Morning hours are the craziest, preparing breakfast, lunch, packing lunch box, getting ready and hundred other things getting before heading to work. But I never miss my ‘cup of tea’. Today, as I boiled milk to add to my cup of tea, I released it’s spoiled. About two cups of milk and no time in hand….what would you do?
Here’s a simple recipe, I loved this recipe as a kid and still cherish it. By the look you can say, it’s a perfect ‘Desi Desert’!
So, Boil the milk for about 5 minutes, until water is separated from cheese, stain it and add little jaggery/ honey, smash a banana into it and that’s it!
For people like me, who are not very fond of sweets, it’s perfect! I add jaggery according to my liking and fruits for extra flavor. You can also add grated coconut or cashew nut, whatever is available. The texture and the smell of cheese will simply melt in your taste buds!
Well this one is not a planned post but since I was making samosas and I dont know, when I’ll make them next time, so, I thought why not click some pictures and share it!!💁
You know, when I was a kid we used to get one Samosa in just 25 paise, that is 4 Samosas in just 1₹! Yeah I am that ancient! And now, it’s 5₹ to 12₹ for 1 samosa now! Not just that, the size, flavor…everything has degraded. 😦
We decided to make it the old way and am very sorry for not having all the pictures, the idea struck me late, what could I do!? Anyways, I still decided to give it a go.
So, the first step, dough preparation.
White flour, salt to taste mixed, about a 1/2 tablespoon of black jeera (it depends on the quantity of flour) and water. The dough should not be sticky or very hard. Once ready cover it and allow it to sit for 15 minutes minimum. In the mean time….
Prepare the fillings.
Semi boiled potatoes, cut into small cubes, peanuts, beet root cut into small cubes, onions chopped, coconuts cut into small pieces (if available), coriander whole, green chilies chopped, green peas, jeera powder, salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chili powder.
We prepared in phases so that potatoes don’t get smashed (it’s not mandatory).
First phase: little oil was added to the pan, to which I added potato cubes, peanuts, jeera powder , whole coriander, turmeric & chili powder.
Second phase: Tossed beetroot cubes and coconut pieces in a little oil.
Third phase: to little oil in the frying pan, goes chopped onions, green chili, green peas and sauces (tomato and chili).
Finally, all this are mixed together to make the fillings.
Its time to shape samosas! In the third part, small balls are made out of the dough. which are rolled into circles. And then cut into half.
DH on duty 😛
The semi circles are then made into hollow cones for the masala or fillings to be stuffed. Then seal the open parts by applying little water to stick the open ends together.
Next… oil is heated in a wide mouth pan/kadai. Slowly and safely Samosas are dipped into the hot oil. Let it cook for some time on low to medium flame. As the color changes to golden brown , we know it’s ready!
Last stage, don’t wait, it tastes best when it’s hot, serve with tomato sauce or green chutney!
Imp point: Anything can be stuffed into Samosas like mushroom, paneer or just onions. For non- veg friends, stuff in chicken or mutton!
This post is one of my initial post since I started blogging, but for some or the other reasons it has been delayed. One of the major reason was that I kept forgetting to take pics…every time the juice was ready we will drink it!
Anyway, now that all is set, let me tell you that this is a miraculous plant and it is known by many names like life plant, air plant, miracle leaf,donkey ears, leaf of life, goethe, the katakataka plant. One of its Odia name is ‘amar poi’. Amar poi is also our first plant that we planted since we moved in.
Life plant is loaded with medicinal values. It is used for all sorts of respiratory conditions-from asthma and coughs to bronchitis. It is also helpful in gastric ulcers, skin disorders and edema of the legs. External use of the leaf is said to bring relief in headaches, toothaches, earaches, eye infections, wounds, ulcers, boils, burns and insect bites. I came to know about it while searching for remedies for kidney stone.
There are different ways of using the leaves, I’ll share the one that we have been doing.
Recipe:
Ingridents
Water – 1 glass
Mishri//rock sugar – 1 piece of 5cm
Amar poe leaves – 3-4
Method:
Soak the piece of mishri in water over night. Next day morning, take the miracle leaves wash them and add the the leaves to 1/4 of rock sugar water and run it on the juicer, stain it and add it to the rest of the rock sugar water and that’s it!
Looks good!
You want to know if it has cured or help cure in any way, I would say, its too early to say. Our life style is such that everyday we inhale loads of toxins, live an unhealthy lifestyle, not to mention our food habits. There are so many reasons responsible for the kind of health we have so no single thing can reverse the cycle. Lets give our body some time to detoxify and work with it towards a better health meanwhile, enjoy the amar poi (life plant) juice!
Handy notes:
*Amount of mishri/rock sugar depends on your sweet buds.
*If diabetic, skip the usage of mishri/rock sugar , it is as good in plain water.
*Mishri/rock sugar can be soaked in the water 1-2 hours prior to use.
* Though it is said to be okay to take everyday, we take it twice a week. At most thrice.
