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| "Zaiqa"-the taste |
| 1.To make the fried onions crispy & very nice brown in colour,soak the sliced onions in cold milk for 15 min & then deep fry them in hot oil. 2.To make stewed pineapple for desserts- cook the chopped pineapple adding very little water.When liquid dries up, add sugar enough to taste.Stir till all sugar dissolves & then add a final touch of a tsp of butter. 3.To prevent the dry fruits from sinking to the bottom after baking in fruit cakes, just coat the dry fruits in little maida before adding it to the cake batter. 4. Some egg-white tips-Always use clean & dry beater & bowl for beating egg white.There should be no trace of oil ,yolk or water drops in the bowl or beater.Add a pinch of salt or cream of tartar (these acts as rising & stabilising agents)to egg white while beating.In recipes where sugar is to be added to the egg white,add the sugar after beating the egg white stiff & also add in small quantities to maintain the beaten air in it. 5.To make home-made paneer-Boil milk & add little lemon juice/vinegar/curd into it.Stir well & strain the mixture through a muslin cloth.Squeeze the extra liquid from the paneer & place in a container with lots of perforation,keep some heavy weight over it.After 30 min,you will get a nice solid paneer. 6.After frying the paneer cubes ,soak them in hot water to which little salt has been added for 10 min.Then squeeze the water out & use in gravies.This makes paneer really soft & more tasty. 7.To make tomato puree, first blanch the tomatoes (make 2 crosses on the bottom of the tomato with knife & then immerse them in hot boiling water for a min.Then remove its skin). Then puree them in a mixer, till really smooth.If required you can strain them, to get a very clear puree.You can pour them in ice-cube trays & freeze to use instantly later. 8.To preserve coriander, mint leaves etc for longer time in fridge-wrap them in a muslin bag & then refrigerate.This will keep them fresh & green for longer time. 9. Gelatine know-how:- Gelatine is an excellent setting agent and is easy to use. Always dissolve gelatine in hot liquid before use.It is usual to soften or 'sponge' the gelatine in a small amount of cold water first, then heat the mixture until completely clear.Any undissolved gelatine is liable to form unpalatable threads in the finished dessert. Sprinkle the gelatine onto the liquid (usually water or fruit juice) in a small heatproof bowl.Set it aside for 5 min until the gelatine expands and acquires a spongy appearence.Melt the gelatine by placing the bowl in a saucepan of hot water, stirring until the gelatine dissolves. 10.To make home-made khoya:-Take 3 cups of milk powder in a bowl.To this add enough fresh cream or nestle cream (1 tin),so as to form a smooth dough.You can add little ghee to avoid dough from sticking on to ur palms.Cover & keep side for 15 min.Then tie the dough in a muslin cloth & keep it in a small bowl.Heat a pressure cooker with little water & keep the bowl containing dough in it.Care should be taken that the water level should only be upto half the height of the bowl & not more than that.Cover the cooker & put the weight.Cook till one whistle is heard.Then reduce heat & cook for 10 more minutes.When cooker cools down remove the dough from it.Break the dough & you will be able to see a very fine net-like texture formed inside it.Crumble the dough & you get very fine home-made khoya that can be used in all kinds traditional indian recipes. 11.Take equal weight of ginger & garlic.Make a thick paste of it by adding little water in a grinder.Add enough salt & a tsp of oil to it.Store in airtight jars in freezer for future use.In this way, the paste remains fresh for longer time. 12.To make home- made chocolate:- 1.Always use cooking chocolate to get better texture. 2.You can vary the percentage of dark & milk chocolate used to get different level of smoothness in final product.Milk chocolate increases the softeness of the final product , while dark chocolate increases the hardness of final product.Normally one can use equal quantity of both milk & dark chocolates to get a balanced effect.Other option is to take 75 % of milk chocolate & 25 % of dark chcocolate, to give a more milky taste. 3.Always melt the chocolate in a very clean dry , preferable aluminuin or heat proof glass bowl. Never melt the chocolate directly on the flame. Always melt it over a pan of boiling water? (double boiling method).Take care that bowl containing chocolate should never touch the boiling water below. While melting chocolate , cover the bowl with aluminium foil. 4.The most important point is not to over heat the chocolate, as this would destroy the texture & taste of the final product. Remove it from heat , as soon as it melts. Transfer onto a flat surface & smoothen it using a palette knife, till u get a smooth & shiny texture. 5.Dip any filling of your choice in it & allow it to set, or pour it into chocolate mould to get different shapes. 