Cooking tips

hI FRENS

Try This little trick the next time you serve onions raw either as a garnish or in a recipe. After chopping or slicing the onion, place prepared onion in a bowl and fill with water to cover the onions. Toss in a few ice cubes and allow to soak for about 1 hour. Drain well before serving. You will have the crispiest, sweetest, best tasting onion ever.
Vatsi

Excuse me if I am asking basic or stupid question as I am just entering into cooking skills.

I prepared poha few times and it always turns out to be dried at the end. I tried both thick and thin poha..Please suggest the right way to prepare the poha.

Hi ,

u need to soak it while u prepare all preparations.soak in a strainer so all water drain out n when onion n remaining ingredients get fried put it .after puttin poha dont stir it more in gas as it may get dried up.once properly mix off the gas n mix it well.n keep it cover until u put it in plate.

try n see
Sonu

Use this method while cooking with thick poha. Wash and drain the poha well. put this in a wide mouthed basin and add water. The poha should be immersed in water, but the water should be just one centimetre above the poha, not much. Else it might get soggy. As soon as u soak poha, u cut the onions, chillies and fry them after seasoning. By this time the poha would have absorbed all the water. This way it will neither be too dry nor too soggy. Hope this helps.

I have read in a few places that Monosodium glutamate (aka MSG) is harmful. My husband has started loving Knorr soup and I want to check on this before we start using Knorr soup heavily in our house.

I checked the packet of Knorr soup and it says, "This package of sweet corn chicken soup powder contains added monosodium glutamate. Not recommended for infants below 12 months".

Does any one know more as to whether this is harmful for adults?

Hi,

We avoid MSg totally, but I feel that eating it occasionally should be okay. try the URL below, it is a bit scary, but atleast tells you a lot.

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

rgds
vidya

Hi Ladies,

Have any of you tried making curd from the plain yoghurt that you get in these US stores?

At times I end up being left out with no curd (even little for urai ootharadhuku). So I tried making curd by boiling milk (2% or 1%) and adding a little yoghurt to it when it is little warm. But the curd that formed was not like the usual one, it seems to have a sticky (or jelly like) texture. The taste was also not that good.

Any idea why it gets sticky? Does it happen with any of you who have tried with yoghurt?

Look forward to your replies.

Love,
Rathi

Hi Rathi,

Some times back, would buy milk from an Indian grocery where the dairy product would not move fast, it seemed which did not know.

That time, had this problem-whenever tried making curd through that particular milk, ended up with this sticky texture curd which was so yuck to taste/see though it was not an unexpired product too and the cultured yogurt was also homemade one!!

Bye..

Hi Rathi
I have tried making curd at home using 2% milk (Hood brand) and the curd turned out good.The texture was smooth.Some of my friends felt it is a little watery, consistency wise.. and preferred whole milk instead ..to make curds.So I guess the brand of milk matters as well.

Regards
Honeybee

Hi Ami,

I also have the same question/problem as you do. My MIL in North Carolina says that she buys yogurt, never sets it since it is too difficult.

In Holland, also it is not easy to make thayir at home. To an extent, we can get good setting by warming 1.5 to 2% milk, adding a natural yogurt culture (which says that it has certain specific bacterial cultures added to it) and then keeping it overnight in a warm place. But sometimes, it will turn out gelatinous,no definite results.



cheers
Vidya