoharan, based on his mother’s recipes—“I have added one or two innovations that make them unique,” he says, adding that competitors have tried to copy the recipes, unsuccessfully.

Murugan’s USP perhaps is that here, traditional South Indian doesn’t mean just idli-dosa-vadacombination. Jigarthanda and onion uttapam are house specialities that are unique to Murugan Idli. Since the shallots for the uttapam have to be painstakingly peeled by hand, Murugan has about 20 employees in Madurai who do this task exclusively for the central kitchen in Chennai.Jigarthanda, too, is a Madurai speciality that Manoharan has tweaked; roughly translating as “liver cooling”, the drink—somewhat similar to Mumbai’s falooda and Southeast Asia’s bubble tea—is said to have been invented by the Muslim rulers of the region. “You can’t get this anywhere else in Chennai,” he claims.

Spread Out


And now Manoharan is eyeing the rest of the country. In the next year, Murugan Idli will open a branch each in Delhi and Mumbai with ambitious plans of opening 300 branches across India in 10 years. The choice of location will depend on its proximity to shopping areas and the Delhi branch is most likely to be in the heart of the city, at Connaught Place. Akther Ghori, CEO of Chennai-based brand management and marketing consultancy Rosette Consulting, believes that’s a sound strategy. “South Indian food is popular in the North and there is a sizeable population of South Indians in Mumbai and Delhi. That should work to Murugan Idli’s advantage,” she adds, pointing to the success of the Singapore outlet as proof.

Manoharan is clear expansions will be only through the ownership route, worrying that the current stringent levels of quality control may be compromised in the franchise route. On an average, it costs Rs 50 lakh to set up a new branch and about two years to break even. On the anvil are plans to incorporate Murugan Idli as a private limited company and float an IPO some time in the future.

That will help finance some of Manoharan’s other plans to leverage the popularity of the Murugan Idli Kadai brand—a foray into the packaged foods business. “Our idlis are so popular that we are constantly barraged with requests for our idli podi (dal-and-spices powder accompaniment) and idli batter,” he says. As a pilot, the idli podi is being sold in the restaurants under the Murugan Idli Kadai brand, with plans to launch more products. At a later date, the products may find their way to supermarket shelves too. “As a brand, Murugan Idli Kadai commands a great degree of popularity in South India. Selling packaged idli batter etc, should be a success because it is a logical extension of their core competence,” says Rosette’s Ghori.

So far Murugan Idli Kadai has spent little or nothing on advertising. That will have to change once it enters the highly competitive packaged foods business. Perhaps that will also help in establishing Murugan Idli’s unique identity—Manoharan is already fighting out a couple of cases of copyright infringement. Still, these are minor irritants in a future that’s looking fruitful and abundant. And unlike his parents, Manoharan is looking forward to sharing it with his son.

Heart healthy foods

SOURCE ;TOI;9 OCT 2011

The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. The most common health consequence of being overweight or obese is cardiovascular disease — mainly heart disease and stroke. The more overweight a person is the more likely he/she is to develop heart disease.      The good news, however, is that even a slight reduction in weight (5-10 per cent) can reduce a person’s risk of heart disease. Healthier food choices and increased physical activity are the easiest ways to reduce weight  DOS  • Fruits and vegetables – They are a great source of fibre, and reduce cholesterol levels. Choose brightly coloured fruits and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, papaya etc. as they are rich in antioxidants.  • Whole grains – Include whole wheat and multigrain products like whole wheat breads, rotis, pasta, brown rice, oats, ragi, jowar, bajra and quinoa.  • Nuts and seeds – Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help decrease bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.  • Low fat dairy products – Low fat milk, yoghurt, homemade paneer are excellent sources of calcium and also help in reducing body fat.  • Soya and soya products – Soya contains isoflavones, which help prevent clogging of arteries and improve cholesterol profile.  • Tea – Green tea especially helps lower total cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.  • Physical Activity – Include a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes of moderate physical activity daily – brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling etc to increase energy expenditure and therefore help in weight reduction.  DON’TS  • Refined cereals – Maida, white breads, pasta should be cut out from one’s diet completely and replaced with whole grain or multigrain varieties.  • Saturated fatty acids – Avoid intake of full cream dairy products like whole milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream and coconut as they increase levels of bad cholesterol.  • Processed and packaged foods  – Avoid biscuits, chips, cakes and pastries as they contain high levels of saturated and trans-fatty acids.  • Fried and deep fried foods – Avoid junk foods like pizzas, burgers, fries and other deep-fried snacks. Deep fried foods contain trans-fats, which increases one’s risk of arthrosclerosis clogging of arteries.

Pulpy pleasure

Source :Reshmi A R :Toi :9 Oct 2011

    That fruits are the best medicine is a wellknown fact. 


We also know that a cup of fruit juice a day is sure to guarantee a clear complexion.


 How about a massage with a fruit pulp or a fruit facial?


 Fruit facials have been there for at least a decade now. 


But with people getting more wary of effect of chemicals on the skin, a majority of them are now resorting to using something from their own kitchen. 


What better way to pamper your skin than with pure stuff which is free of toxins and not harmful to your skin? Besides the fact that they hydrate and rejuvenate your skin, the very smell of a fruit on your face is quite de-stressing.


 Unlike the chemical beauty treatments, fruits are cost-effective, natural and also bring a visible difference. Here are a few fruits and their properties, choose what suits you best! 



    Banana: This is one fruit that’s abundantly available in India all through the year. We know it’s a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium and helps reduce menstrual cramps. The effect of banana on skin too is not something that can be ignored. Bananas are rich in vitamin A, B and E and hence works as an anti-aging agent. A fresh mashed banana facial can do wonders for your skin. 



    Lemon: Lemon juice is an important ingredient in most Indian recipes. This is also a fruit of all seasons and almost always finds place on your kitchen shelf or refrigerator. With its vitamin C content, its juice will keep your skin beautiful. A glass of warm water with a tsp of honey and a dash of lemon juice on an empty stomach every morning is a great skin cleanser. With its astringent properties, it can be used to lighten the skin tone and also diminish acne scars. Rub the inside of a lemon peel on your elbow remove dark spots. Mix lemon and honey and use it as a natural bleach on your skin.


Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away is clichéd, but its health benefits are undisputable. Apple’s antioxidant property prevents cell and tissue damage. Studies by nutritionists have shown that apples contain abundant amounts of elastin and collagen that help keep the skin young. Applying a mixture of mashed apple, honey, rose water and oatmeal can act as a great exfoliating mask on your skin. 



    Orange: Rich in vitamin C that improves skin texture. Like apple, orange too contains collagen that slows skin aging process. Rub the insides of orange on your skin to tighten the skin. Oranges can be dried and powdered and used as a natural scrub. Like lemon, oranges too help clear skin blemishes. 

    Papaya: The benefits of this fruit on skin have perhaps been talked about since the time of our ancestors. Papaya is rich in antioxidants and contain a special enzyme called papain that can kill dead cells and cure skin impurities. A glass of papaya milk or just applying the flesh of papaya on your skin can do wonders to your skin. 



    Mango: Rightly called the king of fruits for not just its taste but also for health benefits. The soft pulpy fruit has an amazing effect on skin too. Rich in vitamin-A and rich antioxidants, it fights against skin aging, regenerates skin cells and restores the elasticity of skin.