Perfectly Boiled Eggs

Place eggs in a bowl filled with cold water. Allow them to come to a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Switch off the flame and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the bowl and fill them with cold water. Next step is to remove the shell from the egg. Perfect boiled egg is ready.

Organic and Non-Organic Food for Healthy Life

 Nowadays almost everyone are more cautious about their health and  the food they consume or eat. I am always concerned that the food we eat is safe or not. Organic foods are the most healthiest and environment friendly. Organic food is grown in natural conditions without using any harmful chemicals or pesticides.  Use of chemicals and pesticides which is used nowadays (in non organic food), lead to lot of health problems for us when we consume those food.  Because of  growing demand of organic food and its awareness, now we  can find many stores having a separate aisle for organic food.

Whenever I go for shopping in the grocery store, I keep thinking when are we suppose to  go for organic and when it is okay to consume the regular(non organic) food.  While organic food is always safe and healthy to consume, it is expensive (sometimes 2 to 3 times the non organic food) at the same time which makes it impossible to consume only organic food.  So, I started researching to know when we should consume organic and when we should go the non organic way.  Some of the findings are given below:

.   Milk, Meat and egg is very essential to be considered for Organic food. Eggs can be brown or white. Both have the same benefit, except that  the brown egg are from brown colored chicken and white from the white colored chicken. 

.  It is not important for all fruits and vegetables to be organic. There are specific fruits and veggies which will not affect us even though they are grown with pesticides. But some fruits and veggies (those that are prone to absorb pesticides) should to be considered for organic produce. They do not have any outer layer to protect themselves from the pesticides.

Consider buying Organic for these Fruits and Vegetables :

• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Blueberries
• celery
• peaches
• nectarines
• sweet bell pepper(capsicum)
• cherries
• potatoes
• imported grapes
• lettuce

Those foods that has outer skin which is less prone to absorb the pesticides can be considered for non organic.

Non-organic fruits and vegetables safe to consume :

• Onions
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Avocado
• Sweet corn
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Sweet peas
• Kiwi
• Eggplant (Brinjal)
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Sweet Potatoes

The bottom line is spend your money wisely by buying Organic only when it matters the most.  This way you can live healthy well within your monthly grocery budget.  Also, this helps in protecting our environment too.

Please let me know you comments or any additional information so that all can benefit.

Murungaikeerai Poriyal(Drumstick leaves Poriyal)

Murungai keerai  is one variety of greens(keerai in tamil) which is very popular in Tamilnadu. These drumstick leaves are very healthy and known for their medicinal values. They are packed with calcium, which is essential for growing kids. These leaves are especially very good for pregnant women and lactating mothers. These leaves are not frequently found in the Indian Bazaar in U.S. When I found these, I remembered my mom's recipe and tried it. This is my favorite keerai after all, so prepared it as poriyal. It tastes good when mixed with hot rice and a tablespoon of ghee.

Ingredients :

Drumstick leaves - 3 cups

Onion - 1 medium

Red Chillies - 2 numbers

Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 tablespoon

Garlic cloves - 2 or 3 pods

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry coconut flakes - 2 tablespoon

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Method :

To prepare this keerai, remove the leaves from the stalk and discard all the stalks. This can be slightly time consuming, but I think its worth it. Wash the leaves and keep it aside.

     Heat a wide pan  and add oil. Once the oil is warm, add mustard seed and let it splutter. Now add cumin seeds, urad dal and red chillies and fry them  for a minute. Add Onion,garlic cloves,turmeric powder and asafoetida. Saute them till the onions are slightly translucent.

     Now add the drumstick leaves, sprinkle some water and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook for just five minutes and open the lid. Wait for all the water to evaporate. Just add the dry coconut flakes at this stage and mix it thoroughly. Switch off the flame. Healthy Murungai keerai poriyal is ready to serve.

Nutritional Benefits :

• Drumstick leaves  are rich in iron and Vitamin C.
• They are a good source of calcium and carotene.
• It is high in protein and potassium too.

To store ginger fresh for a longer time

Peel the ginger, store them in a Ziploc and keep it in the freezer. Whenever ginger paste is required, use the stored ginger and grate them. 

Stuffed Mirchi Bajji or Milaga Bajji

Milaga bajji is a mouthwatering spicy snack. In my childhood, we never use to miss this favorite snack whenever we go to beach in Chennai. The variety in Chennai comes without any stuffing. Even though it is a bit spicy,we love to have it. After moving to Hyderabad, I happened to taste stuffed mirchi bajji . You get this almost everywhere in Hyderabad. Hyderabadis prepare delicious stuffed mirchi bajjis. I tried preparing this at home, which turned out  to be a big hit in my family. They love to have it as a evening snack. There are variety of mirchi or milaga to choose from, but I always stick to Bajji milaga(in tamil) called as  Banana peppers(in U.S).

Ingredients for Batter:

Besan flour - 2 cups

Riceflour - 2 tablespoon

Asafoetida - a pinch

Baking soda - a pinch

Water as per the requirement

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Ingredients for stuffing :

Potato boiled - 2 medium

Onion - 1 tablespoon

Chat masala - 1 teaspoon

tamarind pulp - 1 tablespoon

coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Method :

Wash the mirchi and slit them using a knife. Make sure the stem is intact to the mirchi. If you want it to be mild, you may remove some of the seeds.  Now for the stuffing, add all the ingredients mentioned for stuffing in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Start stuffing the potato mixture to the mirchi bajji and keep it aside. 

To prepare the batter just mix all the ingredients (for batter) and add enough water.  For stuffed mirchi, the batter should be little thick in consistency when compare to your regular batter for bajjis.

Heat the kadai with enough oil. Dip the stuffed mirchi in the batter and deep fry them in the oil. Let it cook on both sides. Remove them when they are golden brown. Hyderabadi  stuffed mirchi bajji is ready to serve.

Try this delicious snack and let me know your comments.

Health benefits of Cinnamon and Honey

Cinnamon is a wonderful aromatic spice which is known for its medicinal properties. Cinnamon is a natural preservative like few other spices. Cinnamon is a powerful anti oxidant, it not only burns the fat but also prevents the fat being accumulated. Few studies shows that smelling this spice boosts memory. Cinnamon when added with honey gives numerous health benefits.

Honey and Cinnamon for weight loss :

Mix honey and cinnamon powder in a cup of water.  Let it boil, cool the mixture.  Have it in an empty stomach everyday.

Honey and Cinnamon for good immune system :

Daily intake of this mixture increases our immune system and prevents from bacterial and viral infections.

Honey and Cinnamon for cold :

People who are suffering from cold can take a tablespoon of lukewarm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder for 3 days. This will be effective for cough, cold and sinusitis too.

Honey and Cinnamon for upset stomach :

Having equal amount of honey with cinnamon powder relieves gas and stomach ache .

Honey and Cinnamon for tooth ache:

Prepare a paste made of 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder to 5 teaspoon of honey.  Apply the paste and the pain is reduced within 15 minutes.  This can be done 3 times a day.

Honey and cinnamon aids in digestion:

Having this mixture after a heavy meal helps in digestion.

Honey and cinnamon for healthy heart:

Consuming 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon everyday lowers LDL cholesterol thus provides a healthy heart.