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EVERY TIME I buy tamarind, my mother reminisces about how this sour pod-like fruit was a rare commodity in her village in western Uttar Pradesh. As a child, after eating the sweet pulp of the ripe pod, she would even consume the seeds-after roasting them overnight on the hot ashes of a chulha (stove).
The flat, glossy brown seeds of tamarind (Tamarindus indica) have a somewhat almond-like taste, with a tinge of bitterness. Raw seeds are slightly more bitter and difficult to chew because of a hard coating that encases the kernel. Hence roasting on the stove, like my mother did, has been the traditional method of preparing the seeds, after which they are gently pounded on in a mortar and pestle so that the broken coat can be removed. Modern households, however, avoid the cumbersome process of preparing the seeds and opt for kernel flour that is easily available in the market.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 01, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 01, 2023 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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TERMITE TRAP
A common tall grass variety provides a chemical-free option to control termites, highlights the need for mainstreaming local ecological knowledge
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CLIMATE'S UNSOLICITED PAYOUT
Rising weather extremes is destabilising the insurance industry, driving up premium prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk markets. The crisis is also spurring re-invention of insurance sector.
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NOTHING PSEUDO ABOUT IT
The fibre-rich banana pseudo-stem is a treasure trove of minerals and health benefits
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Organic move
After 10,000 farmers in Dantewada district secured Chhattisgarh's first organic certification, the entire district now gears up to transition fully to organic farming
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No more a rarity
What has caused widespread outbreak of the rare Guillain-Barré syndrome cases from seven states of the country?
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DeepSeek AI model is a sobering idea for India
The Chinese artificial intelligence breakthrough reveals how far behind India is in the race for technological prowess
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'Fragile terrain not the cause of tunnel collapse but an excuse'
In November 2023, the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand collapsed, trapping 41 workers under the rubble. The rescue operation in the 4.5 km tunnel lasted 17 days and involved multiple teams. Australian geologist ARNOLD DIX, who is also the president of Switzerland-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, as well as an engineer, a barrister and a farmer, assisted in the mission at India's request. Dix has now written a book on the incident. In an interview with ADITYA MISRA, Dix says the mishap was a failure to adapt construction methods to the rock conditions encountered. Excerpts:
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BUDGET SQUEEZE
Poised to woo the middle class and tame fiscal deficit, Union Budget 2025-26 cuts corners on key welfare schemes, offers little for climate adaptation and decarbonisation
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Decoded script
Genomelndia project creates genomic sequence database of 10,000 Indians, moving a step forward in disease detection and treatment
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Introduce layers in poverty measurement
This is with reference to the article \"Convenience of poverty lines\" (16-31 January, 2025). Poverty is not like atmospheric pressure, which can be scaled down with high-precision instruments. It is a matter of deprivation. Poverty is also highly misunderstood. At one extreme, poverty means no food, no clothes, bad health and inadequate shelters; in essence a dearth in common and customary amenities. One can recognise this poverty. But, even if a person's conditions are only a notch above this level, their situation slides through the slick fingers of all the measurement of figures and wielders of statistics.