Say NO to sulfates with the organic world _______ At The Organic World, we offer the largest variety of organic and natural groceries under one roof. Our focus is to give our customers a ‘better choices’ range with a curated line up of healthier products whether it is organic, natural, pesticide-free or toxin-free. And what sets our range apart from other retailers is that our entire assortment of products is defined by our industry-first Not In Our Aisle List – a list of 25 (and growing chemicals/ ingredients) that we have banned from our stores because studies have suggested that they could be harmful for you. One such group of ingredients are Sulfates (Sodium laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) - a family of related chemicals used as preservatives in everyday cosmetics like shampoos, soaps and other haircare products. What is it? Sulfates (Sodium laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) - a family of related chemicals used as preservatives in everyday cosmetics like shampoos, soaps and other haircare products. What are the possible side effects? Studies have suggested that exposure to sulfates can lead to skin reactions like itching, bumps, dry, scaly skin, swelling, tenderness, burning and blisters. At The Organic World, you won’t find sulfates in any of our beauty & personal care products. So whether it is your child’s shampoo or yours, be rest assured that there will be no sulfates. You don’t have to worry about sulfates in your products when you choose The Organic World.
Thandai Cold, milk, spices, dry fruits, topped with saffron and rose leaves. You can’t get a drink that is more quintessentially Holi than thandai!
Dahi Vada Vadas topped with curd, a sweet imli chutney, a spicy green chutney, some boondi and spices making for a refreshing yet sinful treat!
Chaat Chaats are the perfect balance to all the sweets! From bhelpuri to papri chaat, churmur or pani puris, your options are endless!
If it is March, it must mean Holi, celebrating the arrival of spring. There’s colour, festivity, laughter and of course feasting! Here’s our roundup of some traditional Holi delights: Gujiya A sweet, deep-fried dumpling that is synonymous with Holi! Crescent shaped, the crust is made with suji or maida. It is stuffed with a mix of dry fruits and sweetened khoa and then deep fried. Known as Kadabu in Karnataka, it can be stuffed with sweetened coconut as well.
Malpua A delectable sweet pancake, malpua is usually made with maida, wheat flour or barley flour, khoya and dry fruits, deep fried and then dipped in sugar syrup.
Laddo Made with til, besan or boondi, you can’t go wrong with these orbs of sweetness! Puran Poli Also known as Obattu in Karnataka, puran poli is essentially a stuffed chapathi. It is a thick roti that is stuffed with a mixture of jaggery and dal; in Karnataka often coconut is used in the stuffing.
Crunchies Whether it is chaklis, ribbon pakoda, khara sev or murukku, a spicy crunchy snack is a must at this time!
GET SUMMER ready With summer approaching, we will all be looking for ways to stay cool. While eating light food and staying hydrated is a must, here are a few other tips that can help to beat the heat!
WEAR LIGHT COTTON CLOTHES Ditch the silks and many layers - opt for light breezy clothes made of natural fabrics like linen and cotton - cotton helps absorb the sweat. Opt for lighter colours as dark colours absorb heat while light colours reflect the heat. Avoid tight fitting clothes as they could make you feel even more uncomfortable when you sweat. CROSS VENTILATE Try and open your windows strategically to create cross ventilation. Early morning and night time are the best times for this as the air is cooler. This helps create a natural breeze inside the house DECLUTTER The more space you have in your room, the more space there is for air to circulate. Store things you may not need, reduce clutter off surfaces and let your room (and you) breathe!
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BRING IN THE PLANTS Having plants in your home can have several beneficial effects. Plants help humidify and cool the air, as well as detoxify, leaving the air purer. Aloe vera, areca palm tree, ficus tree and ferns are some of the typical indoor plants. DITCH THE HEAVY CURTAINS Keep the dark synthetic curtains away and instead opt for light, cotton curtains - choose muted, pastel shades that will also make your rooms appear more spacious. You could even opt for jute screens and bamboo blinds. NO HEAVY MAKEUP Based on your skin type, opt for light moisturisers. Keep your makeup routine simple and avoid applying too many products. Opt for natural and organic beauty and skincare products. And yes, never forget the sunscreen.
