How to make Jasmine Garland? / Malligai Poo kattuvathu yeppadi?

This is very easy and simple method to string jasmine garland.

Video Link:

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Rose Milk Jelly and Summer Cleaning Tips with LAL HIT

It's summer time again. All our kids will be at home enjoying the holidays. We Mothers will also have a good time because we get to spend a lot of time with the kids during the daytime as well. While it feels happy, most of us will have also lot of anxious time worrying to keep them safe. While it is easy to keep the kids off the visible harm like knives, electrical items etc., it is much more difficult to keep them safe from invisible harm like Cockroaches and the food- contamination they bring along with them. These Cockroaches carry germs and bacteria, come behind the back, crawl on food and utensils, contaminate food and spread Food Poisoning. While family members and guests suffer, kids who touch everything from floors to small articles, they are the first ones to get this infection. Hence, it’s very important to eliminate hidden cockroaches from the kitchen and house. We have to understand that Cockroaches are no Passovers. They easily escape the usual and monthly cleaning by hiding in hard to reach corners like under the cylinder, sink, cracks and crevices. Hence there is no better option to keep the Cockroaches away than deep cleaning the kitchen by cleaning the kitchen and house regularly. Whenever I deep clean my kitchen as part of my monthly chore, the simple, handy and reliable solution I use is LAL HIT!  LAL HIT is the only solution that can eliminate the hidden cockroaches completely. It comes with a Deep Reach Nozzle that can get onside deep corners, cracks and crevices. LAL HIT is simple habit which can avoid food poisoning at home. Moreover, LALHIT now comes with a fresh fragrance.

Now It is today’s Recipe time. And I have a sweet one for you.

Rose Milk Jelly with Agar Agar

Have you taken a sweet which is a frozen? Rose Milk jelly is one such recipe which will make both kids and adult drool. For summer its a great dessert to be make at home with common ingredients.

Recipe Cuisine : Indian| Recipe Category: Dessert

Preparation Time: 15 mins  | Making: 2 hrs 

Ingredients:

Boiled Milk	400 ml
Rose Essence	Few drops
Sugar	6 tbsp
Agar Agar	5 gms
Water	200 ml

Procedure:

1. Add milk and sugar in a bowl. Mix them well till the sugar dissolves completely.

2. Then add rose essence and mix them well.

3. Now strain the milk using the strainer and pour it into the (bowl) mould. Keep it aside.

4. Take 5 gm of agar agar and cut them into small pieces.

5. In a bowl add 200ml water and agar agar pieces. Bring them into boil.

6. Cook them till the agar agar melts completely. This process took 10-15 mins.

7. Then strain the agar agar syrup using the steel strainer.

8. Mix this syrup (from 7) with rose milk syrup (from 3). Mix them well and keep it in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 2 hours or till they become set well.  

9. Now cut it into desired shapes and serve.

    Yummy and tasty rose milk jelly is ready!!!

Note:

1. Once the agar agar syrup is ready, then immediately mix it with the rose milk. Otherwise the syrup becomes thick.

2. Adjust the sugar level according to your taste.

Yesterday I did my monthly Deep Cleaning Routine for my kitchen. I used LAL HIT to clear the sink, cracks and corners of my house. I liked the new LAL HIT's fresh fragrance spread across my house after the deep cleaning. 

#SayNoToFoodPoisoning

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The Secret of Happiness is Taste - Fivestar Chicken

I went to Five Star Chicken Outlet at Besant Nagar near the Royal Enfield Showroom for a blogger meet. It was a great experience and food treat. We also good lot of insights about the Food industry from the FiveStar Chicken Team.  This blog's title is a quote I saw on their interiors.

 FiveStar Chicken - the idea

Who says Modern Chicken Fast Food should always taste American? FiveStar Chicken reinvents the modern fast food in Asian terms. They started with Thai Style as their group CP Foods is based in Thailand. Today they are one of the most popular brands with presence of 7000 outlets in 9 Asian countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh and now India. Their USP is Fresh Chicken straight from farm to table everyday instead of Frozen Chicken like other US brands. Five Star Chicken has strategically located their farm in Chittoor which is central to Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Chennai so that they can deliver fresh chicken everyday morning to all their outlets in South India. They also create most products with Asian and local flavors based on local spices and Indian garam masalas. They have also introduced hotdogs and Premium Mexican sausages for the first time from a Major Brand in India. They have positioned themselves as a neighborhood brand catering to Indian Upper Middle Class and Middle Class and provide 25% more value than competition. Since 2012, they have about 200+ outlets oveall. Since their outlets have no-frills approach, their prices are also 25-30% less than US brands.

