Discover Sir William Basset's Potent Herbal Elixir for Consumption Relief!

Unlock the ancient wisdom of Sir William Basset's remarkable Consumption Water recipe, infused with rare and potent ingredients. This powerful elixir has been handed down through generations for its unparalleled effectiveness in alleviating the symptoms of consumption. Dive into the unique blend of garden snails, earthworms, and a multitude of mystical herbs, meticulously crafted to offer relief and rejuvenation.

Ingredients Packed with Natural Remedies:

1. Garden Snails - A great peck, carefully selected for their therapeutic properties.

2. Earthworms - A quart, specially prepared to enhance the elixir's healing potential.

3. Celindine, Egremory, Angelica, Bittony, Wood-Sorrel, Reddock Roots, Rue - A powerful blend of herbal wonders, each contributing its unique benefits.

4. Barberry Tree Inner Rine - A secret ingredient cherished for its healing essence.

5. Bearsfoot - A vital component adding depth to the elixir's restorative properties.

6. Rosemary Flowers - A large quart of these aromatic blossoms to enchant the senses.

7. Fenny-greet, Turmeric, Cloves - A trio of potent spices, expertly combined for maximum impact.

8. Saffron - A Shilling's worth, meticulously dried and crumbled to add a touch of exotic allure.

Preparation of the Enchanting Elixir:

1. Start by building a great fire of charcoal and create a hollow space in the middle.

2. Place the carefully selected garden snails inside the hollow, covering them with fire until they hiss to perfection.

3. Once done, wash and crush the snails, shells and all, in a stone mortar, preserving every bit of their healing essence.

4. Prepare the earthworms by slicing and scouring them with salt, washing them with bear, and then crushing them in the stone mortar.

5. Combine the magical herbs - celindine, egremory, angelica, bittony, wood-sorrel, reddock roots, and rue - in a brass pot, adding fenngreet, turmeric, cloves, and the valuable saffron.

6. Pour three gallons of strong ale and six quarts of white wine into the pot and seal it tight.

7. Allow the elixir to stand overnight, letting the flavors and properties meld to perfection.

Extraction of the Potent Elixir:

1. The following morning, apply gentle heat from charcoal to extract the essence.

2. The alchemical process will yield 8 or 9 quarts of the precious elixir, each drop brimming with restorative power.

Usage and Dosage:

1. Consume three spoonfuls of the elixir every morning on an empty stomach.

2. Enjoy its warmth and sweetness, enhanced by white sugar-candy or loaf sugar.

3. Fast for an hour or more after ingestion, if possible.

4. For further benefits, take an additional dose at 4 in the afternoon.

Embrace the Healing Powers of Sir William Basset's Consumption Water, a time-honored remedy to restore wellness and vitality.

Woman nearly dies after injecting fruit juice into her bloodstream

A woman with a love of alternative medicine almost died when her organs started shutting down. Zeng, 51, injected the juice of 20 different fruits into her bloodstream using a homemade IV drip. Her temperature started to rise and she felt itchy all over but didn’t do anything about it. It was only when her husband asked her what was wrong that Zeng was taken to hospital in Guiyang, China. She was then transferred to the ICU after her condition deteriorated. Doctors said Zeng had contracted an infection and caused damage to her heart, kidney and liver. She was left fighting for her life after developing sepsis and when her organs started failing. Doctors carried out dialysis to clear her blood of fruit juice and she was given antibiotics. Her condition improved after five days and the woman said she thought fruits were ‘very nutritious and it would not do me harm by injecting them into my body’.

Gear up for a weekend of gastronomic indulgence

Presenting bespoke dining experiences by some of the most acclaimed global names in the culinary universe, this popular gastronomic adventure returns to Mumbai as Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai hosts World Gourmet Festival 2019 in association with O’ Smart Natural Mixers. This annual festival, now in its third year, is spread over two weekends, from March 14 to 24 and is a one-of-a-kind occasion to experience high-end and never-before-seen concepts curated by Michelin-star chefs.

