TIPS AND ARTICLES

REFRIGRATOR CLEAN OUT ARTICLE


Its a jungle in there. Rummaging through the underbrush in the inner reaches of a refrigerator, one can capture a miniature menagerie of lemon bits and onion fragments, a dab of tomato paste, a lonely anchovy. Perhaps a half eaten yogurt is lurking or a deserted celery stick or some carrots.

Beneath veils of plastic wrap and shields of foil hide the remnants of gone recipes. destined for either disposal or resurrection. The choice is yours.

The quandary is not so much what to do as how to do it. We can all agree on the shamefulness of wasting food, but when we are confronted with a plateful of odds and ends, and not a clue of how to turn them into anything edible, the disposal seems like an attractive alternative.
Fortunately, there are some options present for combining the specks and spots of sundry ingredients into all purpose preparations that are more likely to serve a useful role in day-to-day meal planning. A homemade salad dressing can use up a half yogurt and a wedge of lemon. A quick tomato chutney will finish of the last of the tomato paste, onion or celery. Making vegetable soup clears out the refrigerator in a clean sweep then vegetable ends pile up, and chicken soup is practically free of charge with a left over carcass or two and a few cups of vegetable tops.

Leftovers are not only the mother of many distinguished culinary inventions, they are the original convenience food. What can be better than a flavored meat simmered with vegetables for a stew that takes 20 minutes to prepare than 2 hours, or the left over roast ready to be wrapped up in frozen puff pastry for an elegant tea party or dinner?

Make sandwich spreads by combining vegetable trimming with tidbits of cheese, or by pureeing the liver from last night's roast chicken with some browned onions and butter. Use the giblets from that chicken to make a quick stock that can be reduced into a flavorful glaze for effortless professional quality sauces.

Create your own frozen dinners by arranging portions of the leftover meats and vegetables on plastic plates, ready to be wrapped and frozen for another night, when they can be popped into the microwave to deliver a finished dinner in 5 minutes.

Once you get into the right frame of mind and begin transforming, unused remainders into useful convenience foods, you won't be able to stop. What else can single handedly, clean out the refrigerator, cut back the food bill, and dress up the table while wiping away the guilt of wasting good food?

Because the contents of refrigerators differ from one house to another house, the yield on each recipes intended to be approximately.

Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Mix 1/2 cup plain yogurt, the finely chopped zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

Garlic Yogurt Dressing

Mix 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, salt and pepper.

Tomato Vinaigrette

Whish together 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, 2 tablespoons red vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper. 

RAS MALAI

Rus malai

3-2 oz ricotta cheese(or an equivalent amountt of freshly made Paneer)
10 oz powdered Confectioner's sugar
2 small packets Half and Half
1 tsp powdered cardamom
1/2 tsp rose water
2 tsp slivered almonds
2 tsp chopped pistachios
6 cups water
3 cups sugar

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If you are using the Ricotta cheese,
mix together the confectioner's sugar and cheese.
Spread on a baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 1/2 hrs till the cheese turns light brown and loses all moisture.
Take it out and let it cool.
When cool, shape into small flat balls.
If you are using paneer, mix the paneer and sugar and shape it into flat balls.
Bring the water and sugar to a boil to yield sugar syrup.The syrup should not be too thick.
Insert the balls one by one in the syrup and warm them up. They should become spongy.
In the meantime, boil the half and half with the rose water.
Set aside.
Add the cardamom and nuts to the half and half.
Mix well.
Add the cooked balls to the half and half.
Let it stay immersed for about 1 hr.
You can either chill it or serve it at room temperature

spring rolls

Spring Rolls

3 to 4 pieces of chicken
half cabbage finely julian cut
5 to 6 carrots gratted
4 spring onion sliced
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Soy sauce 3 to 4 tbsp
Spring roll wraper one pack
Oil 3 to 4 tbsp

---

boil the chicken pieces and shred them.
Then heat some oil and put the cabbage  in it and fry it till it become soft but don't over cook it.
Then do the same thing with carrots.
Do not fry the chicken and spring onion.. in the end mix all the ingredients together.
Make the rolls fry them and serve them with chilli sauce. 

health topics

Banana a healthy living sign




Here we share the medicial benefits of Bananas. Go Banana....
Anaemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping 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 an English 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 fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

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.

