Everyday Vegetables, Shop No 5, No. 5 Rangarajapuram main Road, Subramaniyan cross street, kodambakkam, Chennai (2026)

16/10/2017

Butter Murukku-Easy Butter Murukku Recipe-Chakli Recipe
This is a very easy and simple murukku recipe. The good thing about this murukku is that you can use store bought ordinary rice flour. You do not have to prepare rice specially by soaking it, drying and then grinding it. Believe me, no elaborate procedures, just mix everything and make delicious and soft murukkus in a matter of few minutes.Today we will learn how to prepare Butter Murukku following this simple recipe.

Butter Murukku
Murukku with a cup of hot chai
Easy and Simple Butter Murukku Recipe

Prep time - under 10 mins

Ingredients needed

Rice flour - 1 cup
Fried gram flour* - 1/2 cup
Melted ghee - 3 tsp
Salt needed
Hing/asafoetida - a generous pinch
Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Grind fried gram or chutney kadalai to a fine powder and sieve it. Take 1/2 cup (flat) of this flour and keep it ready.

Sieve rice flour also.

Grease the murukku maker.

Method

In a bowl, mix together rice flour, fried gram flour, melted ghee, salt needed and hing.

Sprinkle water and make a soft but stiff dough. (It should not be too soft nor too hard). Check for salt by tasting the dough.

Simple butter murukku recipe

Heat oil in a kadai, add a small bit of dough, if it raises to the surface immediately, then the oil is hot enough for frying the murukkus. You can reduce the flame to medium now.

Using a single star disc, squeeze murukkus as shown in the picture above either on a plastic sheet or on the back of a slotted ladle or on a small plate (seal the end of the murukku after squeezing) and then gently slide 2-3 murukkus into the hot oil.

how to make butter murukku

Fry both sides until golden brown and remove from oil. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough. Store it in an air tight container once it cools down.

This is a very easy murukku recipe which does not need any prior preparation. Do try it and give me your feedback.

Note - If you are an expert, you can squeeze murukku directly into the hot oil.

If you are preparing more than 1 cup, do not mix everything. Prepare dough in batches.

*Fried gram is know as Pottu kadalai in tamil, Varutha Kadala in Malayalam, Putanalu pappu in Telugu and Bhuna Chana in Hindi.

No flour mill in your place, then prepare this murukku

16/10/2017

Murukku-Thenkuzhal Murukku-How to prepare Murukku

Thenkuzhal murukku made with home made murukku mavu/flour and also how to make murukku flour at home with step wise pictures.

Thenkuzhal Murukku
Prep Time : 10 mins (excluding murukku mavu preparation)
Cook Time : 30 mins
Yeilds: 30-35 murukkurs
Recipe Category: Snacks
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients needed
Raw rice - 4 cups
Urad dal -1 cup (whole white ones and not the split variety)
Oil - 1/4 cup or Butter-50 grams
White sesame seeds or Cumin seeds -2 tsp
Asafoetida -1/2 tsp
Oil for deep frying murukkus
Salt needed

Preparation

How to make murukku flour at home

Soak raw rice for 2 hours, wash it and dry it well in the sun or shade.

Fry Urad dal till you get a nice aroma or until slight golden brown.

Mix both, give it in the flour mill and grind it to a fine powder.

Sieve it twice and keep it ready.Now our murukku mavu/ flour is ready.

Method

How to make murukku

Mix murukku flour, cumin seeds, asafoetida, salt (mix salt in a little water and add) in a bowl. Heat oil (1/4 cup) and add to it. Mix well.

Add hot water little by little and prepare a soft firm dough. Knead well. The dough should not be too hard nor too soft.

Make murukku with the murukku machine using the plate with 3 round holes.

Put a small portion of dough into the murukku maker and squeeze it out in a circular motion on a ladle or small plate.

Heat oil and gently slide the squeezed out murukku into the oil.(To check if the oil is hot, just drop a small piece of murukku dough into the oil, if it raises to the surface immediately, it is an indication that the oil is hot).

