INDIAN RECIPES AND KITCHEN TIPS

2010-05-11T10:22:00.000+05:30

Rub rice flour mixed with water(as thick paste) all over the face and make it dry and wash.Your black and white heads, dead cells from top of the skin will be removed and you can feel your skin soft and clear.

Oats with Green moongdhal Dosas

2009-12-11T15:19:00.000+05:30

For diet and diabetic !!
I read this recipe and tried it at home, it really came well and delicious.

Dried or sprouted Green Moongdal - 1.5 cups
Oats - 1 Cup
Green Chillies - As per the taste
Salt - as per taste
carrots- 1 or 2 grated finely
onions - 1 or 2 chopped finely
curry leaves - if needed

Soak the green moong(if dried)at night, in water till morning.
Then blend the green moong,oats and green chillies together in a mixie as a fine batter.If water required can be added to make the batter smooth.(if it is sprouted dhal, you can add directly to blend it)
Then add grated carrots,finely chopped onions to it,little curry leaves, salt as per taste,and pour it as dosa and put a t.spoon oil around it(or you can avoid oil also).
It is really a healthy dish for morning, and also when served with coconut chutney it goes well to have extra dosas.The main part of it is eat hot and it taste too good.

If moong dal is not soaked previous day, dont worry!!

2009-09-23T22:44:00.000+05:30

We might have forgot to soak the moong dal for preparing channa masala or sundal for next day.No need to worry.Some 1 hour before making the sundal, wash the dal and keep it in hot casserole.Pour nicely boiled water into the casserole and close it tightly , keep aside for 1 hour. After one hour you can see the dal become like soaked ones.Now you can directly keep in steam in cooker to prepare the recipes.

For crispy poories!!

2009-09-23T22:42:00.003+05:30

Make the dough for poori.Then prepare the poori's with the dough balls made.Put them in a box and keep it in fridge for 1/2 hour.After that u can make the poori which are crispy and also will not consume much oil.

vada batter

2009-08-20T23:16:00.000+05:30

To check whether the batter for vada is on correct consistent to prepare, while u grind the batter, take a small roll of batter and drop in glass of water.If the batter lies beneath the glass without dissolving, you can stop the grinder to prepare vadas.This is the right consistency.

same colours for veggies after cooking.

2009-08-20T23:11:00.000+05:30

When you boil the vegetables, add a t.spoon of suger to regain the same colour of the vegetables after been cooked.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmy curd rice.....

2009-08-20T23:03:00.000+05:30

Do u want to prepare curd rice without much sour taste??
Here try this. While u cook white rice for curd rice, add 1:2 proportion of rice:Milk
and cook it.Then add 1 spoon of curd to it and mix well.It wont make curd rice to sour soon and also will not spoil the rice.Tasty and yummy curd rice is ready.If u want to garnish or add salt you can make it.

Non sticky Noodles

2009-08-20T23:00:00.000+05:30

To make non-sticky noodles, while noodles boil in water add 2 T.Spoon of gingelly oil to it.U will get noodles without sticking to each other.,

Crispy dosa like prepared in hotels!!!

2009-08-20T22:55:00.000+05:30

Add a handfull of corn flour in idli batter and make dosas.U will be amazed to see crispy and tasty dosa like in hotels.

Soft bajji - For urgent preparation

2009-08-20T22:50:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:-

1 cup - gram flour
1 cup - idli batter
chilli powder as per spicy,
salt - required amount
asafoedita - 1/2 T.spoon
cooking soda - a pinch
Mix them together till bajji batter consistency and make soft bajjis.

Aroma From My Kitchen (Indian Cuisine): Oats Upma

2009-07-15T11:24:00.000+05:30

Serving for: 2 – People.

Ingredients:

Oats --- 1 cup
Water --- 1 ¼ Cup
Green Chilies --- 5 - 6
Salt --- as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 4 tblsn
Channa dal --- 1 tblsn
Urad dal --- 1 ½ tsp
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp
Curry Leaves --- a few

Process:

Chop green chilies. Keep them aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add and toast seasoning one by one like channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds starts spluttering add curry leaves and green chilies to the pan. Stir fry till the green chilies get white spots.
Add water to the pan.
Add enough salt to the water.
When the water boils … add oats to the water.
Stir occasionally till the oats come together.

Turn off the heat. Wait for 5 minutes.
Serve Hot with coconut chutney or coriander, pudhina chutney. It tastes yummy.

Tomato with garlic chutney

2009-07-15T11:14:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:-
Riped Tomato - 300 gms
Garlic Cloves - 15
salt - as per taste
Red Chilli - 6 to 10 ( as per spicy of your requirement)
Gingelly Oil - 2 Table spoon
(No need of frying mustard and urad dal , and it can be stored in fridge for two days)

Preparation:-
Fry well red chilli in little oil.
Cut tomatoes into pieces, peel skin of garlic and put both into mixie.Add red chilli, salt along with it and grind nicely into a thick paste.No need to add water.
Then add rest of oil in kadai and heat it on flame.Then add the paste to it and stir in intervals at medium flame, till all water in paste is absorbed and it becomes thick and non sticky on the kadai. Then stop the flame and allow it to cool and serve with hot chappathi, dosai, idli, or with curd rice. If u want the sour taste little more, u can add a pinch of tamarind with it while grinding.(Add little more oil, to make the gravy non sticky and cook well, if required).

