How to make Good Cup of English Tea with video

 
      Tea is very good for health as it has a lot of health benefits. Recently I have been to a place called Teavana in my nearby mall, where I saw lots and lots of tea from all over the world like black tea, oolong tea, white tea, green tea, puerh tea and variety of herbal tea and flavored tea. Tea is more than just a hot drink that is consumed by people everyday of the year, throughout the world. Everyone brew their tea in a different ways.  I love Indian method and UK method .Let see how to make a good cup of English tea..

How to make good cup of British Tea

     Ingredients

  • A Tea Kettle
  • A Ceramic Tea Pot
  • 2 Tsp of Loose Tea or Tea Bags
  • Tea Strainer
  • 150 ml of Water
  • 2-3 Tsp of Sugar, I used Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp of Milk

Serving : 1

Method

    • Boil the water in a kettle to a boiling point. In the mean time, preheat the tea pot by adding hot tap water. After 2 mins, empty out the water from tea pot. This is called ” Warming the pot”. This is absolutely essential. You cannot make a nice cup of tea in a cold tea pot.
    • Add the loose tea or tea bags to the tea pot. Now pour the boiling water from the kettle to the tea pot containing tea.
    • Wait for 5 mins to let tea steep, more or less depending on what tea you are making and the recommended brewing time for black tea is 3-5 mins.
    • Add milk to the cup, then place the stainer and pour the tea from tea pot to a cup, add sugar, stir well.
    • Drink the cup of tea at a leisure place and enjoy the goodness of tea. Accompanied with biscuits or cake or scones or any other snack.
    • Here is a video for making an English cup of tea.

 

 

Tips

  • Brewing time for black tea is 3-5 mins.
  • You can also have tea with or without milk.
  • You can add milk at two stages, one is before adding the brewed tea and second is after adding the brewed tea.
  • Warming the tea pot is most essential step in making tea.
  • You can follow the same step by using tea bags .

 

Health Benefits of Black Tea

    • Boosts the immune system.
    • Lowers the risk of heart disease.
    • Rehydrates the body.
    • Prevents cancer.
    • Good for brain, dental and bone health.



Lemon Pickle Recipe – South Indian Style

எலுமிச்சம்பழம்  ஊறுகாய் 


Lemon pickle / Elumichampazham Oorukkai (Tamil) is a basic and  important condiment available  in all Indian kitchen.  Making pickles is an affordable and practical method of preserving lemons for a  long term usage. Ingredients and method of making pickles may vary from one home to other home. This is my mom’s recipe. This is the first time I made this pickle and the outcome was really tasty and more flavorful. I always prefer homemade pickles because they are less in sodium, no preservatives added and also cost effective. It goes well with yogurt rice . If you get lemons then you should try this recipe, it is not only tastes yummy, also it cools the body and fight against infections.Also check this recipe Mango Pickle.

Ingredients

  • 4 Lemons, Big
  • 1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
  • 3-4 Tsp of Salt

To Temper

  • 5 Tbsp of Indian Sesame Oil / Gingelly Oil
  • 2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Tsp of Urad Dal
  • 1/4 Tsp of Hing / Asafoetida
  • 4 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder or Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/2 Tsp of Fenugreek powder, Dry Roasted

Method

    • Wash and wipe the lemons with cloth /paper towel, there should not be any moisture on the lemons. Cut them into big pieces (1 lemon = 8 pieces) and remove the seeds.
    • In a bowl, mix the chopped lemons, turmeric powder and salt, with a spoon.
    • Put this mixed lemons in a clean, sterilized glass bottles, or ceramic bowl with a lid and leave it aside for 5 -7 days. During this period, place the glass bottle in hot sun for 1 hour daily, also stir the mixture daily to avoid fungal contamination because by this time, lemons would oozes out lot of juices, by dissolving the salt, changes color and the skin becomes so soft.
    • After 7 days, we need to add the tempering to the lemon mixture.
    • For that, heat a pan/skillet, dry roast 1/2 tsp of fenugreek until it changes color. Powder it in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle.
    • Heat oil in a pan /skillet, add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, after it splutter, add the lemon mixture and red chilly powder, mix well with the temperings and saut’e for 2 mins. Finally add the roasted fenugreek powder, mix well and turn off the stove. Let it cool down for 1 hour and then transfer this pickle to the glass jar.
    • Homemade Lemon pickle is ready to enjoy with curd (yogurt) rice or any upma or any variety rice dishes.

 

Tips

    • Adjust the amount of salt and red chilly powder according to your taste.
    • You can also use coarse kosher salt instead of using the normal fine salt.
    • More oil you add, the more the shelf life of the pickle.
    • You can also add roasted mustard seed powder along with roasted fenugreek powder for a different twist to the taste.

 

 Health Benefits of Lemon

    • Lemon being a citrus fruit, fights against infection.
    • Rich in antioxidants.
    • Lemon lowers blood pressure and increases the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) .
    • Lemon is found to be anti-carcinogenic.
    • Lemon juice is said to give a glow to the skin.

 



Homemade Strawberry Frozen Yogurt – Summer Recipes




        Strawberries are everywhere right now !! I got strawberries from ” Pick your own fruit farm”. Strawberry frozen yogurt is simple, delicious and healthy. It requires only few ingredients and is made without cooking. I really love the gorgeous pink color and the taste is just amazing. Try this yogurt and let me know your feedback.


    Ingredients

           1.5 Cup of Strawberries
           3/4 Cup  of Yogurt
           2 Tbsp of Sugar
           2 Tbsp of Honey
           1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extact
           1/2 Tsp of Lemon Juice
           Pinch of Salt




   Method

  • Wash and slice the strawberries into pieces.
  • In a blender/ mixie, add the strawberries, yogurt, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt.  Puree until the mixture is smooth.
  • Transfer the contents to an airtight container and freeze until set, ideally overnight.
  • Remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 15 -20 mins before serving.





   Tips

  • If you get Greek yogurt, add that instead of using normal yogurt.
  • Use stevia or agave for sweetness instead of adding regular white sugar and honey.
  • Addition of salt is to enrich the sweetness of yogurt.


    Health Benefits of Strawberry 

  • The dietary fiber in strawberry keeps digestion regular and lowers the blood pressure. 
  • High in vitamin C and manganese.
  • It has anti inflammatory and anticancer properties.
  • Good for eyes and bone health.