Basics of Cooking & Kitchen for all (especially new weds)

Hi All,
I am a new member but as such I am no cullinary expert too. But all I have is a huge collection of so many reciepies which I have collected from time to time and which I have tried many. Would like to share with all.

I have made it a habit of gifting Meenakshi Ammal's Samaithupaar or Cook and See for all my cousins who got married. Either going abroad or staying back in India.

I would share a few basic things which I learnt from my mother and grandmother when I got married 9 years ago. It is so useful till date and would like to share it with all and will be happy if any changes too could be made.

For a family of 2:
Every day rice qty for the morning 2 1/2 cups or 250 ml.
Daal or Thuvaram Parupu 1/2 cup or 50 ml.
(If you are making sambar or paruppu rasam increase the qty to 1 1/4 cups 125ml)

Rice for the night if you are taking rice in the night then it is 175 ml or 1 3/4th cups)

I have got the qtys only in cups but for the convinience of others I have converted it to ml.

For Sambar: Gram Dhall 2 sp,
Coriander seeds or Dhaniya 1/2 sp
Venthayam or Mentil 1/4 sp
Rice 1/2 sp
Red Chilli 4 nos
Kariveppilai
Fry all these and grind it with your desired qty of grated cocunut. Cook all the vegetables in tamarind juice and when the tamarind smell goes add salt and the ground paste. Add 2 big karandis of cooked thoor daal and mix it well.

Rasam Podi:
Dhaniya : 3 cups
Thoor daal : 1 3/4 cups
Red Chilli : 1 1/2 cups
Milagu : 1 cup
Jeeragam : 3/4 cups
Perungayam : a small piece
turmeric powder : a sp

As the qty is small you can grind them in mixie and store it. Fry all the ingredients except the turmeric powder dry without oil and grind everything coarsely in a mixer and store it in airtight container.




Sambar Podi:

Dhaniya: 2 1/2 cups,
Thoor Daal, Gram daal, Urid Daal and Rice each 1/2 cup,
Red Chilli : 4 or 5 cups
vendhayam : 1/4 cups,
Jeeragam : 1/4 cups
Perungayam 25 gms

Fry all dry without oil and grind them nicely. This can be used for vathal kulambu, paruppu kulambu and also for some vegetables




Milagu Rasam Powder:
This rasam is also called as instant Rasam. This can be given to patients with stuffy nose or temperature.

Dhaniya : 2tsp,
Jeeragam : 1/2 sp,
Milagu : 1/4 sp,
Red Chiili : 1 no.
some kariveppilai

Dry grind everything add this with tamarind water one or two tomatoes, salt and boil it till the smell goes.

If you like garlic add that too while grinding.

Cook 1/2 cup of Gram Dhall or Payatham paruppu in cooker. The daals should be cooked soft. Add 1 cup of Jaggery and boil it together for few mins till the jaggery blends well. Remove from fire add Elaichi, 1 cup of milk and ghee fried Cashews

Jars for tea/coffee/sugar and salt
Baskets for potatoes & onions Measuring cups
12 glass bottles for masalas Measuring spoons
12 plastic jars for grains & cereals Rolling pin & board
2-3 knives Steel tong’s
1 peeler Lighter
1 grater 6 teatowels
1 chopping board Kitchen roll
1 whisk Aluminium foil
2 pans Cling film
2 saucepans Serving bowls
1 tava/non-stick Serving plate
1 kadhai Table cuttlery
Pressure cooker Glasses
Sieve Dinner plates
Strainer Side plates
Bottle opener Blender or food processor
Can opener
1 ladle
1 flatspoon, serving spoons & wooden spoons
2-3 thalis
Slotted frying spoon

Plastic / glass bottles for water
Butter dish
Plastic containers for chilli / ginger / curry leaves / coriander / mint leaves
Containers for left-overs

Now we have got Tupperware containers for all these if you are ready to make a one time investment

Cooking, today is as much a science as it is an art. Anyone can learn to cook if you follow some basic guidelines.
The first rule is "don’t panic". Relax and take it easy.