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 heart-burn, 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 ? such as bananas ? every two hours to keep levels steady.

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

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

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalise 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 re-balanced 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%!

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.

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-chronic ulcer cases. It also neutralises over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

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!

health tips

For clearing sinuses and blocked nasal passages
Boil eucalyptus leaves and steam with the same water. Alternately, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to hot water and steam.

sindhi biryani

1 tbls garlic paste
1 tbls ginger paste
1 onion chopped
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
5 whole blk peppercorns
1 tbls red chili powder
1 or 2 lbs meat
1 tbls zeera
1/2 tsp haldi
4 tea cups basmati rice

---

In a pan, coat with oil and add onion with all spices.
Fry for a few minutes until very aromatic.
If it dries, add a tsp. of water.
Add the meat and add enough water to cover.
Boil for 5 minutes and reduce heat to simmer and simmer until meat is cooked.
(I use a pressure cooker and pressure cook it for about 10 minutes). Meanwhile soak rice for 15 minutes and drain.
Strain the broth from the meat and keep separate.
In same pan as meat, add the rice and pour enough broth over to come just above the rice.
The water shold not exceed 1/4th of an inch over the rice.
Add more water if there is not enough of the broth.
Bring to boil, turn very low (as low as possible)and cover with heavy lid and steam for 15 or 20 min.
Do not lift lid to check. When done,fluff with fork.
Also, if using pressure cooker for meat, don't stir too much because meat will break apart.
Serve hot. 

baked rice with green curry

For The Rice :
1 1/2 teacups uncooked rice
1/2 teaspoon shahjira( kala zeera)
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
2 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste

For The Curry :
1 teacup boiled green peas
2 cardamoms
150 grams paneer, cut into small pieces
3/4 teacup fresh curds
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste


To Be Ground Into A Paste (For The Curry) :
1 teacup chopped coriander
7 green chillies
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
25 mm piece ginger
1 tablespoon fresh mint
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (khuskhus)
1/2 lemon juice

For Baking :
1 tablespoon ghee
For Decoration :
boiled green peas
potato salis(thin potato strips).

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Boil the rice. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool.
Heat the ghee, add the shahjira , cinnamon and cloves and fry until they begin to crackle.
Add the rice and salt.

For The Curry :
Heat the ghee, add the paste and cardamoms and fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the green peas, paneer, curds, sugar and salt and mix well.

How To Proceed :
Put 1 tablepsoon of ghee at the bottom of a large baking bowl.
Makes layers by spreading 1/3 of the rice, then spreading 1/2 of the curry.
Next spreading a further 1/3 of the rice and finally spreading remaining curry and rice.
Cover and bake in a hot oven at 230 degree C (450 degree F) for 20 minutes.

How To Serve :
Just before serving, turn upside down on a big serving plate.
Surround with green peas and sprinkle potato salis on the top and sides. 

Clove a health sign
otanical: Eugenia caryophyllata (THUMB.)
Family: N.O. Myrtaceae
Synonym---Eugenia Aromatica.
---Part Used---Undeveloped flowers.
---Habitat---Molucca Islands, Southern Philippines
A small evergreen tree, pyramidal, trunk soon divides into large branches covered with a smooth greyish bark; leaves large, entire, oblong, lanceolate (always bright green colour), which stand in pairs on short foot-stalks, when bruised very fragrant. Flowers grow in bunches at end of branches.
At the start of the rainy season long greenish buds appear; from the extremity of these the corolla comes which is of a lovely rosy peach colour; as the corolla fades the calyx turns yellow, then red. The calyces, with the embryo seed, are at this stage beaten from the tree and when dried are the cloves of commerce. The flowers have a strong refreshing odour. If the seeds are allowed to mature, most of the pungency is lost. Each berry has only one seed. The trees fruit usually about eight or nine years after planting. The whole tree is highly aromatic. The spice was introduced into Europe from the fourth to the sixth century.

The finest cloves come from Molucca and Pemba, where the trees grow better than anywhere else, but they are also imported from the East and West Indies, Mauritius and Brazil.

In commerce the varieties are known by the names of the localities in which they are grown. Formerly Cloves were often adulterated, but as production increased the price lowered and fraud has decreased. Cloves contain a large amount of essential oil which is much used in medicine. When of good quality they are fat, oily, and dark brown in colour, and give out their oil when squeezed with the finger-nail. When pale colour and dry, they are of inferior quality and yield little oil. Clove stalks are some times imported, and are said to be strongerand more pungent even than the Cloves.