13.Some onion tips:- To prevent �onion tears� keep the onion submerged in a bowl of water before peeling and cutting them. This is a true way of preventing even the suspicion of a tear. To remove the smell of onions from your hands & knife, rub them with a little salt or lemon rind and then wash. Onions should be stored in a loosely woven bag with good circulation of air. High temperatures and humidity causes sprouting and decay of dry onions. To speed up the browning of fried onions, add a trace of sugar. To remove the skin of small madras onions, soak them over-night in water. The skins can be removed easily the next day. 14.To deseed the dried apricots :- Warm the apricots slightly in oven & deseed immedialtely, the flesh of the apricots comes off easily from the seed. 15.Some idli tips:- 1.To get soft idlis, mix the batter very well adding salt to it & ferment it overnight. Dont mix it after its fermented & pour into moulds & steam it. 2.You can use idlis instead of paneer. Just fry them & use it in place of paneer in gravies likes paneer mutter, palak paneer etc . 16.To make bread crumbs:- 1.Take left over bread slices, put them in a mixer & mince them. 2.Place the minced bread in a baking tray & bake at 150 degree C until it becomes crispy & becomes golden yellow in colour. 3.Store in airtight container. 17.To make fine short-crust pastry :- 1.First mix all dry ingredients uniformly. 2.Most of pastry recipe requires fat in cold state. 3.Rub in cold fat (butter/ margarine) into the dry ingredients till whole mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. The more finer the bredcrumb state, the more quality of your pastry will be. 4.Always add cold water to finish of the dough making process. 18.Beware of substitution while making cookies:- 1.Semi- sweet chocolate blocks and chocolate chips are often not interchangeable. Semi sweet chocolate blocks are to be used melted, so these melt smoothly and are fairly fluid. While chocolate chip are designed to hold their shape when heated, so are usually stiff when melted. 2.Butter and regular margarine are sometimes interchangeable; butter and tub-style, light or diet margarine are never interchangeable. 3.Granulated sugar and brown sugar are rarely interchangeable. Brown sugar is moister, heavier and coarser than granulated sugar, so it will also change the cookies texture. 19.To make vinegar last twice as much, divide the vinegar in two bottles and add water, which has been boiled. After a week it will come up to full strength again. 20.Whipping up fresh cream If cream does not whip properly, add some white of egg and it will beat up really fluffy. One egg white is enough for two cups of cream. 21.Grade of olive oil:- 1. Extra-virgin olive oil-the best grade of olive oil. It�s unprocessed. It will have the most intense flavour and is usually the most expensive. Reserve this for dipping, drizzling or salad dressings. 2. Virgin olive oil-also unprocessed. This type of oil is still quite flavourful and can be used for dipping and salad dressing . 3. Pure olive oil- a blend of refined and virgin olive oils. It adds flavour and colur. Its milder than virgin olive oil and great for cooking and saut�ing. 22.Coconut milk when kept overnight in the fridge, forms a white layer on top. This layer can be used as fat to fry mutton or chicken instead of oil. 23.Some mango tips: - Cook a cup of ripe mango cubes with little water for few minutes until it�s soft. Add � cup of sugar (you can add sugar according to your preference). Cook well until the mixture becomes thick and reaches jam like consistency. Add � tsp of cardamom powder for that special twist in the taste. Cool the jam and store refrigerated in an airtight bottle. 24.Fried onion paste/ brishta For making fried onion paste or brishta(as it is called),slice 3 onions and deep fry until golden brown in color. Grind into a smooth paste adding � cup of curd. 25.Do not throw away the syrup from canned fruits. Add some cornstarch to it and cook till it thickens, add some flavouring and use it as a sauce with cakes or puddings. 26.Boiled onion paste :-Peel, wash and roughly cut onions. Put in a handi, add bay leaves, cardamom and water, bring to a boil, simmer until onions are transparent and the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a blender and make a fine puree. The onion- water ratio is crucial to this preparation. Excess water will mke a thin puree and if the water is not enough, the onions will remain uncooked and in all likelihood the lower layer will stick. The correct ratio is 5:1. 27.Some cake basics:- Creaming and whisking are two main methods for making cake. 1.The ingredients must always be handled with care and should be at room temperature before you start. 2. Incorporate as much air as possible while beating or whisking. Then lightly fold in additional ingredients by hand. 3.Cakes generally cook best in the centre of a preheated oven. Check the racks are in correct position and that the temperature is correct before placing the cake inside. 4.Avoid opening the door once the cake has started to bake until at least three- quarters of the cooking time has passed because sudden draught will cause unstable structure to collapse. 4.For a layered cake that needs a smooth, flat top, cool the cake with the base- side uppermost. 28.Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called Bromelain, which helps in digestion. Bromelain dissolves protein, therefore pineapple should be boiled to deactivate the bromelain before adding into milk, custard or gelatin to prevent them from curdling. |
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