Mulagai podi/ Chutney Powder

Ingredients :
Channa dal ( kadalai paruppu) -1 cup.
Urad dal- 1 cup.
Hing (asafetida) a small piece.
Dry red chilli -12to 15 nos
Mustard -1tablespoons.
Sesame/Til oil 1 tablespoon.
Salt- ¾ to 1teaspoon.
Method:
On a medium flame Heat oil andput mustars till splutters in oil and fry the dals and hing in the oil stirring continously over a medium flame till light golden.Fry the chillies till it turns dark brown. Put off the flame and keep stirring for one more minute and transfer to a plate and leave to cool.Now add the dals and salt and chilli grind to a powder. It can be slightly coarse. Store in an airtight container. Remains fresh for a month. Can be mixed with ghee or oil while serving.

Thengai Mulagai podi:

Ingrdients:

Dry Grated coconut -1cup

channa dal - 1cup

Urad dal - 1 cup

Imli(tamrind)- lemon size

Red chilli -10 to 15 nos

salt -1 tsp

Method:

On a medium flame, dry roast the coconut till brown. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool. Heat oil and fry the chillies till it turns dark brown. Strain the oil and transfer to a plate and leave to cool. Fry the dals and hing in the same oil stirring continously over a medium flame till light golden. Put off the flame and keep stirring for one more minute and transfer to a plate and leave to cool.
First grind the coconut, dal , Tamrind and add the chillies and salt and grind to a powder. It can be slightly coarse. Store in an airtight container.

Sambar Powder

Ingredients:
1. Coriander seeds : 4 cups
2. Dried red chillies 3½ cups
3. Toor dal : 1cup
4. Urad dal:1/2cup
5. Black pepper ;1tsp
6. channa dal :1/2 cup
7. Methi :1tsp
8.curry leaves :few leaves
9:Halthi powder: 11/2tablespoon
Method:
Fry the above ingredients separately(without oil) till hot and make a fine powder then add Halthi powder and store in an air tight container.! With the help of this powder you can make delicious sambar.
Rasam powder:
Ingredients:
Coriander seeds -1 cup.
Toor dal -1/2 cup.
Channadal -1/2 cup.
Pepper corns -2 table spoons.
Jeera -1 table spoon.
Dry red chilli -20nos.
Method:
Dry the above ingredients in the sun separately , powder it.Powder should not be very fine.Store in an airtight container and use when required.

How to make..sprouts

Sprouts: The sprouts can be obtained from a variety of beans and seeds.Bean Sprouts" are actually sprouted moong beans and are easy to make at home.Sprouts have outstanding nutritional value. They are rich in protein as well as vitamin A, the vitamin B complex, vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as various minerals and enzymes.
1. Wash the moong or mixed beans and soak in water for 5-6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain water thoroughly (do not rub) and wait for 5 minutes.
3. Keep in a jar and cover it with a piece of cloth (preferably muslin cloth) for 5-6 hours.Place in a refrigerator overnight.
4. Next day wash and drain and again keep it for 5-6 hours as earlier. Again place in a refrigerator overnight. By morning long sprouts are ready. Sprinkle little water on the sprouted beans and store it in the refrigerator until required.
5. It will take at least 2 days for the Moong to get sprouted.

How to make ...

From basic now i am writing basic recepies how to make ....,
Sugar Syrup:
Ingredients
21/2 cups -Water
2 -tbsp Milk
4 -cups sugar
Method:
1. Dissolve sugar in water and bring it to boil in a pan. Now lower the heat to moderate.
2. Add milk to the boiling syrup so that the scum comes to the top of the syrup.Remove the scum with a spoon.
3. Take a drop of the liquid on your index finger and the thumb try releasing instantly.
4. Repeat 2 or 3 times if an elastic string forms between your finger and the thumb then the syrup is ready to use.
5. Continue to boil for two, three or four strings.