The festival will be an amalgamation of sit-down dinners, cocktail evenings, bar nights and more. This year’s roster of culinary masters include Chef Jason Tan of Corner House (Singapore), Chef Thitid Tassanakajohn of Le Du (Bangkok), Chef Rohit Ghai of multi-accolade winning restaurants such as Gymkhana, Jamavar and Kutir (London), Chef Kirk Westaway of Jaan (Singapore) and celebrity chef, Chef Manish Mehrotra of popular restaurant Indian Accent.


Each meal will be a sensorial extravaganza with innovative cuisines, the freshest and finest ingredients, flavours that entice the palate, plated almost as exquisitely as a work of art, and crafted by chefs extraordinaire. Also invited for the festival are some of the world’s leading bartending wizards to demonstrate their skills at creating vibrant cocktails. Orchestrating these bespoke beverage experiences over this weekend will be one of Asia’s finest mixologists — Agung Prabowo of The Old Man (#10 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2018). This World Gourmet Festival, people can enjoy handcrafted drinks concocted with O’ Smart Natural Mixers in four different varieties like Soda Water, Tonic Water, Light Tonic Water and Ginger Ale.

Chef Rohit Ghai has an impressive career track record of leading several Michelin-starred kitchens and is acknowledged as the fastest Indian Chef to win a Michelin star, having won a star for Jamavar, Mayfair, within 10 months of the restaurant’s opening. Talking about his association with the festival, Chef Ghai says, “My travels across India have found a place in my cooking and so, taking my recipes back home to the people of my country this March, feels like a homecoming of sorts. I’m stoked to be a part of World Gourmet Festival — it’s a one-of-its-kind event through which Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai is bringing forth bespoke dining experiences to gourmands in India, and I’m looking forward to introducing the city to a curated selection of offerings from my latest venture — Kutir.”

Since every little ingredient has a vital role to play in delivering the gourmet experience, the festival is supported by O’ Smart Natural Mixers. “Our products are crafted with specially chosen natural ingredients to deliver a perfectly balanced natural taste. We believe ‘Drink Smart, Mix Natural’ — a philosophy that aligns well with the expertise represented at the event,” says Jeevan Verma (Director, Narang Group). This Sunday (March 24), San:Qi, the award-winning Asian restaurant at the hotel gears up for a six-hand brunch curated and put together by the masterchefs along with Four Seasons’ Executive Chef Anupam Gulati. Gear up for an afternoon of gastronomic indulgence, crafted by Michelin-starred chefs, paired with delicious concoctions prepared by Agung Prabowo, and foot-tapping music by a live band.

A CHILLI IN DIFFERENT WAYS

A CHILLI IN DIFFERENT WAYS

From being hailed as a nifty cooking ingredient to a fat-buster, there’s a lot that can be done with the humble chilli

    Chillies are probably the most commonly used ingredients in cooking processes the world over. They can be had in fresh or dried form and are used in everything from pickling to sauces, roasted, fried, in a masala blend, as a topping on pizza and in desserts too! And forget any anti-viral drugs, chillies are known as one of the flufighting foods, so in this ‘chilly’ season add chillies to your food. Capsaicin in chillies acts a decongestant and can work well to clear a blocked nose. TASTE TEST
The sure-fire way to guage the ‘hotness’ of a chilli is by its size. The usual rule of thumb is, the smaller the chilli the hotter it is!

THAI SWEET CHILLI SAUCE Ingredients >> Garlic cloves — 2 large, peeled >> Red peppers — 2 >> Brown vinegar— 4 tbsp >> Sugar — ½ cup sugar >> Water — 1 small cup >> Salt — ½ tbsp >> Cornstarch — 1 tbsp >> Water — 3 tbsp
Method Blend together all the ingredients, except for the water and cornstarch. Now bring this to a boil. Simmer to thicken. Mix the cornstarch and water and beat this into the boiled mixture. Let this cool and then store it in a jar in the fridge. ©Corbis

RED HOT CHILLI DIP Ingredients >> Cashews, ground — 1 cup >> Tomatoes — ½ cup, chopped >> Red pepper — ½ >> Red chillies — 2, deseeded and chopped >> Light olive oil — ¼ cup

THAI SALAD >> Garlic — 2 cloves >> Red chillies — 2 >> Crushed peanuts — 2 tbsp >> Palm sugar — 2 tbsp (mixed with a little water) or >> Sugar — 1 tsp >> Lemon juice — 2 tbsp >> Fish sauce — 2 tbsp >> Finely chopped tomato — 1 >> Green beans — ¼ cup >> Bird’s eye chillies — a few >> Green papaya— ½
Method: Peel and grate the papaya. Chop tomatoes, garlic and chillies (length ways) and put in a bowl. Crush green beans and add to it. Now, add finely cut papaya, crushed peanuts, fish sauce, lemon juice and sugar and mix well. Serve.