Turn the heat to medium and fry the murukkus both sides until golden brown. Remove it with a slotted ladle and drain on a paper towel (note - bubbling sound stops when the murukku is done)

Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. After it cools, store it in an air tight container. It has a self life of 10-15 days.

Enjoy preparing this Thenkuzhal Murukku for this Diwali

Note-

Those who are trying it for the first time can half the ingredients mentioned above.

You can use either butter or oil for preparing the dough. I have used oil as I feel the murukku stays fresh for a longer period.

For murukku with sesame seed flavor, add sesame seeds and for cumin seed/jeera flavor, add jeera seeds. Do not add both together.

16/10/2017

Mysore Pak-Soft
Mysore Pak Recipe-Deepavali Special

Mysore Pak is made of generous amounts of ghee (clarified butter), sugar and bengal gram flour.This mysore pak is not the authentic mysore pak which will be slightly hard but this is the soft mysore pak which is some what similar to what we get in Krishna sweets.Unlike the authentic version, this is very simple and can be prepared by anyone.Today let us learn how to prepare Mysore Pak following this easy recipe.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients needed

You can use any cup for measurement for this recipe.

Bengal gram flour/kadalai mavu/ besan -1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 3/4 - 2 cups
A tray greased with ghee

Preparation

Sieve besan and dry roast it until slightly hot to touch. Spread it on a paper and let it cool.

Keep all the things ready including the greased tray.

Method

Melt ghee and keep it over a bowl of water in low flame as the ghee should be hot while adding.

In a pan/kadai take sugar, add just enough water to cover the sugar.Let the sugar dissolve.Then boil sugar syrup until it reaches the one string consistency stage.

What is one string consistency? - take a little sugar syrup, cool it and stretch the syrup between the thumb and index finger, if it forms a thin string, it is the correct stage.

How to make mysore pak

When the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency, add the besan little at a time stirring continuously. Keep the flame in medium.Once it thickens slightly, add ghee, a little at a time and stir continuously without stopping.

How to prepare mysore pak

It will start bubbling and when the besan mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan, remove from flame and pour it into a greased tray or plate.

How to prepare soft mysore pak

Allow it to cool. After it cools a little, cut into desired shapes. Then remove the pieces gently after it is cooled completely.

mysore pak recipe

This mysore pak was very soft, tasty and melted in our mouth. How about preparing this easy mysore pak recipe for your near and dear ones this Diwali.

Important points

Use fresh ingredients only. Avoid using old stock bengal gram flour.

The whole process should be done in medium flame and stirring continuously is very important.

Another variation :

Instead of 2 cups of ghee, you can use 3/4 - 1 cup of ghee and 1 cup of refined oil.

After roasting besan slightly, mix it well with oil without any lumps and add it after the sugar reaches one string consistency. Rest of the procedure is the same.

13/10/2017

Javarisi Vadam-Sago Vadam

Prep Time : 10 mins
Cook Time : 50 mins
Yields: 100 vadams
Recipe Category: Sidedish/Snacks
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients needed
Javarisi/sabudhana (mavu javarisi) - 4 cups
Water-2 + 18 cups
Green chillies- 12-14
Salt needed
Fresh Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Hing- 1/2 tsp
Any plastic sheet for drying the vadams

Preparation

Buy sago specially sold for making vadams.

Add 2 cups of water to the sago, mix well and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Next Day -

The sago will be fluffy and would have swelled a little the next day.

sago for making vadams

Grind green chillies and salt needed (I used a little more than 2 tbsp of salt). Add 1/2 tsp of hing/asafoetida to it and mix well. Keep this aside.

Method

Take a heavy bottomed vessel or preferable a cooker, boil 18 cups of water. Add 2 tsp of oil to the water.

preparation for javarisi vadam

When water comes to rolling boil, remove from flame, add the sago gradually with one hand and keep stirring with the back of a wooden ladle with your other hand. If possible, ask someone in the house to add sago while you can stir it continuously.

