MORKALI AND PULI- MA

Heres another tongue tickling recipe for tiffin time....Can make it for morning breakfast or evening tiffin. Good for health and tasty too

Morkali
Ingredients
Raw rice flour - 250 gm
Sour curd - 1 tumbler
Mustard - 1 tbspUluthamparuppu
1 tbspAsafoetida
A littleRed chillies
2Curry leaves
1 sprigCoriander leaves - A little (optional)
Refined oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
Mix the rice flour in the curd and add a spoon of salt. Splutter the mustard, uluthamparuppu, red chillies and asafoetida in the oil. Pour the mixed rice flour in it and stir well. Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves and allow the mixture to cook well. Stir continuously till the raw smell goes off.

Puli Ma (Puli Uppuma)
Use all the above ingredients. As an alternative, you can use tamarind juice in place of the curd. But here u must mix it like chappati dough. Add tamarind juice, salt, asafoetida and make the dough then split it into pieces and put in the oil after thalichi kottardhu.....It should be done so well that it should come out udhur-udhira(seperate) and lo and behold u have some tasty Puli ma or puli uppuma.
Puli Ma takes a lot more oil than Mor-kali as to get seperate it drinks oil.
Mor-kali is very good for health.....Can be given in case of sicknesses also. It is tasty and easy to digest.

Tip : To enhance the taste of both can add 4-5 of Mor molaghai / thair molaghai (the dried and pickled chilly). You must fry it first before u add it. It tastes very good and adds that extra zest, a little of that extra spice and tastes oh so yum!!!!!

Please do try these recipes.

PESHAWARI NAAN

PESHAWARI NAAN
Peshawari Naan has gotten its name because it was first made in Pesahwar, now in Pakistan, this naan is very similar to the Kashmiri Naan, it has sugar and is stuffed with a mix of nuts, raisins/sultanas and desiccated coconut.

Ingredients
Maida or Self Raising Flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Soda - ¼ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Fresh Yeast - 1 tsp
Warm Milk - ¼ cup
Yogurt - ¼ cup
Oil or Ghee - 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp

For the Stuffing
Granulated sugar – 4-5 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Cashew nuts – 1 -2 tbsps
Slivered and chopped Almonds - 1 -2 tbsps
Red Cherries - 1 -2 tbsps
Raisins – 1 – 2 tbsps
Desiccated coconut – 1-2 tbsps
These must be finely chopped, otherwise, the dough will burst while rolling out.

Method
In a Big bowl mix together 2 cups Maida, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp soda and 2 tbsp of oil or ghee.

In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup warm milk, ¼ cup Yogurt, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in it. Add 1 tsp fresh yeast and add this liquid to the flour mixture in the big bowl. Now mix all this together. Add warm water to make a very soft dough. Once you make the dough, Add a tablespoon of oil and mix well, so the dough becomes glazed with oil. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for around two hours. The dough will puff up and become almost double in volume.

Now make equal sized balls apply a little oil. Make a depression in the ball and place some of the stuffing in the center of the balls circle, then fold the edges of the dough up over the stuffing and pinch it together to enclose the stuffing; press with your hands to flatten the dough and then roll it into a round shape. Roll gently, vigorous rolling will make the stuffed naans burst.

Stretch it from one side to give it a triangular shape like the ones you see in a restaurant. Brush the surface gently with ghee or oil and sprinkle a few poppy, sesame or nigella (or other) seeds.

Now put it on the wall of a preheated Tandoor or cook in a preheated oven (250 degrees Celsius) by placing it on a greased tray.

Remove when it is crisp and golden brown on both sides. Your Naan is ready to be served with any nice curry.

PLAIN CAULIFLOWER CURRY WITH COCONUT AND DAL

PLAIN CAULIFLOWER CURRY WITH COCONUT AND DAL
This is a simple and easy recipe. Plain Cauliflower curry is very quick to make and you can rustle it up in a breeze for your morning tiffin to work and tastes good with chappati or rice. This is a typical south Indian recipe and doesn’t have many spices. Cauliflower is usually avoided in Brahmin homes because they have worms in them. Do try this recipe.

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 250 grams
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies – 1-2 broken into 2 halves
Turmeric -1/4 tsp
Asafetida (Hing) - a small pinch
Cooked Toor Dal – 2 tbsps
Freshly grated Coconut – 1-2 tbsps
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste.

Method
Cut the Cauliflower into small florets. Put these florets into warm water with some turmeric and salt. Keep it soaked for about half an hour. Cauliflower usually has small worms. Keeping it soaked in this water will make the worms come floating to the surface and it can be discarded. Rinse well after half an hour and keep aside.
In a Kadhai (wok), Add oil, when it is hot, Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, Add the red chillies and the udad dal, wait till udad dal is light pink in colour, add the Cauliflower florets. Mix well. Now add turmeric, asafetida and salt. Mix well and cover the kadhai with a lid. Don’t add water, let it cook in its own juices. Cauliflower has a tendency to cook very fast. Once the crunchiness is gone and it is soft and all the water has been absorbed, Stir well and Add the cooked dal, mix well and then the freshly grated coconut, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with Chappati or Rice.

