COOKING TIPS
- To prevent moong dal halwa from
sticking to the pan, fry one-tablespoon flour in the pan before preparing the
halwa.
- Knead the leftover rice with cumin
seeds, chilli paste and salt. Then press out ‘chaklies’ through a ‘chakli’mould
and dry them in the sun. Store in an airtight container. Deep fry in oil and
serve as a crispy snack.
- Pressure-cook the tomatoes with salt
to taste. When cool, churn them in a mixer and strain the juice. Deep freeze the
tomato juice in an ice tray. Store the juice cubes in a box or plastic bag in
the freezer. Use them to make tomato soup, vegetable, gravies, etc. when you’re
in a hurry or have run out of tomatoes.
- To preserve lemons for long, coat
them with coconut oil and refrigerate them in an open container.
- While making ‘chole’ grind two-tsp.
of the raw soaked ‘chole’ the paste and adds to the gravy to thicken
it.
- Wrap bananas in a newspaper and
refrigerate them. They will remain fresh longer.
- To prevent ants from attacking nuts,
place a black peppercorn in the container.
- If you are falling short of coffee
decoction, add a teaspoon of cocoa powder or any chocolate flavoured powder for
a delicious espresso taste.
- Blend leftover veggies. Add
gramflour, chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and caraway seeds.
Knead into a dough and make delicious, nutritious ‘parathas’.
- Knead the flour with warm milk if
you want ‘puris’ or ‘parathas’ to remain fresh longer while
travelling.
- Used coffee powder and tea leaves is
good for cleaning greasy vessels.
- Wrapping ‘papayas’ in paper will
help them retain their freshness and last longer.
- Add a tablespoon of curd while
cooking lady fingers to prevent them from sticking.
- When you are using curd in a gravy,
add a teaspoon of cornflour to it to prevent it from curdling.
- After you finish making ‘paneer’,
don’t throw away the remaining water. Use it while kneading chapati dough or
making a soup. It not only adds to the taste,but is also very
nutritious.
- Add three or four drops of vinegar
while cooking green peas if you want them to retain their natural green
colour.
- Mushrooms should always be
refrigerated in a paper bag.
- Wash fruits and sprinkle a few drops
of lemon on them before storing. They will remain fresh for a long
time.
- Add a little powdered lemon rind to
a pudding or desert to avoid eggy smell.
- Boiled eggs will last longer if you
store the shelled eggs in a bowl of cold water and refrigerate.
- If you want to make crispy potato or
banana chips, sprinkle salt water over them while frying.
- If your curry turns too, salty,
garnish it with same grated coconut mixed with cumin powder.
- Dal will cook well if you add a
little sesame oil while cooking it.
- Add a pinch of sugar while cooking
spinach and it will retain its green colour.
- Soak almonds in warm water for a
minute if you need to peel them quickly.
- To prevent butter from melting
during long journeys or picnics, put the packets in a flask along with a few
ice cubes.
- For thick curd, add a little cornflour paste to the milk while setting it.
- Homemade cottage cheese will remain
fresh longer if you wrap it in blotting paper before
refrigerating.
- To peel potatoes easily after
boiling them, replace the hot water with ice cold water so that you can do the
job without any discomfort.
- Place the chapati dough in a clean
milk sachet in the refrigerator. It will remain soft for long.
- Soak a block of ‘paneer’ tied in a
muslin cloth in ice water. You will get ‘paneer’ that is similar to the one you
get in the market.
- If you want to extract the last bit
of ghee from a packet, deep freeze the packet, cut open on two sides and slide
the
ghee easily into a container.
- Make sure the oil is sufficiently
hot before you put in food for frying. Cold oil tend to soak in the
food.
- Use buttermilk instead of butter to
prepare a gravy.
- Make chappatis, pancakes, cakes and
muffins with whole flour (available in package form).
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