How to make Butter/Ghee:
Cream of milk (Malai)
1/4 tsp. Curd
1.Heat the milk till the malai comes in upper layer.
2. cool it down.
3. Now add curd to the collected cream and mix well. Set-aside in a warm dark place for overnight or till it sets.
4. Using a hand whiper or an electric whiper whip it till butter separates from liquid. Now add 2-to3cups of chilled water and whip again.
5. The butter will form lumps. Collect the lump in hand and form a ball and pour out the water (this is buttermilk).
6. Collect the butter lump in a separate container and wash 2-3 times more with chilled water. Drain out the water. Now butter is ready to use.
Preparing Ghee from the above made butter:
1.Melt the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat and bring to boil, stirring.
2. Leave the butter to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
3.Remove the pan from the heat and skim the scum from the top. Allow the ghee to cool for about two hours and transfer to a large jar. 


How to Make Rice Flour at Home ?

 RiceFlour

Wash and soak the required amount of rice for an hour

Drain well and spread on a white cloth to dry for 10 minutes.

Grind little rice at a time a seive to get soft flour.

Repeat with all the rice. Lightly dry roast the flour on a low flame till the flour becomes hot and slightly yellowish. This is to remove the moisture.cool it and keep it in an airtight container for use as required;

For some dishes like seedai, kai murukku, and adhirasam it is used immediately; in this method only small quantity can be prepared conveniently.

Urad dal flour

Method

  Dry roast 2 cups urad dal till golden.

  Allow to cool and to a fine powder consistency. Sieve it.

  Store in an air tight container for further use.

Food Measurements And Conversions

It is very hard not to measure when one does not know what the finished recipe tastes like and therefore it is important to get to know the recipe by following the directions , measurements and methods so that you achieve the results desired by the author of the recipe. Then go ahead and make as many changes thereafter and adjust it to your taste buds.
How to measure? To measure dry ingredients like flour, sugar etc. spoon the ingredient lightly into a cup and then level with a straight edged knife. For solid fats like butter, spoon into cup and pack down firmly with a spoon. For ingredients such as shredded cheese, grated coconut chopped nuts, spoon into cup and pack down lightly.
For thin liquids like milk, pour into a spoon until full.
For thick liquids and dry ingredients pour or scoop into a spoon until full and then level with a straight edged spatula or a knife

Common Abbreviations Used in Cookbooks

tsp. (t)-teaspoon

Tbs. (T)- tablespoon
C- cup
oz- ounce
pt-pint
lb-pound
qt-quart
Measuring Dry Ingredients:

3 teaspoons-1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons-1/8 cup
4 tablespoons-1/4cup
5 1/3 tablespoons-1/3 cup
8 tablespoons-1/2cup
12 tablespoons-3/4cup
32 tablespoons-2cup
64 tablespoons-4cup

EQUIVALENT MEASURES

1 pinch-1/8 tsp or less
1-1/2 tsp-1/2 Tbsp
3 tsp-1 Tbsp
1/6 cup-2 Tbsp + 2 tsp

1/4 cup-4 Tbsp
1/3 cup-5 Tbsp + 1 tsp
3/8 cup-6 Tbsp

1/2 cup-8 Tbsp

2/3 cup-10 Tbsp + 2 tsp

3/4 cup-12 Tbsp

1 cup-16 Tbsp

Quick Conversions:

Pinch or dash = less than 1/8 teaspoon

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons = 1 fluid oz.

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup = 2 ounces
6 tablespoons = 3/4 cup
5 1/8 tablespoons = 1/3 cup
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
1 cup = 8 fluid oz.
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups = 2 pints = 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon
2 cups liquid = 16 oz. = 1 pound
Measuring Liquids

¼ teaspoon = 1.25 ml

½ teaspoon = 2.5 ml

1 teaspoon = 5 ml

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 ml

¼ cup = 50 ml

1/3 cup = 80 ml

½ cup = 100 ml

¾ cup = 150 ml

1 cup = 200 ml

Miscellaneous:

1 stick of butter = 4 oz,

1/2 US cup, about 114 grams,

1/4 pound, 8 Tbs
1 oz cheese (grated) = 4 level tablespoons
1 oz cocoa or chocolate powder = 3 level tablespoons
1 oz coconut (desiccated) = 4 level tablespoons
1 oz flour (unsifted) = 3 level tablespoons
1 oz sugar (castor/caster) = 2 level tablespoons
1 oz sugar (granulated) = 2 level tablespoons
1 oz sugar (icing) = 2 1/2 level tablespoons
1 oz syrup (golden) = 1 level tablespoon

