Cooking Tips and guide for basic ingredients

• Home Made Paneer
• Cooking Vegetables
• Cooking Potatoes
• Cooking Dals/Lentils, Legumes and Beans
• Cooking Rice

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Home Made Paneer

Curdled milk is called chenna/cottage cheese. Flattened chenna is Paneer

Note: If a recipe asks for crumbled paneer, you don’t have to go through the process of pressing the chenna down with a weight. You can use the strained chenna as it is. You press it down only in a case when you need to cut it in particular shape.

Ingredients

• 3 liters of milk (preferable 2% and above, the more the fat the richer the paneer)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Cheese cloth
• A heavy object, like stack of books, or a heavy canister to press the paneer/cheese down.

Method

In a heavy bottom pan, pour the milk, turning the heat to high. Stir the milk constantly to ensure milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

When the milk begins to boil, add freshly squeezed lemon juice

You will notice that the milk begins to curdle. Once the entire milk curdles (this happens when you see the whey) strain the chenna/cheese mixture by keeping a cheese cloth on a strainer.

Bring together the corners of the cheese cloth with chenna/cheese inside and twist the ends to squeeze out excess water.

Place the cheese cloth bundle in flat surface and place another flat plate/cookie sheet on top of the cheese cloth. Now place something heavy like a pile of books or a brick on the cookie sheet in a way that the weight is directly on the cheese cloth. This will press down the cheese.

Let it sit under the weight for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the cheese from the cloth. Now your paneer is ready.

Cut the paneer into desired shape.

Store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container. A food grade container can make it stay for a week.

Cooking Vegetables

Pressure cook Vegetables

• See All About Pressure Cookers and Pressure Cooking at wikipedia
• Cut the vegetables as desired, add a little water and place it in the pressure cooker. Place the weight over the cooker and wait for a whistle.
• After the three whistles, turn the heat off.
• If it’s a green or orange vegetable, release pressure immediately, for any other vegetable wait for the pressure to settle down/cooker to cool down, before you open

Boil Vegetables

• Cut vegetables into desired shape.
• Place in a large pan of water, bring to the boil and cook until very soft.
• Drain really well. You can use the water for soups as it is packed with nutrients.

 

Cooking Potatoes

Potatoes really are the ultimate food in terms of the number of ways in which you can prepare them. Here’s a quick guide to some easy cooking techniques:

Pressure cook Potatoes

• See All About Pressure Cookers and Pressure Cooking at wikipedia
• Cut the potatoes in half, add a little water and place it in the pressure cooker. Place the weight over the cooker and wait for a whistle.
  
• After the first whistle simmer it down for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off.
• Wait for the pressure to settle down/cooker to cool down, before you open.
  
• Peal the skin of the potatoes and use them the desired way

Boil Potatoes

• Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized cubes or as desired.
• Place in a large pan of water, bring to the boil and cook until very soft.
• Drain really well

Baked Potatoes

• Preheat the oven to 220C. Wash the potato and then prick it all over with a fork.
• Rub a little olive oil on the potato and sprinkle a little salt over (this helps to make the skin nice and crispy).
• Place in the centre of the oven, directly on a wire rack so that it cooks evenly all over.
• Depending on your oven, it will probably take about 45 minutes to 1 hour for your potato to be cooked to perfection.

Cooking Dals/Lentils and Legumes/Beans

Lentils do not need to be presoaked like some legumes do, though many people find that soaking them for at least 1 hour helps to make them more tender and “meltable”. Most people also soak dried beans prior to cooking.

You should spread out the lentils or dried beans and check for, and remove, stones or other debris. This recommendation applies to both packaged as well as bulk! After you have inspected the lentils or dried beans, place them in a strainer, and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water.

Ingredients for Cooking Lentils

1 cup lentils (soak 20 minutes)
3 cups of water

Ingredients for Cooking Legumes/Beans

1 cup legumes/beans (soak overnight)
4 cups water

Pressure Cooking Method

• All About Pressure Cookers and Pressure Cooking at wikipedia
• Add the Lentil/ legumes/beans and water to the pressure cooker
• For Lentils
  • Place the weight over the cooker and wait for a whistle. After 1 whistles, simmer the heat for 5 minute
• For Legumes/Beans
  • Place the weight over the cooker and wait for a whistle. After 3 whistles, simmer the heat for 15 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and wait until the pressure releases/cooker cools down before you open.

Boiling Method

Add 3 cups of water and the lentils to a pot and bring it to a boil. If the lentil was presoaked, use the same water as some amount of nutrients from the lentil would be released in the water.

Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer and cover the pot. Green lentils usually take 30 minutes to cook, while red/yellow lentils tend to cook up faster, about 20 minutes. While legumes/beans can take over 40 minutes to cook.

Cook longer for a mushier lentil/legume/beans and shorter for more firm lentil/legume/beans (for adding to rice dishes and salads etc

Watch the pot for the texture you wish to have and add more water as needed.

 

Cooking Rice

Cooking Rice has been made easy with this one pot cooking. This recipe gives a grainy texture to rice. If you want a more soft texture, add ¼ cup more water, cook for a little more and experiment. Getting a desired texture is very individualistic.

A big Sauce pan or a frying pan with a lid is a great vessel to use. Giving enough room for the rice to cook and prevent the froth from over flowing

Serves: 4 persons

Cooking time: 20 minutes + 15 minutes standing time after cooking

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice (wash and soak for 10 minutes)
• 2 ½ cups water

Method

Add the pre-soaked rice and water in a big pan and turn the heat to medium.

Allow it to the rice to cook in the pan. You will notice after a while that froth and bubbles start forming. At this point, open the lid, give it a stir and close the lid back

Now let the rice simmer; until you notice that all the water has been absorbed by the rice and you see only grains. At this point turn off the heat and let the rice stand for 15 more minutes.