Food Quality

FiveStar Chicken team assure that their chicken is raised in their own farms instead of outsourcing from others. Their farm is environmentally controlled with AC, Hatchery-Breeders have right ambiance and the feed provided is also produced by their own group. The chicken is not given any antibiotics other then than mandatory vaccinations which are stipulated by the industry standards. Since they are targeting Asian markets, the menu and standards are suited to local cultures. They have a R&D team which creates their new products. The team says their products are launched in the market only if they pass a "Blind Test" where a user should be able to distinguish their product even when eating blindfolded.

Menu and Specials

They have varied everyday menu and yesterday's special was

a. Crunchy Masala
Crunchy Masala is made out of authentic Indian flavors and Masalas to suit the local palates of Indians.

b. Thai Crispy, their Signature Product
Thai crispy has the secret recipe from Thailand with Lemon grass and Kaffir lime flavours in it.

c. Hot n' Smokey
Succulent Smokey falvoured fried chicken served with hot and spicy sprinkler.

d. Chilli Nuggets
The crunchy bite sized, crown - shaped, Chicken nuggets are made with juicy chicken and is mildly seasoned making it a great appetizer .

e. Spicy Fingers
Spicy fingers is the delicious treat of fresh , tender & Juicy chicken mixed with perfect blend of spices .

f. Chicken Popcorn
Five Star Chicken popcorn is made out of succulent whole chunks of chicken meat, blended with authentic spices and herbs to the perfection. The soft mouth melting chicken inside and crisp, golden brown coating from out. No one can just have it once!!!

g. Hungry Bird Burger
Five Star Chicken is all set to tantalize your taste buds with its new Hungry Bird Burger. Made from whole succulent chicken breasts and spiced up by dollops of Five Star Chicken's secret sauce. The scrumptious chicken fillet is served in toasted sesame bun slices and topped with fresh mixed veggies.

Special Drinks:

h. Green Apple

i. Nimbu Pani

The food varies widely in spiciness as they want to cater to wide range of customers. Their menu is also affordable and starts from Rs.39 for the 3 piece nuggets. The Spicy Fingers and Chicken Popcorn is targeted mainly at children. The Hungry Bird Burger has the right spiciness quotient that appeals to the South Indian Palette. Hot n' Smokey is really VERY HOT for those would want to spice up their chicken really high.

Fivestar Chicken outlets are also offering parties (birthdays and get-togethers) either at the outlet or at home itself. They are arranging a birthday party with a cake and food for about 10 people at the cost of Rs.1500 only.

Franchisee Opportunity

FiveStar Chicken wants to grow rapidly by involving Upper-Middle and Middle Class people as their franchisees. They are offering a outlet model called, "Grab and Go" model with 6-8 Lakh investment. They say their franchisees are able to breakeven within 2 to 2.5 year period if they are personally involved. They say their franchisees are ideally suited for IT guys, retired army staff and even youngsters who want a stable income business fetching about 35,00 to 40,000 rupees per month.

Some off-the-cuff remarks

FiveStar Chicken team says that even though people claim they are health conscious, the products which are spicy and tasty outsell those products which are developed for the health-conscious folks. Maybe their quote "The Secret of Happiness is Taste " is common knowledge and is not a secret at all!!

#ForTheLoveOfChicken #FiveStarChicken

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Mudakkathan Keerai Aappam / Ballon Vine Leaves Aappam

Mudakkathan dosai is very famous by Galatta movie. But many kids are not having it eventhough it is healthy. I tried mudakkathan appam with my kids and they had it without objection. I think this is a good try. Note that mudakku aruththan keerai means joint pain remover.

