Apple Sauce

                                The temperature has quickly climbed up here and it's not so easy to go for a walk in the park anymore. The weather is so horribly hot and humid that your dress cling to your body whenever you are in the open. Still, we adults are helpless when it comes to pacifying the toddler tantrums. Even if the climate sucks, the boys never seem to mind. They insist to be taken to the park now and again whatsoever.

                                To add up to everything, there is the not so popular dust winds in the middle east which is more frequent in our parts of the world. It not only causes discomfort due to dust but also bring in diseases. The dust winds are the most frequent carriers of seasonal diseases. So the kids get struck by some kind of illness whenever they are accidentally exposed to such dust storms.

                                The daughter for instance was down with a stomach bug a few weeks back and she had moderate diarrhoea. All I did was try to boost her immunity with healthy diet and food supplements. She was put on BRATY diet which consists of Banana,Rice water(kanji vellam), Apple sauce,Toast and Yogurt,  and MashaAllah she was back to normal in a few days time.

                                So this post is about how to make the apple sauce, which is quite simple and very handy when you have infants or toddlers around. Not only is  it a great nourishing food, it also helps to eliminate diarrhoea by making the stools thicker and less watery. If  you make a big batch and store it in an air tight container in the fridge; it stays for 3 to 4 days without getting spoiled. It can also be used in cakes, biscuits, macaroons etc which adds a great flavour. On to the recipe...

Things you need:

• 1 1/2 to 2 kg of peeled, cored, and quartered apples
• 4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
• Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 tbsp
• 3 inches of cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar or jaggery
• up to 1/4 cup of white sugar/ lump sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method:

•  Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
•  Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher or puree into a fine paste in a grinder
• Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated.
• Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.