Little known Home remedies

It was not too distant past that elders in the families controlled and cured small medical emergencies and ailments through home remedies. A variety of brew for fever and colds, a bruise ointment, pain relief and poison relief lotions were made from commonly available herbs and minerals. These elders had their own secret recipes which they passed to the next generation. One can cure most of the common disease with the help of these herbs and spices . Also these are better as they leave no side effects or harm your body. These mixtures are easy to prepare. In India, the Vedas contain rich material on the herbal lore 

Asafoetida (Heeng)



Is a resinous gum of a tree. Used in diseases of the stomach. One of the best remedies for flatulence. An inevitable ingredient of most digestive powders, also an antidote for opium.





Cardamon (Ilaichi)

Used frequently as mouth freshner  after meals and in betal . It subsides the water and air elements, increases appetite, soothes the mucus membrane.






Coriander (Dhania) leaves


Coriander is used to relieve headaches.  Used as spice for curries, it’s a carminative and cooling agents. It checks diarrhea if taken with curdled milk.








Cumin Seed (Jeera/Zira)

Well known for its carminative effect, relieves nausea and vomiting among pregnant mothers and increase milk yield for breast feeding. A essential  Indian spice.








Ginger (Adrak)

Root of a plant used as a spice. It is well known for its quality of helping digestion. It also increases appetite and reduces flatulence. Very beneficial in disorders connected with formation of phlegm. In India,  Ginger or Adrak Chai are quite famous for relief from cold and coughs.








Holy Basil (Tulsi)

Considered sacred and planted in most Hindu homes, it keeps mosquitoes away, a good remedy for fever, cough and cold and a very good prophylactic against malaria. Infusion made of tulsi leaves, dried ginger, pepper and Jaggery (Karipatti in tamil and malayalam) is very effective in trating coomon cold and cough. Inhaling tulsi relieves cold and headache. Fresh juice (10 ml or less) taken internally helps cure jaundice and tulsi paste applied externally helps leucoderma patients







Turmeric (Haldi)

Used in cooking, helps prevent flatulence. Cures injuries and wounds, an ingredient of poultices for boils. Prevents inflammation, used for gonorrhea. Very effective if the turmeric paste is applied on a bee or wasp sting.






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Knife and Forks

Salad Forks : They'll turn up at nearly every meal! For salads, pies, cakes, pastries, fruits and fish
Dinner Forks: The universal tableware piece for entrees.Can also be used a s dessert fork
Dinner Knife: Serves equally well as a butter knife, bread knife or dessert knife.
Soup spoon:The most versatile spoons.Use for pudding, fruits, cereals - even in a pinch as serving spoons.
Teaspoon: You can't have too many! Perfect for cereal, dessert, coffee, ice cream and fruits.
Sugar Spoon: Another multi-purpose server! Ideal for jellies, jams, condiments, sauces as well as for sugar
Serving Fork: For cold meats, cheese slices, chops, waffles, sliced tomatoes and spaghetti
Tablespoon: Foe vegetables, fruits, desserts, casseroles and stuffing
Butter Knife: Not only for serving butter. These handy knives appear on tray for cheese, pates, spreads
Gravy ladle: The correct way to serve gravy, creamed dishes, sauces, syrups, cut-up fruits.



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Kitchen Hints

• When making soup stoke add cucumber & ginger and boil it.This makes the smell go.
• Rice grains can be kept separated by adding lemon juice while they are boiling.
• To keep the cauliflower looking bright white, add a tablespoon of milk to the water while boiling it.
• To cook beetroot, cook them with 2 inches of the stem. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the cooking water, which will prevent discolouring
• A slice of bread added to the water when boiling broccoli or cabbage lessens the odour.
• To remove bitter taste off eggplants soak them in salted water. later drain and cook as desired. Same applies to raw green banana (Kai)
  
• To make limp lettuce look fresh soak in ice water for half an hour. Add lemon juice to the water.
• Add a dash of lemon juice to mushroom when cooking them.
• Use an egg slicer to slice mushrooms to get even pieces.
• If the onions you plan to use in a salad have too strong a smell, soak them in cold water before cutting or toss in lemon juice.
• To stop from crying while cutting onion, cut in front of running water or keep you mouth open, pull your tongue out as this absorbs the gave released by the onion which makes us cry.
• Rub potatoes with butter before baking to improve the taste.If in a hurry, boil for ten minutes, then bake.
• When making potato chips,fry them twice to get crispy crust.
• To keep the red cabbage from discolouring while cooking add a little vinegar to it.
• To keep the colour of vegetables from discolouring add a pinch of baking soda to it especially spinach.
• Add a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavour.
• To remove skin of tomatoes, dip them in boiling water for a few minutes and peel them off.
• To make mashed potatoes fluffier, fold in beaten egg white.
• To keep boiled syrup from crystalling, add a pinch of baking soda or a teaspoon of milk
• Before baking a two crust pie with butter or milk, dust with sugar for delicious glaze. Before filling, brush the base with egg white. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
• Don't throw away bread crusts. To make a pudding in a jiffy make coarse slice of bread and add them to a mixture of milk and pudding powder. Stir in a few raisins and bake. Yummy desert is ready.
  
• To whip cream, pour the measured quantity into a bowl and chill. Then whisk.
• When separating egg whites, break one egg at a time in a small container. This is to ensure that no egg yolk goes in and then pour it to a bigger container else if you are careless and some egg yolks get mixed the whole egg whites get wasted for a particular dish.

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