Put it back on flame and cook the sago on low flame until it becomes transparent. Keep stirring now and then to prevent the sago from getting burnt or getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Keep 1 or 2 cups of warm water besides you. In case, if you need more water, you can add, as water differs according to the quality of sago used. The final mixture should not be too thick nor runny.

Once cooked, remove from flame, close the cooker, put the weight and let it remain for 30-40 minutes.

After that open the cooker and let it cool completely. (you can divide the mixture into 2 part and keep it under the fan for it to cool faster)

Once the sago mixture cools completely, add the chilli+salt +hing paste, lemon juice and mix well. Check for salt by tasting the mixture.

drying sago vadams

Spread a plastic sheet, take a tbsp of the mixture and drop it on the sheet. Dip your fingers in water and flatten it. It should not be too thick nor too thin. Repeat the same process for the rest of the mixture. Usually we do all this in the early morning hours on the terrace (motta madi) and come down around 8 am before the sun is very severe.

Let it dry in the sunlight the whole day. Flip it over to the other side and dry the next day also.

On the 3 day, transfer everything to a big bamboo tray (muram) or plate and dry it well the whole day. Store it in an airtight container and deep fry in oil when required.

javarisi vathal-vadam
Deep fried Javarisi Vadams
Variations -

You can make flavored and colorful vadams for kids. For light orange color, add a little tomato juice to the mixture. Grind tomatoes, filter it and add the juice.

For curry leaves flavor and green color, add a little curry leaves water to the mixture. Grind curry leaves with a little water, filter it and add the juice.

Note - You will get more than 100 vadams if you make it smaller in size. I suggest that you make small sized vadam as it is easier to fry and needs less oil. If you are trying it for the first time, try it with less quantity, once you are confident, you can make it in bulk.

11/10/2017

Cashew nuts are, strictly speaking, not nuts at all. Cashew nuts are the seeds of the fruit of the cashew tree, which is native to Brazil. Cashews are rich in Vitamins C, E, K, phosphorous, iron, magnesium and zinc and also contain antioxidants, phytochemicals and protein. The kidney shaped nuts can be eaten, on their own as a snack and they are often used in cooking as well. Adding cashews to your balanced diet can have many benefits and here are ten of the health benefits of cashew nuts:

1. Reduces the risk of developing gallstones

A study found that those who eat, at least, an ounce of cashew nuts every week has over 25% less chance of developing gallstones, than those who don’t eat them.

2. Improve the health of your heart

Another one of the important health benefits of cashew nuts is that cashews can improve the health of your heart. Most of the fat that cashews contain is the same healthy, oleic acid that is found in olive oil. Research has shown that oleic acid reduces triglyceride levels, which is associated with the onset of heart disease. Cashews are also cholesterol free and contain antioxidants, which help to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

3. Promotes healthy bones

Health benefits of cashew nuts include promoting healthier bones. Cashews are especially rich in magnesium, which is needed, in addition to calcium that cashews also contain, for the maintenance of strong, healthy bone structure. Insufficient levels of magnesium can also be the cause of high blood pressure and migraines.

4. Can help prevent cancer

Health benefits of cashew nuts don’t stop there. Cashews contain a type of flavanol called proanthocyanidins, which studies have shown restrict the growth of cancerous cells and starve tumors. In addition to this, cashews are a good source of copper, which help remove free radicals from the body.

5. Improves the health of skin and hair

Copper is also an essential ingredient contained in enzymes that are good for the skin and hair. Without an adequate supply of copper, these enzymes would be unable to do their job of creating the pigments that give hair and skin their color.

6. Aids weight loss

Weight loss aid is another one of great health benefits of cashew nuts. Although cashews are relatively high in fat, the fat that they do contain is the good kind of fat. It has been proven in studies that people, who eat nuts twice a week, are far less likely to put on weight, than those who don’t. Cashews should not be eaten to excess, but as a healthy, high fiber snack, they can form an important part of your diet.

7. Improves the nerves in your body

Health benefits of cashew nuts also include improved nervous system in your body. The high amount of magnesium found in cashews helps prevent calcium form entering the blood stream. If you have too much calcium in the blood stream it can lead to overactive nerve cells, as well as being the cause of muscle fatigue, soreness and tension.

