Ingredients of Indian Cooking – Yoghurt

Yoghurt

Tagged as one of the most important ingredients of Indian Cooking, Yoghurt is being used in various ways for cooking different types of recipes. Yoghurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as “yoghurt cultures”. Universally, cow’s milk is most frequently used to make yoghurt, but milk from buffalo, goats, sheep, yaks and camels is also used in various parts of the world.

Yoghurt being used for centuries to treat digestive disorders and its forerunner, cultured milk, offer several possibilities in the preparation of food. Whether you like mixing flavored yoghurt in a fruit salad or using it for marinating your meat and fish, yoghurt is a very multipurpose ingredient to have in every kitchen.

Yoghurt has many other health benefits apart from curing the digestive ailments. Yoghurt is rich in calcium, potassium, protein and B vitamins. Research over the several years has proved that yoghurt strengthens and soothes the immune system. Yoghurt has strong medicinal properties, which stimulates the immune system and kills the bacteria in the human body. Though yoghurt is found in different forms in the stores but it is always advisable to buy low fat unflavored yoghurt. Frozen yoghurt is not the same compared to the fresh yoghurt available very rarely in the market. Frozen yoghurt doesn’t yield the same health benefits like fresh yoghurt but still if you keep the habit of consuming yoghurt everyday you can cure many ailments.

Raita is a condiment made with yogurt and popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The best usage of yoghurt is met when it is used for marinating fish, chicken, mutton and other different types of meat and fish recipes. Chicken marinated with yoghurt brings out the strong aroma of the recipe in your cooking. Yoghurt is also used for the preparation of sauces, desserts, and a very famous Asian condiment, Raita.

 

 

 

Spiced & sweet lassi. Lassi is a refreshing non-alcoholic Indian drink,

Some other handy yoghurt usage in Indian cooking

• Substitute yoghurt in recipes that call for vinegar or lime juice. Use the plain, unflavored yoghurt in cooking recipes.
• Low-fat yoghurt can be used in your salads blended with your favorite fruits and spices.
• You can apply unflavored yoghurt on your skin. This will improve your skin texture and give you a healthy skin. Besides, yoghurt adds enzymes and oils to the skin, which works as a natural moisturizer.
• Use yoghurt in drinks instead of the normal cold drinks. Lassi is a very healthy drink which has a cool and soothing effect on your stomach.

So you can see how important yoghurt is in our lives. Use it everyday to reap the total benefits of it in your cooking and in improving health hazards.

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Ingredients of Indian Cooking – Green Chillies

Green Chillies

Green chillies are the life and essence of a healthy Indian meal. It adds a distinct flavor to any type of recipe and without it no recipe sems complete. Just the addition of green chilli to the right proportion is more than enough to arouse the aroma of a delectable recipe. Green chillies are available throughout the year and so there is no scarcity and so much so it its production that even a good quantity is being exported.

Frankly speaking, we can’t even think of Indian cooking without a dash of green chillies. We use chopped green chillies in cooking frequently compared to the sliced or grounded form. But make sure we always add few green chillies to bring that savor to our food. A green chilli is an important ingredient in Indian cooking. You can also find world acclaimed chefs making good use of chillies in grounded form while cooking in order to enhance the taste and aroma. Green chillies are available fresh in the local markets and are also found in dried, powdered, and flaked, in oil, in sauce, bottled and pickled form. It simply spices up an insipid meal and makes a real difference

A Cursory Glance At The Nutritional Facts Of Green Chillies

Green Chillies are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamins and many other useful nutrients. It helps in building and maintaining bones and teeth, regulates heart rhythm, eases insomnia and lowers blood pressure. The content of iron balances the hemoglobin in your body and thus boosts up your body’s resistance power. Green chillies also help in reducing blood cholesterol levels and improve muscle and nerve functioning.

The content of magnesium in green chillies plays an important role in human life. It maintains a normal heart rhythm and converts blood sugar into energy. On the other hand, potassium which is also contained in green chillies works with sodium to regulate the body’s waste balance and stimulates kidneys to eliminate poisonous body wastes. This results in reducing high blood pressure and promotes healthy skin. Vitamin A and Vitamin C are the other essential nutritional facts found in green chillies. It helps in healing of wounds and forms collagen which is a protein required for healthy skin, bones, tendons and tissues.

