CURRY TIPS
* Cooked Curry? A Curry is cooked when you can see Oils seperating and settling on the surface.
* Cooked a Curry & It's too Chillie Hot. Just add yoghurt - it will cool it down.
* Plenty
of time? Cook your finest currie, let it cool and place in the fridge
for up to 3 days reheat and it will be 3 times tastier - don't believe
me - just try it!
Chillie Tips:
* As a rule red fresh fruit
are two or three times hotter than green fruit, and dried pods are up
to ten times hotter than fresh pods.
* The seeds and white pith of a chilli are the hottest part, so remove them if you don't want your dish to be too fiery.
* Chillies
contain a pungent oil that can cause an unpleasant burning sensation to
eyes and skin. Try to avoid handling them too much, wear gloves if
possible, and be sure not to touch your face or eyes during preparation.
* As a general guide the smaller the chilli the hotter it will be.
* Soaking
a chilli in vinegar has the effect of distributing the hot chilli
flavour through the dish. Discarding the vinegar and soaking again has
the effect of reducing the heat.
* When you use commercial curry powder, combine two or more brands - each has a different mix of spices.
* Salty
Curry? Not any more - peel a potatoe, cut it into two and add to the
curry - it will absorb the salt! Just remove before serving.
* Sticky Rice - no more - add a few drops of pure lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar to the rice before boiling!
* Tandoori
Chicken Marinade: For almost perfect Tandoori Chicken don't use
colouring - try Lime Juice, Paprika Powder and Turmeric mixed - rub
generously into the meat. Perfect!
* Curry pastes: Add a
teaspoon of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or chili,
along with salt to make it last longer and taste fresher. Also freeze
the excess in 1 tablespoon amounts in an ice cube tray. When you need
it, just pop out and put in pan.
* Yoghurt, paw paw and pineapple
are natural tendersisers. Hence they can be used to marinate tough cuts
of meat. Caution: Paw paw and pineapple can break the fibre very
quickly if used in large quantities.
* Sprinkle a bit of salt in the frying pan before adding chicken. It will cut down on the amount of grease splattering.
* Remove the stems of green chillies while storing them .This will help them to stay fresh for longer.
* 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.
* To preserve ginger-garlic paste : Fry them in oil before grinding and store in the same oil.
*
Soak some fenugreek seeds in water for sometime, grind it to a smooth
paste and add it to the dosa batter to get crisp dosas.
* If, for
any reason you wish relief from 'chillie burn', whilst you have been
eating - don't grab a drink of lager or glass of water! - just request
a glass of milk, or a lassie (a yoghurt drink) - this is the ultimate
cure!
* Before cutting vegetables or any meat, dip the knife in
hot water and you will be amazed to see the ease while cutting.
* If you are cooking cabbage add a small piece of ginger for a different and enhanced taste.
* If poppy seeds are used in grinding, soak it in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes before grinding in a mixer.
*
Masala tea: Lightly roast dried ginger, cardamom peels, cloves and
grind them. Store them in a bottle. Add to the boiling water with the
tea leaves.
* If you have added too much salt: According to the
dish you are preparing, you could add a few pieces of cooked potato,
breadcrumbs, cooked tomato, maida, rice flour or chilli powder to solve
the problem of too much salt.
* To make fluffy chapathis: Use warm water when kneading the dough for chapathis. Flip the chapathi over three times before you pour ghee/oil on it so that the chapathi is soft and fluffy.
* Always soak cauliflower in warm salted water for some time to get rid of tiny insects which may be hidden deep inside the florets.
* Making dosa - When you make dosa, grease the pan with an onion. It helps to get it crispy and remove from pan easily.
* Prevent Noodles from getting sticky - When boiling noodles, add some oil to it. It helps to protect stickiness.
* To get rid of bad smell from utensils - Wash with a few drops of vinegar.
* Want finely mashed potatoes? - Always mash potatoes when quite hot so that you get finely mashed potatoes.
* Want to chop finely mint/green coriander? - Use kitchen scissors instead of a knife to chop finely, green coriander, green chillies, mint or tulsi.
* Storing green chillies fresh - Wash and trim stem from each chilli and store in freezer bags. Will keep fresh for a number of days.
* Retain food values in vegetables: Wash well before chopping, slicing or dicing. Do not wash after they are cut.
* To prevent okras from sticking to pan: Add a spoon full of yogurt while cooking.
* To prevent potatoes from discoloring after cutting: Keep the chopped potatoes in water.Squeezing juice from fresh lemon: Dip lemon in hot water for a few seconds and then cut it. You will get more juice that way.
* If you have high blood pressure: Cook with low sodium salt and do not add raw salt at meal times.
* Add a handful of rice flour to bajji batter for crisper and less oily bajjis.
* Use tissue papers for reheating fried snacks. For example, samosa, vada, kachori, bajji, etc. The paper will absorb the excess oil and moisture and keep the snack crisp. Reheat on high for 1-1 1/2 minute.
*
Always use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to trim edges of bread.
Much neater and less messy edges as compared to those trimmed with a
knife.
* To make samosas crisper add some corn flour to the maida for dough.
*
If you are making potato or cauliflower curry and you do not want any
change in the colour, then do not fail to add a few drops of vinegar
for the natural colours to be retained even after cooking.
* If you are cooking cabbage, add a small piece of ginger for a different and enhanced taste.
*
To make fluffy chapathis: Use warm water when kneading the dough for
chapathis. Flip the chapathi over three times before you pour ghee/oil
on it so that the chapathi is soft and fluffy.
* To make fluffy pooris: Use a little ghee while kneading the dough.
* For coconut to break exactly into two, sprinkle some water on it before breaking.
*
While preparing sambar or rasam, always soak tamarind in hot water to
extract the essence easily without any wastage.
* To ensure that
the griddle (tawa) is hot enough before spreading dosa, sprinkle a
little water over it. If it sizzles immediately, then the griddle is
hot enough. Wipe with a clean rag, proceed.
* Add a tiny piece of crushed ginger to tea, while boiling, for the extra zing especially during winter.
*
To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool,
salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface,
throw it away.
* Don't store potatoes near onions! The Potatoes will rot quickly.
*
Yam fry: Peel the yam and slice it into thick squares. Wash it
thoroughly. Mix together salt, turmeric, chilli and coriander powder
with water and make a fine paste. Apply this paste on the yam slices.
Transfer it to a microwave-proof vessel and microwave it for four
minutes. Remove. Heat oil in a kadai. Fry cooked yam pieces till done.
* To remove the odor from the refrigerator, place half a lemon in the fridge.
*
To easily slice boiled eggs, dip the knife in water first. The slice
will be smooth and no yolk will stick to the blade.
* To stop
crying while cutting onions, after peeling the skin, keep the onions in
the fridge for half to one hour.Then cut.
* Before beating
eggs, rinse the container with water. The mixture will not stick to the
sides of the vessel.
* While cooking dal, add two to three drops
of oil and a pinch turmeric powder with water to cook it faster.
*
When you use cardamom for anything do not throw away the skin instead
put them in the teabox and your tea will start having the flavour of
cardamom.
* Putting a lemon in hot water before squeezing will give you more juice than usual.
* If you have vegetable stains on your hands rub a tsp of seasame seed oil on them, and the stains will go.
* Raw shrimp turns pink and firm when fully cooked. Depending on the
size, it should take from 3 to 5 minutes to boil or steam 1 pound of
medium size shrimp in the shell.
