Useful Kitchen Tips

Frozen Tomato Puree Cubes

•  While making Medu vada/Urad daal vada add 1-2 teaspoon ful of Rice flour. This makes the vadas crisp.
• Add a teaspoon of sugar to the dosa batter to get crispier and golden color dosas.
• When making stuffed Bhindi, Baigan, Sponge gourd etc. stuff the vegetables and keep at least for 6-8 hrs. in fridge . This will ensure that all the spices of stuffing gets seeped in the vegetable. The vegetable will tastes amazing.
• While making coconut or ground nut chutney add 2 teaspoon roasted urd daal. The chutney will taste super and texture will become silky.
• When making halwa add 2-3 teaspoon ghee after halwa is cooked. Switch off the heat and cover. This will give halwa a great flavor.
• While making cluster beans after cleaning break them into big pieces or cut into small pieces then boil them in salted water for 10 minutes. This will remove the bitterness of beans and the vegetable will also become softer and tastier.
• While making the dough of puri/samosa/gujiya use chilled water to make the dough, let the dough rest for an hour or so. The puri/samosa/gujiya will come out crisp but soft.
• Add salt in Bhindi/Lady finger sabzi add salt only after 5-10 minutes of cooking. By then the slimy thing dries up.
• Soak the garlic in water for 1 hr. before peeling them. This will ease the peeling of garlic.
• While making sambhar add 1 teaspoon rice to daal. It will give the sambhar a silky texture.
• While making paneer tikka add little corn flour or rice flour to the marinade. This will make the paneer tikka crisp.
• To store paneer, cut it to required pieces and in a no-stick pan sear it on both side to light brown color. Paneer will remain soft and nice for longer time in fridge.
• In season when tomatoes, lemon are available in plentiful and are less expensive, store them by freezing their puree/juice. 
• Lemons can be stored whole afetr good wash and drying them up.

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-to-preserve-lemon-juice.html

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/03/preserving-whole-fresh-lemons.html
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2014/02/how-to-preserve-tomato-puree.html

• While cooking onion for gravy or any vegetable add little salt to it , Onion wll take lesser time to cook.
• Place a folded tissue paper on the container base  and one on the top of the chopped onions, while storing chopped oinions. Strong smell and moisture will be absorbed by tissue paper. Change the top tissue paper after every two days if stoting chopped onions in the fridge for longer time.
• While storing peeled garlic place tissue paper on the base of container and on the top of peeled garlic. Sulphurish strong smell will be absorbed by the tissue. 
• Make gravy/gravy masala and store in freezer. It comes very handy when short of time or energy.
• When rice and urad daal is being soaked for #Dosa/#Idli add 1teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and grind them to paste along with soaked rice and daal. This will make idlies fluffy and dosa crisp. 

Chas /चास /छांछ (Indian cooling, Healthy drink made of curd)

Chas with Mint, Cumin powder and Lemon Wedge

Chas with Mint and Roasted Cumin powder

Lassi is the drink made from Curd and sugar. Sweet lassi is generally taken as cooling drink during summer season in northern part of India and is very thick. In whole of Southern India the meal is followed with either curd rice or butter milk (chas). Butter milk is another form of chas except that it is almost fat less as it is the sour milk left after removal of butter from whole cream milk. Chas is either taken without adding salt / sugar or is salted and seasoned. Whichever version of chas is taken it is extremely cooling, healthy and aids digestion. Makke ki roti and Sarson ka sag (vegetable made of mustard leaves) and lassi (Chas) is a combination which has become synonymous with Punjab (India). Makke ki roti (Indian flat bread made from unrefined corn flour/ corn meal ) in which spinach / onion / fenugreek / Dhania (coriander leaves) is added to the dough can be had with a dollop of butter and glass full of chas.
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/03/makke-ki-methi-wali-roti-indian-flat.htm

Chas is also very good to fight sunstroke and indigestion. My suggestion is if you are looking for a healthy, low calorie, refreshing drink then try chas for a change rather than diet coke etc.

