Perfect filter coffee decotion....

Cooking Tips

How to prepare perfect filter Coffee Decotion…


INGREDIENTS:-

Filter Coffee Powder - 5 tbsp (or till the half of the filter)

Sugar - 2 tsp

Water for making decotion.


METHOD:-

Heat a small pan and add sugar and keep it in high flame. The sugar gets caramelised and it turns to golden brown colour.

Heat a sauce pan and Boil the water in rolling condition.

Fill the filter with coffee powder, and press it evenly.

Fill the caramelised sugar above the coffee powder. Add the boiling water till the top edge.

After sometime, we get the First coffee decotion. Let it be in the collecting cup.

Now again boil some water and add to the filter, till the level of the coffee powder, and prepare decotion.

The decotion will be more darker and nice aroma arises.

TIPS:- Remedy for Cough and Cold...( for children aged 2 and above)

The following are the some of the methods that I follow for my kids, when they suffer from Cough, Cold and Running nose. Avoid using regular Sugar. Palm sugar is good for health.

MEDICINAL VALUES:-

Ajwain Seeds, acts as an Expectorant.

Cumin Seeds, rich in Vitamin A &  Vitamin C. It improves digestion and immunity.

Honey contains flavonoids & antioxidants. It acts as a cough suppressant.

Palm  Sugar cures sore throat.

Black-pepper ( or Milagu in Tamil) often referred as "King Of Spices". It is a traditional Ayurvedic medicine to respiratory congestion, helping to expectorate and dry up mucus membranes.

Turmeric Powder, rich in Curcumin . It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.



(1) Honey water:-

Honey = 1 tsp

Warm water = 5 ml

In a small cup, take a tsp of honey, add 5 ml warm water and mix it.
Prepare this honey water, when needed. It improves bowel movement. So it is advised to try once a day and increase later.

Dosage = Three times , Morning- Noon-Evening.


(2) Ajwain- Cumin Water:- 

Ajwain Seeds/Omam = 1 tsp
Cumin / Jeeragam = 1 tsp
Water = 100 ml (1 cup )
Palm Sugar = 1 & half tsp
Boiled Milk = 75 ml

Boil the water in a pan and add Ajwain seeds ( or Omam in Tamil ) & cumin together. Add palm sugar to it. When the water starts boiling in rolling condition, Cover with lid and let it boil for 10 mins in low flame. When the water reaches room temperature, filter it, and mix with a cup of boiled milk. Prepare this Ajwain-Cumin water, when needed.

Dosage:- Preferably morning and evening.


(3) Turmeric-Black pepper water:- 
Turmeric powder = 1/4 tsp

Black pepper powder = 1/4 tsp

Boiled Milk = 100 ml

Palm Sugar = 1 tsp

Water = 50 ml

Boil the water and add turmeric powder, black pepper powder, palm sugar, cover with lid and let it boil for 5 mins in low flame. When it reaches room temperature, mix it with milk. 

Dosage:- Once , Preferably night.

(4) Ginger- Honey Kashayam/Syrup:-

Grated Ginger = 2 tsp

Water = 100 ml
Honey = 2 tsp

Boil water in a pan and add grated ginger. When the water starts boiling in rolling condition, cover it with lid and let it boil in sim/low for 10 mins. When the water reaches room temperature, filter it, and mix it with honey. It can be taken immediately. 

Dosage :- Once a day

30 ml for adults, 20 ml for Children aged 6 & above, 10 to 15 ml for kids aged 2 to 6.

(5) Ajwain leaves-Cumin seeds-Palm Sugar Kashayam /Syrup:-

Ajwain leaves = 15 leaves

Cumin Seeds = 1 tsp

Palm Sugar = 2 tsp

Water = 100 ml

In a mixer, using little water, Grind the ajwain leaves to a fine paste. Remove this paste from the jar.

Boil water in a sauce pan, add cumin seeds, palm sugar and ajwain leaves paste. Cover it with lid and allow it to boil for  7  to 10 mins. When it reaches room temperature, it can be taken immediately. 

Dosage :- 20 ml for Children aged 6 & above, 10 to 15 ml for kids aged 2 to 6.

Adults can have the raw leaves as it is.

How to make Restaurant style Dosai @ home?

Kids, most of them, prefers Dosas than Idlis, and that too Restaurant Style Dosas.

In some houses, they keep separate Tawa for Dosa and separate tawa for Chappati.

By following this trick, there will be no need for 2 different tawas.

