Okara Snack Recipes

Okara Snack Recipes 1. Okara Sweet Mixture 2. Okara Sweet Bars (Burfi) 3. Okara Ariselu 4. Okara Chocolates 5. Okara Sweet Samosas What is Okara: Soya beans are soaked in water and then blended and liquefied. The mixture is filtered and Soya milk is recovered. Soya pulp is collected in the filter and it is called Okara. Okara is nutritious. It is currently wasted as people do not know its value. Some people do not like Soya beans and Soya milk. But, Okara is actually tasteless. It is rich in fiber, which is good for digestive health. Quality of Okara: It is important that we ensure that we use quality Okara in our preparations. The characteristic foul smell tells us that Okara is spoiled. Preserving Okara: Okara spoils very fast. If left outside, it gets spoiled in 2 to 3 hours. If kept in the refrigerator, it may last up to 10 to 12 hours. If kept in the freezer section of the refrigerator, it keeps good for several (3 to 6) months. Preserving Okara Products: Okara sweet mix can be kept outside for a few days. It can stay in the freezer for several months. When exposed to moisture (water), Okara products spoil very fast. It is best to keep them in sealed bags in a container. Note about Okara preparations and recipes: The recipes are very traditional Indian preparations. Okara is used in place of traditional ingredients like Besan (Chenna dal flour). Those people who do not like to use Sugar, they can use Gud (Jaggery). Normally, we can add other ingredients (like cashew, sesame seeds, coconut, almonds, raisins, pistachios, and elachi), but, I do not use any of them as I want people to feel the taste of Okara alone. These other ingredients can be added later on if some people like to when they make them. Questions: Please ask Som Karamchetty (som.karamchetty@gmail.com, (240) 328-6513) about these recipes.   1. Okara Sweet Mixture Ingredients: Okara (wet): 1 cup (430 grams) Water: small quantity to melt and make Gud (jaggery) syrup. Sugar or Jaggery (Gud): 160 grams Butter or Ghee: 45 grams (Note: The proportions are determined to suit the tastes and the health considerations of Indian-Americans and Americans. They do not like too much sweet and too much butter because of concerns about diabetes, weight gain, and heart complaints. If sugar or gud is reduced too much, the mixture will not hold together. It is very hard to make solid burfis. People in India may like more sugar or gud and more ghee. It can be increased as needed.) Process: Step 1. If gud (Jaggery is used instead of sugar), it is best to place gud with a little quantity of water and heat it up on medium heat. Let it become syrup. Stir continuously. Make sure that the syrup is clean by removing any foreign particles in it. Heat until the gud syrup comes to one or two thread consistency. Step 2. Mix the ingredients (Okara mixture, Sugar or the gud syrup (prepared in step 1) and the ghee in a thick vessel or a deep frying pan. Stir the mixture and heat it at medium to high heat. It takes about 45 minutes of heating and stirring. It becomes a thick paste. It turns slightly yellowish brown in color. 4. Place the mixture into a plate. It can be made into a round shaped ball or a cubicle shaped block. Let it cool. Store in a dry container and close the lid so that moisture does not enter it. It makes about 300 grams of sweet mix. Note: The sweet mix can be taken out when it is soft (and not hardened and dried too much) if it is used for some other process while it is still fresh. This mix will be used in other recipes.   2. Okara Sweet Bars (Burfi) 2. Okara Sweet Bars (Burfi) The recipe is very similar to that for Okara Sweet Mix. Ingredients: Okara (wet): 1 cup (430 grams) Water: Small quantity Sugar or Jaggery (Gud): 160 grams (slightly more for those who like very sweet burfis) Butter or Ghee: 45 grams Process: Step 1: If gud (Jaggery is used instead of sugar), it is best to place gud with a small quantity of water and heat it up on medium heat. Let it become syrup. Stir continuously. Make sure that the syrup is clean by removing any foreign particles in it. Heat until the gud syrup comes to one thread or two threads consistency. Step 2: Take a shallow plate and spray some vegetable oil on it lightly. It is preferable that that oil has no