The other day I was reminded of Story of Yayati, who lost his youth and regained it from his son Puru. Everyone wants to stay young forever. We all want a youthful face especially after 40 when the lines first start to appear. Every cosmetic company worth its name has some special serum or cream which claims to erase fine lines from our face and bring back the suppleness. And interestingly all of these claim that theirs is the only product which does so as backed by some medical experts and endorsed by 85-95% of people who used the product.

But you can have wrinkle free face without spending a dime. Yes !!! Its true. I will tell you some exercises which if you do , will help you in regaining a young face. This is called Facial Yoga. I can not show visually but I will give you the link where you can go and see for yourself. I have been practising it for only 15 days and have been amazed by the results.

Our grandmother had glowing skins even at 78. Most of them used "Ubtan" on their face and body everyday. It is a paste made with 1 tbsp chick pea flour, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp milk and 1/2 tbsp sandalwood powder. Mix everything and apply it to your face.Leave it for a few minutes. You will begin to feel your skin tightening. Rub it off with lukewarm water. The chick pea flour will ex foliate, the milk will moisterize and turmeric will act as anti biotic and give you the glow. Sandalwood powder is for the perfume. Do it everyday and see your face look young and blemish less.

Our kitchen is full of remedies for day to day ailments and beauty care. How much attention we pay is the key.

And now to use our kitchen for recipes. We will continue the finger food. Why do we call it finger food/ Because we can just pick these with our fingers and eat. No plates required necessarily.

Sabz Aloo
Ingredients:
250 gms potatoes
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 green chillies
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cashew paste
Salt to taste

Boil the potatoes and cut them in 2" pieces.. Mix all other ingredients and pulse in a blender till smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add potatoes. Serve with a toothpick for every piece.


Crispy Cutlets
Ingredients:
200 gms Poha ( flattened rice)
2 green chillies
200 gms paneer( Indian cheese)
1 tbs corn starch- optional
sprig rosemary diced
1 tsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)
1/2 tsp of saunf ( fennel seeds)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Soak poha in water or wash it in running  water till a little soft. Put it in a sieve and leave for 7-8 minutes. It will become very soft. Meanwhile grate Paneer. Add all other ingredients. Add poha and mix thoroughly. Make 4" wide patties of medium thickness. Heat the griddle and roast the patties 4-5 at a time  for 4-5 minutes each side. Alternately you can roast them in oven at 400" C. Bake them for about 6-7 minutes each side. Serve hot with a dip or chutney. ( recipes given earlier)

We will continue with finger food. Tomorrow - Sandwiches

Meanwhile keep smiling and keep cooking

Bon Appetit

People who read this blog are obviously interested in cooking. And I am sure  you are a good cook. But have you noticed that sometime two people share the same recipe and they taste different? Some say it is because of the "Ras" in somebody's hand- the spirit. Or have you experienced that after changing your house somehow your food doesn't taste the same or you are somehow lethargic?

It could be because of Vastu, the ancient Indian science of architecture. Vastu is not Indian equivalent of Chinese Feng Shui though both are about Nature, its directions and their effect on us. How we can have more peace and prosperity in our home. But Vastu is not just about money. It about the total atmosphere in the family , your relationships, your peace of mind and of course your food. How? Where you have your kitchen is very important. According to Vastu, the kitchen should be in the south-east or north-west corner of the house. South-East is the Agni Kon, the fire corner so what better place to have the home hearth. The North-West corner is the Vayu kon- the wind corner so food prepared in this direction will be consumed fast. 

There are other things to be kept in mind. The water and fire don't go together so your sink and stove should not be adjacent. Take care that you don't face south or west while cooking. Some years  ago, we renovated our home and I placed my stove in such a way that I was facing south while cooking. Within 3 months I started to feel sick. This went on for almost a year. We were really at our wit's end. Then my husband came across an article about Vastu where he read about the south direction. He simply changed the direction of my stove and believe it or not, it took only a couple of months to get back my health. That is when he started studying the subject and did some courses. He then wrote a book about Vastu. The book is easy to read and understand. It gives you basic knowledge about Vastu. It is available at Lulu.com. 

If you have any other question , you can ask me in the comment section. 

And now the real business of food- the recipes. Some of you have asked for appetizers or Hors-de-vours as French call these. So I am going to give some finger food recipes. These can be served as starters or you can have a finger food party. The advantage with finger food is you can prepare them beforehand and just reheat them. They are light, less messy and fun. Host a finger food party and see for yourself.

The recipes are a mix of Indian and other foods. People often say music has no language. food also has no language, it has a lingo of its own. Whether you are an Italian, Greek, Indian or any other nationality, everyone enjoys food.

Brushetta
Ingredients:
1 baguette
4 large tomatoes
1 large onion
1/2 cup Basil
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Chop the onion finely. One by one, put the tomatoes on flame on a fork. When the tomato is slightly charred the skin will start to come off. Take the skin off. Repeat with all tomatoes. Chop them finely. Keep aside.
You can alternately sauté  onions for a minute or two in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. chop the basil leaves and mix them with tomatoes. Peel garlic.

Heat oven to 400' C. Cut the baguette diagonally about 4 cm. Arrange the baguette in a single line on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Toast it for 3-4 minutes. ( you can also do it on the griddle if you don't have an oven. Toast the slices on both sides on the griddle). Rub the slices with garlic and sprinkle olive oil.
Serve the topping separately or  arrange on top of each slice.

You can turn it into cheese bread by topping the slices with cheese  last and baking in the oven till cheese melts.


Boccochini and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
250 grams Boccochini balls ( Boccochini is actually fresh mozerrella)
400 grams cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Few leaves basil finely chopped
Salt to taste

Cut mozerrella balls in half. Cut tomatoes in half. Mix them a
in a bowl with oil, salt basil and pepper. Cool in the fridge or keep at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.

Latpate Kebabs

Ingredients:
400 gms chicken mince
1 large onion diced
1 tomato diced
2 green chillies diced
1/2 cup fresh coriander diced
1 1/2 tbsp achar chicken masala( available in Indian stores)
1 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
1 coke can

Heat oven to 400'c. Mix all ingredients except coke and chilli powder in a bowl. Make 2 inch wide kebabs and lay them in single layer on a baking tray or cook them on the BBQ. Heat coke in a pan. Add kebabs  chilli powder and let it simmer till the sauce is thick. Serve with tooth picks.

Endive Boats

Ingredients:
2 endives
1  cup garlic chilli aioli
1 cup spinach finely chopped
1 cup apple diced
2 spring onions - scallions finely chopped
1 carrot grated and squeezed
1 cucumber grated and squeezed
A pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add aioli. Tear the endive leaves and wash and pat dry each one. Put 1 tsp of the filling in each leaf and serve.
 Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp chilli powder
Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and chilli.
Some more tomorrow,
Meanwhile take care and enjoy!!! Life is too precious