CHOCOLATE CHILLI ICE CREAM
Ingredients >> Serves: 8 >> Caster sugar — 150 g >> Milk — 225 ml >> Salt — a pinch >> Cinnamon, powdered — 1 tsp >> Cocoa powder—2½ tbsp >> Egg — 3 yolks, beaten >> Dark chocolate bar — 100 g >> Chillies — a few broken into small pieces >> Light cream — 450 ml
Method Boil the sugar, milk, salt and cocoa powder in a pan and simmer. Put egg yolks in a bowl and the boiled hot liquid to it. Stir and retransfer to the saucepan. Heat till it thickens. Remove and add in the chocolate and chillies. rigerate, then remove and add cream and beat it.

THIS ONE IS THE HOTTEST! The spiciest chilli pepper on earth has been identified as the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. While a normal jalapeno for example ranks about 5,000 units on the Scoville heat scale, this one goes above more than 1.2 million units! The Indian Bhut Jolokia, from Assam, had got the Guiness World Records’ recognition as the world’s hottest chilli in 2007.

HOMEMADE CHILLI OIL Ingredients >> Olive oil—450ml >> Red chilli
    flakes — 20g >> Whole dried red chillies — 3 to 4
Method Warm the olive oil and add chilli flakes and whole chillies to it. Remove and cool slightly. Pour this into a sealable glass bottle with a funnel. Seal and use over time. Can keep for a few weeks.

RED OR GREEN... WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? Yes, there is a definite difference between both chillies. The red ones are mellower, while the green variety has a sharper taste and are more pungent. Also, red chillies are usually dried and then added to water before a cooking process. On the other hand, green chillies are used directly.

HOW TO DE-SEED >> Place the chilli on a cutting board and hold the end stem with your fingers. >> With a small sharp knife split it lengthways. >> Carefully lift out the membrane and remove the seeds. >> NOTE: Leave the membrane inside the chilli if you want your dish to be spicy.

THEY’RE GOOD FOR HEALTH TOO!
Research says that not only do they protect the stomach lining and are able to prevent gastric damage, but can help burn fat due to capsaicin content. They have vitamins A and C. Studies say chillies may also be able to prevent diabetes and boost metabolism.

DID YOU KNOW? In cold weather, a little chilli powder sprinkled into your socks will keep your feet warm all day. Experienced skiers use this trick, but it also works if you don’t wear ski boots.

FESTIVE TABLE It’s time for party mocktails

FESTIVE TABLE

It’s time for party mocktails

For those who do not drink alcohol, here are some non-alcoholic beverage recipes. Sip on and enjoy
    the party...

THESE ARE NOT ONLY QUICK TO MAKE, BUT WILL ALSO NOTCH UP THE HEALTH QUOTIENT, OWING TO THEIR FRUIT CONTENT MAI TAI Ingredients: Pineapple or orange juice: ¾ cup; Orange juice: ½ cup; Lime juice: 2 tsp; Ice
Method: Put ice cubes in a glass. Now, pour the pineapple and orange juice into it and serve.
PINA COLADA Ingredients: Pineapple juice: 3/4 cup; Coconut cream: 6 tbsp; Vanilla ice-cream: two scoops; Ice
Method: In a blender, add ice, pineapple juice and coconut cream. Remove and serve chilled with icecream.
CHERRY TANG Ingredients Cherry juice: 1/2 cup Orange juice: 1/4 cup Dash of lime (can add honey); Chopped cherries Ice, crushed
Method: Chop the cherries. Put crushed ice in a glass. Add cherry and orange juice and stir. Squeeze lime into it. Serve it chilled with rind of lime.
KIWI COOLER Ingredients Kiwi p: 4; Pudina leaves: a few sprigs; Sugar: for taste (can add honey); Chaat masala: to taste; Soda: 2 glasses
Method: Peel and chop the kiwi fruit and blend. Add mint leaves to this. Add a dash of sugar (if needed). Add some chaat masala. Add this mix to a glass, fill halfway and finally add soda on the top.
WATERMELON DELIGHT Ingredients: Watermelon: deseeded, 2 ½ cups; Mint leaves: about 10; Lime juice: 2 tsp; Pineapple juice: ½ cup; Sugar syrup: 2 tsp
Method: Add watermelon, mint leaves, lime juice, sugar syrup and mix it. Add in the pineapple juice and crushed ice. Serve with a mint spring. - Compiled by Ismat Tahseen