fragrance of its own. This plate will be ready to receive the Okara Burfi mixture. Step 3: Mix the ingredients (Okara mixture, Sugar or the gud syrup (prepared in step 1) and the ghee in a thick vessel or a deep frying pan. Stir the mixture and heat it at medium to high heat. It takes about 45 minutes of heating and stirring. It becomes a thick paste. It turns slightly yellowish brown in color. Okara gets roasted in the process. Step 4: Place the mixture into the plate prepared in step 2. Press the mixture so that the paste gets the shape of the plate and spreads uniformly. By pressing it hard, we get a harder and thicker burfi that holds together. If we press less, the burfi will not stick together; it crumbles into pieces when it cools. (When we use too much Gud syrup, the mixture and burfi holds together very well. But, when we use less Gud syrup, We have to press the mixture hard while it is still hot for the burfi to hold and not crumble into pieces.) Step 5: After 2 or three minutes. Cut the mixture into desired shapes. Step 6: Let the Burfis cool. Pry and take the burfi pieces and save them. It makes about 30 pieces of 10 grams each. Cold burfis can be wrapped in wrapping paper. Reference: http://food.ndtv.com/recipe-besan-ki-barfi-100465 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_YLkk70kX0   3. Okara Ariselu Ingredients: Okara (wet): 1 cup (430 grams) Rice flour*: 250 grams Jaggery: 400 grams Ghee: 2 table spoons Water: small quantity Oil (with no flavor): for frying * Usually, they use rice flour made from soaked and dried rice. In this case, it is not necessary to soak the rice first, dry it, and then grind it to a powder; we can use rice flour available in the shops. Okara is the main ingredient, which has gone through an equivalent process. We have to add some rice flour to keep the Okara from sticking together. In addition, we cook Okara and rice flour together for 10 to 15 minutes. Process: Step 1: Place Jaggery in a sauce pan and add half a cup of water and let it come to boil. Let it become thick syrup with two strings (i.e. when a small quantity of the Jaggery Gud syrup would become a ball when placed in cold water for test). Take it off the cooking range/stove and place it aside. Keep it warm. Step 2: Place Okara and rice flour in another saucepan, mix, and cook for ten to 15 minutes. Add the cooked jaggery Gud syrup and one tablespoon of Ghee (or butter) Mix thoroughly and cook for about 15 minutes. It becomes a nice paste similar in consistency when it can be made into round balls that stick together and not break into pieces. Step 3: Make half of an inch to three quarters of an inch diameter balls. Keep them covered so that they do not dry up. On a banana leaf or a cellophane sheet or a plastic sheet add a couple of drops of oil and flatten the round balls into disc shape (puri) about one eighth of an inch thick. Step 4: In a frying pan add oil and start frying the Okara mix discs. When they turn deep brown, take them out using two ladle strainers (with holes). Take one fried okara Sweet mix disc (Arise) on to a ladle strainer and place another ladle strainer on top and press the fried Arise in between the two ladles and gently squeeze the oil out of the fried disc. Place the fried disc on a plate with a paper on it to absorb any remaining oil. Step 5: Let the Ariselu cool and pack them. References: The video at this link gives a good view of traditional Ariselu. http://www.vahrehvah.com/ariselu Other links: http://mommyfood.com/recipes/sweets/ariselu http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Recipe/Ariselu.html 4. Okara Chocolates The Recipe is removed for now.   5. Okara Sweet Samosas Using Okara Sweet mix as the filling instead of coconut or other traditional fillings and Atta or Maida (wheat) outer layers. The recipe and process are not described as it is similar to that used for making regular sweet samosa. http://www.masalakorb.com/kajjikayalu-traditional-and-baked-versions/ http://www.smithakalluraya.com/2014/08/karjikai-karigadabu-kajjikayalu-sweet.html http://www.premascook.com/2011/07/sweet-somas.html http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/samosa-recipe-punjabi-samosa/ http://www.chitrasfoodbook.com/2012/10/sweet-samosa-diwali-sweets-recipes.html -0-

