healthy crispies

Prevalent in the famous Indian monsoons are the associated diseases that ... run abound in the damp air ... viral fever, flu. cold n cough ... blah blah blah ... to help combat these and to bring back the lost appetite (read anorexia) ... here's a recipe guaranteed to become a hit in this season. Shiuli , Horsinger in Hindi ( Nyctanthes arbortristis linn) belongs to the family Oleacae, is a very common tree in India, which bears really beautiful flowers in the auutmn season, and in Bengal, is not only symbolic of, but also used in Durga Puja. In this recipe, we shall use the leaves of this plant, which are very important from the Ayurvedic perspective, since they cure anorexia, and expectorate quickly. Ingredients:

• shiuli leaves
• gram flour (besan)
• rice flour
• salt
• turmeric powder
• kalanji (kalo jeera)
• kuskus (posto)
• refined oil for frying

Procedure: Clean the shiuli leaves thoroughly and pat-dry. Make a batter, mixing gram flour and rice-flour in 2 : 1 ratio, and all other ingredients (except oil) with water, and refrigerate for 2 hrs. Heat oil, and coat each leaf with the batter and deep fry, till golden brown. Serve hot with rice and desi ghee.