Indian Cooking Tips

Tips for Cooking with Onions:-

1. How to cut an onion without crying ? Indian food requires a lot of onions sometimes. Use sweet onions. Peeling  and  cutting under running water, chopping near a gas flame, and refrigerating onions before chopping, all methods for reducing the volatility of the sulfide that causes the irritation. 
2. Try Cabbage instead of Onion : If anyone does not like or want the strong taste of onion, you can use cabbage in the recipe for the same taste and good recipe. 

Tips for Cooking Rice :- Wash the rice a few times until the water runs clear. Remove all the water until no water remains. Let it sit for 20 minutes.  This will remove all the starch and help the rice to remain separate. Also adding a few drops of lemon juice to the rice while cooking, you will find that the grains of rice will tend to remain separate. Retaining the "whiteness" of white rice : While cooking rice add a few drops of  lemon juice. The  color of the grains become bright white. Reheating left-over Rice : Refrigerate leftover cooked rice in a well-sealed container. Reheat cold rice with a sprinkling of water in a microwave oven or in a covered pot over low heat.  Left over rice is great to have on hand for stirring into soups and broths and for making fried rice — it's perhaps the world's best vehicle for turning leftovers into something fresh and new.

Methi Pudina Khakra Recipe

Ingredients

• For Khakras:
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi
• 1/2 tbsp dry pudina (mint powder)
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Method

• Sieve flour and salt.
• Add all the ingredients
• Knead a soft pliable dough.
• Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Divide portions into 1/3 size of pingpong balls.
• Mould into a pattie, roll as thin as possible (wafer thin is good).
• Use dry flour for dusting while rolling.
• If you are not very fast, spread a clean bedsheet and put each round on it, as you roll.
• Finish with all the dough.
• Heat griddle and roast each round on it, lightly, on both sides.
• Apply some ghee, rubbing two rounds against each other to coat both on one side. Pile up, and cool for 10 minutes.

To make the khakras:

• Put one semi roasted round on warm griddle.
• Use a thick, kitchen towel to press.
• On low flame, press and roast, lightly moving it on griddle in a circular motion.
• When one side is light golden and specky, flip and repeat for other side.
• Repeat with all rounds. Pile onto a cloth as done.
• Cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container.
• Serve with any chutney or just with tea /coffee

Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups Mixed Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• 2 cups Seedless Grapes (red or green)
• 2 crisp Sweet Apples
• 3 Peaches or 6 Apricots
• 2 Bananas (sliced thin)
• 1 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (3 Valencia oranges)
• Nutmeg (optional)

How to make Fresh Fruit Salad:

• Chop blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, apples, peaches and bananas.
• Place them in a large bowl and mix gently.
• Empty fresh orange juice over the fruit and stir.
• Refrigerate until chilled.
• Remove and serve with a dash of nutmeg.

Kuttu Aloo Ke Pakore

Ingredients:

·      Kuttu Aloo Ke Pakore 1 cup kuttu ka atta

·      Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

·      1/4 cup finely cut coriander leaves

·      3 medium sized potatoes

·      1/2 tbsp black pepper powder

·      1/2 tsp vrat ka salt

Method:

·      Boil the potatoes whole till they are half cooked.

·      Add salt, pepper, and the coriander leaves to the kuttu ka atta and mix well. Mix water slowly to get a smooth batter without lumps.

·      Keep mixing the batter till it achieves a cream like consistency.

·      Cover it and set it aside for about 20 minutes.

·      When the potatoes are cool enough, take off the peel and slice each one into diagonal slices like French fries.

·      Heat the ghee or oil for deep-frying in a deep pan.

·      Make sure the heat is moderate and not very high.

·      Dip each potato slice into the prepared batter till the potato slice is covered fully.

·      Drop the potato slices into the hot ghee or oil one at a time.

·      Put in as many slices as your pan will accommodate but make sure they all are float on the surface of the oil without being bunched up together.

·      When one side becomes golden in colour, turn and fry on other side till golden brown.

·      Drain on tissue paper to remove excess oil.

·      Serve immediately with coriander chutney.

Singhara Burfi

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Singhara Flour (water chestnut flour)
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1/2 cup Khoya
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder

Method

• Stir-fry flour in ghee in a heavy pan to a light pink color over low flame
• Transfer immediately to another vessel after frying.
• Stir-fry Khoya in the pan till there are no lumps and it is of light pink color
• Mix cardamom powder and flour to it
• Set aside for cooling
• Make thick syrup by boiling water and sugar till it is of thicker consistency (One can check for the right consistency by putting a drop of syrup in cold water. If it forms a soft ball than it is of right consistency)
• Remove the pan from flame
• Mix the syrup immediately to the Khoya mixture, stirring vigorously to blend it well
• Grease a plate and transfer the mixture to it
• Level it and let it cool
• When cool and set, cut into pieces, using a sharp knife
• The Burfi is ready to serve

Seyal Phulka (left over Rotis in Garlic tomato curry)

Ingredients:        

 " 3-4 tbsp Oil

 " 6 - 7 roties

 " A bunch of Fresh Green Coriander Leaves

 " 1 inch Ginger

 " 2 tbsp Garlic (chopped)

 " 4 Green Chilies

 " 1 Onion (medium sized)

 " 2 large Tomatoes (chopped)

 " 1 tbsp Dry Coriander Powder

 " 1  inch Turmeric Powder

 " Salt to taste

How to make Seyal Phulka:

•        Put coriander leaves, ginger, chopped garlic, green chilies and onion in a blender and grind to a shredded form. Do not turn it to a paste.

•        Heat oil in a kadai or a large frying pan.

•        Add the ground wet masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, tomatoes and salt. Mix well and cook for 15 minutes on low flame.

•        When the oil starts separating from the masala, add the sliced pav or bread. Turn the sides of the bread to coat it with the masala properly.

•         Lower the heat to minimum, sprinkle little water and cove the pan with the lid.

•        When the bread turns soft, remove the pan from fire.

•        Serve hot with papad and onion rings.

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Sindhi Koki

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups - Wheat Flour

Oil

Salt to taste

2 - Onions

4 - Green chilly

Coriander Leaves

METHOD:

Finely cut the onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. In a large bowl, take the wheat flour and add the finely cut onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Add salt according to the taste to the mixture. Add 5 tbsp of oil to it.

Mix all the ingredients properly. Add water and knit the dough properly. Make sure that the dough is not too soft. Keep the dough aside for sometime.

Make round and slightly thick rotis (koki) out of it. Put the roti (koki) on the pan, and cook it on a low flame. Add some oil or ghee, when you change its sides.

Serve it with curd/ pickle/ chutney.