I’ve caught a cold and am resting for a while. I rarely get cold or fever, it was just the other day while massaging DH feet with warm mustard oil who was suffering from cold, I lovingly said, “I wish your cold catches me and let you free” and see here we are! As I am sipping my cup of herbal tea I thought, why not share it! Its a very simple & easy herbal tea recipe and brings great relief in case of cold, cough & fevers.
Ingredients: Water : 1 Cup Ginger : 1 inch (appx) Bay leaves : 2 Black pepper : 4-6 Mishri (depending on sweet preference) Salt : Pinch (Optional) Time : 4-5 min Recipe: Add all the ingredients to 1 cup of boiling water. Wait till it reduces to half and stain it. Enjoy it warm. It can be consumed 2-3 times a day depending on the severity of cold and fever.
Handy notes
*In case of people who do not prefer sweet flavor, adding a pinch of salt brings about a balanced taste.
*Having one cup will not bring about immediate relief.
*Black pepper can be skipped in case of unavailability.
*The quantity of the ingredients vary depending on the number of people & severity of aliment.
Sprouted green beans are loaded with nutritional values, rich in fibre, good for digestion, improves immunity system of the body and are so easy to make. I’ve seen a few posts on bean sprouting in jars! Never tried though, whatever works is great! I sprout beans the age old way. Sprouts are great for breakfast and can also be added to different recipes.
Here we go:
Green beans: 1 cup
Water: 2-3 cups
I started off in the morning (around 8am), so that it will be ready for breakfast the next day. First I washed the green beans thoroughly 2-3 times under running water and then soaked it in water for atleast 7-8 hours.
And I forgot all about it…..evening (around 6 pm) removed the water and placed the beans in a thin cotton cloth (or muslin cloth), tied it and hung it over night.
Next day, its ready!
Serving time, in the little bowl you see in the pic below is sprouted beans mixed with jaggery which is a rich source of iron & helps in the production of haemoglobin, I like it sweet and I’ve been advised by my doctor to add jaggery into my diet. For DH, since he prefers the mix flavour, I added chopped onions, green chilli, coriander leaves,peanuts, pinch of salt, squeeze a half a lemon and enjoy! How do you like your sprouts?
A few handy notes,
* Once soaked, tie the beans only & only in cotton cloth, a friend of mine once tied the beans in a towel and they never sprouted, lesson learnt!
* Sprouting time can vary. If beans have not sprouted overnight not to worry, wet the cloth in which beans are tied and give it some more time.
* Eating a lot of sprouts is not advised so work according to your body.
Here is my Sundays special! ” Dahi Jhinga” (Curd Prawn)
To start with, its so very difficult to cook a new dish for the first time and document it at the same time. And not to forget the constant fear of not getting any gravy on my camera lens…Wonder how others manage.
This recipe is originally from “vahchef”, one of my favourite chef. It is supposed to be a tiger prawn recipe but I went ahead and tried with what was available. And DH simply loved it!
So, first the ingridents:
Prawns – 750 g
Onions – 3 chopped
Ginger garlic paste -1 1/2 ts
Tomatoes – 3 medium size chopped
Turmeric- pinch
Cumin powder 1ts
Coriander powder 1 tb
Chilly powder 1tb
Salt- to taste
Mustard paste- 3 ts
Curry leaves few
Crush pepper ½ ts
Yogurt- 1 cup
Green chillies -2-3
Vegetable oil – 2 tb
Lemon- 2-3 slices
Onion- For garnishing
Directions:
First part we prepare a gravy which will be added to the main dish. Heat oil in a pan, tossed chopped onions, add ginger garlic paste then goes chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, mix them and cook it on low flame with lid on for 20-25 minutes.
Second part, heat oil in a pan add the prawns, sauté it, add mustard paste and then add the onion tomato gravy prepared earlier. Then goes the curry leaves, crush pepper and lastly add yogurt. Cook it for 5 minutes in a slow flame and its ready! I added a few green chillies as it was not spicy enough to our taste.
Lastly garnish it to your liking. And dont forget the lemons, they bring a whole new flavour to the dish!
Morning hours are the craziest, preparing breakfast, lunch, packing lunch box, getting ready and hundred other things getting before heading to work. But I never miss my ‘cup of tea’. Today, as I boiled milk to add to my cup of tea, I released it’s spoiled. About two cups of milk and no time in hand….what would you do?
So, Boil the milk for about 5 minutes, until water is separated from cheese, stain it and add little jaggery/ honey, smash a banana into it and that’s it!
For people like me, who are not very fond of sweets, it’s perfect! I add jaggery according to my liking and fruits for extra flavor. You can also add grated coconut or cashew nut, whatever is available. The texture and the smell of cheese will simply melt in your taste buds!
Well this one is not a planned post but since I was making samosas and I dont know, when I’ll make them next time, so, I thought why not click some pictures and share it!!💁
Just About My Life 