8. Can help treat depression

Cashew nuts can even help treat depression. It has been claimed that a couple of handfuls of cashews has the equivalent effect of a prescription anti-depressant. Cashews contain an amino acid, called L-tryptophan, which is broken down in the body into niacin and serotonin, compounds that calm anxiety and promote a sense of well-being.

9. Provides essential Vitamin K

A 100 grams serving of cashews provides you with 4.1 µg of vitamin K. Without adequate vitamin K, blood would not clot properly, so when you cut yourself, a considerable blood loss could occur.

10. Assists the body in creating energy

Cashews contain thiamine, which plays a vital role in converting sugar to energy. A lack thiamine in your diet can lead to some very serious medical issues ranging from muscle pain to even the memory loss.

What are other health benefits of cashew nuts?

Feel free to share your thoughts and healthy eating tips in the comment section below.

Stay happy and healthy!

11/10/2017

Amazing Benefits Of Pomegranates

The health benefits of pomegranates are innumerable and what makes them special is that apart from being healthy, pomegranates are delicious too. Pomegranates have anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-tumor properties and are said to be a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as folic acid. This amazing fruit consists of three times as many antioxidants as both wine or green tea.

Wondering what pomegranates are good for? They are useful in maintaining effective and healthy blood circulation, that several doctors suggest eating pomegranates to regain your strength after a long illness. Pomegranates have been traditionally used for clearing up the skin and reducing inflammation as well as for the treatment of sore throats. Other health benefits include being a great cure for heart-related problems, stomach disorders, cancer, dental problems, osteoarthritis, anemia, and diabetes.

According to a research study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, since pomegranates are rich in antioxidants, they can prevent the oxidization of LDL cholesterol, also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol.
The amazing health benefits of pomegranates can be enjoyed by consuming them in several ways. You can take them in the form of a juice or you can eat its seeds, syrup, paste, nectar or concentrate. Pomegranate syrups are useful for treating damage to cartilage and protects babies from brain damage incurred during their birth.

Table of Contents
Health Benefits of Pomegranates
Cure Stomach Disorders
Reduce Heart Problems
Prevent Cancer
Dental Care
Prevent Osteoarthritis
Treat Anemia
Control Diabetes
Erectile Dysfunction

Health Benefits Of Pomegranates

Pomegranates help our body in many ways from curing stomach problems to improving erectile dysfunctions and many more. Let us explore some more benefits in detail.

Cure Stomach Disorders
Pomegranate peel, bark, and leaves are used to calm disorders of the stomach or diarrhea caused by any kind of digestive problems. Drinking tea made from the leaves of this fruit also helps in curing your digestive problems. Pomegranate juice is also used for reducing problems like dysentery and cholera.

Reduce Heart Problems
Regular intake of pomegranate juice can maintain a good flow of the blood in the body. Because of this property, it subsequently decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The antioxidant components that are contained in this fruit help to keep the bad cholesterol from gaining any significant presence and thus keeps the arteries clear of any clots. The clots are clear because pomegranates have the ability to make blood thinner.

Prevent Cancer
Pomegranates contain high levels of antioxidants called flavonoids. These flavonoids are known to be effective in counteracting various cancer radials. People that face a high risk of prostate and breast cancer should start drinking pomegranate juice, as it will help them to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Regular consumption of pomegranates can reduce the PSA levels in the body and aid in the fight against existing cancer cells in the body.

Also see
Pomegranate Juice – Benefits & How to Make
8 Incredible Benefits & Uses of Pomegranate Seed Oil
Dental Care
Pomegranates, with their antibacterial and antiviral properties, help to reduce the effects of dental plaque and protect against various oral diseases.

Prevent Osteoarthritis
Pomegranates help to reduce many illnesses, including atherosclerosis and osteoarthritis. The damages that are caused due to the thickening and hardening of the arterial walls and in the cartilage and joints can be cured by eating this fruit. Also, pomegranates are capable of preventing the creation of enzymes that are responsible for breaking down connective tissues within the body.