Vaikuntapali Game Board - Picture

Here is the picture of the Vaikuntapali Game Board we are using.

Digital Vaikuntapali Project - Brief Description in Telugu

వైకుంఠపాళి ప్రణాళిక - తెలుగులో క్లుప్తముగా

కంప్యూటర్ మీద గాని , ఇంటర్నెట్ లో గాని ఆడుకునేందుకు  వైకుంఠపాళి ఆటను అమెరికాలొ తయారు చెయ్యడానికి ప్రయత్నిస్తున్నాము.  

పూర్వం, అంటే ఓ అరవై డెబ్బయి  ఏళ్ల క్రిందట అత్తలు మామ్మలు మేము వైకుంఠపాళి ఆట ఆడుతూవుంటే మంచి చెడూ ఎలాగ నిచ్చెనల లాగా పాములు లాగా మనల్ని ముందుకు వెనకకు తీసుకు వెళతాయో చెప్పేవారు. దానితో పిల్లలకు మంచి చెడు విచక్షణ నేర్ప గలిగేవారు. ఇప్పుడు సమష్టి కుటుంబాలు లేకపోవడముతో ఆ అవకాశము పోయింది.

పిల్లలు కంప్యూటర్ల మీద ఏవో పిచ్చి ఆటల్లో పడ్డారు.

అయితే ఆలోచించి తయారు చేస్తే వైకుంఠపాళి ఆట మళ్ళీ పూర్వము లాగ మంచి చెడులను విచక్షణను నేర్ప గలదు.

ఇదే మా లక్ష్యం!    

  

పిల్లలు ఆట ఆడుతున్నప్పుడు ప్రతి గడి కి వాళ్ళ పిక్క (pawn) వచ్చినప్పుడు వాళ్ళకి చిన్న సందేశం ఇవ్వ బడుతుంది. ఆ సందేశం బొమ్మ (picture) గా గాని, వ్రాత (text) గా గాని, ఆడియో (audio) లేక విడియో (video) మాధ్యమం (medium) లొ గాని వస్తుంది.

చిన్న పిల్లలకి, కొంచము పెద్దవాళ్ళకి, వాళ్ళకి తగినట్లు సందేశం అందుతుంది. 

ఇప్పటికి Okalahoma State University లో ఉత్తమ విద్యలో వున్న ముగ్గురు విద్యార్థులు computer program తయారు చేస్తున్నారు. శ్రమ దానం చేస్తున్నారు. 

తదితరుల సహాయము కూడా రాబోతున్నది. 

కావలసినది:

మాకు ఒక్కొక్క గడి కి తగిన సందేశం కావాలి.

సందేశము దైవిక ఆధ్యాత్మిక విజ్ఞానం తెలిసిన వారు  వ్రాస్తే బాగుంటుందని ఆశిస్తున్నాము. 

బ్రహ్మశ్రీ గరికిపాటి నరసింహారావు గారు వైకుంఠపాళి మీద ఒక ప్రవచనములో చాల చక్కగా విశదంగా చెప్పేరు. అహం వున్న వాడు మళ్ళీ కొంత పతనమయి క్రిందకు వెళతాడని స్పష్టం చేసారు. 

అదే విధంగా వారు తదితర పాములకు నిచ్చెనలకు సందేశాలు చెప్తే వైకుంఠపాళి ఆట కంప్యూటర్ మీద రాణిస్తుంది. 

ఆ సందేశాలను తదితర భారతీయ భాషలలోనికి తర్జుమా చేసి వైకుంఠపాళి ఆటను భారత దేశమంతటా దొరికే విధానానికి ప్రయత్నిస్తాము. 

మళ్ళీ మన పిల్లలకు సత్ప్రవర్తన ఆధ్యాత్మిక చింతన వచ్చే అవకాశం వుంటుందని ఆశిస్తున్నాము.

చివరికి ఈ ఆట ను ఒక భారతీయ ధర్మ సంస్థ కు అప్పగించాలని మా వుద్దేశ్యము. ఆ సంస్థ వైకుంఠపాళి ఆటను తర తరాలుగా  పిల్లలకు అంద చేసి వాళ్ళ రూపు రేఖలను ధర్మ శాస్త్ర పరంగా తిప్ప గలదని మా ఆశ.

మీ సహాయం అర్ధిస్తున్నాము. మీ ధనసహాయము అడగడము లేదు. కొన్ని గళ్ళకు (squares) చిన్న సందేశాలు వ్రాయగలరని ఆశిస్తున్నాము.

ఒక నమూనా పొందు పరచి పంపుతున్నాము. 

మీ సహాయము ఈ ఆటను త్వరగా పూర్తి చేయగలదు. 

మీ వ్రాత గాని ఆడియో లేక విడియో గాని పంపించండి.

నమస్తే! 

ఇట్లు విధేయుడు,

సోమయాజులు కారంచేటి, Potomac, Maryland, USA   

తదితరులు 

వైకుంఠపాళి ఆట - గడి 121 => 99

 

Subject: వైకుంఠపాళి ఆట - గడి 121 => 99

నమూనా (Sample):  అహంకారము అంటే గర్వము. అది మంచి గుణము కాదు.

అహంకారము అంటే ఏమిటి? 

This is the Text or write-up for Square number 121 on the Vaikuntapali Board.

