Peas Pulav

Ingredients:-

1.Basumati Rice 1 cup
2.Peas 1 cup
3.Small onions half cup peeled
4.Grated coconut half cup
5.Water 11/2 cup
6.Oil 2 tblsp
7.Cloves,cardamomand cinnamom few
8.Bay leaf 1
9.salt as required
10.Ginger garlic paste 1 tblsp

Method:-

1.Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes.
Drain water and fry lightly with half a teaspoon of ghee.
Keep aside.

2.Peel onions.Cook peas till tender.

3.Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
Fry the masala items and bay leaf.
Add:-
Peeled onions
cooked peas
ginger garlic paste
grated coconut
and fry in a medium flame till good smell comes.
4.Add salt and water.
When it starts boiling add rice.
Mix well and close the lid.
Reduce flame and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

Barley Soup

Ingredients:-

1.Spring onion 2 cups (sliced and cut into pieces)
2.Garlic 1 tbsp (chopped)
3.Barley 1 cup
4.Carrot 1 cup (cut into small pieces)
5.Small celery root peeled and diced
6.Cucumber 1/2 cup chopped
7.Lemon juice 1 tbsp
8.Black pepper 1 tbsp
9.oil (olive oil) 2 tbsp
salt to taste
10.Water 4 cups
11. Corn flour 1 tbsp

Method:-

1.Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add spring onion and cook 5 minutes until softened.
2.Add garlic and saute.
3.Add barley and water.Bring soup to a boil.
Reduce heat,cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4.Add carrots,celery and cucumber
Stir on low flame until barley and all vegetables are tender.
5.Take one tbsp.of corn flour and mix it with little water.
Just add this into the soup for thickening.
6.Just before serving add lemon juice,black pepper and salt to taste.

Beetroot Halwa

Ingredients:-

1.Beetroot 1/2 kg
2.Milk 3/4 lit.
3.Sugar 250gm.
4.Cardamom powder 1 tsp
5.Ghee 1 tbsp
6.Saffron few flakes

Method:-
Peel and grate beetroot.
Take a heavy saucepan.Put milk and beetroot.
Boil till thick.
Stir continuously once it starts thickening.
Add sugar and cook.
Add ghee,cardamom powder and saffron
Stir on low flame till the ghee oozes out.
Decorate with chopped almonds
Serve hot.

Bitter gourd with Channa dal

Ingredients:-
1.Bitter gourd 1/2 kg
2.Onion 1/2 kg finely sliced
3.Channa dal 1/4 kg boiled
4.Sour curds 1 cup
5.Jaggery 4 tbsp
6.Turmeric powder 1 tsp
7.Corainder powder 2tbsp
8. Saunf 2 tbsp
9.Garlic 10 flakes
10.Chilli powder 2 tbsp
11.Amchoor 1 tbsp
12.Mustard oil 1 cup
1.Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp
salt to taste

Method:-
1.Scrap the bitter gourd and rub each with salt and amchoor.
Keep overnight. Next day wash them well,slit from oneside and remove the seeds .
Wash again and cut into two cm.thick slices.
Place in a large vessel with all other ingredients except oil and fenugreek.
Add three tablespoon of oil and mix well.
2.Pour water.Cover and place on a low flame.
Cook till dal and bitter gourd are soft and water is absorbed.
Heat the remaining oil in a khadai.Season with fenugreek.
Add the cooked mixture and cook stirring till brown.
3.When oil separates from the sides of the vessel,remove from fire.
Serve hot.

This is a pickle type of curry which is served with puris or parathas.

Relax

One day Akbar was strolling in his palace gardens with Birbal.
Many crows were flying around.The King enjoyed their flying.
Suddencly he asked Birbal "How many crows could be in the Kingdom."
Birbal thought for a moment and answered 45342 crows.
How do you know that asked the King.
You can get them counted replied Birbal.
The King then asked "If there will be less than that?".
That means the rest of them have gone on vacation to some neighbouring Kingdom-
was the reply.
"If there will be more than that"
"The crows are visiting our Kingdom"
Akbar was pleased with the reply.