We can  easily prepare at our kitchen, using regular normal Dosa Tawa ( not non-stick).

Heat the tawa. Add a few drops of oil over it and rub the oil using Tamarind. We can use Fork for holding the tamarind, to rub the oil on Tawa, because the tawa will be very hot.

Pour the Dosa batter and make dosas.

Using Tamarind, on Dosa tawa is the trick, to get Restaurant Style Dosa. We can reuse this tamarind in Sambhar, or Thogaiyal etc. 

Note:- Instead of tamarind, we can use small onions too. (Some peope won't like onion smell).

HOME MADE CURD/ DAHI - TIPS AND PREPARATION

Many People buy curd, instead of fermenting it in houses. It is just an easy task which can be done in less time. Since we prepare it when needed, fresh curd can be consumed instead of curd we buy in the shops.

1. Bring milk to boil in low/medium flame.

Curd fermented in 4 hours, placing in a casserole

2. Boil for longer time to get thick curd. Milk cookers are handy since the milk stays warm and get thickened in a period of time.
3. Take a container in which curd is to be prepared and transfer the milk. Curd cannot be made in hot milk since it will break and become watery.
4. Wait until it becomes luke warm.
5. Dip a spoon in the curd you already have and mix it in the luke warm milk.
6. Close the container, in about 6 to 7 hours, curd will be ready.
7. To prepare curd in less time, place the container in a Casserole/ thermocol box, the curd will be ready in 3 to 4 hours.

Note:

• During rainy season it might take a longer time. So to fasten up the preparation, instead of dipping in the curd and mixing in the luke warm milk, mix 1/2 teaspoon of curd in the luke warm milk, so that the milk ferments faster.
• If the milk is watery, curd will not taste good. So the milk should be boiled for a longer time to get a thick milk.
• If you don't have left over curd, there is another method to prepare the starter.
• In a cup of milk, add broken red chilly/ stems of red chillies,  in 6 to 7 hours, milk will be fermented to curd.
• The above can be used as a starter, and curd can be made.

JEERA WATER/ JAL JEERA

Seeragam in tamil means Cleanse (Seer), inner body (Agam)

INGREDIENTS:

            Cumin/Seeragam – 2 tbs

            Water – 1 litre

METHOD:

1.    Jeera water can be made in two ways.

2.    One is over night soaking Jeera in water and consume the throughout the day.

3.    By this method, there will be no loss of nutrients.

4.    The second method is by adding jeera to boiling water.

5.    Boil water and add jeera and close the container with led.

6.    Allow to cool for an hour.

7.    The water can be consumed the whole day.

         

               .

 Health Benefits:

a.    It helps to reduce body heat, so very much useful in summer.

b.    Cumin is a popular spice used all over the world for cooking. It is loaded with a lot of nutritional values.

c.    It boosts the metabolism and aids in weight reduction by removing excess fat.

d.    It is rich in Phytosterols, which are natural substance similar to cholesterol. These phytosterols absorb the harmful cholesterol in the body, thus aiding in weight reduction.

e.    It is rich in essential vitamins and minerals and acts as anti-oxidant.

f.     It reduces Stomach pain and indigestion.

g.    It helps to remove the body toxins.

h.    When the inner systems are toxin free, we will feel healthier and fresh.

i.      Having a Cup of Jeera water after every meal will do wonders to the body.

How to maintain a Pressure cooker ?

1. While Pressure cooking dhal or rice,  1/4 lemon slice can be used with the water at the bottom of the cooker. This helps to avoid the salty layer that forms while using the cooker and the cooker will always look clean. A piece of Tamarind can also be used for this purpose.

2. Always having a screw driver in a kitchen will be of immense help always. We should see to that all the screws of the pressure cooker bottom and top are always tight at least once in a week. This will help to avoid unnecessary problems due to loosening of screws.

3. Always check the rubber gasket to see whether it is ripped or cracked. It is better to replace once in a year or according to the usage.

4.Use adequate quantity of water, since the steam that comes out help in proper cooking. At least, 1/2 cup is needed.

5. The valve should be checked thoroughly before placing the weight for any block. While pressure cooking frothing items like dhal, the valve may get blocked. Use a toothpick or a pin to clear the block. To make sure that there is no block, blow with your mouth. Then the lid can be washed before using. Any block may lead to explosion of the cooker at times.

6. The safety valve should be checked annually and can be replaced by a new one if it is damaged.

7. Always allow the pressure to be released before opening a cooker.

8. If there is need to open the cooker urgently, place the cooker under running water for few minutes. The pressure will be released off quickly and the cooker can be opened safely.

