Cooking and Household Tips

• Add hot water to make chapati dough, the chapatis come out very soft.
   

• When making ginger tea, boil water with tea and ginger first. Add milk only after the tea has boiled well else the milk will curdle.
   

• If you have forgotten to soak Chick peas or Rajma overnight and you wish to make them soon, nothing to worry. Soak them in hot water for an hour and cook them in the cooker with a pinch of soda for 5-6 whistles.
   

• Soak rice overnight and cook the next day if you want long, separate grains.
   

• After cutting Bhindi (Okra), microwave it for around 7-8 mins before cooking. This will soften the Bhindi, thereby not requiring a lot of oil when cooking.

• Place a glass of water with some vinegar (3 tbsps) in a micro safe bowl inside the oven.
   

• Turn it on high for around 5 mins till the mixture boils and you see steam all over the oven.
   

• Cool for 3 mins, open the door and wipe it clean with a cloth.

If you do not get molasses in your country easily, use one of the following:
 

• For one cup of molasses, use one cup of maple syrup, or dark corn syrup or honey
   

• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

• To check if your eggs are fit to use, take a deep vessel of water and add the eggs. If the eggs float, they have to be thrown. Fresh eggs immediately sink.
   

• A substitute for egg when you bake muffins, pancakes and cookies (haven't tried in cakes yet) – for each egg, use 1 tbsp flax seeds powder (15 grams) mixed in 3 tbsp (45 ml) water. Mix this and let it sit for 3-4 mins. This will resemble a slimy mixture which you can use as an equivalent amount of eggs in your recipe.

• In a deep glass bowl take 1 cup milk powder.
   

• Add water and 1 tsp of ghee to make a pasty mixture.
   

• Put this mixture in the microwave oven and heat for 3 mins, stirring constantly after every minute.
   

• You will get a good grated mawa.

You will need -

1. Pure coconut oil preferably organic – 1/2 litres

2. Onion – 1 medium size

3. Shallots – 5

4. Garlic cloves – 5

5. Curry leaves – 10

6. Methi seeds – 1 heaped tbsp (soaked in water)
    

Method -

• Drain the water from the methi seeds.

• Add all the ingredients except oil in a blender and grind to a fine paste without adding water.

• Take the oil in an iron wok and add the ground mixture to it.

• Start boiling it and once you get a boil, lower the flame and simmer it till the onion and garlic mixture gets dark.

• Sieve the mixture into a glass bottle through a strainer and leave it over night for all the oil to drip.

• Press the strainer nicely and throw the residue.

• Store this is a dark cool place and use it.