If tomatoes become soft, can we make them firm again????

Yes, we can make soft tomatoes firm again. Take a large bowl, fill it with cold water and add little salt. Soak the tomatoes in this water and leave them overnightin the bowl. The tomatoes will be quitefirm in the morning.

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Message in the Massage

"A literally sensational way to pre-empt problems of health and overcome fatigue is a good massage"

One of the most important regimens for anti-ageing is massage. While a vigorous workout is the new mantra for fitness, a gentle message can smoothen away stress, fatigue and even cure some ailments. Massage has been part of our lives. Whether it is backache or post-natal care, in India, we resort to massage. Just the idea of having your muscules kneaded, prodded and beaten into total relaxation is half way to achieving nirvana. Massages are a universal practice with every culture boasting of their own home-bred techniques.

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Stuffed Aloo Tikki

Ingredients

For the patties

250 gm potato boiled and peeled

2 slices of bread

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp aamchur powder

Salt and Pepper

For the filling

1/2 cup soaked whole masoor dal

1 onion finely chopped

1 green chilli finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method

For the patties, mash the potatoes well with chilli, garam masala and aamchur powder and salt. Soak the bread slices in water and squeeze out the water by pressing against your palms. Add the squeezed bread to the potato mixture and mix well so that there are no lumps. Cook the masoor dal till cooked but not mushy. Add onions, chillies and salt to taste. This is the stuffing for the tikkies. Shape the potato mixture into roundels, stuff the potato with the masoor dal mixture and flatten with palm to form tikkies and shallow fry in a tava. Serve hot.

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Stuffed Mirchi Pakoda

Ingredients

12-15 bhavnagri chillies (large, fat chillies)

1 cup boiled and mashed potato

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp chaat masala powder

1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp tandoori powder

A pinch of red food colour (optional)

Oil to deep fry

Method

Add red chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala to the boiled and mashed potato and mix well. Clean and cut the stems of the chillies. Core out the seeds. Stuff the potato mixture into the cavity of the chillies. Mix ginger-garlic paste, tandoori paste and red colour to the besan. Add water to form a smooth batter. Dip the stuffed chillies in the besan mixture and deep fry in hot oil.

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Jalebis

Ingredients

1 cup maida (flour)

1/2 cup yoghurt

A pinch of salt

A pinch of yellow food colouring (optional)

1 cup sugar

A pinch of saffron

1 cup of water

1/4 tsp cardamon powder

Oil or ghee to deep fry

Method

Mix flour, yoghurt and salt well to avoid lumps. Add some water to obtain pouring consistency. Heat oil. Put the flour-yoghurt mixture or paste in a cloth bag with a hole or a funnel. This is to be used for squeezing the paste out and form the jalebi shape. Form spirals while pouring the paste directly on the hot oil. Deep fry the spirals till golden. Make thick sugar syrup with one cup of sugar and one cup of water. Add saffron and cardamon powder. Dip the jalebis in the sugar syrup.

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Malpua

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp aniseeds (saunf)

1 tbsp sugar

A pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cardamon powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Ghee for frying

Method

Mix flour, milk, aniseed, 1 tbsp sugar to form a smooth batter of thick consistency. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Heat ghee in a pan and pour out 2 tbsp of batter on the ghee. Deep fry the malpuas in batches till all the batter is used up. Make thick sugar syrup by boiling one cup of sugar in cup of water. Add cardamon powder. Immerse the fried malpuas in the sugar syrup and serve hot. Served best with rabri or ice cream.

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Mushroom Balls

Ingredients

2 cups mushroom cleaned and sliced

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 onion finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves minced

1 inch piece ginger minced

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

4 tbsp oil

2 cups of boiled and mashed potato

1 cup milk maid

1 cup of bread crumbs

Pepper

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Method

Heat the oil, add the minced garlic and ginger for two minutes. Add the onions and fry till light golden. Then add the sliced mushrooms and mix well. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder, salt and stir for four to five minutes. This is the stuffing for the mushroom balls. Take the boiled mashed potato, mix salt and pepper and form into six to eight balls. Stuff each ball with the prepared mushroom mixture. Form round- shaped cutlets, dip them in milk maid, then coat them in bread crumbs and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.

