A Few Tips for an Easy Indian Cooking.

A few practical tips. That was all what dear Mallugirl wanted from me next.Tips would be a Great contribution to the event!; But,as I had my own doubts like, since I am an Indian blogger I had to see how much my tips would be practical to the girls.!... being not much aware of the Western shopping stuff, the life style or the Western styles of cooking and preparatories.. how far my generalised tips would be helpful to the bloggers who are mostly Non Resident Indians..??..

Her gentle "push", had made me come up with a new post with a few of these,finally...which I am jotting down, out of my very personal experience.

1. Cry over spilt milk but Never over 'left over' rice.Transfer into a bowl, closing with a cling film and refrigerate. You are ready with the quickest form of rice: the soothing 'curd rice', next day.Lime rice,Tamarind rice,and Carrot rice are a few other updations of the same.

2. Have you ever heard of a child being fussy about Maggi 2 minute noodles?Nowadays,they come in different flavours and varieties.The only negative aspect being the added Mono sodium glutamate or the Aji-no-moto which is thought to be a little unhealthy.'Maggi meal',once in a week can be considered as a quick food for the young.Add veggies or boiled chicken pieces to make it complete.

3. **Condiments and Powders of any variety come to a timely help.

Soup powders, sambhar powder, rasam powder, garam masala, curry powder and coconut milk powders are worthy to be mentioned.Label them.These help you to whip up a bowl of quick n easy curry, any time of the day.

4. Cooked dal, grated frozen coconuts and veggies ready in the freezer are great timely helpers for making a simple dhal and veggie curry with steamed rice or Indian breads.

5. **Preserves like pickles, spiced dhal powder, chammanthi podi, kariveppilai podi go well with cooked(even left over) rice.

6. Better keep the Idli/dosa batter ready in your tupperware, refrigerated at least once a week.The soaking grinding and fermenting slots are definitely a little elaborate, but it serves you an easy, healthy light meal in a lesser time.

7. **Adai or the lentil pancakes, too require pre-soaking and grinding.Here's a method to make them in an easy way.Dry grind finely Rice:thuvar dal in the ratio 3:1.(if possible get it done in India, in a grinding mill, during one of your visits or so.Please read Ashaji's comment down here too:)).Store in an airtight container or a Zip lock bag. Add chilly powder,salt a pinch of hing with some chopped onions and cilantro.Make a loose batter adding water.You will be ready with hot crispy adais in a jiffy.This adai needs lesser time to cook than the other version.

The slightly thicker batter of the above powder can be used for coating sliced potatoes, brinjals, yellow pumpkin or any vegetable of your choice, to make bajjis, deep fried in oil, a quick savoury snack for unexpected guests.

8. **Ready made- store bought powdered forms of ragi, bajra/cumbu, nava dhanyam can be made into healthy porridges,Kazhi or Koozh with less cooking time. They can be served hot with a simple pickle, mor milagai or a quick fry.The left overs can be preserved, soaked in diluted butter milk, the resulting product : A super-summer-cooler-drink.

9. Here's an easy base for Kanji/Rice porridge or gruel.Dry roast the rice you prefer for a few minutes.Dry grind coarsely in a mixer when cool.Store in an airtight container.This cooks in a jiffy to make your favourite hot and simple bowl of comfort food.

10. Sprouts are extra nutritious.Add an extra amount of them in your salads, once or twice a week.This saves you time from cutting and chopping salad vegetables.

11. Store chicken breasts and fish fillets, if you prefer.They cook easily and can serve you an easy meal for your unexpected guests when compared to veg dishes; of course if your guests are non-vegetarians....the host too :) .

12. A loaf of bread or a pizza base comes handy,with the fruit preserves or readymade topping.Store the kind of butter for bread and cheese for pizza, preferred.Along with your favourite fruit juices, reserve whole fresh fruits too.

** Moms and Mils would willingly help you out with points numbered 3,5,7 and 8... Smartly make use of them..:D.

Above all,when it comes to working women, "planning dinner every weekend" is the most reliable method.Plan the dinner menu before hand for the coming 7 days in advance,considering the family preferences and simple nutritional facts.Plan your shopping list accordingly.See to it that you include cereals, salads, vegetables, milk and yoghurt, all over.This might seem a 'burden' to start with, but sets you going automatically the whole week.Pre-planning and shopping requires lesser time and effort than the time needed thinking about a meal and searching for the raw materials, 'to find a few missing' in the store, fridge or freezer in the 'due exact' time of cooking, leaving you frustrated..

After all, a little planning makes your life more comfortable ..:)..letting you to live to the fullest..:)..

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