Clove trees absorb an enormous amount of moisture, and if placed near water their weight is visibly increased after a few hours; dishonest dealers often make use of this knowledge in their dealings, and the powdered stems are often sold as pure powdered Cloves

Constituents---Volatile oil, gallotannic acid; two crystalline principles - Caryophyllin, which is odourless and appears to be a phylosterol, Eugenin; gum, resin, fibre.

---Medicinal Action and Uses---The most stimulating and carminative of all aromatics; given in powder or infusion for nausea emesis, flatulence, languid indigestion and dyspepsia, and used chiefly to assist the action of other medicines. The medicinal properties reside in the volatile oil. The oil must be kept in dark bottles in a cool place. If distilled with water, salt must be added to raise the temperature of ebullition and the same Cloves must be distilled over and over again to get their full essence.

The oil is frequently adulterated with fixed oil and oil of Pimento and Copaiba. As a local irritant it stimulates peristalsis. It is a strong germicide, a powerful antiseptic, a feeble local anaesthetic applied to decayed teeth, and has been used with success as a stimulating expectorant in phthisis and bronchial troubles. Fresh infusion of Cloves contains astringent matter as well as the volatile oil. The infusion and Clove water are good vehicles for alkalies and aromatics.


---Dosages---Fluid extract, 5 to 30 drops. Oil extract, 1 to 5 drops. Infusion, B.P., 1/2 to 1 OZ.

Egg crack tips
NEVER crack eggs directly into the bowl that you are building your recipe in. Always crack eggs into a separate bowl first just in case you need to remove any bits of shell before transferring the eggs to the bowl you are working in.

Thai noodles

1 Packet egg noodles
3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
1/4 cup raw or dry roasted unsalted peanuts, ground or roughly chopped with a knife
8-12 medium or large tiger prawns, OR 1 cup medium-firm tofu, cubed and tossed with 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 egg (omit if vegan)
2-3 Tbsp. white wine (or white cooking wine or sherry) OR substitute chicken or vegetable broth

PASTE:
1 red or green chili (de-seeded if you prefer less spice)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 thumb-size peeled piece of galangal (or ginger), grated
2 Tbsp. fish sauce - Vegetarians substitute 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime

FRESH HERBS:
1/2 to 1 loosely-packed cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped into small pieces
3 spring onions, sliced
1 loosely-packed cup fresh corriander, roughly chopped
optional: 1 cup bean sprouts

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Boil the noodles until cooked or nearly cooked (they will be fried later).
Then rinse briefly with cold water to keep from sticking. Set aside.
Mince the paste ingredients well and stir together in a cup. Set aside.
Wash, rinse, and chop/slice fresh herbs. Set aside.
Heat up wok or large frying pan for 1 minute (medium-high heat). Add oil and swirl around.
Add 1/2 the paste plus the prawns or tofu. Also add 2 Tbsp. or broth.
Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until shrimp are pink and plump, or tofu is warmed through and fragrant.
(If wok or pan becomes dry, add another Tbsp. or two of wine or broth.) Now clear a space in the center of the wok or pan.
Break egg into wok or pan and quickly stir with a spatula until egg is cooked (like scrambled eggs).
Push eggs and other ingredients aside and add 1 more Tbsp. oil to the bottom of the wok or pan.
Now add the noodles plus all the [remaining] paste and stir fry one minute, or until noodles are cooked.
If not spicy enough, add more fresh chili, or a little chili sauce and toss well to incorporate. 

bar b q fish

2 lbs fillet of fish about 1 and 3/4 inches thick
1 lemon sliced round shape
1 onion sliced round shape
2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
3 tbs Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Aluminum paper for wrapping
Green fennel leaves for garnish

---

Wash and clean fillet of fish with dry cloth.
Rub olive oil with brush or with hand on both side of fish and put on aluminum foil.
Layer on top with onion & two lemon slices and sprinkle salt, pepper and fennel seed and wrap the foil.
Place it on hot B.B.Q grill and cook on high on both sides.
When cooked garnish with lemon slice and green fennel leaves.
Enjoy!