Cooking with Curry

Many people who eat curry for the first time in an Indian restaurant find it difficult to understand why curry is so popular. They are a bit overwhelmed by trying a dish that is new to them but spiced for a person who already knows and loves the flavor of Indian food. The key is to start at home by adding small amounts of curry powder to foods you already know and like. Sprinkle on chicken or chops before cooking, scramble a bit with eggs, sauté with vegetables. Soon the whole family will love the flavors, and you can move on to authentic, but not too spicy, dishes like Balti, Tandoori, Saté and Rogan Josh. Finding new, quick ways to prepare the same food for the family dinner isn't always easy, and Indian cooking is some of the most delicious in the world.




Give it a try...

Spices

Regardless of region, spices are key ingredients in Indian cooking. The Indians are also mindful of the healing properties of spices in their cooking. These are derived from plant's roots, buds, seeds, fruits and dried bark which produce the exotic aroma. It is released when the spices are heated up. All these spices are all readily available in supermarkets.


Spices can be grouped into five basic categories : sweet, pungent, tangy, hot, and amalgamating. The way these are used and the amounts used in cooking are governed by these characteristics. Examples of the different types of spices are:


Amalgamating: Coriander seed, fennel seed
Sweet : Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla
Pungent : Cloves, star anise, cardamom
Tangy : Ginger, tamarind, sumach, kokam
Hot : pepper, chilli, mustard, horseradish

Removing Turmeric Stain

If you cook Indian food, you are bound to get turmeric stains on your clothes at one time or another. The good news is they're really easy to take out. Wash the stained clothes/kitchen linen immediately in cool water and soap. Dry in the sun and the stain will fade to a very pale pink. Wash the article again and the stain will be gone.

Hard Cook an Egg

Add Salt To Water..  

Egg white solidifies more quickly in hot, salty water than it does in fresh. So a little salt in your water can minimize the mess if your egg springs a leak while cooking. The egg white solidifies when it hits the salt water, sealing up the crack so that the egg doesn’t shoot out a streamer of white.

Palak Lasuni

Ingredients:

3 bunches spinach
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsps oil
pinch of hing / asafoetida
1 medium onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tomato
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
pinch of turmeric powder
3 cloves of garlic, minced and browned
puree of 2 tomatoes
1/2 cup plain beaten yoghurt
2 tsps cream
salt to taste

Method:

Clean and chop the spinach. Puree two bunches by blanching it and passing it thru the blender. Keep once bunch chopped, aside
Heat oil, crackle cumin and mustard seeds. Add asafoetida, ginger, garlic and green chillies
Add onions and saute till brown
Add chopped spinach and tomatoes and cook till spinach is done and tomatoes are mushy
Add all the powdered masalas and saute
Add spinach puree and tomato puree, yoghurt and cream
Bring to a slow boil
Garnish with browned garlic..

Serve with hot rotis and raita

Pooran Poli

Ingredients:

For puran-
1 cup chana dal (bengal gram) soaked for 2 hours,
1 cup jaggery,
1 tsp elaichi powder (green cardamom),
1/4 tsp jaiphal or nutmeg powder,
1-2 tsp ghee.

For the dough-
1 cup wheat flour,
2 tbsp whole wheat flour,
A pinch of salt,
1 tsp melted ghee or oil,
Water,
Oil for kneading the dough.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the dough except oil to knead a soft and smooth dough prepared for chapatis. When done, use oil to knead it more till it becomes very soft and smooth. Knead this dough with oily hands for 4-5 minutes till its elastic in consistency. Cover and keep aside for an hour or so.Cook the chana dal using very less water. When cooked, you can  Else you can cook this water along with the dal to prepare the puran (stuffing). In a non-stick pan, heat some ghee and drop in this cooked dal into it. Cook this dal stirring continuously till it thickens and all the water has dried up. Then add the jaggery to it. Mix well and stir continuously to form a thick puran. Add elaichi and nutmeg powder, mix well, remove from heat and let it cool at room temperature. Later use the  grinder to grind this dal till smooth but thick. Do not grind it for a longer time, since dal will liquefy and it will be really difficult to stuff it in the poli or roti.
Divide this puran into equal portions, and then make same number of small balls out of the dough. Stuff the puran into it, stretch the dough to meet its ends and seal. Use flour for dusting and rolling. Roll poli or roti out of it and cook on a tava .
Spread lots of ghee on it and serve with milk.

