Semiya Payasam

Ingredients

For making Vadas

·             Semiya (Vermicelli Pasta) – ½ cup

·             Sago (Sabudhana or javarisi) – 2 tbsp (optional)

·             Milk – ½ liter (about 2.5 cups)

·             Sugar – ½ cup

·             Ghee – 2 tbsp

·             Cardamom Powder – ¼ tsp

·             Salt – a pinch

·             Cashew nuts – 10

·             Raisins – 2 tbsp

Method

For making Vada

1.          Soak the sago in some water for about 15 minutes while you get the other things ready. Sago is not necessarily added to the semiya payasam. I add it because my son loves it. Soaking the sago helps it to cook faster.

2.          Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Roast the cashews and raisins for about 20 seconds until it turns golden brown.

3.          Remove it using a slotted spoon and keep it for adding later.

4.          In the same pan, add another tbsp. of ghee and roast the vermicelli on low flame. Keep stirring constantly until it turns golden brown. Do this carefully so that the vermicelli doesn’t get burnt.

5.          In the meantime, heat the milk in another burner. 

6.          Once the semiya is roasted, add it to the milk. Also add the soaked sago.

7.          Cook for about 10 minutes on medium low flame with continuous stirring. Some people cook the semiya in water and then add the milk but cooking the semiya directly in the milk induces the flavor of semiya in the milk. Also, the vermicelli will not get overcooked and the nutty texture is perfectly retained.

8.          After the semiya and sago are cooked soft, add the sugar to the milk.

9.          Simmer for another 5 minutes and the payasam will be thickened. The payasam will continue to get thicker as it sits, keep that in mind and adjust the consistency with additional milk. Always keep additional milk handy when making this payasam. Some people like to eat the payasam with a spoon while others like to drink like a kheer. The above measurement makes a fairly thick payasam so add more milk if needed.

10.      Finally add the cardamom powder and the fried cashew nuts and raisins. Switch off and enjoy.

Banana Dosai

Ingredients
Ripe bananas - 2
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 tblsp
Cardoman powder - 1 pinch
Sugar - to taste
Raisins - 2 tblsp (chopped)
Cashews - 2 tblsp (chopped)
Ghee - to fry

Method
1. Mash the bananas nicely with a masher or with hands.
2. Add rice flour, maida, sugar and cardomon powder. 
3. Mix everything together to get a thick batter. You can mix with your hands or use a blender.
4. Mix the raisins  and cashews with the batter.
5. Heat a griddle and pour a spoonful of batter and spread gently. It will be thicker than normal dosa.
6. Pour few drops of ghee on top. Fry on medium flame till the dosa is completely cooked and golden brown on both sides.
 
Serving Suggestions
      - This dosa can be served as a dessert or snack with some maple syrup or honey.
      - Top the dosa with whipped cream or ice cream and berries. This brings out a whole new flavour.
      - It can also be served as a tiffen with some chutney.
 
Variations
       -  Use brown sugar or jaggery instead of sugar for a different flavour.
       - This batter can be used to make paniyarams. A variation of this is called Unniappam.

10 Simple Natural Beauty Tips

1. Banana and Egg Hair Treatment

Looking for a little more shine in your hair? Simply mix one egg and a mashed up banana. Apply it as a thick paste to your hair and leave it on for 10 – 30 minutes. Wash it our doing your usual hair washing ritual (if you usually use a store-bought conditioner you’ll probably only need to condition the ends). And voila! Super simple, and all natural, beauty tip.

2. Moisturizing Nail Treatment

Soak your nails in olive oil for five minutes. And then sit back and admire your pretty hands.

3. Simple Honey Face Mask

Raw honey is naturally anti-bacterial and a super quick way to get soft, beautiful skin. Once a week use a tablespoon or so of raw honey (not the processed stuff parading as honey) and gently warm it by rubbing your fingertips together. Spread on your face. Leave on for 5 – 10 minutes and then use warm water to gently rinse it off and pat dry. Then bask in the glow of your honey-awesomeness. This raw honey is awesome, by the way.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Shampoo

For those who are using commercial shampoos: To help eliminate any build up in your hair, mix ¼ cup organic apple cider vinegar (like this) with 1 cup water. Follow with your usual conditioner.

5. Elbow and Knee Exfoliate and Skin Brightener

Cut an orange in half and rub it on your elbows and knees. Helps soften those rough patches. And it smells good. (Rinse off the sticky mess when you are done.)

6. Gentle Body Scrub

Mix a 2 to 1 ratio of olive oil and sea salt to make a quick and effective body scrub. This helps get rid of dead skin cells creating softer, more glowing skin. And this natural beauty tip is much cheaper that expensive store bought  body scrubs.

