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Ruchik Randhap

Food & Memories of Mangalore

You are here: Home / All Posts / Introduction ~ Mangalorean Post Natal Recipes (Balntiche Randhap)

May 3, 2013

Introduction ~ Mangalorean Post Natal Recipes (Balntiche Randhap)

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Pregnancy & post natal care are treated with equal importance in our country. Especially because it involves two lives – that of the mother and the child. The health & well being of the mother is largely responsible for that of the newborn and hence special attention to diet & exercise is essential.

Every Indian community has its own practices to assist a new mother regain her health & vitality after the delivery. These practices include preparation of special health foods, herbal/medicinal concoctions and postpartum care to the mother & baby by way of oil massages followed by hot baths. Traditional Mangalorean customs are also similar whereby a mother is given the best postpartum care during the confinement period so that she regains her health and is back on her feet in no time.

The confinement period lasts for 40 days starting from the birth of the baby, so technically it is approximately 6 weeks of pampering and care. It is called the ‘confinement period’ because traditionally the new mother is confined to her home and is not allowed to leave the house until the 40 days are up. In the olden days these rules were rigid and a new mom would not dare to break them lest she face the wrath of the elders, especially the grand old ladies of the house and the ‘balnti posteli‘, the ayah/live-in confinement nurse. The new mother ironically also liked being ‘grounded’ as it gave her respite from the rigorous and gruelling hours in the paddy fields or household chores. Some elderly women tell me that in those days the confinement period was secretly welcomed as if it was an all expense paid vacation!! One would get so pampered & fed well and was not expected to step out of her living quarters.

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The term ‘balnti posteli‘ literally means one who looks after the balanth (new mother). A caregiver.
Her tasks include massaging and bathing the mother & the newborn baby, washing the baby’s clothes, preparing traditional homemade medicines which include the ‘randho‘ (a kind of a thick ‘lehya’ or herbally infused jam made out of herbs, dry fruits, nuts and spices), ‘thiklem’  also known as ‘suko randho‘ (a dryish & more coarse version of the randho but with almost the same ingredients) and ‘kasai’ (herbal teas or reduced water, bitter potions) and other regular & special foods that were considered most safe & suitable for the well being of the new mother during her confinement.

A good & nutritious diet is provided to the mother to nurture her back to health as the whole process of delivery weakens the body and mind. This diet is also believed to aid good lactation in nursing mothers and in turn benefits the baby. Some medicines help purge a gassy tummy for the mother & child while the others help cleanse the internal system and help the mother regain her strength and vitality quickly.

Today not everyone hires this caregiver as close family members (usually the mother or the mother in law) of the mother-to-be usually help out by arriving with bag & baggage a few months in advance or just in time of the birth so that they can help nurture the new mother, cook for the rest of the family & attend to the household chores. But in my case I hired the ‘balnti posteli‘ although the charges were quite high. I was also lucky to find good ones both the times – those who spent time & effort to ensure that I was comfortable & doing well.


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For those of you who are new here, I recently delivered a baby girl, my second child. I must say that it has been an exhilarating experience – going through the whole experience all over again is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. But this time around I decided to make the most of my experience. I collected almost all the recipes of foods that were prepared in my honour. Haha!

Having been there, done that I knew what to expect this time around and decided to record all of my food and non food related experiences on the blog so that it helps those young women who are on the threshold of motherhood for the first time. However do note that some recipes require time & effort. They are tedious, like the randho which takes upto 8 hours to prepare from start to finish and hence I was not able to see how it was prepared. I have however made the effort to plate, present & click pictures of these dishes despite the fact that I was unable to actually make them (as a rule I don’t post recipes that my husband or I have not personally tried in our kitchen). I realised that it was the least I could do to ensure that they get recorded on my blog.

So do stay tuned for the recipes that I will post as frequently as possible. I hope they help all those who are keen to prepare the post natal dishes at home.

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P.S: 

For those of you looking for the recipe of the above pictured ‘Randho’ – I am sorry to disappoint you. It is the only recipe that my ‘balnti posteli’ refused to part with.

“If I give you the recipe and you make it at home, who will hire me?”  She exclaimed! Well she did have a point, especially because women like her – from the weaker strata of the society and/or school dropouts are now practicing this skill to support their families. Publishing such prized recipes may render them jobless.

If you still wish to eat this preparation or have it made there are several women in Mangalore with whom you can place an order and purchase it by the kilo. It will save you the hard work & time of hunting for the herbs (at ayurvedic shops) and going through the tedious method. 

