Jevnache Taat

Jevanache Taat

A festive Maharashtrian meal can be very elaborate. It contains arrays of different vegetables, pulses, sweets and salads. The order in which the thali is presented is also given utmost importance. When arranging a meal, consider thali as a clock, the number 12 position is salt, to its left is a lemon wedge, and then to the left are array of chutney,pickels,(loncha) and salad koshimbir. To the right side of salt are different vegetables like paatal bhaji (vegetable curry),paale bhaji (leafy greens), suki bhaji (dry stir fry), usal (sprouts),amti (daals). Cooked white rice is molded in a small mound called bhatachi mood, with a bright yellow plain daal (varan) annointed with a dollop of clarified butter (toop).
There may be another variety of spicy rice dishes like masale bhaat. There could be two three types of chutneys typically a green chutney and tamrind,jaggery chutney. Koshimbeer – raw salads generally paired with roasted peanut powder (daanyache koot) and flavored with either lemon juice or a plainyogurt based koshimbeer. Mattha – a spiced buttermilk is always served with such an elaborate meal along with a variety of sweets like jalebi, shrikhand, modak, puranpoli etc. There could also be some fried crispies like bhuji (fritte rs), kothimbeer vadi or papad or saandge & Kurdaya.
If the meal is for any religious festivities, onions and garlic are avoided. I have eaten elaborate meals during weddings and big family functions. There are some other mandatory rituals before actually eating the meal as well. You need to pay your respects to food which is considered poornabramha – God. My grandfather used to recite the following Marathi prayer:

Kitchen Vastu

LOCATION OF A KITCHEN:

• First Preference: South-East corner.
  
• Second Preference: An alternative choice is the North-West corner.
• Avoid: North-East is not preferred in most parts in India.
  

DOOR POSITION TO THE KITCHEN:

• Preference: In the North, East or in the North-East corner of the Kitchen.
• The door should open in a clockwise direction.

WINDOW LOCATION IN A KITCHEN:

• The ventilators and larger Kitchen windows should be in the East direction.
• The smaller windows can be in the South.
• There should be adequate provision for cross ventilation.

COOKING STOVE POSITION:

• The cooking stove is best placed in the South East.
• One should cook facing East as much as possible.
• The stove should not be visible from the outside.

KITCHEN SINK POSITION:

• The ideal position for the location of the Kitchen sink is in the North East.
• The cooking gas and the washing sink should be kept away from each other.
• Water taps should not be in the corner.
• There should be no leaking taps in the kitchen.

WATER FILTER LOCATION:

• The water filter and drinking water should be stored in the North East corner. 

ELECTRIC APPLIANCES LOCATIONS:

• The Refrigerator can be placed in the North-West or the South-West.
• Electrical appliances like microwave can be put in the South-East corner.
• Exhaust fans in the eastern walls in the South-East corner. 

KITCHEN STORAGE:

• No overhead storage cupboards, or shelves above the the cooking stove.
• It is useful to have overhead storage in the rest of the areas.

EATING IN THE KITCHEN:

• According to Vastu, the Kitchen is the best place to have the daily meals.
• If there is a dining table in the kitchen, it can be in the North West corner.
• Avoid a dining table in the center of the room.

COLORS IN THE KITCHEN:

• It is good to have a lot of green color in the kitchen. For example green granite for flooring or green pictures, as this helps improve the appetite of the family members.
• Other suitable colours are soft pink and orange.

POSITION OF THE KITCHEN:

DIRECTION	POINTS
SOUTH-EAST	10
NORTH-WEST	9
EAST	8
WEST	7
SOUTH	6
NORTH	5
NORTH-EAST	4
SOUTH-WEST	3

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.