The same content may also be presented as Audio and/or video for the game.

భాగవతములో చిత్రకేతుని కధలో అహంకారం గురించి చెప్పబడింది. అహంకారము అంటే అన్నీ నాకే తెలుసు, నా కన్నా తెలివైనవారు లేరు, నేను బలవంతుడిని, నేను అందరికన్నా శక్తిగల వాడిని, నేను విజ్ఞానిని, అని గర్వించి మాట్లాడడము, విర్ర వీగి ప్రవర్తిస్తూ, యితరులను అవమానించడమో, నిందించడమో, గాయపరచడమో, బాధ పెట్టడమో, హింసించడమో చెయ్యడము అహంకార లక్షణాలు. అలా చేస్తే, ఆ వ్యక్తి అహంకారం చూపిస్తున్నాడన్న మాట. ఇది చాల తప్పు నడవడిక. మనిషికి అహంకారము ఉండ కూడదు. 

 ఇతరులను గౌరవించడము, వారితో మర్యాదగా స్నేహభావముతో మాట్లాడడము అహంకారము లేని వారు ప్రదర్శించే మంచి పద్ధతి.

జీవితంలో వేరే ఎంత మంచి పనులు చేసినా అహంకారి అధోగతి పాలవుతాడు.

చిత్రకేతుడు మిక్కిలి  శాంతస్వభావం కల వాడు. లోకాతీతులైన మహానుభావులతో సమానుడు. విష్ణుభక్తుడు. కాని, చిత్రకేతుడు జితేంద్రియుడ నన్న అహంకారంతో జగజ్జనకుడైన పరమేశ్వరుణ్ణి పరిహసించేడు. పార్వతీదేవి కోపగించుకొని, "నీ అహంకారమునకు ఫలముగా పాపకార్యాలకు  నెలవైన రాక్షసుడిగా జన్మించు. ఇక ముందైనా మహానుభావులైన వారిని అవమానించకు," అని శపించింది.

అతడే వృత్రాసురుడు అనే రాక్షసుడు గా జన్మించేడు.

క్లుప్తముగా చెప్పాలంటే, అహంకారము అంటే గర్వము. అది మంచి ప్రవర్తన కాదు.

ఈ ఆటలో 121వ గడి నుండి 99వ గడికి దిగి పోవాలి. అంటే అధోగతి (క్రిందకు పోవడము) వస్తుంది అన్నమాట.

 ఆధారము: పోతన భాగవతము, తిరుమల తిరుపతి దేవస్థానము ప్రచురణ, ఆరవ స్కంధము - చిత్రకేతూపాఖ్యానము పేజీ 502 మొదలు; వృత్రాసుర వృత్తాంతము పేజీ 462 మొదలు.

Cycles: Events Repeat and not Sequential in Nature

 Cycles: Events Repeat and not Sequential in Nature

The New Year has come and a month has already gone. The weekend has come and even half of the week is gone.

Most of the time, we seemed to be looking at events and happenings in linear terms while they are actually cyclic.

Being earthlings, we measure distances in linear terms - miles, feet, kilometers, meters and so on while the earth on which we live is round rather than flat. We actually travel along an arc, a small one or a large one. It comes from our millenniums ago concept of a flat earth.

We work in Cartesian coordinates. Perhaps, spherical coordinates would have been very difficult to comprehend and do calculations.

As was thinking about cycles, I ran into my old draft in my archives. I am reproducing it below here.

Cycles - small and big

Som Karamchetty

11/12/2002

 

The heavens move in cycles and so do the atoms.

Many things in between are cyclic.

 

Our earth rotates at one cycle per year, i.e 365.25 * 24 * 3600 seconds around the Sun.

 

The earth rotates around itself once a day, i.e. 24 * 3600 seconds.

 

Sun has a cycle, so do all the planets.

 

We get 60 or 50 Hertz electric supply.

 

Our cell phones, garage doors, and the TV remote operate at several hundred mega Hertzs.

 

A battery supplies DC electricity, i.e. there is no period. Alternatively a cycle takes infinitely long time (or infinite seconds).

 

When a wave form is not harmonic, Fourier analysis is conducted and the various frequencies are determined.

 

A so called DC supply can actually be broken into harmonics if we have a beginning (zero) and an ending zero to the supply.

 

Light has certain frequencies.

 

A philosophical question is, what are the lowest and highest frequencies? God only knows, perhaps.

 

 

Crops come in cycles. There is a season when harvesting is done. The produce is stored or otherwise treated. It is consumed over a different cycle.

