How to make Easiest Nepali Pickle Ever with a twist of brinjal or eggplant !

It was just another day in my kitchen in those wee hours of morning, when i actually don't get any spare time even to attend my phone ! But daily enthusiasm was there at it's best and i planned to give our age old Nepali Tomato Pickle a twist. I had heard of mixing tomato with Brinjal (Eggplant or Aubergine) and always wondered, how the taste will turn out and what will it really look like ! But to my immense pleasure, it was delicious and tangy enough to lure other members of  my family. :-). It can be served for 6-7 persons with lunch, breakfast or dinner. Rice, Chapatis, breads are best to serve the tomato pickle with.

Here is my pictorial journey of the easiest Nepali pickle recipe.

Ingredients for regular Nepali Tomato Pickle:

1. 4 Big Tomato
2. 1 Normal sized Brinjal or eggplant
3. Black pepper powder (you can make your own by grinding 5-6 black peppers)
4. Salt as per your taste (1 small spoon for this recipe)
5. 2 dry red chilies
6. Coriander 2 spoonful (chopped)
7. 3-4 flakes of Garlic
8. Ginger (peeled)
9. Lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
10. Fenugreek seeds (3-4 seeds)
11. 1/2 tea spoonful mustard oil for seasoning

Things you will need:

1. Traditional Stone Grinder or Electrical Blender whichever you will like to use.
2. A chopping board
3. A knife

Steps:

# Wash the Brinjal, tomato, garlic and coriander. Chop the coriander and peel the outer layer of garlic and ginger.

# Roast the tomato and brinjal in your gas stove. Make sure it wont get burnt and set the medium flame on. Let them roasted evenly and keep turning its' side. When its' done, it should look like this.

# Peel its' burnt outer layer without getting them mashed.

#After the brinjal is peeled, it will look like this, tender and ready to be grinded.

 # Now, in a blender, or grinder; grind all the ingredients except fenugreek seeds and oil. Grind in a smooth paste. 
# Then add tomatoes and roasted brinjal.

# After it gets smooth and all the lumps are grinded, transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.

 # Now, its turn for extra seasoning. Heat 1/2 teaspoon mustard oil in a pan. When oil is heated, add fenugreek seeds. when it starts to splutter and turns little brown, its done. 


#Transfer the oil with fenugreek seeds to the pickle made, mix it and its done.

 

The pickle can be freezed and used for 3-4 days. Enjoy your tangy pickle and explore the unique taste. Remember, you can add salt and chilly powder as per your taste. 

Till next post, Take care. And Happy Id festival who are celebrating today. :-)

How to clean with Lemon

A Zest of lemon! This is what I want whenever I look for a cup of tea. But do you know a lemon is not only to savor our taste buds!! Lemon is one of those great cleaning agents we already have in our kitchen! The lemon's tart citric acid is great at disinfecting and can make those nasty, foul smells disappear. Cleaning with lemon always comes with very low price tag and that is always good news. Isn't it?? If you want to know further, I hope you are with me as I follow. :-)

  

1. Deodorize your Sink/basin and garbage disposal: 

The Sink, basin and garbage disposal drain can get stinky. Instead of pouring bleach down there to kill the bugs causing the odor (which can put off noxious fumes that make you cough), consider tossing a few lemon rinds down the disposal. This will help neutralize the odor naturally. It will leave instant aroma of the lemon that you will certainly feel fresh.

2. Disinfect your Cutting Board : 

Apply a good amount of lemon to your cutting board, scrub, let sit for 20 minutes, and rinse. Not only is this great for cleaning and disinfecting your cutting board, it is also great for getting rid of those nasty odors.

3. Polish metal: 

Use lemon juice that you can squeeze out of the lemon or buy already squeezed and salt to scrub those pans clean! You have made those metallic things in your living area and kitchen shine now.

4. Sanitize your microwave: 

Microwaves can get grease fast. The acid in lemons can zap germs and leave a fresh sent. Boil four tablespoons of lemon juice with one cup of water and wipe down your microwave. Lemons are one of the best solution for cleaning your microwave. The lemon solution basically does the scrubbing for you.

Another way to clean your microwave with lemon juice is to soak your sponge in lemon juice and microwave your sponge for two minutes. The lemon and water steam will loosen up the food and stains in your microwave.

5. Food Graters: 

Rub a lemon cut in half against both sides of the grater and wash. This will make the residue come off a lot easier.

6. Blast soap scum: 

Now, this is brilliant, i think. Juice six lemons and pour the contents into a spray bottle, the citric acid will dissolve soap scum! Isn't it Simple! Clean shower, any stainless still in your bath area and kitchen with it spraying the lemon juice.

7. Clean your dandruff : 

This one is quite easy rather than other messy ideas i've got so far for hair. Just rub half a lemon in your scalp 15 minutes before you wash your hair. leave it for 15 minutes. and then shampoo it. Dandruff will lessen in 6-7 washes. and you will get shiny hair textures as well. Ting Ding.