Malpoa(Delicious sweet from Bengal)

Ingredients:-

1.Milk 5 cups
2.Maida 4 tbsp
3.Rava 3 tbsp
4.Saunf 1/4 tsp
5.ghee to fry
6.Sugar 1 cup
7.Water 1 cup
8.Rose essence few drops

Method:-
1.Boil the milk till semi solid consistency.
Cool it and add maida and rava.
Add crushed saunf and mix to a creamy batter.
Keep aside for one hour.
2.Mix sugar with water and cook to a thin syrup.
Add a few drops of milk and strain.
Add rose essence and divide the syrup into two parts.
Place one part in a wide shallow dish.
3.Heat a tawa and grease with ghee.
pour the batter spread evenlyand make pancakes,
cooked on both sides with ghee till golden brown.
4.As each pancake is cooked,transfer it to the shallow dish of syrup.
Pour the remaining syrup on top.
Serve chill.

Fruit Pudding

Ingredients:-

1.Mango pulp one cup
2.Sapotta pulp one cup
3.Orange juice one cup
4.Gelatine 2 tsp

For Garnishing:-

Any fruits

Method:-
To obtain the pulp of the fruits:
1.Peel the mango cut the flesh into pieces and run in the mixy with sugar
and blend to obtain a pulp.
2.For the sapotta pulp-peel the fruit,remove the seeds,cut into pieces and
blend in the mixy to obtain puree.
3.Mix the mango pulp,sapotta pulp, and orange juice.
4.Soak the gelatine in 3 tsp of warm water.
5.Mix the gelatine mixture in to the fruit puree mixture and blend again.
6.Pur it in a container and keep it in the fridge.
7.Allow the pudding to set.
8.While serving decorate with fruits.

Sweet potato basanthi

Ingredients:-

1.Sweet potato 3 cups grated
2.Ghee 3 tbsp
3.Sugar 1/2 cup
4.Milk powder 2 tbsp
5.Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
6.Saffron 1/4 tsp

For garnishing:-

1.one tsp almomds and pista chopped
2.one tsp raisins

Method:-

Heat ghee in a pan.
Put the grated sweet potato into it and cook till it is soft.
Mix milk powder,sugar,cardamom powder and saffron.
Cook till the sugar dissolves.
Garnish with dry fruits.
Serve hot.

Relax

1. How old is your father
As old as I am
How is it possible.
He became father only after I was born.

2.Who is donkey:
---------------
Once Akbar went to the river with his two sons and wise Minister Birbal.
On the bank of the river,Akbar and two sons took off their clothes and asked
Birbal to take care of them while they took bath in the river.
Birbal was waiting for them to come out of the river.
All the clothes were on his shoulder.
Looking at Birbal standing like this,Akbar said to him "Birbal you look like as
if you are carrying a washerman's donkey load."
Birbal quickly replied "Sir,washerman's donkey carries only one donkey's load
whereas I am carrying three donkey's load."
Akbar was speechless.

Water Melon -Sarbath

Ingredients:-

1.Water melon thick juice 2 cups
2.Black grape juice 2 cups
3.Sugar 1 cup
4.Lemon Juice 1/4 cup
5.Cardomom powder 1/2 tsp
6.Cinnamom powder 1/2 tsp
7.Gelatine 1 tbsp
8.Water 1/2 cup
Few sprig of mint

Method:
Mix sugar with both the juices.
Add lemon juice,cardomom powder and cinnamom powder.
Soak gelatine in half cup water for five minutes.
Melt on low heat.Add to the prepared mixture.
Put it in the freezer to set.
Serve a big scoop of sarbath with a sprig of mint.

Water Melon Salad

Ingredients:
1.Cherry Jelly crystals 1 cup
2.Water melon juice 1 cup
3.Water 1 cup
4.Pepper powder half a tsp
5.Cucumber chopped 1/2 cup
6.Carrot chopped 1/2 cup
7.Celery chopped 1/2 cup
8.Chilli sauce 1 tbsp
9.salt to taste.

Method:
Soak cherry jelly crystals in watermelon juice and water for five minutes.
Melt on medium heat.
Add salt,pepper,cumber,carrot celeryand chilli sauce.Mix well and put it in a fancy mould.
Set aside for four hours in fridge.
Keep in fridge till serving time.