Coriander Drink/Tea

Coriander seeds, also helps to reduce the excess bad fat, and it helps to maintain the body in proper shape.

It improves the functioning of kidney properly.

Wash 2 tablespoon (tbsp) (30 gms) of coriander seeds. Boil one glass of water. When the water starts boiling, add the coriander seeds and close the lid and keep it in low flame for 5 mins.

Duration:-

When the water completely cools down, filter it and drink this water three times a day, weekly once.

         

FENUGREEK WATER

Fenugreek Water:-



Fenugreek Seeds helps to reduce the bad fat accumulated in the body.

It helps in Purification of the blood in the body.



Wash 2 tsp (10 gms) of fenugreek seeds and soak overnight in a glass of water.




Duration:- Drink this water in the morning on empty stomach. It also helps to reduce all problems related to stomach.

Weight Reduction drink

There are various kinds of spices available in kitchen. Using this spices, we can prepare a health drink.

This drink helps to reduce 1 pound in a week.

Continue this drink for 48 days and see the difference.







INGREDIENTS:-




Coriander seeds / dhaniya = 15 gms

Cumin seeds / jeeragam = 2.5 gms

Ajwain seeds / omam / oregano = 2.5 gms

Fennel seeds / sombu = 2.5 gms

Grated ginger = 2.5 gms







METHOD:




Boil 150 ml of water in a pan. When the water starts to boil in rolling condition, add all the above ingredients . Close the lid and keep it in sim / low flame for 5 mins. Switch off the burner. Let it sit on the burner for another 10 mins.

Now filter it.  Drink it when it is in lukewarm stage, add 1 tsp of honey & 1 tsp lime (optinal) to it.

Drink it once a day.

COOKING TIPS:- Sugar syrup stages or Sarkarai Paagu padham

Sugar Syrup Stage:- {or Sarkarai Paagu padham}



While boiling the sugar syrup, the following stages will be obtained. In a small bowl of water, pour a small quantity of the sugar syrup and check the following stages.

1st stage or 1st padham --- running stage or oodum padham.

2nd stage or 2nd padham --- sticking stage or pisukku padham

3rd stage or 3rd padham --- we can make a round shape or muthu padham.

SUKKU MALLI COFFEE MIX/ DIGESTION DRINK MIX

 

INGREDIENTS:

            Coriander seeds/ Dhaniya – 200g

            Dry Ginger/ Sukku – 20g

            Pepper corn/ Milagu – 1 tsp

            Cumin/ Seeragam – 1 tsp

            Oregano/ Omam – 1 tsp

            Turmeric powder/ Manjal –  2 tsp

METHOD:

1.    Heat a pan and add dry ginger, pepper, cumin and dry roast to 1 minute.

2.    Add coriander seeds and roast for another 2 minutes on medium flame.

3.    Switch of the flame and add oregano/omam and mix well. Then add turmeric.

4.    Keep aside for 10 minutes.

5.    Take a mixer jar and add all the ingredients and whip for a minute and then grind to a coarse powder.

6.    This powder can be used for 3 months.

PREPARING COFFEE:

1.    Heat 100ml water and add a teaspoon of the above mixture.

2.    Add a teaspoon of Palm Sugar/Panangarkandu or Jaggery/Vellam to the above and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.

3.    Switch of the flame and stain it in a cup and add milk.

4.    Sugar can also be added instead of Palm sugar or Jaggery.

5.    Milk quantity can be varied as desired.

6.    The above preparation can serve one person.

7.    A cup of the above coffee can be taken an hour before sleep during night

HEALTH BENEFITS:

1. Omam is a wonder seed for digestion with nice aroma. It also has the antiseptic, antispasmodic, stimulant, stomachic properties. It has a soothing effect and also aids sleep.

2. Coriander seeds have anti-oxidant properties and dietary fiber that advance the healthy working of the liver and facilitate bowel moments.

3. Together with flavonoid anti-oxidants, fiber composition of coriander helps to protect  from various diseases especially diabetes.

4. Palm sugar is an unrefined sugar, it is known to be rich in vitamins and minerals. As a result, it has become increasingly popular as a substitute to white sugar. It is never refined or bleached like white sugar. So the nutrients remain as it is. That's rare for sweeteners, most of which are highly refined.

5. Turmeric has anti inflammatory and anti biotic properties. Consumed with pepper it can cure sore throat.