Hornet stings - Home remedies

Last week as I was travelling home by train, I experienced a stinging pain on my wrist. When I lifted up the sleeve I saw a bee like insect stinging me on my wrist. I brushed the insect off my sleeve but had no idea how to reduce the unbearable pain or the swelling which was increasing by the minute. The half hour journey home felt like a few hours. That evening, I did some research about stings,and found a lot of useful information.I thought it would be a good topic to blog about.

Firstly, I found out that the insect which bit me is called a hornet. The hornet is from the bee family, closer to the wasp as it does not leave it's stinger behind. This means it can bite you again and again. That makes it more dangerous than a bee. The first thing you do when a hornet stings you, or even when you see one around you is get away from there.

Hornet stings contain poison, but it is usually quite small in amount.Unless you are allergic to wasp venom, the hornet's sting is not lethal. It would take about 500 hornet stings to kill a human child and 1000 to kill an adult. Also the hornet sting contains 5% acetylcholine. This is known to send pain signals to the brain. Hence the sting of a hornet is way more painful that that of a bee.

Let's talk of the remedies now:

Step 1: Get away from the hornet first. There may be more around or the same insect may return to bite you.
Step 2:  Check for the stinger. This usually does not happen but the hornet may leave a stinger on you. Check for a black stinger. DO NOT use tweezers. They may send the stinger further inside and increase the chance of venom getting in you. Use a sharp object or the edge of a credit card to slowly graze out the stinger
Step 3 : Work on reducing the swelling and numbing the pain. An ice cube can be put to use here. Apply an ice pack or ice cube wrapped in a cloth. This reduces the swelling to a great extent.

DO remember that the pain might take a few hours to reduce. If you feel that the swelling or pain is too much then it is good to get to the emergency room.

 Some more home remedies

A topical pain killer or pills like ibuprofen would work, but consult your physician before taking these.
A thick paste of baking soda applied on the sting/ swelling would reduce pain considerably.
Soak a small cloth in Apple cider vinegar or plain vinegar and apply to the sting until pain reduces.
The same thing can be done with lemon juice too
A freshly cut piece of potato, onion or cucumber held on to the sting reduces the pain
Olive oil can also be applied
Crushed parsley leaves applied topically also provide great relief

The next time some one around you gets stung by a hornet, you know what to do. Always remember to stay away from hives. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Chepala pulusu (Fish curry Andhra style)

 I have always loved eating sea food. My parents are from coastal towns and I seem to have inherited this love of sea food from them. One of my favourite dishes is chepala pulusu. Pulusu is a tamarind based curry. This dish is made in different ways across andhra. What I will blog today is the way it is made at my place.

 I am not much of an expert at selecting fish, but my mom says river fish taste great with pulusu. After living out of India for so long, I pick up whichever fish I can get in the frozen food aisle at the super market.

 To make the pulusu you need

Any river fish , 1/2 kilo ,Cleaned and cut to 2.5 - 3 inch pieces
Onions - 2 big, finely chopped
1 Tomato - pureed
3 green chillies, sliced
Tamarind - the size of a small orange
Ginger- garlic paste 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Dhaniya (Corriander seed) powder 1/2 tspn
Jeera (Cumin seed) powder 1/4 tspn
Corriander leaves 1/4 bunch, chopped
Garam masala 1/4 tspn
Sugar a pinch
Oil 1-2 Tbspn

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds 1 tspn
Curry leaves 6-7
Green chillies 3 , sliced
Methi (fenugreek) seeds 5-6

The method:
Soak tamarind in water for a few minutes. Take pulp of the tamarind and keep aside.
Apply salt,red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, and jeera powder to the fish and keep aside. If you are worried that the fish might break while cooking, heat the oil in a pan, and lightly roast the fish for a few seconds, remove and keep aside.

In the same pan, add the mustard seeds, after they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves, slit green chillies and methi seeds. Add the chopped onions, stir until transparent. Now add the ginger garlic paste,keep stirring, do not let it burn.

Add the fish pieces to the pan, add the tomato puree, do not stir or the fish might break. Cover the pan and cook at medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the puree is cooked. Now filter the tamarind pulp and add the liquid. Cover the pan and cook at medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid and add the garam masala, sugar and carefully shake the pan to allow the masala to mix in the curry. Now add a little red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, jeera powder and salt, shake again. Add the remaining green chillies (you can add one if you do not like spice), corriander leaves. If you feel the curry is too thick for your liking, add a little water to dilute. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes.

This tastes great when served with hot rice.

Anupama Rao - Talent of the week

 I mentioned in an earlier post that I do not have to look far while scouting for talent. How true!! This weeks talent is Anupama Rao, who is family. Anupama is a jewelry designer based in New Jersey.

  Anupama has been designing jewelry as a hobby since a long time. However she started designing for personal and commercial purposes about three years ago.  To improve her craft and to master the finer techniques used in stringing, beadwork & beadweaving, all Anupama needed was a week's training.

 She says she is inspired by the environmental conditions around her and sometimes even by the feedback of her friends and customers about her pieces. Not all her work stems from inspiration, some pieces just come to life in her hands or some fun with colours may turn out a into a beautiful piece.

Anupama's favourite style to work with is stringing/beadwork mainly using beading wire or artistic craft wire & chains. She says she is not a fan of beadweaving but does use the technique when the piece calls for it.

 Anupama extensively uses Crystals (Swarovski, Czech & Celestial) & Pearls (Swarovski, Czech & Cultured Freshwater) in her work as she loves these kind of beads. Below is one of her creations with this material

 

 

Till today Anupama has created necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bookmarks, anklets, watches, and eyeglass holders. Her pieces are customized based on what her clients want.

