COOKING TIPS

Hi, Many women wonder how to make recipes taste better. Here are some tips which can help you.

Tip no 1: While batter-frying anything, add a bit of soda bicarbonate to the batter. it adds a lovely glaze to the dish.

Tip no 2: If using raw bananas for curry, soak them in plain buttermilk to get rid of any bitter aftertaste. It also cleans the fruit of resin.

Tip no 3: When chopping yam, apply a bit of coconut oil on the palms and the knife to get rid of the itch that yams are famous for.




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IDLY SAMBAR

2 cups Boiled rice

1 cup Raw rice

3/4 cup urad-dal

Salt

1 pinch cooking soda

Method:

Wash and Soak Boiled rice, Raw rice and urad dal for 6 to 8 hrs.





Grind urad dal first and then grind both rice (you can add the soaked urad dal water to grind

the rice and also the soaked rice water, take care not to add more water, the batter should be

thick. Add salt and cooking soda to the batter and mix well. Keep overnight.



Ingredients:





In the morning, mix well the batter. check the consistency of the batter. if it is very thick add

little water and stir. Now steam cook the idlies in idly cooker for 8 to 10 mins. Do apply some oil



to the idly plates for it allows the idly not to stick to plates.

SAMBAR

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toor dal

2 cups water

salt

turmeric

3 tbsp oil

2 chopped tomatoes

2 chopped onions

coriander leaves, curry leaves

1 pinch hing

1tsp mustard seeds

2 to 3 Red chillies

2 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tennis ball size tamarind juice

jaggery according to taste

2 tbsp sambar powder

sambar powder recipe:

Ingredients

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp chana dal

1/2 tbsp urad dal

1/4 tbsp moong dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp methi seeds

1/4 tsp jeera seeds

3 to 4 pepper seeds

2 to 3 medium cinnamon stick

Roast all the sambar powder ingredients and grind to a semi half powder. Keep this ready

before hand.






Method:

cook dal, turmeric, coriander leaves, curry leaves, 1tsp oil, with 2 cups of water in pressure

cooker. Heat the remaining oil in deep kadai. Add mustard seeds,when they start spluttering

add curry leaves, hing, red chilly one by one.

Add chopped onions and stir cook for 2 mins. then add chopped tomatoes, allow it to cook for

2 mins. add salt, red chilli powder , tamarind juice, and jaggery. after 2 mins add sambar

powder and stir cook for 5 to 8 mins.

Mash the dal throughly and mix this in the kadai. Boil for 3 to 4 mins. you can

add grated fresh coconut and lassan pieces for taste. But I prefer not to add.

Garnish sambar with chopped coriander leaves. Serve Hot Idly with sambar.

For mouth watering coriandder chutney see my earlier posts.





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DRY CHANA

Ingredients:
1 cup boiled chana
1 cup chopped onion
6 to 7 chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut

seasoning:
mustard seeds and curry leaves

METHOD
Soak chana for about 4 to 5 hrs. Boil it in pressure cooker with salt and water.
Heat 2tbsp oil in pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves, when they start spluttering add chopped green chillies and fry for a min. Now add chopped onion and fry till light golden colour, add turmeric and salt and stir once in a while. mix boiled chana in the mixture and cook for about 2 to 3 mins. mix grated coconut and stir so that it mixes well. Remove it from heat. Garnish with chopped coriander and Serve Hot.



DRY CHANA


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BHINDI MASALA

BHINDI MASALA
Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 large chopped onion
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 green chillies, chopped
1tsp turmeric
1tbsp ground cumin
250 gms bhindi

Method
Heat oil in a deep pan. Add onion, garlic and chillies and fry on medium heat till it turns brown. Add turmeric and cumin and fry again for 2 mins. finally add bhindi, salt and mix properly. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 mins on a low flame. Serve hot with steamed Rice or Rotis.



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