Dal Fry

Ingredients

• Moong dal - 1 cup
• Onions - 2, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2, chopped
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a large pinch
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Coriander leaves - few, chopped
• Oil - 1 tblsp
• Salt as per taste

Method

• -Heat oil in a pressure pan (or cooker).
• -Add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.
• -Add the ginger garlic paste and stir well.
• -Add the onions, tomatoes and -saute for 2 minutes.
• -Add red chilli powder, salt, cumin powder and turmeric powder.
• -Add the moong dal and add enough water.
• -Cover and pressure cook until 4 to 6 whistles or until dal is cooked.
• -Remove from flame.

How do you make mehndi colour get darker?

Put lemon juice with sugar on it while it's still on. Keep this on for a few hours. Then rub off the Mehndi and apply almond oil. Hover your hand over a fire; to heat it. (Don't touch the fire, be careful!) Do this for about 15 minutes. Then just be careful about how much soap you apply to your hands and try to wash them less if you can? That's all there is to it! May your Mehndi turn out beautifully dark :)

How to Grow,Dry & Store Oyster Mushroom

We have been introducing mushroom cultivation as a nutritional supplement and cash crop for the landless poor. Oyster mushrooms are a high yield, fast growing crop. They are known to help lower cholesterol levels and are a great source of potassium, iron and protein.

Oyster mushrooms are highly tolerant of variations in temperature, humidity, light levels and carbon dioxide levels, making it a great choice for first time growers.

See related instructable - How to Grow Oyster Mushroom Spawn (Low Tech)

You will need...

Straw (the medium for growing the mushrooms in)

Containers (for soaking straw)

Plastic bags (or reusable containers for holding straw)

Elastic bands or string (to constrict bag opening)

Cotton wool (to filter out contaminants)

Barrel or drum (for pasteurising the straw)

Material liner (for holding bags within barrel)

Gas burner (for heating barrel)

Bleach spray (to clean growing room)

Spoon, gloves, clean clothes, face mask (to look the part when inoculating straw)

A growing area that can retain moisture in the air, shaded with some light

Possibly plastic sheeting (to help retain humidity & to reduce other unwanted moulds)

Storing

Oyster mushrooms do not like sealed containers nd they do not like plastic bags. The plastic makes them go slimey, as does washing them. Brown paper bags make them dry out. If you need to wash them either use them immediately or pat them dry with kitchen paper. Best, clean them with a dry soft brush, the kind you get at the end of a mushroom knife. Store them in the vegetable compartment of the fridge or a cold store in a lidded yet slightly open plastic box so that they can breathe. They will last for two weeks in good condition.

Drying

"When you find a good oyster mushroom source, you often find more than you can eat right away. Oysters don't store or keep very long after picking, so you are better off to store some for those cold winter months. My favorite way to keep mushrooms around is to dry them. After eating my fill of the harvest, and sharing some, I proceded to dry the excess. The process is simple and easy to do! First you clean the mushrooms. This batch was pretty clean since they came off of coffee grounds. I had to rinse them a little and dried them off on paper towels. The mushrooms were then torn along the gills to a mangeable size. This batch was dryed on racks on the counter for several days."

"After a few day of drying the mushrooms looked like this. Notice how they have shrunken up since mushrooms are mostly water!"

"When drying large amounts of mushrooms or meaty mushrooms, we use a dehydrator. The main thing is to make sure they are completely dry before you jar them up. At this point they go into labeled mason jars for storage. When rehydrating mushrooms you can boil them a bit in water. Make sure you use or save the broth. This is where the flavor is! Rehydrating in milk works well, especially if you are going to flour and fry them or make gravy. I like to throw them in soups or sauces and let them rehydrate in the liquid of the dish. Mushroom soups made from dried mushrooms are excellent and in most cases, better than fresh mushroom soup. So pick when you can, eat all you can, and store the rest. You will be very happy you did on those months when the mushrooms are not flushing!"

Homemade Face Packs to Remove Sun Tan – Natural Remedies

Summer is already here, and it is time to bring out your short dresses and shades to enjoy the summer sun at the park or the beach with family and friends. Despite all the happiness and fun, at the end of the day most of us are left with ugly and unattractive sun tan on face and hands that takes away all the fun from the outing. With the lack of time, most of us, opt for quick fix solutions like a session of bleach or use chemical laden cosmetic products for instant tan removal. But all these products take a serious toll on the delicate skin of the face and show fatal side-effects in the long run. Therefore, it is best to choose home remedies to remove sun tan that not only heals the damage in a nourishing way, but is the ultimate answer to the question of how to get a clear face naturally.

