All posts by Ashwita

Ashwita is a Reiki master and past life therapist. She loves traveling, photography, writing, painting and cooking! She made her first cookies at 12 and fell in love with baking, a love that is still strong. Desserts are her specialty, although she can cook dishes from around a dozen cuisines.

Couscous salad

couscous salad

I first ate this salad as a 14 year old in France, as I watched the sun streaming in through the windows, the smell of freshly baked baguettes floating in on a beautiful Sunday morning. It was also the first time I ate salad for breakfast. And it was love at first bite.

Couscous is often confused with broken wheat. They are not the same. Couscous is really a pasta that looks like a grain, and is made from semolina. It is much faster to cook when compared to broken wheat. If you don’t have couscous, you could probably substitute it with cooked broken wheat.

The most special ingredient in this dish is the parsley. It adds a wonderful freshness.

Time taken: 10 min
Serves 3-4
Measuring cup used: 200 ml

Ingredients

1 cup couscous
1 cup chopped Greek cucumber
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook the couscous as per instructions. Usually this involves soaking it in an equal amount of boiling water and letting it sit covered for 10 min.

Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice and the olive oil and adding salt and pepper.

Mix the couscous with the chopped cucumber, tomatoes and parsley. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Serve cold, topped with pumpkin seeds if you like the crunch.

Understanding Rice

Rice is staple food in many countries. And for good reason! Rice is very nutritious – when eaten in the right form. It is such a pity that the beauty of food took precedence over it’s nutritive value, and today brown rice is consumed only by the health conscious.

Unpolished Red Matta Rice

There are many, many varieties of rice.

Unpolished, red matta rice is the raw version of the parboiled rice that is commonly consumed in Kerala and Tamil nadu.

Brown Rice
Brown Rice

Most other varieties of rice, when unpolished, are usually a lighter brown and are commonly called Brown rice.

Unpolished rice retains the most nutritive content of the grain. Rice is very nutritious. It has selenium, manganese, naturally occurring oils, antioxidants and is also rich in fiber. Click here to read about the benefits of eating brown rice. Those who initially experiment with brown rice find the texture unappealing, but with a little practice it is possible to cook it so it is soft.

Parboiled 'Red' Matta rice
Parboiled ‘Red’ Matta rice

‘Red rice’ as it is commonly called, is parboiled rice. This is red rice which is boiled with it’s husk on, before being polished. Because of the boiling, the rice absorbs the nutrition from the husk. So, while this rice is definitely more nutritious than white rice, it contains less fibre than unpolished rice. Some Brahmin communities in India do not eat twice cooked foods, and this rice is avoided by them as it has been boiled once already.

Polished Sona Masoori rice
Polished Sona Masoori rice

There are really many, many varieties of rice in the world. Believe it or not, 90,000 types of rice are known of, out of which 40,000 types are cultivated in the world. Here are a few varieties that we commonly use.

Sona masuri rice is the most popular variety in Karnataka. It is typical to find 4-5 grades of this rice. It’s grain is fairly short and it has a soft texture if cooked right.

 

Polished Basmati rice
Polished Basmati rice

Basmati rice is used very commonly in North India. Good quality Basmati rice has very, very long grain, almost an inch long. Basmati rice has a wonderful aroma and is usually soaked for half an hour before cooking so that each grain is separate when it is cooked by boiling. If you are making pulao/ pilaf or biryani, this is the best rice to use.

 

Polished Jasmine rice
Polished Jasmine rice

Jasmine rice comes from Thailand and has a delicate, floral aroma. It is usually cooked by steaming or by absorption method. The texture of cooked Jasmine rice is usually soft and slightly sticky. This is the rice you should use if you are making a South East Asian dish.

 

Polished Risotto rice
Polished Risotto rice

Risotto rice (Arborio) is from Italy and is used in making risottos. This rice is usually cooked very slowly, adding boiling water or stock ladle by ladle. The result is a very creamy rice texture.

Wholesome Healthy Muffins

Healthy muffins

I’ve reduced the entry of maida (refined flour) into my house to quite an extent. Refined flour is too sticky for the intestines to process, and it compromises the functions of the small as well as the large intestines quite drastically, leading to poor absorption of nutrients, and obesity among many other problems.