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Coffee and Health

Cracking the COFFEE

"Let winter and summer come and go but do not let the chance to sip a cupful of coffee slip by. The benefits are manifold."

The good news about coffee and health is its beneficial effects in improving attention and concentration. Coffee also helps you think more quickly, have a better memory and improved reasoning. Studies have also shown that drinking strong coffee when there is a demanding physical task ahead, helps people to keep going longer and staves off exhaustion. The caffeine in cofffee appears to boost the body's metabolism, improving mental as well as physical performance.

Coffee has been also shown to add a "feel good" factor and lift some of the sluggih symptoms that are common after-effects of a cold. These can affect your mood, reaction time and hand-eye co-ordination. While too much of any food or drink (even water!) can be bad for you, it's very true that "a little of what you fancy does you good" - and that certainly applies to a cheering cup of coffee. So, winter or summer, hot or cold, make sure you get your daily quota of coffee!!!!!

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Bhindi Kurkure

Ingredients

250 gm bhindi or ladyfinger

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp rice flour

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

Method

Wash bhindi and wipe dry with a towel. Cut off the head and tail of each bhindi and cut four vertical strips from each one. Mox in dry spices like red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, rice flour and salt to coat the bhindi pieces evenly. Deep fry the spice coated bhindis in hot oil in small batches till crisp and golden. Serve your Bhindi Kurkure.

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Baby Corn Bullets

Ingredients

8-10 baby corn

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp flour

Pepper

Oil for deep fry

Salt to taste

Method

Clean and wash baby corns. Apply ginger-garlic paste, flour, rice flour, salt and pepper on the baby corns. Deep fry each one in hot oil. Served best with chilli garlic sauce.

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Steamed Corn Niblets

Ingredients

1 cup of sweet corn

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp each of finely chopped green, red and yellow capsicums

1 green chilli finely chopped

1 tbsp coriander leaves

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp lime juice

Salt to taste

Pepper

Method

Heat butter and add onions, chillies and capsicums and fry for two minutes. Add corn and toss well. Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve piping hot.

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Palak Pakoda

Ingredients

12 large leaves of spinach or palak

1 cup besan

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp ajwain

1/2 tsp green chillies finely chopped

1 pinch baking soda

Oil to deep fry

Salt to taste

Method

Cut the stems of the palak leaves. Wash and keep aside. make a batter by adding water with besan, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garlic paste, ajwain, green chillies, baking soda and salt. The batter should be of thick and dropping consistency. Dip each palak leaf in the batter. Heat oil in a kadhai. Deep fry the batter-coated leaves till golden brown. Palak pakoda are best served with corriander chutney.

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Gobi Pakoda

Ingredients

1 cup of diced and parboiled cauliflower

1/2 cup besan

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp ajwain

2 tsp hot oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chat masala powder

1 pinch baking soda

1 onion slivered

2 green chillies finely chopped

Method

Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain and salt to the besan. Add hot oil and baking soda to the besan mixture. Add water and mix well into a thick but smooth batter. Dip the gobi in the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden. Deep fry the onion slivers till golden. Fry the green chillies also for few seconds. Sprinkle the fried onion and chillies over the fried gobi and sprinkle chaat masala on top. Serve best with mint chutney your Gobi Pakoda.

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Monsoon Magic

The monsoon showers are here again to bring the magical sensation, then why not to enjoy the lovely sight of those tiny droplets of rain falling from your windowpanes with a steaming hot cup of tea and munchies. cook these delicacies and add a magical flavour to this wonderful experience.

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Good News For PIZZA LOVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let us face it: We all love pizza. At the same time, most of us

are aware that pizza falls in the "junk food" categroy

and is overloaded with fat and calories.

The Harmful Effects:

An average round pizza provides 700-800 calories. some of them with heavier toppings can pack in as many as 900-1100 calories!!! most of us, including children, can polish off 3/4th or the entire pizza at one go!!!!!

HOW???? Big Question Isnt it??????

Here's How:

• Try to order small Pizzas. The proportion of crust filling is much higher in smaller pizzas, thus making them healthier.
• Go in for the thin-crust variety of pizza. Thin-crust pizzas contain two-third the amount of carbohydrates.
• As often as possible, go in for vegetarian toppings.
• Avoid olives and extra toppings.
• Blot your pizza with a paper napkin. This absorbs 1/10 of the slice's total fat.
• To count on calories, limit your self to 2 slices.
• Forget the accompanying Coke.

