Natural Shampoo

Kerala women are known for their long hair. We use coconut oil boiled and cooled with various natural ingredients like pepper, curry leaf, tulasi, dried gooseberry, rice and some even add shallots.

But once you do your Champi with this oil, do you still use chemicals to wash it off?

My grandmother was known for her long hair. Before she shifted back to India after Partition, she was known as the 'gol gol baal wali ladki' in Karachi. Her hair used to be so long that she had to pin her plaits with her saree pallu while serving food!

I present to you all her shampoo recipe - a natural shampoo made with Shikkakai, methi seeds and Hibiscus leaves.

I do not know how many of you can make this shampoo given that these ingredients are very local. But I still share it here for those who can.

For 1 person with shoulder length hair.

Soak 6 pods of shikkakkai (Acacia concinna) with 1 tsp methi seeds in water overnight.
In the morning, collect about 10 to 15 hibiscus leaves and maybe a flower or two (preferably from the indigenous red colour chembaruthy plant).
Grind the shikkakkai + methi first.
Then add the leaves and flower and grind well.
Resulting mixture will be gooey and it froths well.

Things to remember:
1. This 'shampoo'  needs loads of water to wash off the leaves from hair.
Remember that these ladies of yore took bath in ponds / rivers. It was easy for them to wash it off. You can always shake it out of your hair, once your hair dries.

2. If you wish you can add Besan / kadala maav 2-3 tsp to the gooey paste, but this will make your hair very dry.

3. Use this 'shampoo' minimum 2 times on your hair during the bath and froth well to remove all the oil. Your triceps / biceps will have a thorough workout for sure, but it is worth the effort.

4. Close your eyes tightly, as shikkakkai stings the eye.

Mysurpa / Mysore Pak / besan sweet with loads of sugar and ghee

Sree Krishna sweets is eponymous with Mysurpa. They do not call it Mysore Pak, as they say that it melts in the mouth before the 'k' is pronounced!

This sweet is a must in all Tam-Bram marriages and other functions. It is supposed to be very easy to make but thinking of the ghee and sugar used.....please do not count the calories, when you indulge in this luxurious sweet!!

I saw Vijaya mami make this sweet for a function organised in my maternal home. This recipe is hers and the photos have been taken at my home. Please excuse the lighting.

There are only 3 ingredients used, but it is time consuming process. I must add that the dish is quite forgiving. You can stop the cooking process and start cooling the mixture. If it does not set, reheat. But once it crosses the point of actual setting.....oops!! You will be left with a powdery sweet. So, be careful.

Ingredients:
Besan / Kadala mav / Chick pea flour - 1 measure
Sugar - 2 1/2 measure + some more for dusting
Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 1/2 measure
Milk - 1/8 measure (to remove impurities from sugar syrup)

Method:
Heat the besan in heavy bottomed vessel for 2 minutes and keep aside to cool.

Melt the ghee and divide the into 2 parts.

Spread some ghee on a large plate and keep aside.

Add the Besan to 1 part of ghee and keep aside.

Boil the sugar in ample water and 1 tsp ghee.

Once it melts, add some milk to remove the impurities.

When all the impurities are removed, heat the syrup till 1 string consistency.
Add the besan + ghee mixture and start boiling.

Keep adding more ghee as you continue cooking. (not all in one go, but in installments). You must finish the left over 1 measure ghee.

When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the vessel and you can draw a line in between, transfer to the buttered vessel.

Tap vigorously to remove air bubbles.

While still warm, spread some sugar on top. Then cut into desired shape.

Sharkara upperi / Kerala's own sweetened banana chips

Any Sadya (Daawat) or feast in Kerala is unfinished if they do not serve this sweetened banana chips.
It is very crunchy and has a sweet coating which is made with jaggery syrup. They also add some spices to it.
Making this is not easy and is a precision job.
I have made this once before and it was a disaster. Last weekend I was lucky to see a professional cook make this. I assisted her and my reward was watching her prepare it in close quarters.

Important points to note.
The chips need to be fried to the right amount of crispiness.
The jaggery syrup must be heated to the right consistency.

Ingredients:
Nenthirakkaya / Raw banana - 1 1/4 kgs
Sharkara / Jaggery - 3/4 kgs
Dried ginger / chukku - 150 gms
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 75 gms
Oil for frying (preferably Coconut oil)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp

Method:
Remove the skin from the Nenthirakkaya and place in a large bowl filled with water.

Slit each kaya lenghtwise. Then cut into 1/2 inch size semi circles.

Heat oil to boiling point and remove the froth by frying a piece of tamarind in it.

Now add the cut Banana pieces and reduce flame.

Keep stirring often and cook on a low flame for 20 - 25 minutes......or until all frothing stops.

Then move this batch to a colander.

Look how it snaps and it is completely dry inside.

Fry the next batch the same way.

Boil the Jaggery with 2 cups of water and strain to remove all impurities.

After sieving, keep it for boiling in a heavy bottomed vessel and add 1 tbsp ghee.

Dry fry the chukku (dry ginger) and pound before getting it ground in the mixer.

Dry fry the Jeera.

 Add this to the powdered ginger powder and add 1 tbsp sugar.

The ginger + jeera powder will look like this.

Sieve this to remove the unpowdered bits. Keep aside in a closed container.

Continue cooking the jaggery till it passes the 'thakkali' or tomato stage.
This stage is when you drop a tsp of jaggery syrup into a vessel containing cold water, jaggery forms a soft ball.

Look how much the jaggery has reduced...

When it passes this 'tomato stage' and reaches the next stage (thickens further) add the fried chips and about 6 tbsp of the ginger + jeera powder.

Turn off flame and move from the stove top.
Mix well and stir continuously for 5 minutes till it cools a bit.

Stir occasionally until it cools completely.
After it cools down, the chips would be evenly coated with the jaggery mixture.
Store in an air tight container.

There will some powder in the bottom; a mix of jaggery and the spices. This can be used to make 'puli-inji'.