In most dishes, you can replace it with whole wheat flour and get away with it. Except cakes. And that is why these few cakes where you can easily make a switch without much ado, are a blessing.

Preparation time : 20 min
Baking time : 10 – 12 min
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1 tsp baking powder or ½ tsp baking soda
3 tbsp cocoa pd OR raisins
½ cup sunflower oil
1 cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 over ripe banana, mashed (Optional)
2 tbsp nuts or chocolate chips (Optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together, or put them in a bowl and whisk to remove lumps.

Mix oil and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat until fluffy.

Add flour and milk alternately, gently folding it in. Do not beat anymore.

Finally mix in raisins, banana, nuts or chocolate chips.

Grease the muffin trays and fill up to half with batter.

Bake  for about 10-12 min and remove from tray after cooling.

Cooking Dal (Lentils)

1 cup of dal will usually suffice 2 people. If you like your dal a little thin, then ½ cup of dal might be enough for 2 people.

Identifying the Dals

My post on Lentils and Legumes, gives detailed information, with pictures and description of several varieties to help you understand and identify the various dals.

The Pressure-Cooker Method

Ingredients:
1 cup tuvar dal, dhuli mung or dhuli masoor dal
2½ cups water
1 Tomato (optional)
A pinch of hing/ asafetida
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
Salt
Method:

  • Wash the dal once.
  • Put the dal into the pressure cooker and add the water. Add turmeric powder, chili powder and asafetida.
  • Cook on high flame until the first whistle.
  • TIME: Reduce the flame to minimum and cook for 5 minutes.

OR

  • WHISTLE: Cook on high flame till second whistle, and then reduce flame and cook till third whistle.
  • Open the pressure cooker, add chopped tomato and some more water if necessary, and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Optionally, you may heat some ghee or butter, add a few cumin or mustard seeds until they splutter, and then pour it into the dal. This adds a delicious flavour.

The Open Cooking Method

I strongly recommend soaking the dals overnight if you plan to open-cook it, since otherwise, the dals take a long time to cook, over half an hour.

  • Wash the dal
  • Put the dal into the vessel and add about 4-5 times the water.
  • Cook on high flame until it begins boiling and then reduce the flame.
  • Let it simmer until the dal and water seem to blend with each other, about 30-40 min.
  • Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder, and season with mustard or cumin seeds as described above.

The Microwave Method

Proportions:
1 cup rice
2½ cups water
Method:

  • Wash the dal.
  • Put the dal and water in a microwavable dish.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for about 20 minutes.
  • Check in the middle and add more water if needed

Lentils and Legumes

dals

Dals can be very confusing for a beginner. I remember my mother trying to teach me as a child, and I would forget the names again and again. It was only when I started cooking that I just learned the names naturally.

Tuvar/ Toor/ Sambar dal or Pigeon Peas

Tuvar Dal
Tuvar Dal

This is probably the most commonly used dal all over India. It is very versatile, and can be served plain, with a tadka (tempering), with vegetables as a sambar, or even mixed with rice, as bisi bele bhaat.  It is very easy to cook, taking about half an hour when boiled and just 5 minutes when pressure cooked.

Mung dal

Dhuli mung
Dhuli mung

Mung dal is probably the healthiest of all dals, being very easy to digest. This dal is tri-doshic according to Ayurveda, which means that it is good for all body types when cooked correctly.

It contains plenty of potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, and vitamin B6, which translates to better muscle repair especially when working out, better health during pregnancy and less PMS problems.

This is the dal you eat when you enjoy those yummy dal fries at hotels. It is also the dal we use when we make the traditional khichdi. It is also soaked and served raw in some salads.

Split Mung
Split Mung

When the mung dal is simply split and sold, it retains it’s green cover and obviously has more fiber than the previous version. This dal can be served plain, is used in panchmel dal and can be paired with dal baati. When soaked and ground, this dal can be used to make cheela, a dosa-like item.