Preparation Time: 5 min.

Making Time: 5 min

Servings: 500 ml. Chas

Ingredients required for making Chas:

• 500gm. Curd of 2-3 % fat milk

• 150 ml. water

• 5-6 sprigs of coriander leaves/ 10 to 15 leaves of fresh mint (Pudina) 

• 1 Green Chili(optional) 

• 1/4Teaspoon Black Salt

• 1/2Tea spoon salt

• 1/2Lemon

Directions for Making Chas:

• Wash and drain excess water from coriander (Dhania)/mint leaves (pudina) 

• Wash green chili

• Cut green chili and coriander sprigs finely.

• In a mixer-blender take

• Chopped green chili

• Chopped coriander

• Curd

• Blend to make a homogenous mix of curd, coriander and green chili.

Curd with coriander-green chili

Curd blended with coriander leaves and green chilli

• Take out the curd mixture in a jug.

• Add 250ml.water in small proportions, with continuous stirring.

• There should be no globules of curd in the mixture.

• Squeeze half lemon and add the juice to the curd, chili, and coriander and water mixture.

• Give a nice stir to mix the lemon juice.

• Add black salt and table salt.

• Stir to mix salt nicely.

• Pour in a glass.

• Sprinkle a dash of cumin powder.

Chas with Dash of Cumin powder and a Mint sprig

• Chas is ready to be consumed.

• Enjoy this Indian cool-cool healthy chemical free low calorie fat free drink whenever you want with meals, without meals or after meals.

Chas with cumin powder, mint and lemon wedge

Tips:

• Make your own curd at home rather than purchase from market. This will not only save money but will ensure the quality of curd also.

• Curd can be blended to smooth paste with the help of egg beater also.

• Coriander and green chili can be made to paste and kept in freezer and used in required amount as and when chas is being made.
• Always check hotness of green chili before adding. 

Suggested Variations:

• Curd can be made at home by

•  removing the cream from boiled cooled milk and reheating the milk with out cream to 35-40centigrade.

• Adding 2 teaspoon of curd/yoghurt in the milk mixing thoroughly.

• Cover and keep aside for 8-10hrs. Curd will be set.

• Mint leaves (Pudina) can be taken instead of coriander leaves. Pudina (Mint) not only changes the flavor but it also has anti-flatulence properties.

• Powder of roasted cumin seeds can be sprinkled before serving the chas.

• 1 Teaspoon sugar can be added to chas to give it sweet and sour taste.

• Seasoning can be added to chas.

• For seasoning

• Heat 1/2ml. cooking oil in a small pan

• Add

•  1/2Teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1/2Tea spoon cumin seeds

• 4-5 curry leaves (Kadi patta)

• When the seeds have spluttered and curry leaves have become crisp, pour the seasoning on the chas.

• Mix and serve in a glass with a wedge of lemon.

Khichadi / खिचड़ी (Indian Vegetarian Polenta)

Khichadi With Pomegranate raita and pickle

The word khichadi or khichdi in Hindi literally means mixing up two or more than two things so as the identity of individual thing is lost. In shot khichadi means hotchpotch.

For some unknown reason to me Khichadi is associated with sickness, food for people who are unwell. But a nicely cooked khichadi with vegetables and spices is tasty, healthy, nutritious wholesome food. I call it comfort food, because of the ease of cooking and wonderful taste.

Earlier I blogged sabut Urad Daal Khichadi,  https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2020/02/sabut-urad-whole-black-gram-ki-khichadi.html. Urad daal khichadi is slightly heavy to digest, but today the khichadi recipe I am blogging is not only tasty, nutritious but very light on stomach, thus can be had by one and all.

If khichadi is being made for someone suffering with fever, stomach ailment then chilies, veggies can be omitted.