Treat Anemia
Healthy blood flow can be maintained in the body by consuming this fruit. Pomegranate supplies iron to the blood, thus helping to reduce symptoms of anemia, including exhaustion, dizziness, weakness, and hearing loss.

Control Diabetes
For diabetic patients, drinking pomegranate juice can reduce the risk of various coronary diseases. Along with this, there is a reduction in the hardening of the arteries, which inhibits the development of various heart diseases.

Erectile Dysfunction
Research published in the Journal of Urology, states that pomegranate juice can also be very helpful in curing erectile dysfunctions based on animal studies. Researchers from the University of California and Beverly Hills have also found that pomegranate juice improved erectile dysfunctions when they conducted tests on 61 men. The study was sponsored by a pomegranate juice manufacturer.
Other Benefits
There are other benefits of eating this fruit as well, like reducing the possibility of having premature babies and avoiding low birth weight for infants.

Also see
Top 7 Impressive Benefits Of Orange Juice
Benefits of Amla Juice for Hair, Skin & Health
Pomegranates also reduce the possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease among older generations. It helps to control aging problems like wrinkles as well, thus providing people with youthful and glowing skin. Other than this, it can help women overcome depression symptoms during their periods, especially post-menopausal depression.
The advantages and health benefits of pomegranates are countless, so get your hands on some of these juicy fruits and start reaping the benefits.

10/10/2017

Thayir Vadai-South Indian Style Curd Vada

Prep Time : 15 mins
Cook Time : 20 mins
Yields: 17 Dahi vadas
Recipe Category: Low Fat Snacks-Tiffin

Ingredients needed
Whole Urad dal (skinned) - 1/2 cup
Raw Rice - 1 tbsp
Salt needed
Hing - a generous pinch

For the Curd Mixture

Curd - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Green chilli -1
Salt needed

Oil - 1 tsp for each vada
For the Seasoning
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig

For Garnishing
Grated carrot as needed
Kara boondi as required
Red chilli powder
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Preparations

Wash and soak urad dal (whole dal without skin) and rice together for 2 hours. Then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Grind it without water to a smooth and fluffy batter in a mixie. You can just dip your hands in water and sprinkle little water once or twice. After grinding it to a smooth batter, use the whipper button/mode to get a fluffy batter.

Add salt and hing to the batter and mix it well with your hands. Our vada/vadai batter is ready.
Method

In a bowl, add whisked curd and little salt. Grind coconut, green chilli and ginger to a fine paste. Mix it with curd.

Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add curry leaves, and pour it over the curd. Now the curd for the thayir vadai is ready.

Heat a paniyaram pan, add a tsp of oil into each of the cavity/hole. Fill the cavity with the vada batter.

Cover and cook on low heat.

Once it starts leaving the sides, with a skewer, flip it over to the other side and cook. Cook both sides well flipping 2-3 times until all the sides are evenly browned and the vada is crisp.

Soak vada in lukewarm water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, squeeze the water from the vada gently and let it cool. Then add to the seasoned curd mixture.

Garnish with grated carrot, finely chopped coriander leaves and karaboondi. Sprinkle little chilli powder (optional) and enjoy this guilt free, healthy thayir vada/dahi vadas.

Enjoy making these for Diwali or any time you crave for these delicious.

09/10/2017

DIWALI RECEPIES

Godhumai Halwa -Atte ka Halwa (step by step recipe)

Ingredients needed
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Ghee - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/4 (cow's milk)
Cornflour -1 tbsp
Cashew nuts -10

Preparation

Chop cashew nuts into small pieces, fry it in ghee and keep it aside.

Grease a tray or a shallow vessel with ghee and keep it ready.

Method

Take 1 cup of wheat flour and make a stiff dough with approximately 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of water.

Now take 2 cups of water and soak the stiff dough in it for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours -
Mix the dough with your hands, until it dissolves well in the water and becomes milky.There should be no lumps.