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Filed Under: All Posts, Home Remedies Tagged With: Ayurvedic Lehya, Bainti Posteli, Balnti Posteli, Mangalorean Post Natal Recipes, Post Delivery Recipes, Randho, Suko Randho, Thikle, Thiklem

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Comments

  1. Ashitha says

    May 3, 2013 at 11:49 am

    If the randho was plated like this for me… i think i would have surely eaten it.. for me it didnt look appealing, so i just had a li'l bit of it. it was nice to read this article.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:40 pm

      Thanks Ashu! Yes, presentation makes a lot of difference, but I bet you will enjoy it if someone gave u a plateful of it now! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Sia says

    May 3, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    Shireen, this is fantastic! I will look forward to all Balanti recipes.
    congratulations on your new bundle of joy. Baby girl? oh wow 🙂 you now have a best friend for life 🙂

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      Thanks a ton Sia!! Yes, baby girl – she's 6 months old now!! And I was on top of the world when the doc said 'its a girl!' 🙂 yes, she is a friend for life! Do stay tuned to all the upcoming Balanti recipes!

      Reply
  3. Sumi says

    May 3, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    really good and helpful recipe….

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Thank you Sumi!

      Reply
  4. Rinku Naveen says

    May 4, 2013 at 5:07 am

    Have been waiting to see these recipes for sometime now..Enjoyed reading the history and use behind these post natal recipes

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Thanks Rinku! Do stay tuned for more 🙂

      Reply
  5. Maanasa M says

    May 4, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    I have been following your blog for a while and love your Biryani recipes. As Sia rightly said, you will have new best friend for life. Congrats and have a great time with her.

    Also, I have a request: Can you post your pregnancy journey? How did you choose your balnti posteli? I wish to go for a drug free pregnancy. But I don't have enough information about where I can find a 'doula' and ayah to instruct me about nutrition. It will be of great help to women like me who are scared of knowing so little about pregnancy.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:45 pm

      Thanks a ton Maanasa!! So glad to know that you like my recipes and also, thanks for the lovely wishes! Daughters are for life, isn't it? 🙂

      I will definitely share my post pregnancy journey..I do have another blog which I have not yet published – its brand new actually, maybe I should start writing on it?

      The Balnti Postelis are few in Mangalore and I hired a lady who was recommended by a relative. Regarding drug free pregnancy, not sure if I am the right person for that, you could discuss this with your doctor/medical practitioner. If you are in India, please visit http://www.birthindia.org and you can join their yahoogroup to receive mailers of topics that may interest you. Good luck!

      Reply
    • Maanasa M says

      May 5, 2013 at 3:17 pm

      So happy to hear that you will write about your journey. You should also write if you included any particular dishes pre-delivery too. Am I asking too much :-)?

      Currently I am in US but will be moving to India in an year.

      Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 5, 2013 at 5:49 pm

      I will hopefully write the post tonight – i have a separate blog created for this purpose but it's lying dead since the time it was created 🙁 You may have just motivated me to revive it Maanasa :-). Good to know you'll be moving soon! Take care..

      Reply
  6. Maanasa M says

    May 4, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    I am not sure if my earlier comment got posted. So writing again.

    Have a great time with your daughter. I have been following your blog for a while and we love your Biryani recipes. They come out so good..

    Also, I have a request. Can you post about your pregnancy journey? How did you choose your balnti posteli? I would like to go for drug free pregnancy but I have no idea where I could find a doula and also find a caregiver for post pregnancy related issues. If you could share your journey, it will be very helpful for women like myself who are scared for having so little knowledge.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 4, 2013 at 3:49 pm

      Thanks Maanasa. I just published both your comments and also answered to it. I hope my answer helps you. Are you in India? Wish you all the best!!

      Reply
  7. Usha D'Silva Rego says

    May 5, 2013 at 10:12 am

    Dear Shireen,
    Beautifully written article…just like you and your recipes!!!

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 5, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Thank you my dear Usha…u r the best fan of RR 🙂 Muahh!

      Reply
  8. Ashitha says

    May 6, 2013 at 10:04 am

    Sherry!!! u have to pay royalty to lavina bai for all these recipes. 😉

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 6, 2013 at 2:46 pm

      Haha! I know! 🙂 but she's sweet as u know, she was most kind to help me click what she cooked!

      Reply
  9. Roella Alvares says

    May 10, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Hey Shireen:

    Funny part I think the lady who massaged you is from Vamanjoor. A. Terry sent here. Ha ha. She loves to dance a lot.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 10, 2013 at 8:34 am

      Hi Aunty,

      Haha! Yes, that's the first balnti posteli I had during my first delivery. She was from Vamanjoor…the slim lady Mary? This time I had someone else who was also nice and jovial, but she wasn't from Vamanjoor

      Reply
  10. Roella Alvares says

    May 10, 2013 at 8:04 am

    Hey Shireen, funny part the lady who massaged you is from Vamanjoor. One heck of a lady who loves to dance. ha ha

    Reply
  11. Unknown says

    June 9, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    Hi, nice blog. I wanted to know if you could share the contact of your balnti posteli lady. I m in Mangalore and finding it difficult to find one. Due on august end.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      June 9, 2013 at 6:03 pm

      Hi Unknown: Usually balnti postelis need to be booked at least 6-7 months in advance as they are always overbooked. The lady who attended to me usually goes by family references only and has specifically told us not to recommend people unless we know them very well. So sorry, I am unable to help you in this case.

