Basic Cooking Tips for Indian Recipes

Cooking Tips

Read the recipe thoroughly before making any food. Have all ingredients at hand. If necessary, chop or slice the vegetables. Transfer the liquid ingredients into individual small bowls. If required, prepare the paste or puree.
Peel the onion and cut it into halves. Soak them in water for 15 mins before cutting. You will avoid burning eyes and running tears.
If you want to keep the rice grains separate and white, rinse them 4-5 times with water. Add 2-3 drops of lemon while cooking.
Don’t throw away the water that was used to boil vegetables. You can use it to make paratha, chapati dough or gravies.
French fries can be crisped by deep-frying them to half their original size, then storing in a container. You can also cover the container with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer section of your refrigerator for about 4-5 hours. Just before serving, deep-fry them again.
For soft chapatis or rotis, use a smooth and soft dough. Let it rest at least 20-30 min before you make them.
Peeling almonds is easy if you soak them in hot, boiled water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add crushed sweet corn, pureed radish, grated cucumber, fenugreek, or mashed and boiled vegetables to the dough when preparing it.

Use milk, poppy seeds or cashew paste to add extra richness and flavor to Indian curries.
Put diced potato and eggplant (brinjal), in a bowl with water to prevent them from browning.
Do not discard your curry or dal if it has accidentally become too salty. Add a half-raw, peeled and diced potato to the curry and let it boil for five minutes. Then discard the potato. The potato absorbs extra salt.
Peel the onion and cut it into halves. Soak them in water for 15 mins before cutting. You will avoid burning eyes and running tears.
To keep the vibrant green color of green leafy veggies, add a pinch or two of sugar when boiling or cooking them.
For a melt-in-your mouth paneer curries, soak the paneer cubes for 10 minutes in hot water and then drain them.
After blanching the spinach, transfer it immediately into a bowl filled with ice cold water to maintain its bright green color.
The gravy for Punjabi curries tastes best when it is prepared a day in advance and used to make the curry. The gravy prepared should be kept in the refrigerator so that flavors can blend together.

Mix oil and salt when preparing the paste and store in an airtight container.
Chop green leafy veggies and store them in a thick container of plastic in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for up to seven days.
Rub the garlic cloves with a little oil, and let them dry in the sun for about 20-30 minutes.
Remove and discard the stem of green chillies before placing them in the refrigerator.
Use 3-4 cloves of garlic in a sugar container to repel ants.