CUP OF LIFE

Midnight tea party will bring together Indian and global artistes

    For a city weaned on cutting chai on the run, a tea ceremony which commences at midnight and continues over 12 hours across different sites might sound like a touch too leisurely if not radical. But on December 22, Miko Kuro’s Midnight Tea hopes to do just that when it invites individuals to be part of one such elaborate tea ceremony.
    Started by American artist Natasha Marin in 2008, Miko Kuro’s Midnight Tea is a community arts endeavor designed to create moments of meaningful interaction between strangers. Marin has hosted these gatherings at galleries and art spaces in Greece, France, China, Canada and the United States before bringing the project to India.
    In Mumbai, the evening will be led by Marin and twelve artists from the USA and Canada who will work across genres and spaces to create an (art) experience that will come together around tea. Marin and her collaborators will be joined by about 48 Indian artists, singers and poets who will also participate at various junctures of the project.
    “The project is built around the traditional Japanese tea ceremony where more than one person can explore the relationship of giving and receiving. We’re all projecting ourselves into the world, and if with the help of some instructions we could get all our perspectives to coalesce for at least the duration of the tea ceremony, then that would be amazing. I really believe that at any point in time, people can come together and make magic happen,” explains Marin, who has adopted Miko Kuro as her Japanese name.
    The event titled ‘12 Artists. 12 Hours. Once in a lifetime.’ will begin at Tao Art Gallery, Worli, and conclude at Lakeeren Gallery, Colaba. Marin elaborates, “When one is working across cultures and disciplines, finding familiar territory is very important. For the Mumbai ceremony I’ve chosen the broad theme of the elements because people everywhere can relate to the elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air.”
    The cycles of Fire and Water will be performed at Tao whereas Air and Earth will take place at Lakeeren Gallery, Colaba. The ceremony will be a mix of predetermined and improvised performances, readings, interventions and the like. The programme for the evening will be led by Marin and her band of 12 interdisciplinary collaborators, including Bonnie Brooks, a fashion designer, textile artist, and alternative healer, Zac Buschmohle, a photographer and Jumanne Donahue, a writer and game designer. The lineup also includes Namrata Bhawnani of Visual Disobedience. Bhawnani and Visual Disobedience, a webzine and support-indie-art initiative, have been integral to bringing Marin tea party to Mumbai.
    Marin was drawn to India and Mumbai because some of the artists who featured in earlier sessions were from Mumbai and attended art school here. According to Marin, finding artists for each session is never difficult; there are times, however, when language comes in the way. “In China, I wished for more language to communicate with, but my
daughter who came with me speaks a little Mandarin so that made it easier to connect. My hosts in China at 943 Studio were beyond gracious! It would have been impossible without their hands-on assistance. Being a citizen of three countries, I often feel like I should speak more than just English,” she confesses.
    While finding intrepid artists who’re ready to move out of their comfort zones may come easily to Marin, her search for them in Mumbai has been made singularly easy by Visual Disobedience, which caught Marin’s attention when she was researching online for potential collaborators. “Natasha was looking for a local support system, a one-stop shop that would help her plug into the scene and also work with her on all the logistics. Some of these 48 artists—such as Tarini Dixit, Jai Ranjit, Sujay Saple and Nishith Mehta—are part of the Visual Disobedience community while others were invited after they successfully met some criteria laid out by Natasha,” explains Bhawnani.
    Despite Mumbai’s repeated claims of being a city that doesn’t sleep, it has been caught napping on more than one occasion. When asked about midnight, her preferred time, Marin responded, “It’s the most magical time. Don’t you think?”