7. Easy Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment

Want super soft, hydrated hair? This is one of my favorite all natural beauty tips. Use melted coconut oil as a deep conditioning hair and scalp treatment. Massage coconut oil into your scalp and then work it through your hair. Leave it on for a couple of hours and then wash it out using shampoo (no need to condition unless you have really long hair and then maybe just the ends.) Note: For you no ‘poo-ers keep in mind that coconut oil will saturate your hair with awesome goodness… that can be really hard to get out with just baking soda and *some* natural shampoos. You may want to try just a little coconut oil on a little section of hair and see if you can get it out before you do this. Otherwise you might have really greasy (but soft!) hair for a few washes. NOT that I’m speaking from personal experience of anything (*cough*).

8. Simple Toxic-Free Shaving Cream

Use coconut oil on your legs as a natural replacement for your shaving cream. Talk about a simple, natural beauty tip.

9. All Natural Black Head Removal

Place 4 or 5 drops of raw honey on an open lemon wedge. Then rub the lemon on your face for a minute, emphasizing any trouble areas. Leave the mixture on for 5 minutes and rinse with cold water. (Keep in mind that citrus can make your skin photosensitive so it’s best to do this before bed rather than before going outside).

10. Dry Brushing for Better Skin

Dry brushing is a simple detoxification process for your body. It stimulates a number of organs through a gently massage. It also helps the lymphatic system, eliminates dead skin coatings, strengthens the immune system, can eliminate cellulite, stimulates the hormones, and can help tighten skin through better circulation. Best of all, it’s cheap and easy. Learn more about dry brushing and how to do it here. Here’s a great skin brush to get you started!

Ragi Idiyappam

Ingredients

·             Ragi (Fingermillet) Flour – 1 cup

·             Water – app. 1.5 cups

·             Salt – to taste

·             Oil – 1 tsp

Method

1.          Dry roast the ragi flour on low flame till a nice aroma comes. It takes about 3-4 minutes. This step takes off the earthy flavor of ragi and makes the end product very tasty. Alternatively, you can dry roast a whole batch of flour when you buy from the market so that you don’t have to dry roast it each time.

2.          Bring the water to a boil in a sauce pan. Add salt and oil to it.

3.          Add this water little by little to the ragi flour. Keep mixing it with a spoon. Once the flour gets a little crumbly, cover and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

4.          It will cool down a bit. Now add little more water and knead with your hands to form smooth dough. You may or may not need all of the water depending on the freshness of your flour.

5.          Take a idiyappam press and grease it. Also, grease the idli plates or idiyappam plates, whichever you have on hand. If you do not have either, just grease any vessel that fits inside a bigger one for steaming.

6.          Fill water in the pot for steaming. I usually use my idli cooker for steaming.

7.          Fill in small portion of the prepared dough inside the idiyappam press. Press in circular motion onto the idli plates or the idiyappam plates. You will get pretty looking strings of the dough.

8.          Stack the plates and place them inside the big pot. Steam for about 10 minutes.

Raw Banana Halwa

Ingredients:
1 raw banana
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup milk
4 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp semolina(suji, rava)
cardamom powder
fried cashew/almonds  &  charoli
few strands of saffron
food colour (optional)

Method:

1.                         Boil the banana, remove the skin and mash, yields one cup pulp

2.                         In a pan, add the ghee, when it becomes hot fry the cashew/almonds and keep aside

3.                         In the same pan, add the rava and roast it,

4.                         when it becomes brown, add the banana pulp and saute for 5-7 minutes.

5.                         add the sugar, milk,coconut and stir well

6.                         keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan.

7.                         Add the fried almonds, cashew and cardamom powder.

8.                         remove from the gas, transfer it into a bowl and garnish with Charoli.

Note: I did not use food colour

variation:  can be made with jaggery also instead of sugar.

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

·             Milk – 1 cup

·             Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) – 1.5 tbsp

·             Sugar – 1-2 tbsp

·             Vanilla Extract – 2 drops

Method

1.          Take the cocoa powder, sugar and 1-2 tbsp of milk in a cup until it is well dissolved.

2.          Transfer this mixture to a sauce pan and add the remaining milk.

3.          Place it on the stove and heat it. Once it becomes hot , just before it boils add the vanilla extract and switch off.

4.          Make it frothy using a hand shaker or a blender. You can also make it by simple pouring it back and forth using two cups (the traditional old method).

5.          Pour it into the serving cup, top it with marshmallows, cream or chocolate shavings. Enjoy it hot.