Green chillies improve the immunity system and are very helpful for the eyes as it has a direct attachment with vision for its Vitamin A content.

Even if you are not using green chillies in cooking, use it with salads. Raw green chillies are the best for your body organs. Make sure you use green chillies properly in all of your recipes and make it a daily inclusion in your diet.

After knowing all these facts I am sure that you will use green chillies in all of your recipes and make others aware of the useful facts of this very simple ingredient of Indian cooking. So, what are you waiting for? Spice up your dull life and dull awful meal with green chillies and carve a broader smile on your face. Go green and lead a healthier life with green chillies!

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Crispy Veg Stuffed Cones with Capsicum Raita

Crispy Veg stuffed cones with Capsicum Raita

It’s a very complex situation when it comes to decide about the evening snacks. So we always tend to visit the fast food counters to quench our hunger for snacks as we lack time at home. Thinking of this situation I had always wanted to make something which can be easily prepared at home.

Home cooked food is always healthy and this is the only reason I decided to make these Crispy Stuffed Vegetarian Cones with Capsicum Raita. The entire idea was to bring a new member to the family of snacks and keep aside the junk food that we all munch on whenever we think of evening snacks.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of Maida (flour)
• 3 carrots finely chopped
• 1 cup green peas
• 5 medium sized potatoes (chopped in small pieces)
• ½ chopped Red pepper
• ½ chopped Green pepper
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 4-5 finely chopped green chilies
• 500 gms of yoghurt
• 200 gms paneer (make small cubes)
• 1 cone (I made the cone with a hard paper, you can get it from any store)

The separately cooked vegetable with home-made paneer

Vegetable Preparation

• You should cook all the vegetables separately at first.
• Heat oil in a wok till its smoking hot. Add the chopped potatoes. Add pinch of salt and stir it well. Take it out when the potatoes are crisp. Keep aside.
• Now add the chopped carrots and the cup of green peas to the oil. Add pinch of salt and stir well until it becomes soft. Take it out and keep aside.
• Now its time to cook the finely chopped red and green peppers and the tomato together. Make sure you don’t cook it for long as you will lose the green and red color if overcooked. Take out the mixture and keep aside in a bowl.
• Now mix the crisp potatoes, chopped green chilies, cooked carrots and peas, red and green peppers and tomatoes together in the wok in 1 teaspoon oil. Stir it for 2 minutes in low flame.
• Take the paneer cubes and crush with your hand and mix it with the vegetables in the wok.

The Crisp Flour Cones

Cone Preparation

• Take the flour in a big bowl, and mix salt as per taste with 2 tablespoon of oil.
• Mix the ingredients well to form a mixture.
• Pour in half cup water and mix the dough well to almost dry.
• Then again pour half cup of water and mold well.
• When you see the dough is not sticking to your palm, then it’s ready.
• Divide the dough into medium sized balls, take little oil for lubrication and roll each of them to around 6-7 inches.
• After this is done wrap the rolled out maida to the cone and wrap the cone properly. Make sure you stick the edges with water else it won’t come out neatly from the hot oil.
• In the meantime heat the oil in medium flame. Then drop the maida wrapped cone along with the paper cone in the oil and fry in low to medium flame. Take it out when it turns light golden brown.
• Make 5-6 cones following the same procedure.
• Your well crafted cones are ready.

Capsicum Raita Preparation

• Take 200 gms of fat-free non-sweetened yoghurt and mix it well with 1 teaspoon red chili powder. Add black salt and black pepper as per taste.
• Add chopped red and green pepper to the yoghurt.
• Garnish with the remaining chopped red and green pepper.
• Your Capsicum Raita is ready.

Your ready to eat Veg stuffed cones with raita

Now fill the cones with the cooked vegetable and serve with the Capsicum Raita. Your crispy vegetarian cones are ready and am sure this recipe will be a favorite item among your family members and specially among the kids.

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Basics of having a restaurant-like experience at home

Restaurant food

Restaurant recipes are always delicious and that is the main reason we always prefer restaurant food more than our home cooked food. The master chefs of the restaurants know the tricks involved in making every recipe delicious and mouth watering. However most of the restaurant dishes contain high amount of fat and calories and it is also quite expensive when you talk about the best item of a renowned restaurant.

