Beauty Tips

Coconut Milk Skin Brightening Face Pack
Add required coconut milk to a teaspoon of sandalwood powder. Put in few saffron strands and few drops of honey to this mixture and use this as your skin brightening face pack. This would do wonders on your skin by brightening it in a natural way!

Wrinkle Cure Cream with Coconut Milk
Soak 6-8 almonds in water overnight. Peel off their skins in morning and grind them too smooth paste. Extract oil from 2-3 vitamin E capsules. Add few drops of thick coconut milk and the extracted vitamin E oil to the almond paste and blend well. Your wrinkle cure cream is all ready to use now! This will not bring you dramatic results on your skin but with regular usage, it will definitely help tightening skin, thus reducing wrinkles and fine lines. After cleansing face every night, apply this cream evenly over your skin and go to sleep. Wash off face in the morning to see the soft skin magic.

Note: 
Do NOT use packed or store bought coconut milk for any of these recipes above. They would be containing preservatives and such those can be allergic to your skin. Grate fresh coconuts, grind and squeeze them to extract that thick, natural coconut milk. 

Uses of Vinegar:

Voluminous and shiny hair

If you want to add more shine and volume to your hair, then replace your conditioner with apple cider vinegar. After you shampoo your hair, simply mix 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup of water and rinse. It will not only make your hair shiny, but will also clean it. This recipe will also help to tame your wavy and unruly hair.

Controls dandruff

Vinegar has natural antifungal properties which help in getting rid of flaky scalp caused by dandruff. Just massage vinegar into your scalp before you shampoo them. You will see your dandruff is not only in control but you hair has also become healthier than before.

Cleans scalp and promotes hair growth

This amazing ingredient will maintain your scalp’s pH balance, will help to remove dead skin cells as well as take care of itchy scalp troubles. Mix vinegar and water (half-and-half ratio) into a spray bottle and apply. This will exfoliate your scalp, thus strengthening your hair shafts, and taking care of hair problems like thinning and falling.

(sources)

Patholi (Rice Cake) in Roce(Coconut Milk) Chicken Curry (Mangalorean Dish)

Patholi (Rice Cake)
White Rice Flour 1 cup
Red Rice Flour/Puttu Powder 1/2 cup
Cooked Rice 1cup (Grind to fine paste)
Salt
Palak Leaves (as needed)

Mix all the above ingredients with water. Make a Thick paste (except palak leaves). Now spread the mixture on the leaves and fold it. after finishing keep this on the steamer for 15 mintutes. When serving take a plate and cut patholi in to medium sizes and pour the chicken curry with chicken pieces on this and serve.

Chicken Curry:
1 kg chicken, cleaned and cut
To Grind to fine paste in thin coconut milk:
Half a medium sized coconut, grated
9 to 10 Kashmiri long red chillies
4 to 5 short red chillies
10 pepper corns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 small lemon sized ball of tamarind
3 onions (med)
3 tomatoes (med)
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 flakes garlic
½ tsp Garam Masala
2 cup coconut thick milk or 6tbsp. coconut milk powder
2 cup coconut thin milk
¼ cup ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil/Ghee in a cooking vessel, add small chopped onion & fry, add gound masala for 5 minutes, add chicken and fry for 3minutes add salt, masala water & remaining thin coconut milk. When chicken is alomost done add thick coconut milk and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Instead of PAtholi you can put Rice Dumplings OR you can serve this chicken curry with panpole (neeru dosa), idli, rice etc..