Sheera

Ingredients 

Sooji - 1/2 cup
Sugar - min. 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
1 cup water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi)
2 tsp of Raisins and Sliced Almonds

Method:

1. Mix sugar and water in a pan and heat the mixture over low flame. Boil and set aside.
2. Heat the ghee in a kadhai. Add sooji, raisins and cardamom powder(elaichi).
3. Fry until it is very lightly golden brown in color.
4. Constantly stir the mixture to ensure even browning.
5. Add sugar water (syrup) and mix rapidly to prevent formation of lumps.
6. Cook over medium heat until the water gets completely absorbed / evaporated.

Suhali

Ingredients
500 g all purpose flour ( maida )
1 tablespoon  oil
1 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )
1 tablespoon kasuri methi
1 teaspoon ajwain
Salt to taste
Oil for deep – frying


Method
1, Knead all the ingredients together into a smooth dough along with olive oil.
2, Cover the dough with a moist muslin cloth for an hour. Divide it into lemon sized balls and roll them into small discs.2-3 inches in diameter. 
3, Fold the discs into half and again fold them into another half giving them a triangular shape.
4, Heat oil and deep – fry the folded pieces till done and crisp. Serve with spicy mint chutney. Store in an airtight container.

Tip for Suhali : This can also be baked instead of frying. Pierce the triangular suhali with a fork before frying. This ensures that is does not absorb too much oil.

Kothambir Wadi

Ingredients

3 cups chopped coriander
1 cup besan
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
oil as needed
 salt to taste

Method

Mix gram flours, coriander leaves, chilli powder, turmeric powder, soda bicarb, and salt. add water and make a thick paste. Heat 2 tbsps oil and add to the paste. Grease a deep platter and spread the paste evenly. steam for 15 minutes in an idli steamer or pressure cooker, without using the weight. remove and cool. cut into diamond shaped pieces. Heat oil and deep fry these pieces.

Serve hot with green chutney..

Basundi

Ingredients
1 litre Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Chopped Dry Fruits
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder

Method:

• Bring the milk to boil in a pan and simmer it till it gets reduced to half.
• Add sugar and cook for some more time till it gets thickened.
• Now add cardamom powder and put off the flame.
• Allow it to cool. Garnish with chopped dry fruits.
• Basundi is ready. Serve chilled.

Coconut Ladoos

INGREDIENTS:
 [Makes 30-32 laddoos]

Condensed milk[Milkmaid] – 1 tin
Grated coconut – 4 cups



 METHOD:
Keep aside about 50 gms of coconut aside.
In a thick bottomed kadai,add the rest of the coconut and the milkmaid and mix well.
Cook on low flame for about 5 minutes.
When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the kadai,switch off the flame and transfer the mix to another bowl and let it cool.
Grease your palms with butter and make small laddoos.
Roll them in coconut and arrange them on a butter paper.

Golden Prawns

 INGREDIENTS:

Prawns 250gms
Chilli Powder 2tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4tsp
Garam Masala Powder 1/2tsp
Lime Juice 2tsp
Coriander Leaves 1 bunch
Ginger 1/2 inch
Garlic 3 cloves
Green Chill 1
Bread Crumbs 1 cup
Egg White 1/2 cup
Toothpick
Salt
Oil

METHOD:

Make a paste of  chilli powder,turmeric powder,garam masala,lime juice,coriander leaves,ginger,garlic,green chillies.Marinate Praws in the masala paste for 3 hrs.Now insert the tooth pick from top of the prawns till end length wise.Dip each prawns stick in egg white,and roll it over bread crumbs.Place it on the plate and continue the same for the remaining prawns.In a sauce pan heat oil  and place each prawn stick.Golden fry each prawn stick.

Serve with ketch up or mayonnaise.