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3 Generous servings

Nutritional Value of Khichadi made from Given Ingredients (Approx. values)

Energy:  750 Cal

Fats:  7.5gm

Carbs:  150gm

Protein:  39gm

Sodium:  165mg

Potassium:  479.75

Dietary fibers:  20gm

Sugars:  6gm

Iron

Calcium

Ingredients Required For Making Khichadi:

• 100 gm: Rice (I use small grain rice not basmati rice)
• 50 gm: Masoor Daal (Red Lentil)
• 50 gm: Dhuli Moong Daal (Petit Yellow Lentil)

Mixture of Red and yellow Lentil

• 50 gm: Carrot (1 Medium Size)
• 100 gm: Tomatoes (2 medium size)
• 100 gm: Onions (optional)
• 1: Medium size potato (optional)
• 1Teaspoon: Chopped/grated Ginger
• 4-5Pods: Garlic (optional)
• 2: Green Chilies
• 2-3 Teaspoons: Chopped Fresh Coriander
• 1/2Teaspoon: Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon: Red chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 Teaspoon: Cumin seeds
• 2Teaspoon: Ghee (Clarified butter)
• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Khichadi:

• Wash and soak rice in 200 ml. water.
• Mix Masoor daal (Red lentil) and Moong daal (Petit yellow lentil), wash till milky water comes out. Soak in 200 ml. water.

Mixture of Lentils cleaned and soaking

• Wash, peel and chop carrot and keep aside.
• Chop onion finely.
• Peel and chop garlic.

Chopped Vegetables

• Slit green chilies and remove the seeds.
• Heat ghee (Clarified butter) in a cooker, when the ghee is hot, add cumin seeds and slit green chilies. Let the cumin seeds splutter and chilies change the color.

Tempering Ready For Onions...to be added

• Add
• Onions
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cook on medium heat with constant stirring for 60 sec. The onion will chage the color to translucent and raw smell of garlic will be replaced by wonderful smell of cooked garlic and ginger.

Onion-ginger-garlic cooked 

• Add
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Cook on medium heat till tomatoes become mushy, It will take 2-3 mi nutes.

Carrots and Tomatoes cooked

• Sieve water from soaked daal and add daal to the vegetables in cooker. Keep water aside for further use.

Soake Mixture of Red and Yellow Lentils

• Cook with constant stirring for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
• Sieve soaked rice. Keep water aside for further use. Add soaked rice in cooker ans mix nicely.
• Cook on medium heat with constant stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Dal and Rice added

• Add
• Salt
• Chili powder
• Turmeric powder
• Mix nicely.
• Add water sieved from daal and rice. The measurement of water to be added is it should be almost an inch above from the rice+daal+vegetable mixture in the cooker. Use handle os spoon or fork for checking water level. Water requirement may change with different variety of rice. Use your judgement.

Spices and water added.

• Close the lid of cooker. Put the weight (Whistle) and bring the heat to high.
• Let the pressure be built in the cooker.
• Once the pressure is built bring the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool. Do not open when the pressure is yet inside the cooker.
• Khichadi is ready to be served and enjoyed with curd/raita, chutney, achar (Pickle), salad, and papad.

Khichadi

Mixed Daal Khichadi

Cucumber Pomegranate raita

Khichadi with Pomegranate Raita

• Garnish with fresh coriander to give that extra color and flavor.

Tips:

• Do not cook the onion till they turn brown, cook only till they become translucent.
• Less water will make khichadi dry and too much mushy pulpy. So add water carefully.
• If thick pulpy khichadi is required then add double the amount of water and cook for 3-4 minutes extra.
• Pour melted hot ghee over khichadi after serving. It adds amazing taste to khichadi.

Alternate suggestions:

• Vegetables like cauliflower, French beans, finely chopped spinach can be added along with tomatoes and carrots.
• Shallow fried Badi/Moongodi can be added before adding spices. Khichadi with badi/moongodi tastes amazing.
• Soaked nutri nuggets can be added to cooked onions before adding vegetables. This will increase the protein and dietary fiber content of khichadi.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-moongodi-moong-dal-badi.html http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2016/06/beetroot-raita-indian-savory.html

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/07/tomato-dates-chutney-thick-sauce-of.html