tips and tips

Channa can be used as a base for stuffings, instead of potatoes, for those who do not eat, eg.jains.
Place a couple of bayleaves with channa to give it a better flavour after cooking.

Flatten excess boiled channa with a mallet or pestle, sundry till brittle. Store in airtight glass jar. Deepfry in hot oil when required, to use as an accompaniment with soups or salads.

Allowing a kid too many options confuses him. Don't ask him what he likes or doesn't like. Give him something which will catch his attention and taste, in the first place! Keeping the phrase "don't like" out of his food vocabulary is the parents' task, and once achieved will simplify so much of food eating habits and truama in later years.

Hold kiddie surprises: For example tie a chappati into a pouch with a stuffed baby potato half inside. Tie using a stem of spring onion as a string!

Involve the kid in safe jobs like mixing batter, folding paper napkin to be used, etc. so that he/she get a feeling of having made part of the meal and have more interest in it, and is fun too, for both parent and child. Besides the kid is under your eyes, and not in some other part of the house, pulling down an an objectd - art or stuffing from a curious sofa or chair!

Use the hard skins of pistachios to make handicraft items for decoration, like photoframes, tablelamps, facetissue holders, napkin holders, mirror edges, table tops, and many more, with other trinkles like shells, pebbles,etc. Varnish or paint as desired, and they will last a long long time.

If you have some batter of each coloured pancake leftover, you can make a multicoloured pancake too!!

Using a cloth below and above a pile of chappatis, kept in a closed container, will keep them form `sweating' and getting soggy, as well as keep them from becoming too dry, also.
Dry almond peels, grind to a fine powder, include in any homemade facepacks, to rejuvenate skin, and make the pack more effective.

Grind pumpkin seeds and mushy centre to a fine paste in mixie, add curds and some orangepeel powder, make a paste and apply a soothing, refreshing face pack.

To help simplify cleaning jobs on diwali, discard what you have not used in a year, use what you had bought last year, and is still new. Buy only that which is over, but you know you will require soon.Otherwise DONOT shop just for the heck of it, or that its diwali!!!

Soak stained teacups by pouring in some water in which some black vinegar and salt (1/2 cup to a litre, and 1 tsp.) have been dissolved for 30 minutes. Then scrub lightly,wash off with a mild soapy solution and clean water.

Scrub bathroom walls with a scrubber filled in vinegar and soap, then wipe with a cloth dipped in a solution of vinegar and water 100 ml. to 1 litre water.

Hard gulab jamoons will soften by pressure cooking briefly, less than one whistle is fine.
Cover pudding containers kept in freeezer compartments with cling film or pastic sheet, to protect from water, and crystal formation in the dish.

Powdered dry poha may be used for coating cutlets, croquettes, etc. before frying to give a wonderfully crisp crust.

Dump together all leftover pizza gravy, au gratin, with some baked beans, and any adjusted flavouring of garlic, ginger, chillies, salt, as desired. Heat to blend well. Scour insides of plain buns, make crumbs of the insides, mix in mixture. Fill this into hollowbuns, put back top and sprinkle cheese, grill till cheese melts, serve hot.

Pep up salads, by sprinkling some crushed ganthias, sev, golgappa puris or even papdi over the salad just before serving and toss. It will give a crunchiness to the salad.

Crush excess katlis in a dry mixer, and refrigerate crumbs in a tight lidded jar. Add a tablespoonful to gravy vegetables to give a mughlai touch to the vegetable.

Use water in which vegetables are boiled to make soups, doughs, etc. instead of wasting this Nutrient rich liquid.

Making a note of what you are going to make a few minutes before going to bed. That will save a lot of searching and fumbling and thinking and swearing, to begin the next day with.

Make many variations of basic recipes like chutney parathas, by adding ajwain/veggies/mint,etc. One may use red coconut chutney too. Just make sure, no chutney is running, but very stiff.

