COOKING MADE EASY

Hello All...

Today i would like to share some cooking made easy tips with you all. modern women find cooking a very tedious job as they have very less time to spend in kitchen.the following tips would help you in saving time as well as making tasty food.


Garam Masala Powder:
Ingredients:
4 cloves
4-5 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
7 peppercorns
1 bayleaf
Ghee(clarified butter)
Method:
Roast each of the above till they turn aromatic.
Powder to a fine powder using a coffee grinder and use as required.
This will keep well for months in a airtight container.
You can make a larger quantity of this byusing the above ingredients in the same ratio.

Chutney spread:
1/2 cup grated coconut ,4 red chillies or 1 tsp red chilli powder
1 long bean tamarind
2 flakes garlic
1 tbsp. groundnuts
salt to taste
Grind all ingredients together to form a firm chutney. Use very little water.This chutney can compliment all types of dosas,idlis/vada/can also be used as sandwich spread.
Rasam Masala:
Masala Ingredients
Black Pepper 1 tbsp.
Chana Daal seeds 2 tbsp.
Coriander Seeds 2 tbsp.
Red Chillies 4-5
Asafoetida(optional) 1 tsp.
Dry Coconut (grated) 3 tbsp.
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Masala Preparation:
· Roast black pepper, chana daal, coriander, and asafoetida.
· Add chillies when daal starts getting red.
· Blend the daal mixture and coconut until the powder is fine. Store in airtight container.

Mangalore Rasam Powder(Recommended rasam powder):
Ingredients:
Red chillies - 1 cup (broken into small pieces and tightlypacked).
Dry coriander seeds - 1 cup
Gram dhal - 2 tablespoons
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek - 1/2 teaspoon (methi seeds)
Hing - a pea size lump or 1 teaspoon hing powder.
Curry leaves - 3 sprays.
Method:
Break up the chillies along with the stalks into smaller pieces(to enable easier powdering). Heat oil in a kadai and fry on a slow fire, the hing and the fenugreek seeds till light brown in
colour. Add coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds,gram dhal and curry leaves and fry for about five minutes on a slow flame till it is well roasted and you get a lovely aroma. Remove
from flame and allow to cool. Powder fine and bottle it. This powder can be used for 2-3 months.
Use the chillies along with the stalks - as the stalks also have the potency of the chillies, and also provide fibre for the body.
Basic Curry Sauce:
This sauce can be used for all the vegetables.
Ingredients
· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
· 1 medium onion - finely chopped
· 4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
· 1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the garlic)
· (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chillies - de-seeded and veined then chopped
· half teaspoon turmeric powder
· half teaspoon ground cumin seed
· half teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 tablespoon concentrated tomato puree
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high.Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Stir for 30 seconds then put the heat down to very low.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the spices or the sauce will taste horrid - sprinkle a few drops of water if you're worried.
Take off the heat and cool a little. Put tsps of cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and whizz until very smooth. Add the tomato puree and stir.
Put the pureed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very low heat stirring occasionally. You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown. The final texture should be something like good tomato ketchup.

This can be stored in the air tight container in refrigerator for 7-10 days.use it as and when required.
Curry Powder:
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Coriander seeds, 3/4 cup Bengal gram dal, 1/2 cup Black gram dal ,3/4 cup Red chilies ,2 tsp.Asafetida powder(Optional), A small lemon sized Tamarind ,3 tsp Oil ,Salt according to taste
Method
1.Roast dry the coriander seeds, Bengal gram dal and black gram dal.
2.Fry the red chilies in 3 tsp. of oil. Mix all the ingredients together and powder them.
3. Store the powder in an airtight container and use when required.
Dough Making:
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta) or as per consumption. Water to knead A pinch of Salt 1tbsp oil (optional)
Method
1. Mix all the ingredients except water. Add a little water at a time and make soft dough.
2. Pat and knead well for several times. The Dough should be neither too thick nor too losing.
3. Keep it for 20-30 minutes before using and cover it with wet muslin cloth.

How to Fold & Roll Parantha/Chapati/ Puri:
Parantha : Stuffed layered Indian Bread
Folding Part : Divide the kneaded dough into equal balls. Make two small balls from the dough & roll out each small ball into 4" diameter. Now put a little oil on one rolled out ball & spread your filling generously on the greased roll and put the other one on top. Press the edges to seal and pat between the palms of both the hands to seal the filling.

Rolling Part: Take a little dry flour in a dish/plate, dust your roll out ball with some dry flour and carefully with the help of an rolling pin roll it into a big parantha say 6" in diameter.

Frying part: Put the tawa (griddle) on fire, when it gets hot, put rolled out parantha on it and let it cook on both the sides and keep trickling some ghee or oil from the sides to get crisp edges. When it is brown take it off the tawa & serve hot.

Chapati OR Roti: It is the basic bread & the staple food of IndiansIt is very easy. Divide the kneaded dough into equal balls. Dust each ball with some dry flour and with the help of an rolling pin roll it into a disc shaped roti say 5" in diameter.

Cooking Chapati: Put the tawa (griddle) on fire, when it gets hot, put roti on it and let it cook on both the sides. ORyou can also try this method Cook on Tawa(griddle) for half a minute and then on direct flame till puffed and cooked. Serve hot with some ghee clarified butter on it.

Puri: Deep fried puffed Indian bread.Divide the kneaded dough into equal balls. Now take some oil in a small bowl, apply little oil to the ball & roll it into 4" diameter.Frying part: Heat oil in a pan OR kadahi. Fry Puris in this hot oil until golden brown in color. Serve hot.

Simple Dal:
Ingredients
1 cup Moong dal, 2 cups water,1 onion,1 1/2 tbspghee,1/2 tspsalt.
Method
1. Wash the dal in water. Drain and add fresh water. Add salt and cook till it reaches boiling-point.
2. Boil for 15 minutes, lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Slice the onion and fry in the ghee. Add to the dal, stir and serve.