Cooking tips - Part 7

There are several such tips which i myself was surprised to see when i started writing it down.

To check More, Click Cooking tips - Part 1
                                  Cooking tips - Part 2
                                  Cooking tips - Part 3
                                     Cooking tips - Part 4
                                 Cooking Tips - Part 5
                                     Cooking Tips - Part 6



121) Add pinch of sugar while cooking palak to retain green colour.

122) Add little milk while cooking cauliflower and cabbage to retain white colour. 

123) Apply oil before roasting tomato and Brinjal. It helps to remove skin easily.

124) Adding peanut powder or ajwain or kasuri methi improves taste of cabbage.

125) Soak palak leaves in sugary water before making palak paneer.

126) Apply salt to methi bhajji before cooking and after 10 mins squeeze the extra water.It reduces bitterness.

127) Adding sugar or lime juices speeds up the cooking of potato. 

128) Stuffed Brinjal, bitter gourd and bhindi tastes great when peanut powder is added to stuffing.

129) To prevent bhindi from becoming black add aamchur powder while cooking.

130)  Add 1 tbls of fruit jam to a glass of cold milk, blend well and a quick delicious fruit shake is ready for your kids.

131) Add 2 tbls pickle masala, 2 tbls pickle oil and a pinch of salt to a cup of wheat flour to make delicious achari poori's for breakfast and as a travel food.

132) Add 1 tbls leftover pickle masala to regular subzi to make achari aloo, achari bhindi, achari brinjal or any dry curry of your choice.

133) Add kiwi fruit, green apple, oranges, berries or any sour or over-ripe fruit to make coriander chutney more nutritious.

134) While making coriander chutney, add a few nuts of your choice to make it more nutritious and to increase its shelf life.

135) If you have added too much chilli powder in a gravy, then add some curd, lemon juice or 2 t.s ghee to it for balance.

136) If your gulab jamuns turn out hard, don't worry; just put them in the pressure cooker with sugar-syrup and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat and then serve warm with a smile.

137) While making potato chips, mix some alum powder in the water and soak the chips in it before boiling.

138) While grinding red chili powder, add a little mustard oil to it to get a bright red colour.

139) It is much easier to grind small cardamom if you add some sugar to it while grinding.

140) Add 1 tbls gram flour in semolina to make your sooji halwa delicious.



 To check More, Click Cooking tips - Part 8

Masala Chai powder

Ingredients:

Pudina powder - 1/4 tbsp
Ginger - 1/2 tbsp (powder)
Cardamom - few
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Cloves - 4
Pepper - 10
Nutmeg - small piece (Optional)
Tulsi powder- 1/4 tbsp (Optional)

Method:

1) Crush all the ingredients using hand motor.


Note:

1) Take 1 inch Ginger and grate to add to the tea, instead of dried.
2) Fresh mint(4 leaves) and tulasi (4) leaves can also be used.

Basics

Cooking sona masoori rice
Tamarind Pulp Extraction
Slice and Eat Star fruit
Potato Sagu powder
All about Rice
Mint flakes
Urad Dal Powder
Sprouting Fenugreek
Ellu Bella
Cooking Basmati Rice in Pressure cooker
Cooking Basmati Rice in Pan Over stove top
Cooking Basmati Rice in Rice Cooker
Cooking Basmati Rice with excess water over stove top
Spicy Tasty masala powder
Homemade Paneer
Apple jam
Instant jalebi
Strawberry jam
Kale Puree
Spinach / Palak Puree

Cooking tips

Some of the tips i had been following, learnt from my mistakes, from my grandmother, mother, mother-in-law, husband (yes, you heard it right), and online friends.

Click on the link to follow most useful tips for everyday cooking.

Cooking tips Part 1
Cooking tips Part 2
Cooking tips Part 3
Cooking tips Part 4
Cooking tips Part 5
Cooking tips Part 6
Cooking tips Part 7
Cooking tips Part 8
Cooking tips Part 9

Rava idly in microwave

Ingredients:

Chiroti Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup (Broken)
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 medium (finely Chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch
Salt - as required
Curd / Yogurt - 1 1/2 cup
Hing / Asofoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves / Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Baking soda - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan,  add 1 tbsp of ghee and add chiroti rava and fry until golden brown
2) Follow the simillar process to fry chana dal, cashew, Mustard, green chillies, ginger. Add this to the roasted rava
3) To this add hing, salt, chopped coriander leaves, baking soda and mix well.
4) Mix well and add the amount of curd mentioned. Keep the batter aside for 5 mins.
5) Take the bottom part / base of the microwave idli maker, add 3/4 water to it and microwave it for 1 min.
6) Smear the idli tray with ghee / oil.
7) After 5 mins, add the batter to the idli tray and stack them in the bottom part of the stand which we microwaved with water for over a min.
8) Close the lid and microwave it for 5 mins.
9) Once done, leave it for 2 mins and then yummy idlis are ready to be served.

Rava idli taste good with potato sagu, chutney.

Note:

1) Ghee can be substituted with oil.
2) Refer my post on how to make Restaurant style potato sagu.
3) Semiya idly can also be made
Refer - http://princessncooking.blogspot.ca/2015/03/semiya-idli-in-microwave.html
4) Add water if necessary, but make sure its as less as possible and yogurt is more.

Khara bath - Spicy Upma using Cracked wheat

Ingredients:

Cracked wheat - 1 cup
Green chilies - 3
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp 
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp 
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp 
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp 
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp 
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Salt - As required
Onion - 1 medium
Water - 2 cups
Vangi bath powder - 1 tbsp
Vegetables of choice - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped cilantro / coriander - 2 tbsp

Method:

1)  Heat the oil in a pan and add the urad dal and mustard seeds.
2) When the seeds crackle, add jeera, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilies and onions and sauté on a medium flame until soft.
3) Meanwhile, in another pan, add the  Cracked wheat and saute on a medium flame till light brown in color.
4) Add chopped vegetables one by one separately and fry until done.
5) Add all powders, salt, and mix for a min.
6) Add water and let it boil. Once the water starts boiling, add roasted Cracked wheat slowly and stir well when adding.
7) Cook until all the water evaporates and Cracked wheat is cooked.
8) Add coriander leaves, coconut and mix well.
9) Add lemon juice and mix well. Turn off heat.

Khara bath is ready to be served with pickle or coconut chutney.

Paneer peas rice

Ingredients:

Shredded paneer - 1 cup chopped

Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium (Optional)

Cumin / Jeera - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Hing  / Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp

Vangi bath powder - 2 tbsp

Salt - as required

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp (Optional)

Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Garlic - 2 cloves

Green chillies - 4

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Rice - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Ghee / Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Wash rice and make rice with sufficient water. Keep this aside.

2) In a pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, chana dal, urad dal, hing until it turns golden brown.

3) Add green chillies, ginger, garlic, onion and fry until golden brown. 

4) Now add  peas and fry until done.

5) Now add shreded paneer and fry for some time.

7) Now add turmeric, red chilly powder, vangi bath powder, salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Turn off the heat.

8) Once the rice is cooked, add lemon juice, masala and mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Yummy Paneer peas rice is ready to be served.

Note: 

1) Peas is optional.
2) Tomato / tomato paste can also be added for extra flavour.
3) Paneer can be replaced with Tofu .