Moreover, tomato sauce are a super-source of vitamins A and C.

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Alu Dahi Golis

Ingredients

250 gm small - sized potatoes

2 tbspn oil

1 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1 cup thick curd

150 gm bhujia

Salt to taste

Process

Boil the potatoes in salted water till they become tender. They should not be overcooked. Peel the potatoes. Heat the oil and add the potatoes and the spices and cook over a low flame for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice. Whip the curd and keep aside. Remove the potatoes and allow it to cool. Pick each of the potatoes with a fork, dip into the curd and roll into the bhujia so that the potatoes get coated with the bhujia. Serve at once on tooth picks when ready.

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Potato Wafers

Ingredients

1 kg large potato
2 litres boiling water
2 tspn cumin seeds
10 gm ginger
15 gm freen chillies
50 gm salt

Process

Make thin slices of potatoes. Cook the sliced Potatoes in boiling water with salt. When the slices become transparent, drain the water completely. Grind cumin seeds, ginger and chillies to a soft paste. Add a little salt to the ground masala paste. Gently apply masala to the boiled slices. Dry them in the sun for 4-5 days. Store them in an airtight container. Fry them in oil before serving.

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French Fries

Ingredients

1 kg potato

1 tspn black pepper powder

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Process

Wash and peel the potatoes. Grate them to make long strips and immediately soak them in salted water. Boil them in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain water and spread them on a clean cloth. Dry these strips in sunlight. Fry them in oil till they attain light brown colour. Serve them with sprinkled pepper powder.

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Haryali Corn Roomali Rolls

Ingredients

4 roomali rotis

1.5 cups spinach puree

1/2 cup corn seeds

1/2 cup channa dal

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

2 green chillies chopped

3 tbspn oil

Oil for frying

Salt to taste

Process

To obtain the spinach puree, cut the spinach into medium-sized pieces and boil the leaves. Drain out excess water and blend in a mixer to obtain puree. Soak the channa dal in water for 2 hours. Drain out the water and grind together with the spinach puree to obtain a smooth paste. Heat the oil and add the channa-spinach paste and cook over a low-flame for 3-4 minutes. Slightly grind the corn seeds and add to the spinach and dal mixture. Also add all the spices and salt to taste. Cook till the mixture is thick and there is no water remaining in it. Allow the mixture to cool. Grease your palm and divide the dough into portions. Roll out each portion on your palm into a thin roll, 2-3 inches long. Heat enough oil for deep frying the rolls.

To serve

Break the roomali roti into pieces, big enough to roll each of the spinach corn rolls in it. Wrap each of the roomali roll in tissue paper and serve.

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Maggi Pakoda

Ingredients

1 noddle maggi

1/2 tspn baking soda

100 gms besan

Green chillies

1 tspn red chilli powder

Oil to fry

1 tspn dhaniya powder

Corriander leaves

Water to mix

Salt according to taste

Process

Make 2 minute maggi noddles. Place the prepared maggi in a round plate for it to freeze in that shape. Than after some time (appox 20 minutes) cut it into square shape with a knife. On the other side prepare besan to make pakoda's. For this add salt, corriander leaves, baking soda, red chilli powder, green chillies to the besan. Add water to mix it. Heat oil to fry. Put 2 tbspn of heated oil in the besan batter. Than take each slice of maggi and dip it in besan to deep fry. Serve it hot with mint chutney.

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Aloo Chat

Ingredients

4 potatoes cubed

Chat Masala

Oil to deep fry

Lime Juice 4 tbsp

Process

Heat the oil in Kadai to fry. Add potato pieces and deep fry, till crisp and golden. Remove it from kadai and place it on the tissue paper so that the oil gets absorbed. Put it into a bowl and add chat masala and lime juice according to taste. Your chapatai chat is ready to eat.

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Motth salad

Ingredients

Boiled Motth

Chopped paneer

Chopped cucumber

Salt

Chat masala

Green chillies chopped

Lime juice

Process

Mix all the things together well and your salad is ready to eat. This salad keeps you healthy and fit.

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