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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

MINT LEAVES POWDER | DRIED MINT LEAVES POWDER | PUDINA PODI

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Basics of Cooking, left overs, Vegan, Vegetarian No comments

Mint powder is one of the quick essential in my kitchen . I usually store the dried mint leaves powder in my pantry and the come handy when fresh mint leaves are not available . It is the beginning of winter and the mint plant in my garden just started to whither away . Before the plant is completely gone , I saved a lot of the mint leaves and made the pudina podi or Mint leaves powder and stocked them in my pantry . So now off to today' s post Mint leaves powder or pudina podi .

MINT LEAVES POWDER | DRIED MINT LEAVES POWDER | PUDINA PODI

Mint Leaves Powder - Ingredients

Preparation Time : 2 days | Recipe Category: Cooking essentials

Mint Leaves - As Needed

Method :

Take the mint leaves . Seperate the Mint leaves from stem .

Wash the Leaves well to remove sand and dirt . Spread them on a wide plate and allow them to get dry .

Set aside for a day or two till they are completely dry . Transfer them to a blender once they are dried.

Grind them to a fine powder .

Mint powder is done !

The mint powder is ready to be stored . They can be stored in an airtight box and used for several months as needed .

Notes :

The mint leaves can be dried indoors .
The left over mint could be made to a powder and be used as needed .

Click the other Basics of Cooking tips posted in the blog by clicking here .

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HOW TO CLEAN AND CUT MUSHROOMS

Friday, October 03, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian 2 comments

I was not a great fan of Mushroom earlier . I used to have the Mushroom dishes only in the restaurants , thinking the cleaning and cutting is a bit tedious , but its actually not really so . So now off to today's post " How to clean and cut mushroom "

HOW TO CLEAN AND CUT MUSHROOMS

How to Clean and cut Mushroom -Ingredients

Preparation Time :15 minutes | Recipe Category: Basics

Mushroom - 1 packet
Water - As needed

HOW TO CLEAN AND CUT MUSHROOMS

Method :

Take a mushroom , remove the outer layer skin of the mushroom .

Chop the tip of the stem .

Slit the mushroom in to halves . chop the remaining stem and set aside .

Remove the hairy part of the Mushroom ( This step is purely optional , but i like the mushrooms without the hairy part )

Chop the mushrooms and immerse them in water till use .

Use the chopped Mushroom to make your favorite dishes .

Check out some Mushroom dishes posted in the blog below .

Click the other Basics of Cooking tips posted in the blog by clicking here .

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HOW TO KNEAD ATTA ( CHAPATI DOUGH ) IN WET GRINDER

Friday, August 08, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Roti / Poori/ Paratha / Naan, Vegan, Vegetarian 4 comments

One of the quickest and the easiest method to knead dough is by using the wet grinder . I usually knead Atta ( Chapati flour ) in my wet grinder once a week when I usually grind the Idly batter . The kneaded Atta ( Chapati dough ) can be stored in an airtight Container and refrigerated and be used as needed . So now off to Today's post on " How to Knead Atta ( Chapati Dough ) in wet grinder "

HOW TO KNEAD ATTA ( CHAPATI DOUGH ) IN WET GRINDER

How to Knead Atta ( Chapati Dough ) -Ingredients

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Recipe Category: Basics | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Atta ( Chapati Flour ) - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 to 3 drops

Method:

This is my attachment for kneading dough that came with my wet grinder .

Fix this Attachment on the wet grinder .

Add the Chapati Flour ( Atta ) to the wet grinder followed by salt .

Switch on the grinder and allow them to mix . Now start kneading the dough by adding water .

Keep adding water little by little .

After one minute my chapati dough is kneaded in my wet grinder .

Transfer the kneaded dough in to a shallow bowl and add 2 to 3 drops of oil .

Knead them by hand for once and set aside for 2 hours before rolling them to rotis .

Done ! Super easy method of Kneading dough in wet grinder. This dough could be used to make parathas , Poori , Roti .

Notes :

I usually add one cup of water for two cups of flour and if the flour needs more water it can be added for appropriate consistency.

This dough can be stored in the refrigerator and used for up to a week .

Check out the other similar Basics of cooking post by clicking here .

Check Some recipes that could be made with the Atta ( Chapati dough ) are below :

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HOW TO FREEZE BELL PEPPERS ( CAPSICUM )

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian 7 comments

How to Freeze Bell Peppers ( Capsicum ) - This is a simple post with step wise pictures that helps in storing large quantities of Bell Peppers in freezer and use it later . The Spring Season is on air , Yet the east Coast is still in winter . I am planning to plant few Bell peppers this year too , My kids Akshita and Nishita are planning to sow few seeds as well . Cant wait for the spring to start and get back to gardening . So now off to Today's post How to Freeze Bell Peppers .