Some Good Blogs and sites for ur updates

2009-07-15T10:24:00.000+05:30

http://divya-dilse.blogspot.com
http://www.awesomecuisine.com/authors/8/Mallika-Badrinath
http://www.samaiyalarai.com/
http://tamilarsamayal.com/
http://www.unnavu.blogspot.com
http://www.indya.com/pigeon_electra/view_recipe.asp?pageNo=2
http://hemakrish-beshanaindiansamayal.blogspot.com
http://ammavantalu.wordpress.com
http://lakshmiammal.wordpress.com/about/
http://annapoorna-jyothi.blogspot.com/
http://ramyascuisine.wordpress.com/
http://www.ecurry.com/blog/
http://indiabite.wordpress.com/
http://regionalrecipesofkerala.blogspot.com/

Lemon and its uses

2009-06-24T16:03:00.000+05:30

Lemon is one of those super foods with a healthy and cosmetic benefits. There are a few persons for whom it is an allergen, so make sure you are not allergic to this natural product, before you start enjoying the many benefits.

1. Lemon being a citrus fruit, fights against infection. It helps in production of WBC's and antibodies in blood which attacks the invading microorganism and prevents infection.

2. Lemon is an antioxidant which deactivates the free radicals preventing many dangerous diseases like stroke, cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

3. Lemon lowers blood pressure and increases the levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

4. Lemon is found to be anti-carcinogenic which lower the rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer. They prevent faulty metabolism in the cell, which can predispose a cell to becoming carcinogenic. Also blocks the formation of nitrosamines in the gut.

5. Lemon juice is said to give a glow to the skin.

6. A few drops of lemon juice in hot water are believed to clear the digestive system and purify liver as well.

7. The skin of lemon dried under the sun and then ground to make powder can be applied to the hair for a few minutes before bath which relieves head ache and cools the body.

8. Applying lemon juice to acne dries the existing ones and prevents from getting more.

9. Lemon juice acts as a natural hair lightner and skin bleach which reduces the pigment melanin and prevents the risk of chemical allergic reactions which is common with hair dyes and bleaches.

10. Lemon juice is given to relieve gingivitis, stomatitis, and inflammation of the tongue.

11. Lemon juice is given to prevent common cold.

12. Lemon juice is given to prevent or treat urinary tract infection and gonorrhea.

13. Lemon juice is applied to the sites of bites and stings of certain insects to relieve its poison and pain.

14. Lemon juice relieves colic pain and gastric problems.

15. Lemon juice soothes the dry skin when applied with little glycerin.

16. Lemon juice used for marinating seafood or meat kills bacteria and other organisms present in them, thereby prevents many gastro-intestinal tract infections.

17. Lemon juice with a pinch of salt (warm) every morning lowers cholesterol levels and brings down your weight.

18. Lemon juice is the best drink to prevent dehydration and shock in case of diarrhea.

19. Lemon juice can also be used as a mouthwash. It removes plaque, whitens the teeth and strengthens the enamel.

20. A table spoon on thick lemon syrup everyday relieves asthma.

21. Lemon juice relieves chilblains and itchy skin.

22. Gargling lemon juice relieves throat infection and also used as a treatment for diphtheria.

23. Lemon juice is an excellent treatment for dandruff and greasy hair.

24. Lemon applied over the face removes wrinkles and keeps you young.

25. Lemon juice helps to prevent and cure osteoarthritis.

Herbal skin care tips

2009-06-24T15:49:00.000+05:30

Here are practical Herbal Tips for Skin Care from the experts! Very easy to use and effective.

1) Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

2) Cut some beet root into small pieces and grind them. Squeeze juice from beet root and massage to your face for 5 minutes. Shower after 10 minutes with mild soap or gram flour.

3) Mix sandalwood powder with rose water and add 4 to 5 drops of milk in it and apply on to your face and body. Shower after 15 minutes with warm water.

4) Mix honey in water and drink daily in the morning to keep your skin shiny and smooth.

5) Warm honey and mix with lemon juice and apply on to face. Wash after it dry.

6) Mix Turmeric, sandal powder and olive oil and apply to body. Shower after 10 minutes.

7) Massage your skin with milk. Milk has moisturizer, it will keep your skin smooth.

8) Use humidifiers and keep room temperature moderate to keep your skin away from dryness.

9) Hot water blushes your skin and you don't feel fresh unless you have bath with little cold water. If you have shower for a longtime, dead skin will be automatically be removed. Do not rub with towel, be gentle on your skin.

