Horse Gram Vs Flax Seeds

Looks can be deceptive - if you don't care about the fine details. This may apply to Horse Gram and Flax Seeds, especially the brown variety. Some time ago, I gave an answer on Quora about the differences between the two, and owing to the popularity, thought of adding it here.

Here's a quick difference between the two:

* Flax seed is a seed, while Horse Gram is a pulse. (To make it clear, pulse is also a seed - edible seed - from the legume family; legume refer to the plants whose fruits are enclosed in a pod - like groundnut, soyabean etc...; There is an argument that Flax seed should also be included in the legume family - but let me not get into it.)

* Nutrient Value of 100 gram of Flax seed is: 50 calories, 20 grams of protein, 41 grams of fat, and 28 grams of fiber.

* Nutrient Value of 100 gram of Horse gram is:  321 calories, 22 grams of protein, 287 mg of Calcium, 311 mg of Phosphorus and 7mg of Iron.

* Flax seeds contain Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid - PUFA) - the richest vegetarian food, containing this essential fat. 

* So, both Horse Gram and Flax seeds are rich in protein, both can help in weight loss.  But if you are looking for Omega-3 and/or Omega-6 fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6 are in the ratio of approx 4:1), then flax seeds should help. 

Source: 

  * Comprehensive Research Article on Horse Gram
  * Nutritive value of Pulses, Seeds and Nuts 
  * Recipes of Flax Seed and Horse Gram
  * Ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 in various foods

Kaapi and Coffee

After writing about a hot and serious topic (on Religion), its time to unwind and thought I will focus on a hot but not a serious topic.

I like Coffee ... with milk and sugar; and preferably with pure coffee powder (without chicory; and preferably with Peaberry Coffee Beans) and would like it to be a filter coffee (instead of instant variety; though I like the freeze-dried instant powder); served at sipping hot levels and with froth at top.

Well the above description of Coffee refers to South Indian Filter Coffee pronounced popularly as "Kaapi". If you are keen to know, how this is prepared, follow this link , else follow these steps:

• Add 20 grams of fresh roasted coffee powder to the brew basket. 
• Pour 200 ml of freshly boiled water over the coffee powder and close the brew basket. 
• Allow it to brew for 4-6 Minutes
• Wait for the brewing cycle to complete. 
• Pour the brew into the cup
• Add fresh hot milk and sugar to the brew

Ofcourse I had tasted the modern varieties of coffee also and liked Latte Macchiato, Cafe Latte and Cafe Mocha. Though I was able to distinguish between the taste of different varieties, I only later realized the compositions of different varieties. Here they are:

• Cappuccino - Espresso (1/3) + Steamed Milk (1/3) + Milk Foam (1/3)
• Espresso - Espresso (Black Coffee) 
• Cafe Latte - Espresso (1/3) + Steamed Milk (2/3)  + Milk Foam (as a topping)
• Cafe Mocha - Espresso + Chocolate Syrup +  Steamed Milk + Whipped Cream
• Latte Macchiato - Steamed Milk (1/2.5) +  Milk Foam + (1/2.5) + Espresso (< 1/6th)
• Cafe Americano - Espresso (1/3) + Hot Water (2/3)
• Cafe au Lait - Coffee + Milk

As you can find Cafe Latte (also called simply as Latte) and Cappuccino are similar; but the proportions of Steamed Milk is higher in the former which makes it comparable with the Indian Filter Coffee, and Latte Macchiato (pronounced: lawthe muckiyatho) makes it comparable to a 'light' Indian Filter Coffee. Cappuccino and Caffe Latte both originated in Italy.  Latte Macchiato is very popular in Germany. 

As you can see Espresso is the base, and it is nothing but the coffee decoction. However espresso is prepared by a different style of brewing, especially using Espresso Coffee machines, in contrast to the simple method adopted for preparing decoction in Indian filter coffee.  Espresso is therefore liquid coffee extracted very fast under both high pressure and temperature. A 30 ml of Espresso coffee can be extracted from about 7 -10 grams of Coffee powder within 30 seconds.  The extraction takes very little time, but the espresso coffee has to be consumed immediately after brewing to get that taste.

I also found that WMF coffee machines are used in high-end restaurants and hotels, like the one below.

Think it's enough of writing about coffee! - Looking for a hot Indian filter coffee!