Ouch! I’ve just been re-diagnosed with high cholesterol, No, said the doctor, it doesn’t matter that you do yoga twice a day, nor that you’re vegetarian, nor that you walk 1 hour in the bitterly cold winter that’s toronto, nor that you think positive.. or hang out with positive people, this is genetic. you have to be on drugs. Luckily to combat all this sad news ( I simply can’t tolerate medication of any kind & crestor especially), I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of excellent healthy eating ideas from friends and family.. One such idea was to include flax seed in my diet. Given that I like spicy food, I thought. Why not take a Brahmin staple and convert it into a healthy modern alternative. Gunpowder is not actually its real name. My Delhi friends called it that coz’ it would just add that nice heat as a side to rice & lentil pancakes. Its served like a pesto, rubbed in with some oil & as a side to many many southern Indian dishes. I even have it on toast, that’s how much I love it!
Enough said, on to the recipe. My version calls for roasted small brown chickpeas, flax seeds, and dry whole cayenne pepper.
| Spice Mix 1 cup whole dry red cayenne pepper 1 cup flax seeds ¾ cup roasted brown small chickpeas Salt to taste |
Method
• Heat pan. Dry roast dry whole red chilies. Set aside. SOS I used kashmiri red chilies. They are milder and yet add a v
ibrant bright colour.
• Dry roast flax seeds & then add the roasted small brown chickpeas. SOS small brown chickpeas are found in East Indian grocery stores already roasted & lightly salted so reduces your work. Let everything cool.
• Grind to a coarse powder in spice mill. You can grind finely if you like.. I prefer a bit of texture.
Sprinkle on top of stir fries, salads, cut fruit. I like it best mixed in with yoghurt as an afternoon snack at work. It has proteins and good chili to cleanse sinuses plus of course nourishing flax seeds.
Hope you enjoy my take on gunpowder. I packed my lunch — brown rice & lentil pancakes with a jar of gunpowder I plan to share with my coworkers.
— soul of spice —
charuyoga 
Very sad to hear your news, especially as someone doing doing everything right! My research has told me the tumeric is very good in combating this affliction, couldn’t hurt to up your intake of that a little. I really am sorry to hear this.
you bet! Turmeric goes in almost all my foods. I’ll up it a bit now that you mention it. Thanks Lorrie.
Sorry about the bad news..you seem to have such a healthy lifestyle though!
I do, don’t I .. and I even teach yoga.. so it must be some sort of imbalance. I’m away at it trying to get back into balance. thanks for writing in Charlotte..
Good luck! I started yoga 2 months ago..it makes me feel so much better!
omggg! that sounds so ymummmyyy!! i’ve been a vegetarian fer a lil ovr 2 and a half years and off n on with being a vegan nomnomnom!(: imma go make some of tht right now! ahhaha my mommiii makes something like it!
Charu, loved your flaxseed gunpowder! Usually I like all the chutney powder. Groundnut one is my favorite. 🙂 🙂
It is sad that you are on medication. But do take care. I too hate it. I can’t stand even daily supplements!
Thanks Vini. its great when light bulbs go off right. and we end up creating these interesting & unique recipes. I haven’t tried groundnut podi..have you blogged the recipe? No to drugs is what I’ve always said. sadly now on crestor. hopefully not for long. 🙂
Would be interested to know if this works to help lower your cholesterol. Keep us posted!