 

As an example, consider the growing of wheat. Wheat is harvested once a year (in a particular location at least). Then it processed and ultimately converted to bread (or other products). These products are consumed at a different frequency. It is approximately, 365 * 3 (assuming three bread meals a day).

 

Cows give milk at a certain frequency (twice a day), hen lay eggs once a day, and so on. People consume foods thrice a day (not counting the occasional munchies).

 

Electricity is produced in cycles and consumed in other cycles.

 

Water is gained from a cyclic rain and is consumed in a (approximate) cyclic fashion.

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Postscript for E-Commerce Business for Online Education

 

A post script addition to E-Commerce Business for Online Education Concept

E-Commerce for Online Education allows access to good education to children and young people in villages and urban slums to a wide range of courses. There will be no need to build schools in the over six hundred thousand villages and thousands of urban slums and to provide a large number of teachers. This will mean good quality education to such children while saving significant expense, which India cannot afford anyway. Students will be able to choose the courses prescribed for them from a range of teachers and schools who offer their lectures in real time and/or online via this method.

For poor students, the state governments might offer free education coupons, which can be exchanged for online courses. Such a choice will force the teachers and schools to become competitive in offering good quality teaching.

Young people in villages and slums may also be able to take short term courses to gain new skills or improve their skills when the urban based schools offer such training. It will be cheaper for such students to take such short term courses while staying in their villages and even on a part time basis. Thus, the suggested method allows India to upgrade the skills of rural and urban slum based young folk and turn them into competent workforce fit for the modern advanced world.

 

Somk 1/17/2022

Concept of a Prepaid Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care programs

 Concept of a Prepaid Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care program

 by Som Karamchetty

As people get older, they may have a real need for and start looking for Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care Programs [1, 2]. They will find them to be costlier than they had hoped and delay getting into them. Finally, when they do get into such programs, they will be looking for help from family members, governments, and other charities.

 It occurred to me that there should be Prepaid Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care Programs. With such programs, people could choose to pay into their programs while they have jobs and incomes. If such payments are tax deductible, there will be more attractive to younger and middle aged people.

There are already Long-term healthcare programs [3], prepaid funeral programs [4], and Prepaid College Tuition Programs [5] for guidance.

Hence, it is reasonable to think of prepaid Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care programs. 

The concept of care at various stages of one’s life comes when we think of a society. For humans, unlike animals, other members of the society provides care at various stages of their life. While animals can get up and be self-supportive after a brief time in their life, they can survive on their own. Of course, some animals form into societies and render some level of assistance and care for their young, sick, and old. It is also possible that some older and stronger members of the animal society take advantage of the young, weak, and old.

 

With humans, the society likes to protect and assist the weak, although the extent of such care and support depends on the society and its willingness and ability to render such care and assistance.

In modern societies, governments became dominant and the old concept of society has weakened. Modern people start talking about saving and taking measures and means to take care of themselves when they need help in the future. But, people are all not starting from the same baseline. Some people start life with assured help, and some others start with a silver spoon in their mouth. Unfortunately, in modern societies, a large number of people start with nothing and barely survive. Even those people who are called the middle class cannot cope inflationary costs. Thus, there are large populations of people in every country that look for the government and charities to help when their needs are severe. It must also be stated that some people do not care for their future and save nothing themselves or claim a human right that the government or other charities should take care of them in their time of need.

 Here is where smarter societies come up with insurance programs, prepaid programs, and philanthropic missions.

Since all people do not live the same lifestyle, they also seek different care programs. In the modern society goods and services can be procured from larger global locations at various costs. By extending such a concept to these care programs, it is possible for people to choose the type of care they would like to get when they need them later on. Thus, they can choose the program they pay for or their donors are willing to give them.

Thus, prepaid Assisted Living and Nursing Home Care Programs of various types can be structured and individuals can be given the option to choose the program they like to and that they can afford.

It is about time for The United States, a nation where the people pride themselves of individual responsibility, choice, and payment, to start thinking of such programs. Such programs will let the Government focus on what they should essentially do.

Reference links:

[1] https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/answers/ctg/home-care-senior-housing/

[2] https://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-2007/fs10r_homes.html

[3] https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/info-2018/long-term-care-insurance-fd.html

[4] https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2020/paying-for-cost-of-funeral.html

[5] https://www.finra.org/investors/learn-to-invest/types-investments/saving-for-education/529-prepaid-tuition-plans