Filter the milk (wheat flour milk) using a soup or juice strainer. Add 1 tbsp of cornflour to it and mix well. Also add a pinch of kesari powder to it.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel or uruli, melt 1/4 cup of ghee, add the cow's milk and the wheat flour milk. Keep the flame low and stir it continuously.

When it becomes slightly thick, (jam consistency) add sugar and mix well. Then add the rest of the ghee little by little stirring continuously.

Your hands will pain but you have to stir continuously without stopping in medium or low flame until the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan.Then immediately pour it on a greased vessel.

Grease the bottom of a cup with ghee and even the surface. Sprinkle fried cashew nuts on the top.It will stick to the halwa in the heat. Allow it to cool. Once it cools, it will set a little.You will not be able to make slices, as it will be of scooping consistency.

Believe me, I am not very fond of halwa but kept on eating this halwa that day as it was so soft and delicious.

Note - The halwa will be glazy on the top when done.You need to use both your hands to make this halwa.

04/10/2017

Be Healthy On Your Budget Everyday Vegetables

03/10/2017

Athirasam Recipe-How to make Adhirasam-Diwali Sweet
Adhirasam/Ariselu is a Traditional South Indian sweet prepared on Diwali. It is prepared using rice flour and jaggery. This sweet can be prepared with sugar also, but since I avoid using sugar as much as possible in my recipes, I have used jaggery. Many find it intimidating to prepare this sweet but actually this is very easy to prepare, if you follow the tips and steps given properly. I am going to make it very easier for you all with my step wise.

Adhirasam

How to make Adhirsam
Yields - 28-30

Ingredients needed

Raw Rice - 1 kg (pacharisi)
Jaggery - 3/4 kg
Cardamom -6 (remove the pods)
Oil for deep frying

Preparation

First we will see how to prepare rice flour for athirasam. (I make it very clear that you cannot use ordinary store bought rice flour to prepare this)

Wash and soak raw rice for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, drain the water completely and spread it on a cloth or paper, so that it will absorb the excess water.

After 10 minutes, dry grind the rice nicely (not too fine and not too coarse-in between both) along with cardamom.(Alternatively you can add cardamom powder to the jaggery syrup also) Sieve it and keep it in a broad vessel. You cannot store this rice flour but have to use it immediately for making athirasams.

If you have a flour mill near your place, you can get it ground there for adhirasam, which is much easier.I got it ground in the flour mill.

Grate jaggery, add just enough water to soak the jaggery. Bring it to boil, switch off. Once the jaggery dissolves, filter it to remove any impurities.

Method

Boil the jaggery water until you get a soft ball consistency also known as uruttu padham in tamil. Take a small cup of water, pour a tsp of jaggery syrup into it, if you are able to collect it and make a soft ball out of it, then it is the right consistency. Switch off the flame.This is the most important step in making adhirasams.

adhirasam recipe

Immediately add needed hot jaggery syrup (little by little) to the rice flour and mix it well with a ladle. Cover it with a lid and let it rest. After 4-5 hours, take it out and knead it well with your hands and keep it covered with a tight lid again. Let is rest for 1-2 days. (This dough can be kept for 2 days at room temperature.You do not have to refrigerate the dough).

how to make adhirasam

I left it only for 1 day.

After 1 day

Take the dough out and knead again. Divide equally and make balls.
Meantime heat oil in a kadai, once the oil is heated, reduce the flame to medium.

how to prepare adhirasam

Grease a banana leaf or a plastic cover with ghee and flatten the ball with your hands.You can grease your hands as well to make it easier.

Take the flattened dough in your hands from the leaf and gently slip it into the oil. Fry both sides till it turns nice brown color.(Keep the heat in medium as if the heat is high, it will turn brown immediately but will remain uncooked inside)

adhirasam

Remove from oil. Adhirsam has the tendency to absorb lot of oil. Press the adhirsam between two slotted ladles to remove excess oil. Then put it in a colander or on a paper towel to drain remaining excess oil.

adhirasam with jaggery

Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. Hope I have made everything clear and easy for you.

Tips to repair if you go wrong

If the dough is very sticky or too loose and you are unable to make balls, then add a little wheat flour to it to get the right consistency.

