Article contributed by Gambling Times
There is big money made by business houses that speculate their money on trading and speculating on food grains. Major crops like maize , wheat and rice form a chunk of their trading businesses. These business houses buy a large amount of the produce when they are selling in the market at a lower price. They store these produce and later sell it when the demand is more and the supply is less thereby making a big margin. Sometimes these practices leads to a rise in the market price of these produce. The prices go up in the market due to an artificial shortage situation. These traders and market houses hoard these products to make huge margins at a later date. When the demand is high, the prices are jacked up. As vast amounts of these produce are purchased when the food is plentiful, they get it at a very low price.
Leads to expensive food Having this system means that the food is always going to be more expensive for those who are poor than what it needs to be. A better way of gambling and speculation for entertainment would be to visit an online casino. If you are looking for a fun way to spend your time visit GamblingTimes and onlinecasino-India website , here you also have a chance to win something on a lucky day.
For a good cause? Back to food speculating – The investors that do this say they do a good thing. They claim that they even out the supply and store the food at high costs so that it can be used later when it is needed. Well, that is true but there is a problem. The price that they charge is not just covering the expenses for the storage but they also make a huge profit / margin on it.
Hedge funds and big banks This is not just limited to rich business people and privately owned businesses. In fact most of those who speculate in food business is hedge funds companies, pension funds companies and some of the biggest banks in the world. This means that all of us that have savings might be a part of this without being aware of it. If this is important to you, you can contact your bank and ask if the funds that you have invested in are a part of this.
Soothes out fluctuations At the same time this means that the prices are higher than they need to be. This also means that the steady supply leads to even prices. Even if there is a drought, there will always be a huge amount of food in stock. As long as there are a number of sellers, the competition will help keep the supply go on.
Difficult question There is no clear way of subjecting it to right or wrong in this. If these companies didn’t speculate in foods, there would only be a “from farmer to consumer” market. That would mean that when a drought or other catastrophe would strike there would be a major shortage and people would starve. The UN for example through their World food program hands out food and water to millions of people with their programs. The WFP buys tonnes of food each year for these activities. It procures and distributes food to poor and developing nations struck by poverty. All these purchases are made via donations from countries, governments and big corporate houses.
Recipe for Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash. Perfect side dish for idli and dosai. Recipe with step by step pictures.
The idea for this thuvaiyal / chutney came from the ever popular middle eastern aubergine dip, Baba Ghanoush. Baba Ghanoush is made with Aubergines, Tahini (sesame paste), garlic and spices. These ingredients are so familiar and we use it extensively in Tamil style cooking too! My son doesn’t like the texture of aubergines at all. So grinding it to a paste and then making it to a chutney was something that was running on my mind for a long time. We do make a brinjal mash Kongunadu style called the “Kathirikkai bajji” but its a rustic dish where the brinjals and tomatoes are cooked and mashed to a coarse paste with spices. I took the same ingredients that go into Baba Ghanoush, added some more and gave it my twist. I am so happy with the flavour of this aubergine chutney. I sautéed garlic, onions and tomatoes to a jammy consistency in coconut oil. I cooked with country tomatoes (naatu thakkali), as they give that nice tangy sweet flavour. Then I added red chilli flakes for heat. I did not add red chilli powder as it might change the colour of the chutney. Red chilli flakes worked just fine. Finally finished it off with ghee and lime juice. Ghee is something that goes so well with brinjals and aubergines. They just absorb the fatty flavour of ghee. Do try this at home. Serve the chutney with idli and dosai. Call it the “Babu Ganesh chutney”.
Here is how to make Kathirikkai Ellu Thuvaiyal – Aubergine Sesame Mash Pressure cook 500 grams of aubergine with quarter cup of water for five minutes. Remove from heat. Wait for the pressure to settle.
Peel the skin of the aubergine. Set aside.
Grind the cooked and peeled aubergine to a paste. Do not add any water while grinding it to a paste. Set aside.
Dry roast sesame seeds on a low flame until golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Grind the roasted and cooled sesame seeds to a powder. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped onions and garlic. Add in the salt. The salt will help bring out the moisture in the onions. This will help cook the onions fast. Cook till the onions are slightly brown.
Finely chop the tomatoes. If you cannot chop them fine, grate the tomatoes. Add it to the pan.
Add in a tablespoon of red chilli flakes. We like our mash spicy. Adjust the chilli flakes according to how hot or how mild you would like the mash to be. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy.
The tomatoes and the onion mixture will become a little jammy.
At this stage, add in the aubergine paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the roasted sesame powder. Mix well to combine.
Add in the ghee and mix well. Switch off the flame and add in the lime juice. Combine well.
Tempering Heat ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add it to the mash. Top the mash with sesame seeds. Serve with idli or dosai. It also makes a great dip.
For cooking aubergines
500 grams aubergines 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients
1/4 cup white sesame seeds 1 tablespoon coconut oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 cup onions, finely chopped 4 very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ghee 1 lime, juiced
For Tempering the chutney
1 teaspoon ghee 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Pressure cook 500 grams of aubergine with quarter cup of water for five minutes. Remove from heat. Wait for the pressure to settle. Peel the skin of the aubergine. Set aside. Grind the cooked and peeled aubergine to a paste. Do not add any water while grinding it to a paste. Set aside.
Dry roast sesame seeds on a low flame until golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Grind the roasted and cooled sesame seeds to a powder. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped onions and garlic. Add in the salt. The salt will help bring out the moisture in the onions. This will help cook the onions fast. Cook till the onions are slightly brown. Finely chop the tomatoes. If you cannot chop them fine, grate the tomatoes. Add it to the pan. Add in a tablespoon of red chilli flakes. We like our mash spicy. Adjust the chilli flakes according to how hot or how mild you would like the mash to be. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy. The tomatoes and the onion mixture will become a little jammy. At this stage, add in the aubergine paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the roasted sesame powder. Mix well to combine. Add in the ghee and mix well. Switch off the flame and add in the lime juice. Combine well.
Tempering – Heat ghee in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add it to the mash. Top the mash with sesame seeds. Serve with idli or dosai. It also makes a great dip.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 30m
