Cooking for Beginners/Dummies- Indian style

Hi All, I have always fancied the big heavy British breakfast concept however it's just too much for an Indian, no Matter how non veggie he or she is, I mean no indian would prefer to have blood pudding(at least a vast majority of us wouldn't, in India nothing can be generalised). But the whole idea of eating a big hearty breakfast to start the day is interesting and a break from our daily idles and parathas... I have put together a selection of items that is essentially Western but suitable for the Indian palette, most of these are packaged items so very less cooking which means a beginner can easily make this . I made such type of breakfast first when I was in my late teenage to surprise my mom for mother's day, of course my mom is a pure vegetarian so all the items were veggie, but over the years, I've discovered more varieties of items to include and after coming back to India, I refined the menu based on what's available in the Indian market. British br...

Hi All Breakfast has now become mostly a glass of Orange Juice and toast. Of course growing up it was different for most of us, there will be elaborate meals with healthy fruits, milk /cofee/juice. For a south Indian, Breakfast is very important. Its just that breakfast is so versatile for us that you cannot imagine skipping something so delicious.But for a working person including me, our corporates demand most of our time which makes it impossible to make elaborate meals. Today we will discuss some quick, on the go type of Pseudo Traditional modern Breakfast items Keeping the Indian palatte in mind. Before starting, there are some tips Id like to share as a form of meal plannning. You see, certain advanced preparation in the weekend or maybe a readymade cheat can help you ace breakfast Making a pleasure Tip1 : Make Idly / dosa batter during weekend, It will last for a week. I normally buy local batter readymade from stores. If you need to know how to make Idly / dosa batter, ple...

Hi All, Have you ever got home and want to whip something up really fast. Today's Dinner recipe is one of the most basic dishes you can cook . It's easy, filling, and really cheap(no expensive ingredients) . You can really impress your family  / better half with this meal. As this is a meal plan, I will post a game plan which will help you plan how to cook the whole thing. To complete the meal, add a dessert which can be as basic as Fruit platter or elaborate as Carrot halwa( I have never made it myself so I cant write the recipe for it). I also add a raita to cool myself, Raita is very simple and just some yogurt/ curd with some chopped vegetables would do. Game Plan for potato masala with Jeera rice Dinner This recipe will  take around 15 minutes of preparation and  half an hour cooking time. There are certain overlaps you can do to minimize time. Step 1: washing everything and keeping everything ready.  Start by washing and soaking the rice.Next peal...

Hi All, Today we will discuss the basics of Indian cooking that you need to know before cooking for yourselves but most importantly if you are cooking for others / guests / Potlucks / parties etc. Indian cuisine is one of the most popular and flavorful cuisines in the world. But its also one of the most diverse and complex cuisines. From north to south ,East to west, Indians are united by a diverse culture. Each state ,region and community has their own recipes . Each one of these recipes are of course connected by the common Indian love for spices or the Curry. Today we will discuss key points before cooking for guests: 1. Selection of the Type of Indian cuisine 2. How to make dishes easy to carry and serve- compact and tasty 3. Basics of the Indian Spices and the basic spices - What you need in your pantry before cooking. 4. Selection of recipes based on Audience 5. Elaborate dishes Vs simple Indian Food 6.Utensils and other items that you need in Kitchen for Indian Cooki...

Hi All, This post is one of my most Favorite food in the world. It was introduced to me from a very young age by my Grandmother.She called it Bombay Toast. I always thought it was her recipe, Later on I found out that this Bombay toast is one of the most intresting, most loved recipe Internationally called as french toast. Now I'm not sure if this was invented by the French neither do I know how the professional chefs makes them. My grandmother's version uses basic white Local bread. This is one of the easiest recipes that Bachelors and Spinsters can make in their Rooms/ Dorms. But it can be easily messed up which I will discuss in the recipe. Be careful not to mess up( which can also be delicious).   Bombay Toast or French Toast for Beginners / Bachelors  Recipe type:  Breakfast, Snacks Prep time: 5 minutes    Cooking time : 2 minutes / Slice Serves: Depends Ingredients Please see notes on how to scale the ingredients   1. Brea...

Hi all.. I'm a beginner, an experimental cook. I love to cook but somehow messes up most of what I cook.. Very occasionally I make things that my big family loves. I'm sharing my tried and tested and approved ( by my family) recipes for other beginners like me to follow.. Peanut Chutney : Peanuts are very healthy .Loaded with proteins, it's excellent for vegetarians. Peanuts are very popular as a raw nut, fried or boiled but did you know that while fried peanuts are more popular and simply eaten , boiled peanuts are considered more healthy. Today however I'm using roasted peanuts to make a chutney that is very popular in Tamil nadu . You can eat it with all breakfast items like idly n dosa and also with chapati or poori as a side dish. It has a nutty, creamy texture very different from normal chutneys. From my research (googling), I found that this chutney can be made in two ways. 1. Raw peanuts with skin on simply ground and seasoned and tempered. 2.Roasted ...