COOKING TIPS

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COOKING TIPS

To cook firm and separate grains of rice for fried rice or biriyani the proportion is rice:water is 1:1.75, else it is 1:2. Add a little lime juice to half cooked rice, to make the rice whiter and a little oil to prevent sticking.
For crisper cutlets replace breadcrumbs with semolina for coating them, While kneading dough for puris add two to four tablespoons of semolina to make the puris crisper and keep them in fridge before frying for less oil consumption, also coating semolina for fish fry makes it crisper.
To make curds or yoghurt at home, mix one cup of milk with two cups of warm milk, 2 tsps curd and 1 tsp sugar and mix thoroughly and keep it in the oven overnight.
Before storing vermicelli or rawa, fry them until it turns light brown colour, lasts longer,instantly ready to cook and less time consuming.
Blanch almonds quickly, by microwaving them for 2 minutes or by soaking them in boiling hot water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and put into cold water and peel immediately. To crush nuts for desserts or garnishing easily without a mess, place the nuts in a self-sealing plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin.
Sprinkle some strands of saffron on the kheer,after pouring into individual bowls for a appealing look and any leftover kheer could be thickened more, oversweetened by further boiling and cooling, then setting the same in kulfi moulds or ice candy moulds.
Add a little vinegar and salt, while boiling eggs, for whiter eggs and faster coagulation. Peeling the eggs immediately after they are cooked under cold running water helps loosen the shell and easier peeling.
Grind for dosa or other batter much ahead of time, but add soda bicarb only before making to turn out crisp and light.
Water drained from paneer(whey). can be used to either knead chappati,naans and paratha dough for softer, tastier chappatis.
Add a little oil to the butter, when cooking to avoid it from burning and fumes rising.
Used lemon peels can be used for cleaning pressure cookers and heavy iron skillets just throw them in while pressure cooking allow to stand for sometime, before scouring gently with a soft steel scrubber and some dishwashing soap. They will come out very clean.
To prevent watering of eyes while chopping onions, keep them in water for a while after peeling else can be kept in the fridge for sometime.
Herbs such Coriander leaves(cilantro),Mint, parsley etc must be refrigerated in plastic bags after wrapping in napkin paper, so that they don't get soggy or dry.
Add cornstarch or arrowroot to cold water, mix until completely dissolved, then add to sauce and stir until desired thickness is reached.
To cut meat as thin as possible for a recipe, slice the meat while it is partially frozen.
If there is extra salt in a curry, add a peeled potato and cook. Remove the potato after a while, so that the curry may not be salty.
To retain color of peas, put them in a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over them until the color is right. Then immediately flood them with cold water to have green color peas and firm. .
Pierce a sliced onion with a long fork,dip it in oil and rub on dosa tawa (griddle) before spreading dosas to avoid the dosa from sticking to the griddle or tawa.
Use a napkin (tissue paper) for absorbing fat after deep frying snacks or draining your fried chicken.
If fish is to be stored after cleaning, marinate with salt, turmeric,vinegar before freezing as it enhances the taste while cooking.
Microwave for 1/2 minute or rub the lemon roughly against a hard surface so that you can get more juice. Add a few drops of lemon juice while preparing sugar syrup to get a clean syrup. The impurities will collect on the surface of the syrup which you can then remove.
Cut leftover bread into tiny cubes, bake croutons with herbs and flavors. Store in airtight container and add to soups just before serving.
For uniform size of biscuits, muffins, cupcakes, and cookies, use an ice cream scoop to apportion the batter or dough.
To clean the mixer/blender of any residual particles stuck under the blades or in the grooves, half fill it with water to which a few drops of liquid soap and an ice cube is added, and run the blender, It will be sprankling clean.
Dry fry spices like cuminseeds, pepper, coriander, chillies, cardamom, cloves, etc. on a griddle before powdering. The powdering will be faster and finer and done in a few seconds.
To keep chappatis warm for a longer time, cover the pile with two pieces of silver foil above and below in a tight steel container and leave it on a griddle that has been warmed.
To make creamier raithas and tastier raitha, add half a cup of fresh cream or grind a handful of grated coconut with yoghurt to the recipe of raitha.
Keep a steel scrubber exclusively to scrub potatoes, beets, carrots (underground vegetables)of mud, dirt, etc. for easier and faster cleaning from the crevices and curves of these vegetables.
For a smoothened icing for cakes and pasteries, use a knife dipped in hot water repeatedly until the whole icing is done.
When chopping nuts in a food processor, dust them with flour. This keeps the nuts from sticking to the processor.
If the Soup is too thin. Boil, Peel, mash and add the potato into soup.