So today I am going to share some secrets with you, on how to cook the restaurant-like food at home.

First you need to have all those things which will remain in your kitchen throughout and make it easy for you to cook your favorite restaurant recipes with ease. Though it is not needed to buy all the top equipments for your kitchen, the most important tool you should have is a good knife. The right knife will be your partner for many years. Choose a stainless steel chef’s knife that fits your grip well and won’t rust. Try to have different types of chef’s knives in your kitchen.

Some other important items that your kitchen should consist of are:

• Immersion blender
• Cheese grater
• Saucepans
• Skillets (regular and nonstick)
• Thermometer (look for “instant-read”)

The basis of good food is the good ingredients. So always buy the best you can afford from the market. Always try and buy the freshest local produce and eggs. Vegetables with leaves and roots are best advised since these are fresher than the ones you get in the stores. Buy the fresh herbs as dried herbs cannot match the same earthy flavors.

Restaurant food tastes delicious as those contains good amount of fat and tasty recipes do not come fat-free. So if you’re really going for that fine mouth watering taste, be prepared to step away from your diet momentarily. At times do buy the best full-fat butter, cream and cheese when you want to munch on the favorite restaurant delicacies. And speaking of flavor, buy high-quality olive oil as it adds a different flavor compared to the ordinary sunflower oil.

We enjoy restaurant food so much because of the flavor; the usage of various fresh herbs and spices adds this special flavor to the restaurant cooked food. Spices and herbs are the most important ingredient which gives your dishes an international flair and unique essence. So let’s take a look at the different ways to add taste and give flavor to your home-cooked meals.

Check out some popular cuisines and their local associated flavors:

• Caribbean – ginger.
• French — rosemary, thyme.
• Indian — cumin, turmeric, sesame, poppy seeds, coriander, pepper, saffron, cinnamon.
• Italian — garlic, onions, peppercorns.
• Latin — cumin, onions.

Besides soothing your taste buds, herbs and spices benefit your body in other ways too. They contain antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Usage of more spices and herbs helps in using salt to a minimal extent which in turn helps in controlling blood sugar. So usage of these spices and herbs will spice up your life along with your food!

The second most important part of cooking restaurant food – the technique

Most chefs go to school for years to perfect their cooking styles,especially to learn the chopping and cutting techniques. Master the following techniques at home and you’ll find yourself succeeding at any recipe that comes your way.

• Grilling
• Sauteing
• Roasting
• Steaming
• Usage of vegetables
• Making stock
• Slow and covered cooking
• Chopping and cutting

Home chefs need to learn the proper knife skills. Knowing which knife to use in which situation makes the cooking experience more efficient and time-saving as well as safer for your fingers. Having the ideal knives in your kitchen makes it real easy for you to chop and cut things at your will.

The most important part that lures you towards the restaurant food

Fine dining isn’t only about flavors and taste. It’s all about the presentation which makes any dish appetizing and attractive. Even the most simple, everyday meal feels appetizing when served correctly. Hence it doesn’t take much effort to make your meals a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Setting up the ambiance and give it a restaurant look makes your job half done.

Neatly decorated dining table

Usage of the good dishes, cloth napkins, forks, knives, spoons and setting up a proper table is very important. You can keep a starter in the menu which will light up the restaurant feeling in you. While plating the actual meal, you need to keep certain things in mind. Let’s take a look at some of the important tips:

• The plate should look beautiful and big enough so the food doesn’t get crowded.
• Spoons, forks and knives should be beside your plate.
• Usage of white-colored plates is the most preferred so that the colors of the food show up.
• Decorate the rice by making a mound at one side of the plate.
• We always make the mistake of putting the sauce or gravy on top of the meat. So put the sauce under the meat instead of on top. The meat looks more appetizing and the sauce adds a nice contrasting effect.
• Garnishing is very important which can make a very simple food look very attractive. So when you garnish use bright ingredients always.
• Try some artistic techniques, smear sauce across the plate by using a soft spatula.
• Wipe the plates with a clean cloth before serving to maintain hygiene.

So follow all these steps and keep the tips in mind so that you can always enjoy restaurant food at home at your will.

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