Begin by familiarizing yourself with the kitchen and get comfortable. Put on a clean apron and tie your hair back.

Choose a simple recipe from your favourite cookbook and read it carefully, preferable twice. If you do not understand any terms mentioned in the recipe, look up the glossary.

Carefully lay out all the ingredients on your worktable and measure them carefully using standard cups, teaspoon and tablespoon measures, for best result.

Look for any basic recipes, the recipe might contain and prepare for that in advance.

Follow each step specified in the recipe correctly. Keep the improvising for later.

Follow the serving instructions specified in the recipe, for example serve hot or cold etc. A perfectly cooked dish can taste all wrong if served incorrectly.

Are you the kind of person, who dabbles in the kitchen- cooking one odd dish at a time. If it’s the first time you are setting out to cook an entire meal all by yourself, you will soon discover its another thing altogether. Successful meal preparation is as much dependent on planning as on cooking skills. Golden rules for time management
The first step is to read 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.

Next, make a shopping list. Check that you have all the ingredients you require. Once you have everything on hand, you can start the preparation.

Read each recipe through again so you know what lies ahead and try to estimate how long each preparation stage will take.
It is usually the case that most of the cooking has to be done at the same time, but we have only one pair of hands. So decide what can wait and what has to be done immediately. Grind masalas and pastes in advance.

Start with dishes that takes the longest cooking time for ones that have to be served last and work your way backwards i.e. the dessert for example, can be started just while you pressure cook the dal, then cook the vegetables. Prepare the salad and finally the parathas.

If any recipe requires the oven to be preheated, do this first. Water for cooking of vegetables can be brought to a boil while you are doing the chopping and slicing.

Set out all the ingredients required and prepare them as specified in the recipe. If more than one dish calls for the same ingredients (example chopped onion) you can prepare the total amount at the same time.

Alway use sharp knives. They will assist you in cutting and chopping quickly.
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.

Learn how to recognize good quality in fresh foods. Before picking up a "bargain" in fresh fruits, check their condition carefully. Make sure that they are firm to touch and smell fragrant.
Buy spotted or bruised fruits only if you know you can use them soon after purchase so that they will neither spoil nor loose their food VALUE.

Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables, as they will be lower in price and better flavoured.

Look for bargains, but keep in mind cheap deals are not always the best and neither are the most expensive. Buy sensibly.
If you buy bulk quantities of food at a lower price, be sure that you have enough space in the kitchen and also make sure that you use up the ingredients you have bought in bulk quantities, before they get spoiled.

Buy brands you trust and those that provide value for money. Look for special deals i.e. free gift, 33.33% more, free samples etc.
By reading foods labels and through observation, study and find out the difference in price quantity and cost.

Keep a pad and pencil in the kitchen. They are your best insurance against forgetting some staple, you may need. Also know how much you need, when you get to the market, stick to the shopping list.

To get perfect results every time you cook, follow these simple rules
Check out for the preparation time, which is mentioned on top of the recipe. Please do not lose heart if you find it takes longer than the time given. After you have made the dish once, you will find the preparation much speedier on subsequent occasions.

Check out for the cooking times also. The size of containers, individual cookers or the ripeness or tenderness of the foods being used can cause a slight variation. So do not be worried, if there is some difference in the cooking time.

Read the recipe carefully. If you cannot follow any terms mentioned in the recipe, look through the glossary.

Weigh or measure the ingredients accurately to get perfect results.
Read the ingredients carefully and check to see whether you have all the ingredients ready with you in the kitchen.

The first time you try a recipe, follow the directions exactly. You can alter the recipe once you are confident in the kitchen.
Read the instructions carefully as sometimes marinating the food is required to be done 2 to 3 hours before hand. Time yourself accordingly in the kitchen.

I am sending a special thanks to Tarala Dalal for all the special tips from the 4th post. All these were collected by my friend from her website who passed me these.