HOT STUFF: An artistic enterprise curated around the Japanese tea ceremony will take place on Dec 22

ON THE GO Of warm bun maska, spicy baida curry and Scotch broth

ON THE GO

Of warm bun maska, spicy baida curry and Scotch broth

Mumbaikars Give Their Wish List Of Iconic City Eateries They’d Like To See Reopened

    The recent reopening of an iconic café in South Mumbai had us put the nostalgia broth on the front burner. In a city where fickle tastebuds, combined with an equally fickle hospitality industry, have together ensured the expiration of several old favourites, the broth, as you can imagine, had many takers.
    Cartoonist Hemant Morparia finds that places with character are increasingly rare. “Either one has to endure global levels of standardisation with places like Starbucks. Or then you have places where you have to pay an arm and a leg. Both these options are unpalatable. It makes more sense to have friends over for food,” he says.
    Morparia’s list of old Mumbai favourites includes, Café Naaz, Malabar Hill and Brabourne Restaurant, Dhobi Talao. He elaborates, “Naaz was a part of the city’s topography. It had character and it was accessible. These days you’re enclosed everywhere you go, Naaz was open and how. That view from Naaz was unparalleled. Brabourne, owned by film critic Rashid Irani, also made for an interesting visit. You
could either hobnob with a local drunkard or talk with films with Irani.”
    Film-maker Saeed Mirza who currently shuttles between Mumbai and Goa, recalls, “Over the years I’ve seen a lot of places go away. Even now, I remember Gourdon very fondly; it used be in the vicinity of Gaylord Restaurant. I had many long conversations with Vijay Tendulkar there.” Mirza also cites Wayside Inn at Kala Ghoda and Pyrkes at Flora Fountain as old favourites that are no longer around. He adds wistfully, “There’s a lot in this city I’d like to see revived.”
    Actor, writer and director Makrand Deshpande speaks fondly of the unostentatious Café Mailoo, a former theatre adda. He says, “It hasn’t really shut down but it has changed a great deal. It used to be open to the road and humble. Now they’ve taken all the charm out of it and put in an air-conditioner instead. It feels so closed; nothing of the old place survives.”
    While the baida curry at Mailoo was a huge hit, the waiter who took the orders is memorable too. Deshpande remarks, “This straightfaced muchhad guy in long pyjamas would walk around taking our orders. We would go there whenever we were through with a rehearsal or a performance. Mailoo remained open till 1.30pm and was always busy with people from the Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi theatre scene.” When asked about the missing English theatrewallas, Deshpande laughs and responds, “Vile Parle (East) was not their scene, yaar.”
    Mailoo’s proximity to Dinanath Mangeshkar Natya Griha and Bhaidas Hall worked in its favour. Discussing the atmosphere Deshpande states, “Theatre professionals and amateurs were there in equal numbers. Bumping into theatre biggies was also not out of the ordinary. Recently someone suggested we go there for old times’ sake and I refused because it’s just not the same any more.”
    Riyaaz Amlani, CEO and MD, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality, which owns Salt Water Café and the Mocha chain of coffee shops, wouldn’t mind seeing The Wayside Inn and Bastani and Co, Dhobi Talao, get resurrected. He says, “Wayside Inn had so much history; Dr Ambedkar drafted our Constitution there; surely that accounts for something. I also miss bun maska at Bastani.”
    Incidentally Amlani’s Mocha lists bun maska on its menu but it doesn’t have the notice board from Bastani. Like all Irani cafés, the notice urged patrons of the legendary eatery to not smoke, not fight, not spit, not talk loudly and the like. The notice board at Bastani caught poet Nissim Ezekiel’s attention and he wrote a poem on it. While Bastani was a favourite of Ezekiel, The Wayside Inn is invoked in Arun Kolatkar’s Kala Ghoda Poems. Poets have long since stopped dedicating entire poems to Mumbai’s cafés and with good reason too.

TURNED OVER: Wayside Inn, where Dr Ambedkar wrote the Indian Constitution, is now an East Asian eatery