These are some of the very useful tips which Amma use to tell me and some I come across when I read Magazines and see cookery shows .
1) While cooking toor dal, add a pinch of turmeric and a drop of oil. Toor dal cooks faster.
2) Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes will bake more rapidly.
3) While cooking potatoes, Cut them into half and add a pinch of turmeric. This makes the potatoes cook faster.
4) While making chapathi, leave the dough for 30 min to make soft chapathis.
5) To make pooris more crispy add a little rice flour to the wheat flour while kneading.
6) When u prepare batter for poori, add a tbsp of sugar along with the salt in the flour. You will get puffy pooris.
7) Puri dough should be made little harder than chapathi dough. This prevents puri from retaining more oil when it is deep fried. Also once dough is prepared, make the puri immediately.
8) Poori can be rolled and place between well-rinsed wet muslin cloth at least an hour ahead and can be Fried before serving.
9) Pakodas will turn out crisper if a little corn flour is added to the gram flour (besan) while preparing the batter.
10) Add some hot oil and 1/2 tsp of baking soda in batter while making pakodas.
11) If you are making patties or tikkis of potatoes, always make sure that the potatoes are boiled well in advance and cooled before you use them. It would be better if they can be refrigerated for a short time. This helps the starch in the potatoes to settle down and the tikkis will not be gooey.
12) While adding tadka(seasoning) to any curry or dal, add it once the curry/dal is completely cooked. Close the lid immediately & remove from flame. This will retain the seasoning aroma. Do not cook after adding seasoning.
13) Little plain sugar or caramelised sugar added to the gravy makes it tasty.
14) While using ginger and garlic paste in curries, always use garlic at 60% ratio and ginger at 40% as ginger is very strong and may make your dish sharp and pungent.
15) Never discard water in which vegetables are cooked, use it in gravies, soups, rasam or kolumbu.
16) If poppy seeds are used in grinding,soak it in water for 10 to 15 minutes,if you are grinding it in mixie.
17) While boiling milk, always add a little water at the base of the vessel to avoid the milk from sticking at the bottom.
18) If you forget to soak chana / Rajma overnight. Just soak the chana / Rajma in the boiling water for an hour before cooking.
19) To avoid browning of apples after cutting, apply a little lemon juice on the cut surface. The apples will stay and look fresh for a longer time.
20) After peeling onions cut in half and soak in water for about 10 minutes before cutting to avoid crying.
21) Dry roast fenugreek seeds until it changes to red color and grind it to a fine powder. When u prepare kolambu and sambar, you can add ½ tsp of this powder, so that you will get good smell.
22) If you are a vegetarian, add soya beans in your food more. Because soya is rich in proteins, phosphorous , iron, and it helps to get rid of nerves problems.
23) When u prepare kolambu or sambar, have u added excess salt? Add some cubes of potatoes to it and let it cook a while. Potatoes will absorb the excess salt.
24) When u prepare payasams at home, if you find water coming separately out of the dish after you add jiggery or sugar, do not worry. Take any type of biscuits and powder it and add this powder to the payasam, you will get good payasam with different taste also.