HOW TO REMOVE STONES IN THE BLADDER NATURALLY

HOW TO REMOVE STONES IN THE BLADDER NATURALLY

By Dr Lai Chiu-Nan

Gallstones may not be everyone's concern. But they should be because we all have them. Moreover, gallstones may lead to cancer. "Cancer is never

the first illness," Chiu Nan points out. "Usually, there are a lot of other problems leading to cancer in my research in China, I came across some

material which say that people with cancer usually have stones. We all have gallstones. It's a matter of big or small, many or few. One of the symptoms

of gallstones is a feeling of bloatedness after a heavy meal. You feel like you can't digest the food. If it gets more serious, you feel pain in the

liver area." So if you think you have gallstones, Chiu Nan offers the following method to remove them naturally. The treatment is also good for

those with a weak liver, because the liver and gallbladder are closely linked.

Regimen:

1. For the first five days, take four glasses of apple juice every day.

Or eat four or five apples, whichever you prefer. Apple juice softens the

gallstones. During the five days, eat normally.

2. On the sixth day, take no dinner.

3. At 6 pm, take a teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) with a glass

of warm water.

4. At 8 pm, repeat the same. Magnesium sulphate opens the

gallbladder ducts.

5. At 10 pm, take half cup olive oil (or sesame oil) with half cup fresh

lemon juice. Mix it well and drink it. The oil lubricates the stones to ease

their passage.

The next morning, you will find green stones in your stools.

"Usually they float," Chiu Nan notes. "You might want to

count them. I have had people who passes 40, 50 or up to

100 stones. Very many. "Even if you don't have any symptoms of gallstones,

you still might have some. It's always good to give your gall bladder clean

up now and then.

VENGAYA CHUTNEY & VENGAYA THOGAYAL (ONION CHUTNEY & ONION & COCONUT THOGAYAL))

Here is a recipe of one of my favorite thogayal or thuvayal as some say and that is the vengaya thogayal or Onion & Coconut chutney. It tastes so yum that once you have made it you will crave for more. First I will share with you the recipe for the Vengaya chutney. The Thogayal recipe is the same with a slight variation. I will also share with you the Onion-Tomato Chutney recipe. The basic recipe for all 3 remains the same

VENGAYA CHUTNEY (ONION CHUTNEY)
Ingredients
3 med. sized Onion or 2 Big onions or can use half a cup of peeled Chinna Vengayam or madras onions.
2 tsp. Udad Dal
2 tsp. Chana Dal
4 Dry Red Pepper
1/2 tsp. Imli (tamarind) paste
2 table spoon Oil
Method
Fry the dals and the red pepper in 1/2 tsp oil until it gets roasted and keep it aside.
Cut the onion into little pieces and fry in the remaining oil until its wilted….dont make it too red or deep fried.
Grind the roasted dals, onion, tamarind paste, and salt (to taste) into a paste
Serve it with puri, chappathi, rice, dosa and idli.

Variations to the recipe

• VENGAYA TOMATO CHUTNEY (ONION-TOMATO CHUTNEY) : To the above recipe add one ripe tomato and fry it like the onions and grind to paste along with the other ingredients.(Follow the above recipe)
• VENGAYA THOGAYAL (ONION THOGAYAL) : The above recipe is for Vengaya chutney, When you add coconut to the this recipe it is Vengaya Thogayal, the rest of the ingredients remain the same. Add half a cup of coconut to the above recipe. Dry roast the coconut in the kadhai till slightly pink and starts giving aroma. Then grind along with the other ingredients. This thogayal/chutney tastes so good even when it becomes a day or 2 old. But refrigerate it for preserving it.
  Its a must try!!!......

EASY MEXICAN RICE

MEXICAN RICE
This is a quick and easy recipe, taste really good and can made in a jiffy
Ingredients
Rice -1 Cup
Onion - 2 Chopped
Capsicum -1
Tomatoes - 2
Garlic 8 - 10 flakes
Oil - 2 tbsp.
Soya sauce 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder to taste
Salt to taste
Water 2 Cups

Method
First mix rice and water with salt. Cover the dish and cook in the microwave for 12 minutes. Take another dish, put oil, chopped onions, garlic and microwave for 6 minutes till brown. Add chilly powder. Put capsicum pieces, microwave for 2 minutes. Add tomato pieces, soya sauce. Add all these to boiled rice. Mix well. Microwave for 4 minutes.