SUMMER FRUITS
that we love
While there are several things we all dislike about summer – the hot sun, rising temperatures, power cuts, sweat – there’s one thing we all definitely love – the gorgeous abundance of summer fruits that we will soon see flooding the markets! Here are our top picks – what are yours?
WATERMELON Red, juicy and crunchy – watermelons make for the perfect cooling summer fruit. Eaten as is or as a juice, its refreshing qualities are unparalleled! More than 90% of the fruit is made of water – great for hydration! – and they also are filled with other nutritional benefits like being rich in Vitamin A, C, B6, fibre and other important minerals. MANGO The King of Fruits – need we say more? Creamy, sweet and the one fruit that is almost universally loved. Walk through any store selling mangoes and it’s hard not to get lost in the redolent aroma. Mangoes are also rich in a wide variety of vitamins as well as fibre and are also a great immunity booster. Mango juice, smoothie, salad, mousse, eat as is…. we can’t wait for summer!
PAPAYA If there is one fruit that is popular for its health benefits the world over, it has to be papaya! From salads, to sir fries and juices and smoothies, its versatility cannot be denied! Papayas are rich in Vitamin A as well as immunity-boosting Vitamin C. And the fruit is renowned for its skin- and gut-friendly properties! PLUM Varying in texture from firm to soft and tangy to sweet in taste, plums are another summer delight. They are rich in dietary fiber and sorbitol – perfect for ensuring good digestive health! They can be eaten as is, used in desserts, salads and more. And did we forget about black plum or jamoon? A rich source of vitamins and minerals, jamoons are known for their immunity boosting powers. MUSKMELON As bright as the yellow and orange hues of summer – yes, we are talking about muskmelon! Rich in Vitamin A and betacarotene, muskmelons are very good for eye health! And lest we forget. It’s high content of Vitamin C that makes it a great immunity booster. And while the fruit makes for a great addition in salads and smoothies, the seeds are a popular superfood!
LITCHI The quintessential summer fruit, litchis delight with their texture as well as the flavour – a delicious juicy sweetness! Litchis are rich in vitamins and minerals, and are known for their immunity boosting powers. You know it’s summer when you see the delightful fruit with its hard red, knobbly exterior flood the markets!delightful fruit with its hard red, knobbly exterior flood the markets!
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HAIR CARE TIPS FOR THE SUMMER As temperatures begin to rise, it’s important to switch your hair care routine. Seasonal changes can wreak havoc on your hair, so it’s important to get your mane game right before summer sets in! Get a trim Moving from colder temperatures to warmer can leave the ends of your hair dehydrated and often split. Get a trim before the heat fully sets in. Say no sulphates Shampoos with sulphates may end up drying your hair and stripping it of all its moisture - just what you don’t need amid rising temperatures and Bangalore’s dry heat! Switch to a shampoo that is made with organic and natural ingredients, free of harmful chemicals like sulfates. Use a hat When you step out, use a hat or umbrella. This will prevent the sunlight from drying your hair out and leaving it completely frizzy. Try and avoid stepping out when it’s hottest, between 10 am and 3 pm. Say no to hot tools Say no additional heat on your hair by minimising the use of hair dryers and hair irons at this time. Try not to use hot water to wash your hair, instead use cool or lukewarm water. Don’t forget to condition Conditioning your hair is a must at this time in order to keep your hair moisturized and frizz free. Also remember to try and not shampoo your hair every day, however hard the temptation may be as this will strip your hair of its natural oils.
