I’m temporarily done with my travels. Now I’m working with a consulting company in San Francisco. I’m trying to save up money so that I can go to law school, then save the world…I’m still having fun on the weekends though. I just went to Stinson Beach this last weekend on a hike with some friends.
Today I’m writing about an issue I’m very concerned about. It’s also an issue that I’m unsure about. WATER
As many of you may have heard, scientists have discovered all types of medical waste, drugs, toxins, and chemicals in tap water. This has prompted many people to start buying bottled water because they believe it’s cleaner. Guess what? Not really.
The Environmental Working Group recently analyzed samples from 10 major bottled water companies. They found the same contaminants in the water that caused the ruckus over tap water–disinfection products, caffeine, Tylenol, nitrate, industrial chemicals, arsenic and bacteria were detected. Pretty nasty stuff.
I could have predicted this, but yes, bottled water is no better than tap. It’s just more expensive.
But like I said, this is an issue that I’m unsure about how to approach. It’s very difficult to be particular about the water you drink. On top of that, there’s all these conflicting theories over which water is best–some say distilled, some say RAIN water. Sometimes food issues like this are so large and so widespread that the only way we can address them is through policy. Something needs to be done at a high-level with this problem. Until then, be mindful that you’re probably not getting what you’re paying for when you buy bottled water…
Hi everyone! Well, here it is, my first recipe post since I got back from India. After traveling around for three long months, I learned a lot about how Indian food is put together and what all the spices can be used for. I also learned a lot about the different styles of Indian cooking. Food really differs from state to state in India, almost as if each state is a different country with a different culture (each state also has its own set of dominant languages). Most of the Indian food you are probably familiar with (such as Tandoori Paneer or Naan or Paneer Makhani) is from the state of Punjab (my families home state), but there is so much more variety in Indian food that most people in the West are unfamiliar with. So I’m going to try to bring some of that variety here, and of course, do it raw!
To start with, I’m bringing you an all-over-Indian all-time favorite known as halva. Halva is usually made out of semolina, but there are dozens of other varieties like almond, carrot, jackfruit, and strawberry. Halva was something I grew up with, and it was always one of my favorite desserts/breakfasts. Its sweet, spiced, buttery, delicate and just overall amazing. If you’ve ever had freshly made homecooked halva, you know what I’m talking about. I really tried to capture that traditional halva taste in this raw halva, and I think I hit this on the head. I hope you all try this one out and enjoy it. And to all of Roshi’s Indian followers who have given up this tasty treat, I hope this brings you back to your childhood like it does for me.
Ingredients
* 3/4 pound almonds
* 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
* 6-7 whole green cardamom seeds (or to taste)
* 2 tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)
Optional Mix-ins:
* 1 handful almonds
* 1 handful raisins
Directions
Put all the almonds into a food processor until they are ground down to be as powder-like as possible. Put the sesame seeds and 3 cups of water into a blender on a low setting. Don’t allow the blender to run too long because you’ll need the sesame seed pulp. Using a very fine strainer or cheese cloth, separate the sesame seed pulp from the water. Take the sesame seed pulp and mix it together with the almond powder by hand. Skin and grind the cardamom seeds into a powder and add to the mixture. Next add the agave nectar.
Mix-ins:
Some people like their halva straight, others like a little variance. For the almonds, crush them up a bit and then mix them into the halva. For the raisins, you can mix them in straight, or soak them first and then mix them in to give them a more cooked texture.
And that’s it!
Simply the best raw halva you’ll ever try. We promise!
Pictures from India
I’ve uploaded a select few photos from my trip to India for everyone to see, and by few I mean around 150. They all have a little caption, and if you follow the link to Google’s Picasa, you’ll be able to see on a map exactly where each picture was taken. If you’ve never been to India, I hope these pictures will give you an incentive to go there. It’s really such a wonderful country filled with so much knowledge, mystery, and beauty that everyone needs to see at least once.
After a three month siesta, Roshi’s is back! Recharged after a summer that was highlighted by my 3 month trip to India, and Ro’s graduation and 3 week trip to Brazil, we’re ready to get back to business. We’ll once again be updating regularly, so look out in the upcoming weeks for some interesting articles, tips, and great recipes.
With all the time we’ve taken off, we’ve also had sometime to brainstorm some new and innovative ideas on how to run this noble little experiment of ours, which you should be implemented within the coming weeks. I’m not going to spoil any surprises, but I will say that you will be seeing a little more spice in our offerings and a lot more wisdom.
I hope you’re all as excited as we are.
–Rishi
UPDATE:
Here’s a little something to show you the direction we’ll be taking the company in.
I graduated this past May and I start working in San Francisco towards the end of July. My friends and I decided to college with a bang and go to Brazil. We started our trip on June 27th and we´re going to be out here until July 17th. So it´s a decently long trip before I start the grind. We´re hanging out in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and we went to go see the Iguacu Falls in Argentina. It´s been a blast so far. Brazil is a beautiful country with amazing beaches…and the girls are gorgeous. I´ve been able to keep going strong because there´s plenty of fruit options available. Everyone drinks coconuts, acai, and other fruit juices. E também aprendo português
Well, that´s all the time I have for now. I´ll be putting up some new posts about health policy when I get back to the states. Check out the photos. Ciao.
Hi everyone! Sorry I don’t have much time to write much here. I’m just going to put up some pictures for now, and I’ll update this post later with more about what I’ve been doing and more about the photos and all.
Well after finishing the last of my final exams at UCSD today, I felt like the sun was shining much much brighter. I got back home and decided to make myself a special treat with the little food I still had left in the fridge after studying for 5 days straight. If you though my other recipes were simple, this is just going to blow you away. As always, I hope you love it as much as I do.
(click for more views and to enlarge)
Ingredients
2-3 oranges juiced
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 handfuls cashews
Whatever fruit you have
Directions
Juice your oranges. Put the juice in the food processor with the agave nectar and cashews. Let it run for a good 5-10 minutes until the mixture is really smooth. If its too runny, you might want to add a few more cashews. Once the sauce is right, pour it over mixture of fruit. Dig your spoon in and enjoy!
Its getting real close to my departure date, and my excitement has just been increasing exponentially. I just got a guide of all the places to travel to in India, and now I really can’t wait to get there. All the reading I’ve been doing has also gotten me really craving some Indian food. One of my favorite Indian desserts used to be my grandma’s halva. Halva’s a very sweet, very buttery dish, that’s probably just about as bad for your body as it is delicious. But with a little creativity and a little ingenuity, I created up something equally scrumptious. My mom described it as raw “ambrosia.” I hope you agree!
(click for more views and to enlarge)
Ingredients
* 1 carrot - grated
* 2 bananas
* 1/8 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup pecans
* 3 tbsp agave nectar
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
Directions
Take one banana, 1 tsp of cinammon, 1/2 tsp salt, and the optional chili powder, and mash them together with a fork.
Next, take the carrots, raisins, pecans, and agave nectar, and mix them together. After thoroughly mixed, add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of cinammon.
To serve, put some banana mixture into a small bowl (I used orange and grapefruit halves), and top with the carrot mixture and pieces of the remaining banana.
Thanks for sharing!!! 
