Freeze Your Roti Dough

This tip is for those who find it really difficult to knead the dough for roti every day. I do find it difficult to knead each day! Yes because I have other chores to do - not because I need to take some “more” rest. Kneading every day doesn’t fit into my routine. Keeping in mind that there is no alternative of a home made roti, I tried to freeze the roti dough. And it went perfect. So am sharing that tip.

As you generally do, put dry flour (whole wheat flour has much more nutrition than plain or all purpose flour) in your kneading pot. Put 6 times the amount of flour than you need for one day cooking. I knead in a very big flat surface pot (tasla). The tip for freezing the dough is that you will pour a little amount of vinegar into it. Due to the antibacterial properties of vinegar, the dough won’t get bad in taste or smell as you freeze it.  Fruit vinegar is the best but synthetic vinegar can also do the trick. You just have to sprinkle vinegar on the dry flour. Mix with fingers to make sure the vinegar has mixed evenly in the entire flour. Now add water and follow your usual steps of kneading the dough to your desired texture. I usually get non-sticky, not too hard dough after kneading a couple of times.

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After kneading the dough, make six equal portions of it. Remember you have prepared 6 times the amount that you need for one day rotis. 3 portions put together an air tight plastic container & put into the refrigerator. Remaining 3 portions put in another air tight plastic container. Put it into freezer. For three days use the dough that is in the refrigerator. 

On the third day you have to take out the dough container from the freezer & put it immediately into the refrigerator. Leave it there whole night untouched. On the fourth day, at the time of cooking roti, take out the dough that was once freeze, now it’s in the refrigerator. Now it’s perfect dough for next three days. If you are smart enough & with more practice, you can increase the amount of dough, like you can dough for 8-10 days once.

This small time saving spares time for your passions, challenges, & productivity instead of just being productive inside the kitchen.        

See also: Nutritious Roti Dough

Written by,

Engr. Ayesha AlamKhurram

AAK’s Tried & Tested Tips: Seven remedies for runny nose, sore throat & phlegm

We dwell in an environment that caters dust and environmental pollution which triggers runny nose, sore throat & phlegm on frequent basis. Too much dining out, bakery items & confectionery, artificially prepared drinks & fizzes, and store bought traditional dishes which contain unhealthy fats & extra spices; adds on to the top and cause allergies & ENT problems that seem to be taking over the affected person day in & day out. Also, lack of health & fitness awareness leaves the body in vulnerable position for ever growing & powerful bacteria & viruses.       

Under this helpless situation people take antibiotics, vaccination (such as flu jabs), and other self-medication for these symptoms. These remedies severely harm our immune system. It is almost impossible to cure these symptoms with such medications. Don’t medicate yourself for such symptoms. This is extremely irregular procedure to cure a reoccurring symptom like this. Medication can only fight a single generation of bacteria that cause these problems. Another generation of bacteria develops with in as soon as next 20 minutes. This is the reason why every now and then people have these symptoms despite over doses of medicine and antibiotics (See also: Five Reasons Why Antibiotics Don't Work). Due to medication, a person doesn’t feel to eat much that causes bad health. The best way to fight such bacteria is health. Not eating food is not the solution!

We should boost our immune system to cure the symptoms of runny nose & sore throat. Here are few tips; if we do these regularly we can prevent to some extent the symptoms of runny nose and sore throat. We have to follow these tips as a precautionary procedure before the worst conditions occur.   

Lemon: Generally if you get sore throat, lemon is on the top of not eating list. But actually lemon has vitamins that are best to treat sore throat. Include freshly squeezed lemon in your diet. Be it in a glass of water, salad, or even curries it works.  

Honey: Honey is one of the most precious treasures that nature has given us. Use it on regular basis to treat nose & throat symptoms. Eating half teaspoon to one teaspoon after consuming lemon works best. Mix honey & powdered black seeds (kalonji) in a jar and have  1/2tsp before bed.

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Fruits & vegetables: They provide vitamins for a healthy body. Oranges, apples, cucumber etc. are best intake for general health, for good body detox, and for nose & throat symptoms.

Warm water gargle: Either put salt in it or not, it really works. Do it before going to bed regularly and you will feel a boost in your throat & nose immune system.

Cloves: Cloves are natural antibiotics. There are many ways to get benefit from cloves. Put a few in curries while cooking. Put one or two in the honey pot and consume honey from that. Put cloves as one of the ingredients while making tea or soup especially in winters.   

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Cinnamon: It also is an antibiotic. Use it same ways as cloves and it will improve your immunity of nose & throat conditions.

Desi qehwa: Having qehwa not only clears respiratory tract but also helps reach your fitness goals. In a cup of water add ginger piece, mint leaves, clove & cinnamon. Boil. Add honey & lemon drops. Let it cool a bit. Enjoy!

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Kalonji oil & mustard oil: Apply kalongi oil in & around nostrils before bed. Also on forehead. Mustard oil can be infused with garlic or as it is. You can apply it on throat, chest, & back. After application, it’s better to cover those parts with cloth. Not covering also works. Believe it to know that applying mustard oil under the feet sole before sleeping is very helpful. You can wear socks over it on winters. If you feel hot, you can leave uncovered as well, it does work. 

Cure your body's system tips by,

Engr. Ayesha Alam Khurram