Serve hot

SAUCES - GREEN CHILLY SAUCE

Green Chilly Sauce

Ingredients
500gms. Fresh hot green chillies
400 ml, white vinegar
250 gms.salt
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. green colour (optional)
Method:
Mix salt and vinegar, this dissolves the salt. Wash and wipe the chillies clean, destalk and chop into small pieces. Add these chopped green chillies into the vinegar and salt solution, marinate for 1 hour. Stir, and dry roast cornflour in a pan, for a minute. This is done so that the raw flour smell goes.It can also be done in a microwave.
Then grind the chillies in the marinade, the marinade(don’t discard) and the roasted cornflour into a fine paste.
Heat oil, add this ground mixture, bring to a boil. Simmer till thick, stirring occasionally. Preserve in sterile bottle.
Making time: 20 minutes (excluding marinating time)
Makes: 1 kg. sauce, approx.
Shelflife: 3-4 months

MANTRAS

MANTRAS

One of the forms of prayers is Mantra. It is defined as–"Mananen trayte iti" that which protects us by constant pondering. Mantras need not necessarily have a meaning. Mantras are so designed that they create certain vibrations in our body whether we are listening to them or whether we are reciting them ourselves. Since they are effective with the vibrations, they cannot be translated into any other language. They are like proper nouns, which have to be same irrespective of language. This also gives an open invitation for others to devise their own Mantras if they can. There is no bar. Only condition is that test your Mantra thoroughly for positive effect and early results for your own benefit.

Negative effects of vibrations are well known to all. Vibrations caused by noise, aeroplanes, bombs & earthquakes play havoc in our lives. Similarly the soothing vibrations received through patting, rocking, good music, and melodious voices of good speakers, singers, breeze etc, which affect us positively. They comfort us, calm us, put us to sleep and refresh us. They bring even a morose* to life. If simple vibrations can do so much good to us, imagine, what miracles properly designed mantra can do for us!

AUM
Let us now come to one of the important mantras. The most important is the monosyllable – Aum. Aum is so designed to generate vibrations, which originate at the navel and climb up the spinal cord to reach up to the medulla oblongata and the brain, which controls all functions and actions of our body.

"Tasya Vachakha Pranavah", so says ‘Patanjali’ in the ‘Yoga-Sutra’. It means ‘Oum’ is the address of God. It actually throws light on God. It is the indicator of place of God, the real self i.e." the Brahman".

Interestingly, navel is the main and the first source of energy in the beginning of any mammal’s life. In the mother’s womb, when the embryo comes to life, it is the umbilical cord connected to the navel that gives us the life sustaining juices and the oxygen or the ‘Pran’

This chanting really kindles the dormant energy lying at the base of the torso and at the end of the spinal cord. It travels upwards during the vibrations and finally reaches the brain spreading the light everywhere within.

To feel the vibrations, one can do a simple exercise during the chanting of "Aum". Close your ears by both the hands, palms blocking the ears and the thumbs touching the rear side of the neck, wherein lies the medulla oblongata, other fingers going upwards closely touching the skull. Close your eyes. Continue the chant. You can feel the vibrations coming up, if Aum is chanted in the bass tone.

(I received this as a forward and thought that it would be nice to put in my blog for all to read)

BATATA- KANDA POHE

BATATA- KANDA POHE
Ingredients
Poha (Beaten Rice) - 2 cups
Potatoes - 1
Onions - 1
Green Chillies – 2-3
Ginger grated – 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp
Oil – 4 tbsps
Asafetida – a pinch
1 pinch Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Curry leaves (Optional)
Coriander leaves for garnish
Some Sev for garnish
Freshly grated Coconut for garnish

Method
Wash the Poha in a colander and let the water run through. All the water will get drained via the holes in the colander. This is to clean the Poha. No need to soak the Poha as it will get mashed. Keep the wet poha aside for a while.

Peel and chop potatoes into small pieces. Finely chop the onions and the chillies.

In a kadhai (wok). Take 4 tbsps of oil, Add the mustard seeds and when it begins to crackle, Add the cumin seeds, Add asafetida and then the green chillies, let the chillies fry nicely. You can add curry leaves if you like. Now add the Onions and when they become transparent, Add in the potatoes, Add turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook covered till the potatoes are done. Once the potatoes are done. Add the Poha. Mix well. Check for salt. If more salt is reuired add the salt. Mix well. Keep the gas on a low flame and cook covered for about 2 minutes. Remove the lid and mix well once more. Add the Coriander leaves. Switch off the gas and keep covered for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves, fresh coconut shreddings and sev. People who like a dash of lemon can always squeeze some in their portion and have the poha hot.

Variations: You can add peanuts, the peanuts must be fried in the oil first and kept separate and added later when you add the Poha to the onions and potatoes.

You can add tomato to the dish.1 tomato finely chopped can be fried once the onions become transparent and proceed with the above method.

You can also add green peas, When you add the potato, at that stage you can add a tbsp of green peas and allow to cook along with the potato and proceed with the above method.

Do try this authentic Maharashtrian Breakfast recipe.

A MOTHER'S PRICE

"A MOTHER’S PRICE"

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said :

For cutting the grass - $5

For cleaning up my room this week -$1.00

For going to the store for you - $0.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping - $0.25

Taking out the garbage - $1.00

For getting a good report card - $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard - $2.00

Total owed = $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the 9-months I carried you while you were growing inside me - No Charge.

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you - No Charge.

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years - No Charge.

For all the nights that were filled with dread and for the worries I knew were ahead - No Charge.

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose - No Charge.

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is - No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

You will never know how much your parents are worth till you become a Parent. Be a giver not an asker, especially with your parents.