8. Clean Ink Spot : 

Apply lemon juice to the stain and wash with cold water. The citric acid is great for getting ink stains out. Only use it if the fabric is cotton, otherwise, it may get ruined.

Now, Lemon says thankx to you that you've decided to use it in your cleaning. 

Food For Healthy Hair

You must be surprised as the title suggests. But this is a fact that Good looks comes with good food and a healthy lifestyle. What you eat is what shows on your face, hair and figure. After going through some medications (OTC of course), I've come to know the basic reasons for hair loss and damage of hair texture. 

Here are some of the ways to control damage of hair which also makes the overall beauty of inner health and outer skin.

• Refined Carbohydrates and sugar are as bad for hair as they are for skin.

• Hair is primarily made up of protein, so check that you're eating enough to avoid hair loss.

• Exercise. Even for few minute of your day. It ensures oxygen supply throughout the body and increases blood flow. Good circulation is essential for healthy, lustrous hair.

• Avoid caffeinated beverages as they deplete the body of minerals that are needed to maintain healthy hair. This leads to Drying of hair.
• Intake of High Fibre Diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts are important.

• Vitamins such as A & B Complex are good for hair.

• Biotin or Vitamin B7 improves hair quality. If you are taking supplements Check with your doctor before taking it.

• Check with your doctor if you need other supplements. Minerals for healthy hair include copper, selenium and iron.

Food containing Selenium

Food that Contain Copper and Iron

Here, point to be noted is we don't need to classify food according to the vitamins, proteins and minerals. Most of the fresh fruit, enhancers used in kitchen (garlic, pepper, Ginger), fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts, milk, fish and meat items contain just A-Z of our body requires. Not only for hair but for the whole body. So, Why not to make most of them? We can use  according to our taste and preferences. 

For Good Looks of hair : Rethink your hairstyle

• Check if your hairstyle is making you look older. Poker straight hair, severely pulled back knots, buns, plaits, ponytails and bleached hair can all be unhappy choices at times. 
• Opt for casual styles with a bit of layers,wave and volume. Short hair usually makes you look younger.

Have a healthy life ahead and thanks for stopping by.

Image Source: Web

 

Easy Household Tips

# Rub a little vegetable oil on your fingers before you chop chilli peppers. This will prevent you from getting chilli burn from the capsaicin in the peppers.

# To remove tea and coffee stains from your chinaware, make a mixture of baking soda, lemon juice and cream of tartar. Rub over the stain and wash off with cold water.

# Never use a detergent to clean your iron cookware. Just scrub it with salt and a clean paper towel.

# While preparing gravy, if you burn it accidentally, pour it into a clean pan, Add sugar to it and continue cooking. The sugar will absorb the smoked taste.

# After you clean fish tank, use the drained water to water house plants. The Nitrogen and Phosphorus in fish droppings makes the aquarium water a great fertilizer.

# To clean an electric kettle with calcium build up, boil a mixture of white vinegar and water in it.

# Avoid storing Bananas in a fruit bowl along with other fruits. Bananas release gases which cause other fruits to ripen quickly.

# Never store citrus fruits or tomatoes in the refrigerator. The low temperature degrades the aroma and flavour of these fruits.

So, do try these tips to make everyday life more easier.

and do you know When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?


Keep thinking.......till next post. take care.


Image Source: Web

10 smart food ideas

Tip #1: A bottle of expensive bubbly gone flat? Bring it back to life by popping a couple of raisins in it! 

Tip #2: Love to carry cut-up apples in your lunch box but hate the browning that is bound to occur? Cut the apple and secure it back with a rubber band and see the magic.

 

Tip #3: Bought one too many bunches of seasonal herbs? Preserve their green freshness by chopping them up finely and freezing them in an ice tray with just enough water to cover them. Pop out the cubes and store them in a labeled freezer bag.

 

Tip #4: Handed over (dry) lemons? Get the most out of them by microwaving for a few seconds before squeezing the juice out.

Tip #5: Love walnuts but hate the hammering and splinters? Cut down the labor and mess by freezing the nuts for a couple of days. Inset a knife-tip into the hole at the base of the nut and twist - the shells come apart easily.

Tip #6: Want to decorate a cake like a pro? Use a hairdryer on 'warm' setting over the frosting to make it smooth, shiny and flawless.
 

Tip #7: Hull the green stem of the strawberry neatly with a straw before you mash them or use them for a dessert.
Tip #8: Put bananas and peaches together in a paper bag to ripen the latter. 

Tip #9: Don't want your fingers to reek of garlic all day? Break away the cloves and place them in a bowl. Cover with another bowl and give it a good, hard shake. Say voila to peeled garlic!

Tip #10: Frozen fish smelling a bit off? Soak it in some milk while it defrosts to get rid of the "freezer-y" odor.

        


Thankx for reading. :-)

Disclaimer : I don't claim the ownership of the pictures used in the above post. I've searched in the web and used.