EYE CARE

• Dip wads of cotton in a chilled mixture of cucumber and potato juice. Keep this on your eyelids for 15 to 20 minutes and gently wash it off. Apply a little baby oil.
• For long eyelashes. Apply a thin coat of castor oil every night. It strengthens lashes and cools your eyes.
• Massage a few drops of coconut oil around the eyes to get rid off dark circles.
• To reduce puffiness of your eyes, grate a potato; tie in a cloth and place the cloth over your eyes for about 15 minutes.
• Add a small pinch of salt in water and wash for bright and sparkling eyes.
• Mix tomato juice and lemon juice in equal quantity and apply around the eyes. After 30 minutes wash it off with cold and hot water alternatively.
• Make a paste of sandal wood and nutmeg. Apply the paste around the eyes before sleeping and wash it off in the morning.
• Crush a cucumber and take the juice. Add a little rose water and apply around the eyes and wash it after 30 minutes.
• Place cotton wool swabs dipped in cold milk on closed eyes for removing dark circles.

MILLAGU RASAM

Hi friends, let me talk about rasam now. Its really a favourite dish for my hubby and my father. They love to have rasam for their daily lunch. I love to cook that because its very easy to cook. Hardly it will take 5 mits to cook. And when you talk about the benefits of rasam. Its helpfull for good digestion. If some one at my place suffers with cold my immediate suggestion will be Milagu rasam as it got some medicinal benefits. Let me share the recipe with you all.

Ingredients
Black peppercorns – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garlic Cloves - 4
Tamrind juice (or thick store bought pulp 1/4 tsp)
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Corrainder leaves (chopped)
Salt

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Dry red chilli - 1
Few Curry leaves
Asafoetida powder – a pinch
Oil – 1tsp

Method :

• Grind black peppercorns, cumin seeds and garlic coarsly in a mixie and keep aside.
• Take a bowl crush tomatoes with your hands and add tamrind juice,turmeric powder.
• Heat oil in a kadai or pan and splutter mustard and cumin seeds, red chilli, curry leaves, corriander leaves, asafoetida , grounded pepper cumin and garlic mixture.
• Add little salt and water and heat for few minutes.
• Switch off before the mixture begins to boil.
• Garnish with remaining Coriander leaves

Serve hot with rice and coconut thuvayal and potato varuval.

PANNER BUTTER MASALA

Ingredients
Paneer - 250 gm
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Garam masala - 1&1/2 tsp
Tomato puree - 3 tsp
Cream - 4 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Kasuri methi - 2 tsp
Onion - 1
Garlic cloves - 4
Fresh ginger - 1 inch
Sugar - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander

To Grind :
Grind Onion,Tomato,Ginger,Garlic as thick paste

Method:

• Heat 1/2 tbsp butter in a heavy bottom pan.
• Add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and cardamom and fry for a second
• Add grinded paste
• Fry it till golden brown
• Add all the dry powders, sugar, tomato puree; fry for 2 minutes
• Now add 2 cups water Cook for another 10-15 min till oil saperates and the gravy dries up to thick masala gravy
• Now mix in cream, rest of the butter, kasuri methi & paneer
• Add salt for taste
• Cook till paneer is soft
• Finally garnish with Coriander leaves
• Serve hot with chappatis or rotis or parathas
  

ADAI

Ingredients:
Channa Dal - 1 Cup
Tuvar Dal - 1 Cup
Urad Dal - ¼ Cup
Moong Dal - ¼ Cup
Rice - ¼ Cup
Red Chilies - 4
Onion - 2
Green Chilies - 2
Ginger - 1"
Salt to Taste
Chopped Coriander - ½ Cup
Few Curry Leaves
Oil

Method :

• Soak dals together and rice separately for 2 hours.
• Grind rice, chilles, curry leaves and ginger together.
• Add dals and grind again.
• Add salt, coriander leaves,curry leaves, onion, green chillies and mix well [cocounut chunks & drumstick leaves can also be added].
• Heat a griddle and pour some batter and spread in a circular motion.
• Spread one spoon of oil around the dosa and cook both sides.

Serve hot Adai with avial or coconut chutney or with butter & jaggery.

KEERAI MASIYAL

Ingredients:

Two bunches of any Keerai (Parupuu keera)

Tur Dhal - 1 cup

Onion – 1no

Tomato – 2 No.

Garlic cloves – 4 to 5 Nos.

Tamarind - Half a lime size

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt for taste

Oil a little

Method:

• Pressure cook the Tur dhall along with keerai , Onion, Tomato & Garlic cloves.
• Add salt and Mash the cooked keerai and keep separatly.
• Squeeze in the extract of tamarind and boil it with the cooked keerai mixture for a minute.
• Heat oil in a kadai and temper it with mustard seeds.
• Now add Onion and Curry leaves and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Pour this in the keerai mixture and serve with hot rice and ghee.

Keerai masiyal is ready to taste.

CUCUMBER PACHADI

Ingredients:
2 small sized cucumber
1/2 inch ginger
2-3 green chillies
2 tblsp coconut (scraped, optional)
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 tsp oil (tel)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
2 red chillies whole
salt to taste

Method:
Wash and scrub cucumbers thoroughly and then grate with the skin.
Pour yogurt (made of skimmed milk) into a clean muslin cloth and hang it for half an hour, preferably in a cool place.
Peel, wash and finely chop ginger. Wash green chillies, remove stem and finely chop.
Grind together scraped coconut, green chillies and ginger to a fine paste.
Mix together the grated cucumber, ground coconut masala and yogurt. Add salt to taste.
Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add curry leaves, whole red chillies broken into two, stir for a moment.
Pour it on to the yogurt mixture. Stir it thoroughly.
Serve chilled.