Indian Cooking - Tips and Tricks


TIPS & TRICKS


	A tasty Pizza can be made with a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, shredded capsicum, onion, chicken or beans and microwaved till the cheese is blubby. Serve with ketchup for a yummy snack. Chapattis reheated with a little water on the tava become as good as fresh. If reheated with oil they will be crisp. When boiling milk, smear ghee on the edges of the vessel to prevent overflow.
	While making dosas, put two tbsps of cooked rice into the batter. The dosa will flip over easily and will be crisper. If you want to keep any salad fresh for an evening party, first chill the bowl or tray in which you intend to serve the salad. Store mushrooms in paper bags rather plastic bags or trays. This stops them from becoming ‘slimy’ and prolongs their life. While boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the natural sweetness. While cooking cabbage, add a bay leaf. This will reduce the smell during cooking and also give a subtle flavor. While cooking mince, put a whole carrot in with the mince. The carrot will absorb the excess fat in the meat. Remove the carrot when cooked and cut up with other vegetables for soup or simply discard. To peel an orange or a tomato less messily, dunk it in hot water for a minute or two and then in cold water for the same amount of time. You will have an easy to peel orange or tomato. Place rolled ‘puris’ in the fridge for 10 minutes before frying them. They will consume less oil and turn out crisper.
	To boil a cracked egg, add some vinegar to the water and place the egg in it. The egg shell will remain inside. To remove seeds from lemon, just roll it on hard surface applying a little pressure from your palm. Now cut it, you will find all seeds coming out easily. When you prepare butter at home, you get buttermilk as a by-product. Boil this buttermilk at medium heat, and you will get paneer at no extra cost. Sprinkle some salt in a frying pan to prevent oil from splashing. Do not add salt to ‘rajma’ and ‘urad dal’ while boiling. It will take half the time to boil when salt is subtracted. While steaming fish, place a piece of cheesecloth at the bottom of the pan. The fish can be lifted out without breaking.
	Add a little sugar while frying onions; they will turn pink or brown faster. To make your omelettes more spongy and soft, add two - three spoons of milk to the egg batter and mix properly. If oil used for frying turns dark, add a teaspoon of white vinegar, cover with a lid and keep on slow flame. When the spluttering stops, remove the lid; the oil will have cleared and it can be strained and re-used. Soak two slices of bread in a cup of coconut-water and with half a tablespoon of sugar. Then blend and use the mix in your ‘idli’ or hoppers batter to ferment it.
	If you sauté sliced onions without oil, the moisture content in the onions will be reduced faster. You can then add a little oil to sauté the onions. This way, you tend to use less oil and your sautéing is faster.