It’s hard to find a child (or their parents!) who doesn’t enjoy pasta. So we thought we would round up some of the fun facts around this much-loved ingredient! The exact origin of pasta is hotly debated. While the Chinese were making noodles as far back as 5000 BC, evidence of Italian pasta goes back to the Etruscan civilisation. There are currently more than 600 shapes of pasta around the world. One of the earliest fans of pasta in the United States was its President Sir Thomas Jefferson who had it during his time in Paris in 1784-1789. The first machines to produce pasta were built in 1800. In ancient times, pasta dough was even kneaded by foot! October 25 is celebrated as World Pasta Day. Most dried pasta is made with only two ingredients - semolina flour and water. Here’s our favourite pasta recipe that you can rustle up in a jiffy as all it needs is a handful of ingredients!
PASTA AGLIO E OLIO
INGREDIENTS Spaghetti (or whatever pasta you have) Extra Virgin Olive Oil Garlic Chilli flakes Salt and Pepper Parmesan Cheese
METHOD Cook the pasta as directed on the pack. Strain and reserve some of the pasta water Add the olive oil in a pan, fry the garlic till it turns all nutty and delicious Add the salt , pepper, chilli flakes. If you are using ay greens like kale, you can add them now as well Add the spaghetti and toss. Add as much or as little of the pasta water as you want, depending on whether you like it a dry consistency or a sauce-like one Grate in lots of cheese Your dinner is ready! Get all the ingredients you need for preparing this delicious pasta from The Organic World free of chemicals and preservatives!
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All your CHOCOLATE queries answered! La Folie gives you the lowdown on everything chocolate! BEAN TO BAR TERM: The term bean to bar chocolate started as a way for small chocolate makers to distinguish their chocolate from both chocolatiers, and also mass produced chocolate. Starting around 2005, craft chocolate makers began operating in the small batch territory, some producing just a few hundred bars a month. After buying small quantities of cacao, they were cleaning, roasting, cracking, winnowing, and grinding the cacao beans themselves. They began calling this process “bean to bar,” meaning from cacao bean to chocolate bar, as shorthand for the long process of micro-batch chocolate making, whereas chocolatiers melt pre-made chocolate to make chocolate confections. ETHICALLY SOURCED / TRANSPARENT TRADE Ethically sourced is a key ingredient in the bean to bar chocolate world. Not all beanto-bar directly trade and do transparent trade with the cooperatives and farms, they go through middlemen and hence the farmer does not enjoy fair or direct price for his efforts. Our selection of chocolates at La Folie supports a supply chain that is more transparent than fair trade and hence we are proud to be the only chocolate maker doing this in India not just with local cacao farms but also local farms in central, south America as well as Africa.
REAL CHOCOLATE The chocolate we offer is crafted from real and natural ingredients that have a fine quality cacao and cocoa butter, making cocoa and not sugar the star ingredient. You can taste the uniqueness and complexity of different cacao origins with nuanced flavours, unlike mass-produced chocolate. SMALL BATCH OR CRAFT CHOCOLATE BATCH Produced in a small way with traditional craftsmanship that involves a longer manufacturing process using traditional European processes. WHAT IS SINGLE ORIGIN CHOCOLATE? Single origin coffee and single origin chocolate are basically the same idea, with the origin of their key ingredients (coffee bean and cacao beans, respectively), being from a single place. “Single plantation” or “single estate” refer to cacao from a specific property, meaning that the cacao was sourced from a smaller area. This can— but doesn’t always— mean that the cacao’s flavor is more distinct due to specific varietals, environmental conditions,
and a shorter distance to travel before starting fermentation. Therefore, single origin chocolate is made with cacao from one origin, or place. But this is where the generality of the term “origin” becomes a problem. Historically, one’s origin is a country, and then a city or even a specific neighborhood. Due to the nature of how cacao is processed in preparation for making chocolate, very little of the world’s cacao can be traced back to a region as small as a neighborhood. There are some very small cacao farms in the world, and some of them are selling their cacao to chocolate makers. But this is not the norm. Most chocolate makers use countries as a frame of reference for defining “single origin.”