Let me guide you…

*Successful meal preparation is as much dependent on planning as on cooking skills.
*Time management Begin by familiarizing yourself with the kitchen and get comfortable.
*The first step is to decice the recipes thoroughly before making a final choice. If you choose 2 or more hot dishes, consider their cooking times and oven temperatures.
* If you have only one oven and the temperatures required for the 2 dishes are different, this will present difficulties.
*Sometimes the food is required to be done 2 to 3 hours before hand. Time yourself accordingly in the kitchen.
*Use labour saving devices like a food processor, pressure cooker, a peeler, an electric whisk etc. which will make your job easier and quicker in the kitchen
*Keep the cooking ingredients carefully and check to see whether you have all the ingredients ready with you in the kitchen table.
*The size of containers, individual cookers or the ripeness or tenderness of the foods being used can cause a slight variation
*Measure all the ingredients perfectly using standard cup and spoon measures for flawless results.
*Accurate measurements are essential if you want the same good results each time you cook. Use standard measuring cups and spoons.
*Dress safely when you cook. Wear cottons and other natural fabrics. Do not wear nylons and synthetics. Avoid loose clothing and long broad sleeves. If you are comfortable its safer to wear an apron during cooking.

Keep the kitchen clean:

*Clean up as you cook. It makes less work at the end. After you finish using a utensil, put it in warm soapy water to soak. Wash sharp knives separately and be careful of the sharp blades.
*Wash and dry all the utensils you have used and put them away. Wash the counters and leave the kitchen neat and clean.

*Rub the countertop stains such as mustard, tea, oil or fruit juice with baking soda and a damp cloth or sponge.

*Keep a garbage pail in the corner of the kitchen to prevent odours.
*Discard the bag after you have finished cooking.

Learn How to do Basic Preparations at home...

Cooking, today is is an art. Anyone can learn to cook if you follow some basic guidelines.

There are many people who cook for different reasons. Some cook in order to eat and survive while others cook because they actually enjoy the process of cooking. Some cook during times of emotional upheaval and others cook out of sheer boredom. Whatever your reason for cooking or learning to cook you should always begin with the basics.

Those who beginner in the art of Indian food preparation and found it most interesting to read the helpful information on the website. For beginners, eating an Indian meal might be somewhat of problem let alone cooking a balanced Indian meal. Indian food is designed to be eaten with the group. Unlike western food, Indian food cannot be eaten or served without a combination.. There is basic rule about how to combine dishes to make a complete Indian meal. Each Indian meal should consist of starch (for example: rice and/or Indian bread), one or more main dishes usually two vegetables and/or lentil dish will be served with meal.For a simple meal there will be only few varieties of dishes while for an elaborate parties or festivals, more variety of them are prepared.

The number of serves, preparation time and cooking time are all my guesstimates. None of this information was provided on the website. The first thing that you need to learn is what the different terminology you will find in recipes actually means. These terms can mean the difference in recipe success or failure. Another great bit of advice when it comes to cooking basics is to try simpler recipes for a while and then expand your horizons to the more complex recipes that abound. Most recipes will have a little note about their degree of difficulty and you can read through the recipe to see whether or not it is something you are interested in preparing or confident that you can prepare.

As you learn new recipes and improve your culinary skills and talents you will discover as your experience and confidence grows that you will find yourself more and more often improvising as you go and adjusting recipes to meet your personal preferences. If you prefer more or less of ingredients or want to make a recipe a little more or less spicy in flavor you can make simple adjustments along the way in order to achieve this goal. In other words you will begin in time to create recipes of your very own. And that is something you won't necessarily learn when it comes to basic cooking skills for beginners but you would never learn if you didn't master those basic cooking skills.

Ruchi

Food forms an integral part of our life . Ruchi means Taste. The experience of a flavor for the first time,To Love food! Ruchi is a collection of random musings on all things ‘yum’ and ‘tasty’ that make life so good - from mouth watering recipes the magic moments of life to causes that we’re passionate about.: This is an effort to recollect memories and food recipes that I have pleasurably eaten and cherished.. I am sharing some of my veg recipesof Indian food, desserts, sweets and drinks. here, and hope you will like it. Doyou have a recipe you want to share? Please come and share your thoughts here. Thanks for taking the time out to visit my recipe blog. Please leave me comments, concerns, and tips.