Okra/ Ladyfingers/ Bhindi Chaat

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: Four

Ingredients:

- oil, for frying 

- 500 g ladyfingers(cut into long thin strips)

- 100 g onions sliced

- 100 g green bell pepper/ capsicum(cut into long thin strips)

- 100 g tomatoes(cut into long thin strips)

- 2 tsp chilli powder

- 3/4 cumin powder and garam masala powder

- 4 tsp chaat masala

- 2 tsp chopped ginger

- 20 g coriander leaves, finely chopped

- 4 tsp lemon juice

- Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry ladyfingers until golden and crispy. Drain well on tissue paper.

2. Put the fried ladyfingers in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and toss well.

3. Serve with your favorite chutney.

Popular Maharashtra snack.

Sabudana vada

Preperation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: Four

Ingredients:

* 1 cup sago pearls (sabudana), soaked overnight and drained
* 2 potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
* 1/2 cup peanuts, dry roasted and blended to a course powder
* 1 tsp cumin seeds
* 3 green chillies, chopped fine
* salt to taste
* 1 tsp lemon juice 
* Few coriander leaves chopped 
* 2 tsp rice flour
* Oil, to deep fry.

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients except the rice flour and the oil together until everything is combined.
2. Shape the mixture into small patties, using the rice flour to dust your hands if necessary.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pan and deep fry about 3-4 vadas at a time on medium heat so that the vadas are cooked inside and both sides are golden brown. 
4. Serve hot with mint-coriander chutney and hot tea.

sabudana image

10 Golden Rules of Anti-Ageing.

YOU CAN NEVER TURN BACK TIME.

1. Apply sunscreen all the time when you go outside in day time. Sunscreen comes with both UVA and UVB protection and prevent sun damage and sun cancer. Pick the one that works best for your skin.

2. Look for the ingredients such as RETINOL (one of the most active anti-ageing ingredients), CLA4 and AHA in your anti-ageing cream . Retinoids minimize the appearance of existing age spots and fine lines, and prevent new ones from forming.

3. Work out increases your blood flow and promotes a glowing, healthy-looking complexion.Spend 30 mins for exercise at-least 4 to 5 days a week, it can make a big difference not just to your body but also to your skin.

4. The Anti-oxidants protects the body from free radicals.so to get adequate anti-oxidant nutritions you should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.The free radicals and cigarettes are extremely dangerous. smoking destroys collagen and elastin. It also decreases o estrogen levels in the body, which keep the skin firm.It also causes lung cancer ans bad breath.

5. Apart from creams and treatments, your skin should get enough nutrients from food. The balanced diet helps your skin look younger. If you're not taking any multivitamin, start now to keep your skin happy.

Avoid refined sugar and booze as much as you can.

6. Sleeping Beauty- Your skin needs time to repair itself. This happens while you sleep. If you sleep less than 6 hours a day, you will have sagging skin and puffy eyes. Make sure you get 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily .

7.Watch your weight.Crash dieting and weight loss is a bad news for skin.With sudden weight loss or gain skin loses its elasticity over time.

8. Ditch coffee and soda.When it comes to skin, nothing works like plain H2O(water). Water cleanses  out toxins and prevents breakouts and ageing. So drink lots of water, coconut water or lime and mint water(WITHOUT SUGAR). Cut the intake of caffeine and aerated(soda) drinks. Moisturise your skin so that it remains hydrated in and out!

9. Treat Zits- pimples affect the skin of the majority of  teenagers.Consult your dermatologist and use cream that contains benzyl Peroxide to kill acne causing bacteria.

- Make sure you wash your face twice a day with a mild soap.

- Do not pop the pimple.

- Always wash your hands before touching your face.

- Keep your hands and nails clean and keep you nails short.

- Keep your hair clean and keep it away from your face.

- Use only nonceomedogenic or nonacnegenic make up products. You can find this on the product label.

- Protect your skin from sun exposure.

10. Stress is one of the major ageing triggers. It causes your cells to age faster and leads to collagen degradation. Meditate for at least 10-15 mins daily in the morning and do two to three yoga sessions a week .This will help you to relieve from stress.