TIps

“1. Soak onions in water until the outer layers are well soaked. This is the first thing I do in the mornings. This helps in peeling them easily and also prevents inhaling the spores of black mold/rot (Aspergillus niger) which could lead to Aspergillosis and allergies in some people. Black rot can be seen as dark spots on the onion bulb, especially in the rainy season.”

“2. Only use wooden spatula/ladle for non-stick and hindalium vessels. Metal ladles could create minute scratches leading to the damage of plastic film in non-stick pans and leaching in aluminium vessels”

“3. While making palak paneer, you could microwave palak with some water until the leaves are soft. This is quicker than blanching and keeps it looking green as grass! ”

“4. Dry herbs such as methi, coriander, pudina in a microwave after cleaning and chopping them. Spread on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 5-10 min until fully dry. They are very handy when stored in ZipLock bags as they are almost weight-less and can be used when someone forgot to do a grocery-run! ”

“5. Store required amounts of everyday seasoning essentials such as green chillies, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, etc in one container/box. This prevents opening, searching for these items multiple times and thus reducing the temperature fluctuation and efficiency of refrigerator. ”

“6. Store temperature sensitive items such as milk, at the rear end of the refrigerator, so that they are not exposed directly to the fluctuating temperatures near the door of the refrigerator ”

“7. Boil milk in copper bottom vessels, as the milk residue does not stick to them and hence easier to clean”

“8. While boiling milk, immerse a long ladle or fork. This will prevent the milk from over flowing, assuming that mik is not filled to the brim :) ”

“9. VITAMIN C : Many foods such as lemon/lime, gooseberries, etc are rich in Vit C. Always add these after cooking the dish, just before serving, because at boiling point of water (100 degrees C), about 70% of Vit C is lost! ”

“10. The mango season is going to end soon. You could extend it .. scoop out the pulp from the ‘cheeks’ and freeze them in a box or zip lock cover (avoid using hands to prevent contamination). My daughter from Canada visited in January and enjoyed mango milk shake from the mangoes i had frozen from last season. ”

“11. It is good to eat freshly harvested veggies; if it is from your garden or from a reliable organic farm. If not, it may be better to eat refrigerated veggies, as cold temperature is one of the ways to reduce the pesticide residues, in addition to washing, cooking, etc”

“12. Are you lazy to make rotis after a hectic day ? i have gone through this..... i found a solution.. make them on weekends or when free and freeze them in a ziplock cover. When needed just heat them in a pan, add a dash of ghee if you choose to, and enjoy. I freeze akki and ragi rotti too. Unexpected guests ? no worries !!”

“13. Are you planning to have leftover sambar/rasam/curry ? add some more masala powder (half or 1 tsp, depending on the quantity) based on the ingredient eg., rasam powder to rasam, garam masala to rajma, etc and some more curry/coriander leaves, as required, bring to a boil. This will help replenish the loss of essential oils from the spices and it tastes as if freshly made ”

“14. To make roti/chapati softer, add a spoon of methi powder while making the dough. It also enhances the protein content ”

“15. Grating fresh coconut is a cumbersome process. Try this. Separate the coconut meat from shell and cut in to pieces and refrigerate for few hrs or overnight and whip them in a dry jar in blender and fine ‘grating’ is ready ! You could do it without cooling, but the ‘gratings’ will be coarse. Store the ‘gratings’ in a steel box, either at 4 C or in freezer, depending on the length of storage. If you are freezing it, do not press/compact them, as it will be difficult to take out a portion (as fat in coconut will solidify). I do not even possess a coconut grater now.
For making chutney you need to coconut at room temperature. If you are using from the fridge, add a bit of warm water while grinding chutney to avoid separation of fat globules”

“16. When cutting dense veggies/foods like beetroot, carrot, copra, pumpkin, etc., use a knife with a thin blade, it is easier than using a thick, sharper knife.”

“17. Peanuts can be pre-roasted to save cooking time. Simply spread them on the microwave plate and heat them for ~4-5 min (depending on quantity), mixing them in between. They can also be dry roasted. This could be stored as a small pack in the peanut bottle for quick use.”

“18. Raw mango season lasts for a few days in a year. You could grate raw mango (with peel) and freeze the gratings. This can be used to prepare mango rice throughout the year. ”

“19. Try finely cutting green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, etc, so that they get integrated in to the dish and need not be removed and thrown. This reduces the garbage/ wastage and also the input quantity (say 2 chillies in place of 3). Also, we can easily consume them, especially curry leaves, for health benefits.”

“20. In summer, cooked rice goes bad quickly. If you have left over rice that is not good for consumption as is, you could make them into akki rotti or sandige (refer to ragi sandige recipe).”

“21. If you are a person concerned about the environment, think of ways you could help nature. There are hundreds of ways to do it. one simple habit of rinsing off the (unsoiled) lids in plain water saves a bit of soap entering the river/ground. Please realise that every action of ours has a bearing on the environment. Thanks for reading. ”

“22. Soak rice/dal well before cooking to save cooking time.”

“23. If you have left over ragi balls, add diced onion, green chillies, grated coconut and a pinch of salt, knead well and pat it in to a roti (on a plastic/roti paper) and cook on a tawa. Tasty, hot ragi rotti is ready !”

“24. Do you have a garden or a few pots ? Next time when you buy small amaranth/keere soppu, look for minute, white flowers (inflorescence) at the tip. Just spread it in a pot or around bigger plants, they will start growing and you can keep multiplying them. It is easy to have organic, home-grown amaranth in your garden. You could also grow methi, coriander, etc. using seeds from your kitchen.”

“25. Mildly dry roast mung dal, sooji, til, sompf, khus khus (gasa gase), etc to extend their storage life. It also saves sometime while cooking with these foods. ”

“26. Add a dash of turmeric with a pinch of black pepper powder to your tea to boost your immunity. Piperin in pepper helps in better absorption of curcumin in turmeric. Both these compounds are antioxidants and have many health benefits. ”

“27. To make thin slices of copra for snack items like chow chow, khara sev, masala avalakki, etc, use peeler. It is good idea to invest in a good quality fully stainless steel peeler. ”

“28. Removing peel from Pine apple is cumbersome. Instead of peeling the whole fruit, cut the fruit with peel longitudinally and make strips of about 1 inch. Remove the core and scoop the pulp from the skin. Try it with a sharp fruit knife. ”

“29. This safety tip is mostly for the young cooks. While cutting veggies, hold your left hand fingers (holding the veggie), especially the thumb and index fingers, perpendicular to the cutting board. Slide the knife along your index finger to chop. This way you will not injure your fingers. make it a habit.”

“30. Use codes (color, shape, etc) for storing food in the refrigerator. For example, we store milk in a stainless steel pot, curd in a particular type of container, etc, so that it can be easily identified by all members of the family. Saves time and effort. ”

“31. You can refrigerate whole mangoes for up to a month. I tried storing ripe with Neelum and as we had them in excess. ”