What Does Cocoa Percentage Mean? The cacao percentage or cocoa percentage on a chocolate bar tells you what percent of that chocolate bar’s weight was contributed by cacao beans.
HOW ARE FAIR TRADE AND DIRECT TRADE DIFFERENT? Direct trade is in many ways a response to Fair Trade and the modern ease of communication. People want to buy ethically-sourced products, but they’re not sure whom or what to trust, and craft chocolate makers ran into the same problem. Here are four ways Fairtrade chocolate and direct trade chocolate are different.
- Fairtrade is geared towards larger chocolate makers while direct trade is often practiced by smaller ones. - Fairtrade is a certification system, while
direct trade is a description of sourcing practices.
- The Fairtrade label is a registered mark of Fairtrade International, while the term “direct trade” can be used by anyone. WHY FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH While the idea of Fair Trade chocolate makes consumers feel better, these purchases may not actually be making as much of a difference as we think.
WHAT DIFFERENTIATES LA FOLIE FROM OTHER CHOCOLATE PLAYERS IN THE MARKET? Our chocolate bars are handcrafted at our small-batch micro factory in Mumbai. We spend our days roasting, winnowing, grinding, conching and tempering single origin cocoa beans ethically and directly sourced from India, South & Central America and now also from Africa! With sustainability and quality at the core of what we do at La Folie, we source our organic cacao from amongst the Top 50 cacao farms and cooperatives around the world who have been recognised and awarded by the ‘Cocoa Of Excellence Board’ and renowned craft chocolate makers. This helps us ensure that our actions benefit cocoa growers directly and cultivators at the grass-root level as well as gives our patrons to experience beanto-bar chocolates from the finest origins in the world As real chocolate makers, we take immense pride in our manufacturing prowess practices that are transparent, sustainable and that are of a European standard..
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What also makes us different is that we focus on using whole organic cane and natural sugars which give a rich and raw earthy flavour to our chocolate bars with various inclusions. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN USE CHOCOLATE APART FROM EATING There are different ways to enjoy using chocolate other than eating, since La Folie chocolate has many health benefits, you can melt it and use it to make vegan cacao energy balls for an afternoon pick me up, since it has no artificial sugars and has alternative natural sugars with a low glycaemic index. You could also chop our chocolate and use it to make a chocolate almond milk smoothie or an overnight granola oats. Our chocolate is great for baking and can be used to make your favourite chocolate cake that is guilt free, especially since it’s vegan and so earthy it can create a deep intense cacao flavour without the need to add any artificial essential flavourings. You could also grind the chocolate with some peanuts to make a chocolate peanut spread with your favourite breakfast bread. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO MELT CHOCOLATE? The best way to use our chocolate is to melt it on a double boiler or in a microwave in 30 sec intervals while you stir it.. Enjoy this chocolate as it is as a dip for your next fondue or drizzle it over your favourite ice cream.
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SCRUMPTIOUS PALEO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH ALMOND FLOUR The perfect decadent yet healthy treat! Recipe courtesy: La Folie
INGREDIENTS - 1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil (if not dairy free softened butter is delicious too) - 1/4 cup walnut oil (you could also substitute avocado oil or coconut oil) - 1/3 or 1/2 cup coconut sugar (depending on sweetness taste) - 1 egg - 2 cups almond flour - 1/2 tsp sea salt - 3/4 tsp baking soda - 1 tsp vanilla - 1/2tsp cinnamon - 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped - 2/3 cup La Folie Artisan Series - chocolate or La Folie jaggery chocolate 80% dark
METHOD - Preheat oven to 180C - Vigorously stir oils and coconut sugar in a bowl until well combined (or beat in a mixer). Add the egg and again, stir energetically. Add vanilla. Mix again. - Add dry ingredients (almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon). - Stir into wet ingredients. Fold in chopped walnuts and chopped La Folie chocolate. - You can either drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking paper or you can roll 1 1/2 balls of dough. - Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy!
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