If the dough is too tight, then add little more jaggery syrup or little milk to it.

Prepare or fry athirasam 1 or 2 days after preparing the athirasam dough for best results.

Another important point is you should not add rice flour to the jaggery syrup and mix but you should add jaggery syrup to the rice flour little at a time and mix well with a ladle.

02/10/2017

25 Kitchen Tricks and Tips- 25 Cooking Tips and Secrets

I have compiled few essential kitchen tips (hints) and tricks to make life easier for the novice cook.

kitchen tips and tricks

To soften butter faster - cut it into small pieces.
To make tasty filter coffee - add a little sugar to the coffee filter before adding coffee powder, then add boiling water to it.

For tasty and fluffy omelets - Add a little milk or a tbsp of water when beating eggs.

Retain the white color of cauliflower - Add a tbsp of milk while cooking cauliflower

How to preserve lemon juice - When you have excess lemons, freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays and use it whenever needed in your recipes. It stays good for 15-20 days.

To break coconut exactly into 2 equal halves - wet the coconut and draw an imaginary line around the mid riff of the coconut with your fingers and then try breaking it. You will be surprised to find the coconut in exact 2 halves. I follow this tip every time I break coconuts.

To get fluffy rice - Add a tbsp of fresh lemon juice when cooking rice to get fluffy and whiter grains.

Fried onions for biryanis, pulaos - Add a pinch of sugar while frying onions for garnishing biryanis and pulaos, so that they will brown faster.

To prevent dal from frothing - Add a tsp of oil when cooking dals to prevent it from frothing and spilling all over. Another trick is to place a wooden ladle over the top of the pan to prevent water from boiling over.

To thicken kootus and other gravies - Add rice flour or powdered fried gram (pottukadalai mavu, dalia) to thicken kootus.

To thicken gravies with onion tomato base - Grind 5-6 soaked cashew nuts or blanched almonds to a fine paste and add it to gravies. Then cook for a few minutes.
How to fix excess water in gravies - Roast 11/2 tbsp of poppy seeds and grind it to a paste. Add it to the watery gravy and boil it on medium flame.

Roast 1 tbsp of groundnuts and 1 tbsp sesame seeds, grind it to a paste and add it to thicken gravies.

To make crispier pooris - When kneading wheat flour dough for making pooris, add a tbsp of rava or a little rice flour to the wheat flour.
For crispy bhindi fry - add a tbsp of curd or lemon juice when frying the bhindis. This also prevent stickiness.

To sprout legumes - Wash and soak them overnight. The next day, rinse, drain the water and tie loosely in a cloth and keep it in a casserole. Leave it undisturbed for 10 hours. It will sprout well. You can store the sprouts in a container and use it as required.
Grinding for idli using mixie - Soak rice in hot water for 5-6 hours.

Storing leftover chapati dough - Store leftover chapati dough in the refrigerator in an airtight container after applying a little oil over it to prevent it from drying.

No more tears while chopping onions - Cut off both the ends, peel the onions and wash the onions under cold water.

To make paneer softer - Dip them in warm salt water before adding it to any gravy or curry.

To preserve ginger garlic paste for a longer duration - Add a tbsp of hot cooking oil to ginger-garlic paste, mix well and store it in the refrigerator.

Reheating leftover rice- Sprinkle water over the rice and then reheat it to get softer rice.

Extract more juice from lemons and lime - Roll lemon on the counter top before cutting and juicing to extract more juice from the lemons.

Microwaving the lemon for 15 seconds also helps. Extract juice after it cools.

To get soft chapatis - Use a little warm milk along with warm water to knead the dough.

To retain the green color of peas - Add a pinch of sugar when boiling green peas to retain their green color.

For soft pakoras - Add 2 tsp of hot oil to the batter before frying.

For crispier pakoras - Add a little cornflour to the batter.

For easy digestion - Add a pinch of hing when cooking any dal, legumes, potato or plantain dishes to aid in digestion.

If you have any cooking tips, you can share with me in the comment section. It will be useful for the other readers also.

Everyday Vegetables

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