10) Take food which contains more A and C vitamin.

11) Grate carrot and boil. Massage that mixture to body to get fair and smooth skin.

Is it possible to make our shoes Shine with banana Skin .... Read this

2009-06-24T15:27:00.000+05:30

Two Bananas a Day Keep all Doctors Away:- Read More tips

Never put banana in the refrigerator!!!

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.

It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium (K) and magnesium (Ma) found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, 'eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!
Shine your shoes:-) Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth.......

New simple and fast recipe with corn flakes

2009-05-30T23:33:00.000+05:30

Are you bored of corn flakes with milk.Then try this new recipe

Take fresh curd in a bowl,add grated carrot, finely chopped coriander leaves, little salt and then add corn flakes to it and taste it immediately.It will be crispy and tasty to have on any time.

Mango Kulfi

2009-05-30T23:23:00.000+05:30

As it is mango season everyone loves to have mangoes in various form of dishes.Here is a simple recipe for you all to try.

Ingredients:-

Milk - 1 litre
MAngo pulp with juice - 1 cup
corn flour - 2 teaspoon(mix it with little milk into a paste)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Glucose - 1/4 cup
powdered badam,pista, cashewnut and kesar few for decorations

Preparation:-

Boil milk on heat well and then add sugar to it.Mi it and let the milk boil till it becomes thickened to half litre of milk,Then add glucose,kesar,corn flour, and mix again. When they start thickening, add the mango pulp, pista, badam stir well for some 3 minutes and keep it for cooling in small bowls.Then u can keep them in freezer fpr 5 to 6 hours and then taste it.

Raddish poriyal -(side dish)

2009-04-23T20:47:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:- for four members
Raddish - 350 to 500 Gms
Few fennels- for good smell (Sombu)
Onion - chopped into pieces
4 T.Spoons - Bengal gram (half cooked)
2 T. Spoon Chilli powder (or as per spicy)
Salt - As per taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Seasoning Items - Mustard, Urad Dhal, Curry LEaves, Little asafoedita,
Shredded coconut - Few
(since Raddish will smell odd for some people, while cooking in this method it gives good taste and will take of the smell it gives)

Preparation:-

First peel raddish skin, cut it into very small pieces and wash them.
Cook them with chilli powder and salt till raddish become soft.
Keep kadai on medium heat, pour some oil in it. After oil gets heated, put some mustard, urad dhal and fry.After mustard splutters, add curry leaves, and then green gram and fry a little and add raddish,turmeric powder, mix well.
Finally add shredded coconut for more taste.
Keep them on flame for just some 5 more minutes and mix often for the taste to spread all over.

Thus raddish poriyal is ready and it goes well with sambar rice and karakuzhambu rice.

Tip:- U can also gring coconut and fennel seed together and add, fry them before adding raddish.Also in this same way you can prepare plaintain pith and it really tasted great.

Soft Idlis

2009-04-22T22:55:00.000+05:30

Before soaking the rice for making idli batter, slightly fry the rice in dry kadai, then soak and prepare batter.Idli will be really very vvery soft.Try it and give comment please.

To Completely say a goodbye for dark circles around the eyes.

2009-04-22T22:45:00.000+05:30

Take 2 dates (without the seed), add few drops of glycerine ,and fresh cream of milk , mash nicely and apply around eyes.Leave for 1/2 hr and wash.Do this daily and u may see amazing results.

To stop hair fall

2009-04-19T21:20:00.000+05:30

To Stop hair fall, before taking bath to hair, apply the coconut milk on the head till roots.Soak it for two hours and then wash it with shampoo or shikakhai.
Hair will be very soft and hair fall will be stopped within a months time.
Note:- wash the hair once or twice a week with coconut milk.

3 - 1in - 1 cocktail

2009-04-08T23:23:00.000+05:30

Carrot - Big 1
Beetroot - medium size 1
Lemon juice - 1/2 cup
Honey - As per taste

Clean the vegetables, make into pieces and blend to get thick juice by adding little water to it. Then add lemon juice,honey and sugar, ice cubes and serve chilled.

Note:- This juice contains more amount of kerotene and vitamin C .

Guava Juice

2009-04-08T22:51:00.000+05:30

Medium sized Riped Guava fruit - 4
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - as per sweetness
Elachi - 1 or 2 cloves (powdered or crushed)

Add all contents with milk and blend in mixie.Then filter the seeds and serve chilled.

Note:- Guava is really good for diabetic patients.

Tender Coconut with Butter Milk

2009-04-08T22:47:00.000+05:30

Butter milk - 2 cups
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
sugar - 1/2 or 1 teaspoon
tender coconut - 1/2 cup
salt - few as per taste

Add pepper powder, sugar, salt with butter milk and blend in mixie.Then add tender coconut and serve chilled.

Note:-
This juice makes our body cool and have lots of minerals needed for our body.