| Boiling
Pasta & Noodles |
Boil
pasta/noodles in plenty of water and remove just before it is fully
cooked. They continue to be cooked even after it is removed from flame and
drained. |
| French
fries |
First
blanch cut potatoes in hot water or medium hot oil till tender, then
deep-fry in very hot oil till crisp. Take care not too add too many
potatoes at once to the oil. This causes the temperature of the oil to
come down and you will end up with fries that are greasy, not crisp! |
| Retain
the green of vegetables |
Green
vegetables lose colour if subjected to continuous heat. So, do not
overcook them. |
| To
avoid stickiness in Rice |
Add a
few drops of lemon juice to the rice while cooking, you will find that the
grains of rice will remain separate. |
| For
crispy lady fingers |
Add a
few drops of lemon juice while cooking for a crispy taste. |
| For
crispy Pakodas |
‘Pakodas’
will turn out crisper and tastier if you add a little cornflour to the
gramflour while mixing the dough. |
| Ladyfingers
will not stick to the vessel |
Adding
a spoonful of curd to the ladyfingers while cooking while ensure that they
do not stick to the vessel or turn black. |
| To
thicken gravies |
Roast
groundnuts and sesame seeds and powder them. This can be used to thicken
gravies. |
| Serving
Boiled Noodles later |
If
noodles/pasta has to be used after some time, then refresh the boiled
noodles in cold water and drain. This way they will not stick to each
other. |
| "Carrot"
burfi |
Adding
a cupful of grated carrot or beetroot to the coconut while making burfi
will give you "natural" colouring and nutritional benefits. |
| Making
potato cutlets? |
When
boiling potatoes for cutlets add the salt to the water itself as potatoes
absorb salt better this way. |
| To
remove excess oil in any fried vegetables |
Sprinkle
a little gramflour over the vegetables. Gramflour absorbs the excess oil
and makes the vegetable tastier. |
| Curry
turned out a bit oily and pungent ? |
Take
two bread slices and powder them coarsely. Add this to the curry and mix
well. Bread absorbs the excess oil and spice. |
| Hurry
to cook 'dal' ? |
Add a
little oil and turmeric powder to the dal before placing it in the cooker.
It will get done in 10 minutes flat. |
| Boil
potatoes faster |
Peel
and cut potatoes and boil them in water to which a little vinegar is added
. They will be done in no time and will retain the texture as well. |
| Use
coconut milk for frying |
Coconut
milk when kept overnight in the fridge, forms a white layer on top. This
layer can be used as fat instead of oil for frying mutton or chicken. |
| To
roll out bhatura easily |
Roll
out each ball of dough into a small puri and cover with a damp cloth. When
you want to serve roll each 'puri' into a larger size. Keep it covered.
This way it will be easier to roll out the bhatura. |
| Prevent
onions from burning, frying |
Add a
little milk to onions while frying, this will help retain a rich colour
and prevent them from burning. |
| Cook
pulses like chana etc. even if you have forgotten to soak them overnight |
Just
put the chana in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready
for cooking. |
| Soft
paneer for children |
After
taking out the butter in the milk cream add a little milk or curd to the
remaining buttermilk and boil. Voila! you now have a soft paneer which is
specially good for small children and those with weak stomachs. |
| Instant
Lemonade |
Pour
lemon juice with sugar and a little salt into ice trays, to make cubes
which can be used for instant lemonade. |