HOW TO FREEZE BELL PEPPERS ( CAPSICUM )

Preparation Time : 10 minutes | Cooking Time : 3 minutes | Recipe Category: Freezing Tips

Ingredients:

Bell Peppers
Water

Method :

Take the colored Bell peppers . Chop them in to medium sized pieces , Discard the seeds . Wash them in water .

Next step is blanching . Transfer them to a hot boiling water . Let it stay for 3 minutes .

After 3 minutes , Filter them .

Run them in a cold water immediately . Do not Cook the Bell peppers . Pat them dry . Spread them on a plate.

Place the plate on the freezer for one hour . After one hour remove them from freezer .

Now separate all the sticking pieces and transfer to Ziploc bag .

Seal them and label them with date and freeze the Bell peppers .

Use the Bell peppers as needed in making your favorite recipes .

Notes:

The Blanching is a very important process in freezing the bell peppers , as this process kills the active enzymes and help in storing them fresh for a long period .

I used these frozen bell peppers for up to Two months . They were healthy , fresh and flavorful

Click the other Basics of Cooking tips posted in the blog by clicking here .

Check out the other Bell pepper (Capsicum ) Recipes in the blog below .

Capsicum Rice
Capsicum Pickle
Capsicum Curry ( Capsicum Puli Kulambu )
Capsicum Poriyal ( Stir Fry Capsicum )

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KASOORI METHI LEAVES POWDER | FENUGREEK LEAVES POWDER

Thursday, February 13, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian 8 comments

I had a bunch of Kasoori Methi ( Fenugreek Leaf ) leaves leftover in my refrigerator . I made some Homemade Kashthoori Methi Leaves powder with the leaves . The Kasoori Methi Powder is added to the Indian subzi or Side dishes . These Kasoori Methi leaves gives a unique flavor to the dishes . So now off to today's post Kasoori Methi Leaves Powder .

KASOORI METHI LEAVES POWDER | FENUGREEK LEAVES POWDER

Preparation Time : 4 days | Recipe Category: Cooking essentials
Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

Fresh Kasoori Methi ( Fenugreek ) Leaves - 1 bunch , Cleaned and Chopped .

KASOORI METHI LEAVES POWDER | FENUGREEK LEAVES POWDER

Method :

Take the bunch of the Kasoori Methi leaves and separate the leaves from the stem . Chop them . Wash the leaves in water to remove the sand from the leaves .

Set aside and allow them to dry .

Take a wide plate or a tray and spread the Kasoori Methi leaves on it . Set aside for two days and make them to get dried in room temperate .

Toss them occasionally . At the end of second day the Kasoori Methi leaves will look like this .

Set aside for two more days till the leaves become crisp and dried completely . This below picture was taken at the end of the fourth day .

Transfer the contents to a blender or (store the leaves as it is in an airtight box . Crush them with hand and use them ) , but I powdered them in a blender and stored .

Crush them to a powder . Store the kasoori methi leaves powder in an airtight box and use them in your favorite dishes .

Kasoori Methi Leaf Powder is ready to be stored and Used .

Notes :

The Kasoori Methi leaves could also be dried in direct sunlight . ( I dried them indoor Only )
The Kassori Methi Leaves could also be dried in Microwave till they turn crisp and dry and then they could be powdered and stored .

Click the Below recipe Links to find the Kasoori Methi leaves Powder used :

Click here to view the recipe of Kasoori Methi Leaves Stir Fry with coconut recipe .

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HOW TO CLEAN AND CUT SNAKE GOURD ( PUDALANGAI )

Saturday, January 25, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian 3 comments

Snake Gourd ( pudalangai ) is one healthy Vegetable that my mom makes atleast once a week when I was a child . After marriage , I rarely buy this vegetable because of its cleaning process which takes a bit of time , but its worth the heath benefits the vegetable has . Today's post is a tutorial on how to Clean and cut Snake gourd .

HOW TO CLEAN AND CUT SNAKE GOURD ( PUDALANGAI )

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients :

Snake gourd - 2 numbers

Method:

Take the snake gourd and cut them in to halves .

Peel them .

Slice them in the middle .

Remove the seeds using a spoon ( My daughter Nishita did this for me )

Chop them in to small pieces

Use them to make your favorite curries or stir fries . Done ! Check out the other useful basic tips posted in the blog by clicking here .

Check out the Snake Gourd recipe in the blog by Clicking here .

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HOW TO COOK SOYA CHUNKS | SOYA CHUNKS RECIPES

Monday, January 06, 2014 Basics of Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian 3 comments

My daughter Akshita loves the Crispy fry made with Soya Chunks .I try to include this in our diet frequently now a days. I Cook the soya chunks and store it in my freezer and use them as required . Today's post is a basic post on How to cook Soya chunks . So now off to Today's tutorial on how to cook soy chunks .