Click HERE to view more aappam varieties.
Click HERE to view Mudakkathan keerai Dosai.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian| Recipe Category: Breakfast

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 10 mins | Yields: 5-7 appam

Ingredients:

Aappam  Batter (click here to view appam batter recipe)	1 cup
Ballon Vine / Mudakkaththan Keerai	2 cup
Oil	For making appam

Procedure:

1. Wash and grind the leaves with mixie jar.

2. Then add little water and grind them into a fine paste.

3. Strain the juice using the juice strainer.

4. Now add the appam batter and mudakkathan juice in a bowl. Mix them well and keep it aside for 5-10 mins.

5. Heat the aappam pan and pour few drops of oil. Then pour a ladle full of batter into the pan. Now rotate the pan in a circular motion, so that the batter spread all over the pan. See the video for how to make aappam.

6. Now pour few drops of oil and close the lid of the pan. Cook for 2-3 mins or tillt the aappam is cooed well.

7. Then take it out from the pan and serve.

                        This goes well with carrot chutney.

How to make Aappam?

How to make Flower Aappam?

Note:

1. Don't add more water to grind.

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Paasi Paruppu Masiyal / Moong Dal Tadka

What is called is Dal Tadka ( a famous north indian dish) is also prepared in our villages. Its very easy to prepare and good to have when one has stomach upset. Its also prescribed for mothers who have to breast feed their babies.

Recipe Cuisine : Indian | Recipe Category: Sidedish

Preparation Time: 5 mins  | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

Moong Dal / Paasi Paruppu	½ cup
Turmeric Powder	¼ tsp
Salt	As required
To Temper:
Oil	2 tsp
Mustard Seeds	¼ tsp
Urad Dal	¼ tsp
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Green Chillies	2
Roughly Chopped Onion	¼ cup
Chopped Garlic Pods	1 tbsp
Chopped Tomato	1
To Garnish:
Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves	1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the dal   till nice aroma comes out. Allow it to cool down completely.

2. Pressure cook the dal with ½ cup of water for 2 whistles in high flame.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for splutter.

4. Then add urad dal and curry leaves and urad dal. Sauté for few seconds.

5. Add green chillies (split it into two halves) and fry for few seconds.

6. Then add chopped onion and chopped garlic. Fry them till the onion becomes translucent.

7. Add tomato and fry till the tomato becomes mushy.

8. Then add cooked dal ( from 2), turmeric powder amd salt. Mix them well.

9. Cook till the dal becomes thick and then add chopped coriander leaves.

  

Yummy and tasty dal is ready to serve with rice and chapathi.

Note:

1. Adjust the chilli level according to your taste.

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Moongil Arisi Payasam / Bamboo Rice Kheer / Mulayari Payasam

Bamboo rice is nutritious but rare variety of rice and it contains Vitamin C more; If we make regular meals or idly type of recipes with this rice, kids might not like them. Rice Payasam is a good choice because it is sweet and Bamboo rice gives a different look and will be attract the kids.

Click HERE to view more Kheer / Payasam Recipes.

Recipe Cuisine : South Indian | Recipe Category: Dessert

Preparation Time: 10 mins  | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients:

Bamboo Rice / Moongil Arisi	1/4 cup
Grated Jaggery	¼ cup
Thick Coconut Milk	½ cup
Cardamom Pods	2
Ghee	2 tbsp
Cashew Nuts	10
Raisins / Dry Grapes	10-15

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak the bamboo rice for 5 – 6 hrs.

2. Then Pressure cook them with 1 ½ cups of water for 5 whistles in a medium flame.

3. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom pan, add grated jaggery and ¼ cup of water. Bring it into boil. Stir occasionally and wait till the jaggery dissolves completely.

4. Then strain the jaggery syrup using the steel strainer. Keep it aside.

5. After pressure has gone, open the cooker and mash the cooked bamboo rice using the back side of the ladle.

6. Now add the crushed cardamom pods and jaggery syrup. Mix them well and cook till the payasam becomes thick.

7. Meanwhile, in a pan add ghee. Fry cashew nuts and dry grapes.

8. Add coconut milk and fried nuts into the payasam (from 6) and mix them well. Cook for just few mins (start to bubble) and switch off the flame.

Note:

1. You can add grated coconut or fried coconut pieces also.            

2. Adjust the jaggery level according to your taste.

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