      Reply
  12. Unknown says

    June 9, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Hi, nice blog. I wanted to know if you could share the contact of your balnti posteli lady. I m in Mangalore and finding it difficult to find one. Due on august end.

    Reply
  13. Francis D Souza says

    June 18, 2014 at 9:33 am

    Hi Shireen,
    Nice to find your blog that gives so much of information for us pregnant women. I am manglorean and located in Pune. I am 36 week pregnant and wish to know from where can I order this Randho from, can you provide me with some local contact or some place from where I can order this..?

    Reply
  14. Shireen Sequeira says

    June 18, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    @ Francis D Souza: If you can email me on [email protected] I will give you the contact number of the lady who makes and sells the randho in Mangalore

    Reply
  15. Divyacanary tellis says

    March 28, 2016 at 1:57 pm

    Hello,
    Can I get recipie

    Reply
  16. Jasmine Carvalho says

    January 19, 2018 at 9:01 am

    I am looking for the kaaldh chicken soup recipe

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      January 19, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Jasmine,

      I will surely share the recipe soon!

      Reply
  17. Suman says

    May 23, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    Hi All,

    Good to see the article but cannot find the recipe!!!

    Actually I recent got delivery and want to prepare this recipe at home… If someone can share me the recipe for Post Natal… it will be great help.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      May 25, 2018 at 8:15 pm

      Hi Suman,

      Unfortunately I don’t have the recipe yet and so didn’t share it. I will share it as soon as I’ve tried making it at home!

      Reply
  18. ABDUL RAHIM says

    March 11, 2019 at 11:17 am

    I’m not one of those readers that comments on articles often, but yours really compelled me. There’s a lot of interesting content in this article that is interesting and bold.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      March 13, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      Thanks so much! Not sure what you mean by ‘bold’ 🙂

      Reply
  19. Larissa says

    June 28, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    Very nice blog.

    I am sad that few of our konkani traditions and food recipes have remained secret and will die soon with new generations. Just like our GUMTA songs and Voviyos tradition. I tried to get this recipe with randho experts and its the same answer i get as you have mentioned. I hope this recipe will be transparent soon, so that more and more women especially in other countries could try it. Hope our konkani traditional food legacy will continue.

    Best,

    Larissa, Germany.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      July 8, 2019 at 7:56 pm

      Thank you Larissa for your lovely comment. Yes, I hope I can get the recipe of the randho soon. Take care and happy reading!

      Reply
  20. Kim says

    February 15, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    I was so excited to see a “recipe” for randho. My sis in law is due any day now. Unfortunately, this ended the same way as any conversation with any balnthi postali – it’s a secret!

    I’m based in Joburg now and she’s in Chicago. Do you have the contacts if anyone in Mangalore who still sell randho? Will try and find someone to buy and ship it.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      February 23, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Kim!

      Sorry for the delayed response! Well, there is a lady in Mangalore who makes it but I have a number that is very old, not sure if it is still functional. I will ping you on FB with the details

      Reply
  21. Pragathi says

    December 5, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    Please can you post recipe of bananti virshe recipe ?

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      December 5, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      Sure I will when I find a good recipe for it!

      Reply
  22. Judy Sequeira says

    July 27, 2021 at 12:17 am

    Hi
    Do you know anyone who prepares and sells “randho” in Toronto Canada?
    Thanks
    Judy

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      July 27, 2021 at 6:18 pm

      Hi Judy,

      Sorry I am not aware of anyone who sells it in Canada. I will let you know if I come across anyone

      Reply
  23. Pamy says

    January 7, 2022 at 1:14 pm

    Hi. So I have the recipe for Talkaso (baby chicken) soup recipe for new balanth?

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      January 13, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      Hi, no I don’t have the recipe yet

      Reply
  24. Shweta says

    December 4, 2022 at 10:58 pm

    This is such a nice blog. I wonder if you can help me. I am now only 4 weeks away from my due date. Unfortunately, the Balantire mai that we had booked 6 months in advance, has been hospitalized due to heart block. We are now rigorously searching for one at the last minute. If you can please help me with some contacts for Balantire mai i would be grateful to you. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      December 12, 2022 at 9:54 pm

      Hi Shweta, Thanks but sorry I don’t know anyone at present. You can ask your query on the ‘Moms of Mangalore’ group on Facebook and see if you can find any help. Good luck!

      Reply

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Hi, I am Shireen Sequeira, a food blogger with a passion for exploring different cuisines and cultures. Having lived in several cities across the world, including Mangalore, Bangalore, Mumbai and Dubai, I have developed a deep appreciation for the unique flavours and ingredients that each place has to offer.

My blog Ruchik Randhap is a reflection of my love for food, travel, photography and storytelling. Through my posts, I take my readers on a culinary journey, sharing my experiences of discovering new dishes, meeting home cooks, local chefs and food artisans, and uncovering the rich history and traditions behind Mangalorean recipes and the diverse world of international cuisine.

Whether you're a seasoned foodie or just starting to explore the world of gastronomy, I hope that my blog offers something for everyone. So why not join me on my culinary adventures and discover the world one recipe at a time!

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