If one doesn't have an oven, then place a dosa griddle on gas, place a stand (metal) on it, put a metal mesh over stand and keep the dish over this, eg. stuffed potatoes. Cover with an inverted vessel, and allow to brown on slow fire. Or use a gas tandoor instead.

Add a couple of chopped basil leave to your morning cup of tea or milk, for relief from dry or Phlegmatic cough. Regular use is also very good for general well being.

Make crumbs of day old chapathis, dry for 2-3 hours in a wide plate, bottle and refrigerate. Use later like breadcrumbs or as required, will keep for 4-5 days in refrigerator.

Open and clean the spring and insides of your gas lighter, every month, to make it last doubly longer. Just clean insides with a soft clean cloth and twig or skewer.

One may cut and keep vegetables like cabbage, beans, carrots, etc. previous night for an early meal next day. But put them in a bowl, not tightly packed, and slip the bowl into a polythene bag, knotting the mouth loosely. This way the chopped vegetables will stay crisp and fresh till used.
Keep a little powdered cashew handy in a bottle to thicken gravies, milk, etc. in a hurry.
Add leftover of overly old chutneys etc. to vegetable dishes to enhance their flavour, instead of discarding it after waiting for it to get bad.

Instant noodles, when crushed and deepfried, make an excellent topping for soups, salads, etc.
Supplement every meal with a fruit at the end, this will fill up gaps in appetite as well as provide Fibre and nutrition to each meal. Vary fruit as per season, so your body's multiple nutrition requirement will be fulfilled.

Store banana leaves like a roll, wrapped in a moist muslin cloth, then placed in a polythene bag. They will stay fresh for a week, if refrigerated this way.
The peel of unpeeled bananas will turn black on steaming, but the bananas inside will acquire a light honey colour.

Warm cardamom pods very lightly, cool and deseed. These seeds will powder more easily.
Bake any leftover spicy pinapple with alternate layer of noodles, white sauce and pineapple, to make a wonderful baked casserole.

Curry leaves may be liberally added to seasoning of most dishes, since this is a very asian flavour adding an aroma to any dish.

Use old shaving brush to clean out bamboo steamers, but brush in the crevices. Any food particles will come loose easily.

Do not throw away discarded cucumber seeds. Either apply on eyes to sooth tired eyes for 15 minutes, or grind to a fine paste, combine with gramflour, honey and rose water, and apply as a pack.

To clean burnt woks with ease, boil a few onions peels in them. Scrub with a solution of vinegar and salt. Follow with a scouring powder or detergent.

To remove skins of roasted peanuts easily, put into a clean cloth bag, tie the mouth. Rub the nuts in the bag from the top, and jingle the bag a few times, repeating the rubbing. Empty contents in a large plate, blow away the skins. To crush peanuts easily - Roll either a filled glass bottle, or heavy rolling pin, or cylindrical grinding stone over it back and forth, on the nuts in the bag as above.

Rub chopping board and knives with lemon halves dipped in salt, to clean, after chopping large amounts of chillies, to avoid its flavour creeping into other things cut on the board. Follow with a regular washing with scrubber and soap.

Always defrost your fridge and then put the setting to maximum half an hour before placing in the icecream for setting it, to get best results. If it is not a frostfree refrigerator, then wipe out all the defrosted moisture before placing the freezer trays.

Always soften the puddings a bit by removing from freezer to refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving.

Apply a poltice of sitaphal flesh and some ground leaves of the same plant (if available) over wounds or absesses for quick relief. Tie the poltice in place with a clean cloth bandage.

Always beat cream gently with small upward strokes. Never overbeat, because the damage isIrreversible, the texture will not be the same again. Overbeating will turn it to butter at best.
Use ground sugar to make thick shakes etc. so that the sugar dissolves quickly and completely in The cold milk.

Use glass bowls for chilling fruit rabdis in the fridge, they will not discolour.

Cover freezer trays with a sheet of plastic held in place with a large rubber band to avoid crystal formation in the icecream