Tips (for hair growth)

1.Boil a handful of curry leaves in 100 ml of coconut oil and massage this oil
into the scalp.This prevents loss of hair.

2.To getrid of split ends in the hair,
mix one tsp of almond oil,one tsp of honey,one egg yolk
and spread all over the scalp.After 30 minutes wash off with
lukewarm water.

3.Lice can be removed from the hair by wrapping the hair in a towel full of basil leaves
and leaving it overnight.Do it for a week.
4.Crushed spinach leaves makes an excellent hair conditioner.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:-

1.Medium sized cauliflower 1 (clean and broken into small florettes)
2.Onion 3
3.Tomato 3
4.Green chilli 2 finely chopped
5.Ginger small piece
6.Garlic 4 pieces
7.clove,cinnamom,cardamom (all masala items little)
8.Turmeric powder,chilli powder,coariander powder- each one tsp.
9.oil and water as required

Frying batter:-
1.corn flour one tsp
2.Maida one tsp
3.Baking powder one tsp
salt to taste
water

Method:-

1.Boil the florettes for five minutes in water.Drain it
2.Mix all the ingredients forfrying batter.Whipup to make a smooth
batter and keep aside.
3.Squeeze the cauliflower pieces to remove excess water.
Put them in a bowl and mix with frying batter till they are well coated.
Deep fry the batter coated cauliflower in medium hot oil till golden brown and crisp.
Keep aside.
4.Fry the onion till it becomes brown.
Put the tomato in boiling water and peel off the skin.
Grind the above two and make it a paste.
Keep aside.
5.Take a khadai and add little oil.
Fry the masala items.
Add:-
ginger garlic paste
onion tomato paste
turmeric powder,chilli powder,coariander powder
and little salt and two cups of water.
Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes.
6.Add the fried cauliflower pieces.
Mix well.
Garnish with coariander leaves and serve hot.

Rasagulla

Ingredients:-

Milk 1/2 litre
citric acid half a teaspoon
sugar one cup
water two cups
rose essence 1-2 drops

Method:-

Heat the milk
Cool it for half an hour.Remove the creamy layer.
Reheat the milk.
Add the cirtic acid dissolved in water.
Stir slowly till the milk is curdled.
Keep as it is for 5 minutes.
Heat the sugar and water in a kadai.Bring to boil.
Strain the milk through a muslin cloth.
Press out the excess water and spread it in wide plate.
Make s ix equal sized balls of the dough.
Keep them in the boiling warter. Cover witha closed lid.
Boil for five minutes.
Take off from heat and allow to cool.
Add essence and refrigerate for sometime.

Mint Rice

Ingredients:-
Rice 2 cups
Mint leaves one bunch
Big onion 2 chopped finely
Green peas a handful
potato 2 (boiled)
Green chillies 5
garam masala 1 tsp
coconut 3 tbsp (grated)
tamarind small lemon size
salt to taste
oil 2 tbsp

Method:-

1.Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes in 31/2 cups of water.
2.Fry mint leaves,chillies till the leaves shrink.Grind it along with coconut
tamarind and salt.
3.Fry onion till it becomes brown.
4.cook potatoes- peel off the skin
5.cook peas separately.
Mix well all the items from 1 to 5.
Reduce flame and pressure cook for 10 minutes OR
you can keep the entire thing in electric cooker or rice cooker.

Tips

1.To remove stains from vessels mix bleaching powder in the water and dip the vessles in the water for sometime.Then wash them with detergent powder.
2.To clean oily vessels use a few drops of vinegar.
3. Copper and brass utensils can be washed with lemon and salt.
4. If the ice trays in fridge is sticky wash them with hot soap water.
5. Tea and coffee stains in the tumbler can be removed by rubbing salt over them and
wash them after few minutes.

Apple

An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away.
The fruit can be usedfor the following ailments.
1. take an apple a day for constipation
2.take cooked apples for diarrhoea
3.make it in to a paste & take few times a dayfor dysentery
4.take an apple with honey to avoid heart problems
5.taking apple regularly will avoid rheumatism