Harmful Effects of Sun Tan:

Excessive exposure to ultra violate rays (UVA and UVB) of the sun accelerates 

melanin production in the skin that leads to darkening of exposed skin. Sun tan usually occurs on body parts that are exposed to sun such as, face, neck, arms, and legs. Sun tan causes various skin problems such as:

• Acne
• Pimples
• Fine Lines
• Wrinkles
• Dark Spots
• Hyperpigmentation
• Premature Aging of Skin
• Skin Burn
• In extreme cases it can lead to skin cancer

Home Made Remedies for Sun Tanned Skin Using Natural Ingredients:

Instead of splurging on expensive cosmetic products that are loaded with harmful chemicals and bleaching agents, use these nourishing and wholesome homemade face packs prepared from au naturel ingredients that are easily available and hustle free to make.

Cucumber, Rose Water and Lemon Juice Pack:

This is one of the most effective homemade face masks for sun tan removal that uses the goodness of cucumber and lemon – two perfect natural bleaching agents. Lemon juice is a rich source of vitamin C and citric acid, both of which help in lightening skin tone and is the natural solution to the question of how to maintain clear skin. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes the damage caused be free radicals and helps in lightening tan, age spots, and dark spots. But it is a must to use a sunscreen with high SPF when using a lemon remedy because the acidic nature of the juice can make the skin sensitive to the UV rays of the sun.

The cucumber juice and rose water acts as cooling agents for soothing the blemished skin. Take a tablespoon each of cucumber juice, lemon juice and rose water and mix in a bowl. Apply with cotton on tanned areas, wait for 10 minutes and wash off with cold water. Apply this pack every day after you get back home from the sun.

Besan (Bengal Gram Flour) and Turmeric Face Pack:

This face pack for tanned skin is a combo of bleaching and scrubbing with the wonder ingredient: Turmeric, often called the holy powder. It is not only important for its amazing medicinal properties, but also for its amazing effects on the skin. Turmeric adds a healthy glow to the skin and helps in reducing pigmentation and tan. Bengal gram works as a natural scrub for exfoliating the skin and removing dead cells. 

Mix 2 tablespoons of besan, a pinch of turmeric, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 tablespoon of crushed orange peel in a bowl with cold rose water. Apply on clean face and let it dry for 20 minutes. Moist the dried areas by sprinkling water on it and slowly remove the pack by scrubbing gently in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. Apply this pack once in two days for effective exfoliation and tan removal.

Papaya and Honey Face Pack:

This delicious fruit pack helps remove sun tan from the face by using the goodness of the helpful enzymes present in papaya. The enzyme papain present in papaya has potent skin-lightening properties that help in removing sun tan and reduces the visibility of scars and blemishes. The other enzymes in papaya are known for skin renewal, exfoliation, and restoration.

The application of honey on chapped lips is an age old remedy. Honey helps in moisturizing and softening the skin. For this pack, take ½ cup of ripe papaya pulp and mash it well, add a tablespoon of honey to it and mix well. Apply on clean face and dry for 30 minutes. Rinse off with water.

Potato and Lemon Juice Face Pack:

Potatoes make mouth-watering snacks indeed, but it has huge benefits for skin too! Potato is loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein and fibers. Potatoes are one of the age old remedies for sun tan that uses the goodness of vitamin C to lighten skin tone and add a healthy glow to it. The combination of potato and lemon juice is the best way to remove dark circles.

Potato juice helps treat skin aging, blemishes, and inflammation. It soothes the skin and calms it. Extract the juice of one potato using a grinder, mix a tablespoon of lemon juice with it and apply on face and other affected areas. Let it dry for 30-40 minutes. Wash off with cold water.

Soy sauce

An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to dark, and thick to light. It is made from soya beans and involves a lengthy process that can take years: soya beans are cleaned and soaked, then steamed, mixed with a yeast culture and wheat flour before being fermented for up to two years and then filtered and bottled.

Chinese Soy Sauce 

There are three types of Chinese soy sauces available. Light soy sauce is from the initial extraction and is light coloured with a delicate but salty flavour. Dark soy sauce has been left to mature longer and has had caramel added to it. It is sweeter and darker than the light variety with a knock-out aroma. Regular soy sauce is a mix of light and dark and a good everyday condiment.

Japanese Soy Sauce 

Distinctly different from Chinese soy sauce so it is best to use specifically Japanese soy sauce when cooking Japanese dishes. Usukuchi is light and less salty than Chinese light soy sauce. Tamari is dark, thick, less salty yet still strong in flavour and Shoyu is aged for up to two years with a full flavour.