When we asked Anupama about her plans for the future she said "I'm not looking at my jewelry-making expertise as my source of income in the long run, but mostly as a medium of sharing my creativity with others around me & as a de-stresser, besides being busy with my other day jobs & chores."

If you want to get customised jewelry, now you know where to go :)

Painting on Glass

Glass painting is one of the easiest forms of painting where your sense of colour plays a stronger part than your painting technique.
There are many types of colours available in the market but the easiest to use are the water based tubes used with a liner tube.

To paint , clean the glass well so that there are no traces of oil or dust. Lay the glass on a plain table , place the design under the glass. Trace the outlines of the design with the liner. Allow the liner to dry for a few hours. The liner stops the colors from flowing out of place.

Once the liner dries start filling the colours in place. Squeeze the tube gently and avoid air bubbles. Once the design is complete, leave aside to dry. Once the painting is dry, turn it around and display

The same techbique can be used on projector plastic sheets. Instead of using the liner, a marker pen can be used.

Vegetable Manchurian- Dry

 Most people I know love Chinese food. But, I wonder how many of them ever had Indo-Chinese food. Indo Chinese is the Indianised version of Chinese dishes mostly sold by street vendors but also available in many restaurants. Many Indians believe this is authentic chinese food. Show it to a Chinese and he would probably not recognize the dish at all.

 One of my favourite Indo- Chinese dish is Vegetable Manchurian. There are two versions of this dish, wet and dry. Today I will post the recipe  for Dry Vegtable Manchurian.

 For this you will need :

• Grated Cabbage 1 Cup
• Grated Carrot 1 Cup
• 1 Stalk Chopped Spring onion
• 2-3 Chopped Green Chillies
• 1 Tbspn Corn Flour
• 1 Tbspn Soya sauce
• 1 Tspn Pepper Powder
• 1 Tbspn Garlic Flakes
• A pinch of ajinomoto
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tspn sugar
• Oil 

Method :

Squeeze out the water from the grated cabbage and carrot and mix them well. Ensure that most of the water is out or else it will be difficult to keep the shape intact. In a mixing bowl, add the squeezed carrots, cabbage, corn flour , salt and green chillies. Mix well.
Make small balls out of this mixture. There will be no need to add any water to this mixture. I usually make fist sized balls as I have super tiny hands, the usual size is about that of a kofta.
Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the balls until golden brown. Drain and take out into a tissue lined bowl to absorb excess oil. Keep aside.
Heat another pan and add 2 Tbspn oil. Saute the Garlic, some more green chillies, ginger and spring onions and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the vegetable balls and stir fry for a few minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add soy sauce and sugar. Mix well and cook for two minutes.
Garnish with spring onions and corriander

Pot/Vase paintings

 When I was in college, I had a fetish for pots and vases. I used to collect containers of various sizes, shapes and materials and turn them into vases.

Here's a collection of a few vases I had made during those years.

 Marbling has always been one of my favourite techniques of painting terracotta pots. This technique is so called because the final effect reminds us of the patterns on marble stones. I use oil paints while painting terracotta pots as it adheres well to the surface. In the above picture there are two pots that have been painted with this technique. The first one from the left has been painted in blue on a base coat of white, giving it a porcelain effect. The second one from right has been painted brown on a base of yellow, giving it a more earthy feel. For this technique, paint a terracotta pot with more than one coat of paint for the base color. Leave a time gap of a few hours between the coats. Leave to dry, Once the pot is completely dry, fill a container big enough for the pot to submerge in it. Add a few drops of contrasting oil paint to the water. Swirl the water , submerge the pot in the water and swirl it in the direction of the water. An elegant yet abstract pattern is formed on the water.

 The second technique that I have used is embossing using dough/clay. On the second basket from left and the third pot from right, this technique has been used. Here I have used epoxy putty to make various fruits: I mix both the pastes in the epoxy putty kit and mould it into strawberries. These strawberries have been stuck on to the middle of the basket . A few grooves have been made in the mould to represent the seeds of the strawberries. Similarly bananas and cherries have been made for the pot. This has to be done very quickly as epoxy putty dries at room temperature. Once this dries paint the basket/ pot with a base color and pain the fruits as well.

Another favourite vase of mine has been bamboo. I used to cut bamboo poles to 12-10 inch pieces.  These bamboos can be painted with various techniques.

One more technique is the flow technique. I mix a little glue to a color contrasting to the base coat. I drip a little color on the pot and and turn it in various directions so that the paint flows in the direction that the pot is bent in. This creates and abstract design.

Sunni undalu

 Mom is visiting us and we have an abundance of sweets to eat. But my favourite has always been sunnundalu, made with urad dal.This is a simple but delicious recipe.

 For these you will need

 Urad dal (Blackgram) - 1 Cup
 Powdered Sugar - 1 Cup
 Elaichi (Cardamom) powder - a pinch
 Ghee (Clarified butter) - 1/2 cup


Dry roast the urad dal in a heated pan until the lentils turn a coppery color and a beautiful fragrance emanates. Keep aside to cool. Powder the lentils and mix the powdered sugar and elaichi powder to this.

If you want the sweet to be crunchy make a rough powder, if you like the sweet to melt in your mouth, make a fine powder.

Now heat the ghee until it melts. Pour the hot ghee into the powdered mixture and make round balls. Melt in your mouth, delicious Sunni undalu are ready to eat.