Fermented Rice ~ Neeragaram ~ Palaya satham - Best Rated Breakfast
“Pazham Kanji”, in tamil “pazhaya saadam” and “Paani Waala
Chawal” in Hindi.
American Nutrition Association says that the previous day's
soaked rice is the best for breakfast, used to be the staple diet in South
India, not so long ago...
Traditionally rice is cooked in the afternoon and excess
water is drained. After the rice cools down to room temperature, it is soaked fully
in water and stored in an earthen clay pot. This covered pot with soaked rice
is left overnight at regular room temperature. The rice would ferment by the
next morning and is eaten for breakfast. Traditionally, it is eaten with a side
dish, raw onion or green chili. Some prefer to drain excess water and eat it
with yogurt and a slight sprinkle of salt.
The lactic acid bacteria break down the anti-nutritional
factors in rice resulting in an improved bio-availability of micro-nutrients
and minerals such as iron, potassium and calcium by several thousand percentage
points. For example, after 12 hours of fermentation of 100 grams of rice, the
availability of iron changed from 3.4 mg to 73.91mg (an increase of 2073%).
In the agrarian communities of South East Asia, fermented
rice played a big role in the lives of people. It gave the energy, the
nutrition and the cooling effect that they needed for a full day of manual
labor. Unfortunately, people moving up the food chain (or wealth chain, rather)
looked down on fermented rice as the pauper’s food and ignored the great
nutritional value it provides.
Phytic acid is one of the major component in the rice
grains, which is rich in phosphorous. Below is its structure:
Food scientists who researched on the food practices among
various regions in the world and concluded that the South Asia’s tradition of
consuming the previous day's cooked rice soaked in plain water overnight, in
the morning next day, as break-fast, is the best. It has the rare B6 B12
vitamins which are not otherwise easily available in other food supplements.
This rice generates and harbors trillions of beneficial bacteria that help
digestion and has many disease fighting and immunity developing agents. The
bacteria that grow in the intestines due to this rice safeguard the internal
organs and keep them fit and ready. Consuming this rice helps quicker digestion
and wards off ageing, bone related ailments and muscular pains. Brown rice is
the best for this as its nutrients are retained intact.
• Consuming this rice as breakfast keeps the body light and
also energetic.
• Beneficial bacteria get produced in abundance for the
body.
• Stomach ailments disappear when this is consumed in the
morning as excessive and harmful heat retained in the body is neutralized.
• As this food is very fibrous, it removes constipation and
also dullness in the body.
• Blood pressure is normalized and hypertension subsides
appreciably.
• Body feels less tired due to this food as a result of
which one feels fresh throughout the day.
• This removes allergy induced problems and also
skin-related ailments.
• It removes all types of ulcers in the body.
• Fresh infections are kept at bay due to consuming this
rice.
• It helps in maintaining youthful and radiant look.
Consuming this takes away your body’s craving for tea or
coffee. This is the richest source of vitamin B12 for vegans. So, do not throw
away that extra rice you had cooked. It could be the healthiest breakfast you
will ever have. It is also an amazing body coolant and if you are a person who
is out in the hot sun a lot, try drinking this neeragaram before going out,
your body will not develop heat boils nor will it get dehydrated very soon.
Having palaya sadham for few days on an empty stomach cures
stomach burns.
Neer + Aagaram – Water based food. This is the diet in most
of the South Indian villagers and farmers house which keep them energized
throughout the day and this keeps them cool as well as they have work in the
scorching sun throughout the day. They purposely make more rice than needed so
that they can use the leftover rice to make this for next day morning
breakfast.
Neeragaram (Pazhayathu) Recipe – Ingredients
Left over Rice – 1 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Buttermilk – 1/4 cup
Small Onion – 3 to 4 chopped roughly
Green Chillies – 1 chopped finely
Salt – to taste
Method:
Soak the leftover rice in immersing level of water
overnight. Drain little water next day morning then add buttermilk / curd.
Smash it well with a laddle. Add little more water to bring it to porridge
consistency.
Add required salt, finely chopped onion and green chillies,
mix well. Pour into mud pots and allow it to rest for a while. Serve it.
Continue having this for some time and you will feel much
better. You can add yogurt instead of buttermilk, it's even more tasty. Both
small onions and castor oil cools the body. For even healthier version, try
making this palaya sadham with brown rice.
