KITCHEN TIPS & TRICKS

Try these simple tricks with your Hair Dryer at home, besides drying your hair and you will be surprised to see the uses of this wonderful tool. You never thought of these when you bought your Hair Dryer. Source: http://glo.msn.com/living/ Use your Hair Dryer To... Photo Shop - Detach a Photo from an Album To work a delicate photograph off one of those sticky pages, blow warm air onto the back of the page while gently tugging the photo free. Blow Off - dust tough-to-reach places. Set the dryer on cool and point it at dusty shelves or intricate knickknacks to blow the debris right off. (Start from the highest shelf to make gravity work with you. Heat Wave - de-wrinkle plastic shower curtains or tablecloths. Blow hot air onto fresh-out-of-the-bag material to "iron" out wrinkles—just keep the dryer 12 inches from the surface so it won't melt. Top Chef - perfect frosting or icing. To harden frosting on cakes or cookies, blow cool air directly on it. To brighten a dull fi

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1 egg white 2 egg yolks 3/4 cup milk 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp grated lemon peel Method: Sift flour with baking powder and salt. In small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate, larger bowl, beat egg yolks, milk and oil till smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until smooth. Gently fold egg white into batter, along with grated lemon zest.

Ingredients 1/4 cup roasted gram dal 1/4 cup grated coconut. 3-4 green chillies a small piece of tamarind 1 tbsp coriander leaves salt to taste For seasoning : 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 pinch of asafoetida 1 tsp urad dal Method Soak the urad dal and poha for 4-5 hours. Grind it finely to a paste with water Add rice flour and salt to the paste and mix well. You can add more water to get the required consistency. Store the dough in a large vessel in a warm place for atleast 8 hours for it to ferment well. Heat tava. Pour a tablespoon of dough on the tava. Do not make it very thin. Prepare small round dosas of approximately 10 cm diameter with little oil. Cover it and let it cook for a few minutes. When the dosa is red, turn the dosa and cook on the other side. Serve a 'set' of 3 dosas topped with butter or ghee and chutney. Grind all the ingredients for chutney with water. The chutney should be watery. Seasoning: Heat oil in a small pan. Add all the ingredients for seasoni

Ingredients Split black gram (urad dal) Rice flour Method Soak 1 cup of urad dal for 3 hrs. Grind it adding water to smooth consistency. Then add 2 cups of rice flour. To it and add salt and let it ferment overnight. Make thin dosas and it comes out very crisp and tasty. Source: http://food.sify.com

Ingredients semolina/rava - 1 cup flour(preferably wheat flour) -1 cup lassi -1 -2 cups to get a loose paste.(or plain water and lime juice can do) finely cut onion - 1 1/4 tsp each chilli powder and pepper powder ginger 1", finely sliced (an even use readymade ginger paste) coriander leaves - 1 small bunch. jeera-1 teaspoon hing-solid pinch salt (-about 1 tsp(according to taste) optional shredded carrot/cabbage/capsicum/radish/or few methi leaves/palak finely cut)- just a little. Method Mix the atta, semolina, add salt and hing and mix into loose paste, with lassi or water and lime juice or plain water. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Heat the tava, spread a little oil with half an onion (spreads evenly and better that way) and pour a big ladle of the dough and move the tava around to ensure it spreads. Turn over after two minutes. And then just eat it. If you think you want it. Have it with anything on hand. Even plain salted butter! Source: http://food.sify.com

Ingredients , 2 cups raw rice 1/2 cup of tofu (any variety soft, firm, extra firm) salt to taste 1/2 tsp jeera Method Wash and soak rice for 2 hours. Grind with tofu to a fine paste. Add jeera seeds (optional). Add water to make the batter thinner than the normal dosa batter. Heat tava, apply oil and splash 1 ladle of batter on the tava to form a dosa. (Note that the batter cannot be spread with the ladle on the tava like other dosas). Cover it and leave it for 2 minutes and turn it over on the tava carefully. Let it stay for a couple of minutes, uncovered. Source: http://food.sify.com