Whole Mung
Whole Mung

Whole mung is very versatile. It is best used sprouted as that multiplies it’s nutritive value and also makes it easier to cook. The sprouts can be raw in salads or can be cooked and served as a dry side dish. It can also be used to make pulao.

Urad dal/ Ivory White Lentils

White Urad dal
White Urad dal

This is the dal used in making idlies. The wild yeast in this dal helps to ferment the batter, increasing the air content, making the idlies soft and airy. It is also used in making vadas of various types, medu vada  and dahi bada for instance.

Split urad with skin
Split urad with skin

Urad dal is sold as split white, split with skin, as well as whole urad dal, completely black.

The split with skin urad dal is either cooked plain or served as a very yummy khichdi. Whole urad dal is used in a variety of North Indian dishes like Maa ki dal and the very rich, very popular Dal Makhani.

Masoor dal/ Red Lentils

Dhuli Masoor
Dhuli Masoor

Split (dhuli) masoor dal is orange in color but turns to a dull yellow when cooked. One unique thing about this dal is that if you soak even the dhuli masoor, ie the dal without the skin, it sprouts after a day. Apparently even after removing the peel, the seed remains intact.

Kali masoor
Kali masoor

Kali masoor takes longer to cook when compared to other dals, because of the skin. It is best to soak it overnight and then pressure cook it for ten minutes. It is a very rich and full bodied dal, but is not consumed too frequently by most people. As a result, when tempered simply with cumin, onions, tomatoes and spices, it impresses most people, even though it is actually so easy to cook.

Chana dal/ Split Bengal gram

Chana Dal
Chana Dal

The biggest confusion is usually between the tuvar dal and chana dal, as they can look similar at a glance. If you look closely however, there are quite different, tuvar dal being smaller and flatter.

Chana dal takes much longer to cook and it is usually a good idea to soak it for a few hours before cooking it. It is heavier on the stomach and is therefore used less frequently. Typical dishes using this dal would be panchmel dal, puran poli and parippu vada.

Chana/ Kadala/ Chickpea/ Garbanzo Beans

Chickpeas
Chickpeas

This is slightly different from chana dal. Chana is older, bigger, less sweet and has a higher glycemic index. Punjabi chole or chana masala is a very popular dish all over India. Pakistanis use this in a lovely, delicate dish, chana pulaoChana chat is another wonderful summer snack.

Kala Chana/ Whole Bengal Gram

Black chickpea
Black chickpea

This is completely different in taste as well as texture, from the normal white chickpeas. It is commonly cooked during festivals, and is considered to be a very sattvik food, associated with the Goddess.

It is also easier to digest than the chickpeas. The most common way of eating it is to soak it overnight, pressure cook, add a few spices and temper it before serving. It is also served as a curry in some parts of the country.

Health Benefits of Eating Brown Rice

When see advertisements of rice on TV, they flaunt how white and shiny the rice looks. This is nothing to celebrate. The whiteness of the grain tells you how much goodness you have scrubbed off the grain.

Most people eat it because they are simply used to it. But when you think about it, it is such a pointless exercise – you take rice, carefully scrape off all it’s nutrition, and then you eat it. Later, you pay big money to the vendors to sell you tablets which were made from the scraped off nutrition, to fix your health. Is it worth it?

The Nutrition

The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer i.e. the hull of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, 50% of manganese, 50% of phosphorus, 60% of iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium.

The nutrients that brown rice contains are:

  • Manganese-energy production plus antioxidant protection
  • Rich in fiber and selenium
  • Phyto nutrients with health-promoting activity equal to or even higher than that of vegetables and fruits

Benefits of eating Brown Rice:

Good for weight loss

White rice just makes a sticky mess inside your digestive tract because it is refined. Brown rice on the other hand, provides your body fiber, to smooth out the movement in the tract. This means better digestion and thereby lower weight.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Multiple studies have shown that brown rice can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It is also proven that brown rice helps to maintain normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The lignans in brown rice also protect again heart disease. It also reduces the risk of heart attach and stroke.

Reduces Type 2 Diabetes

Studies conducted in India showed that substituting white rice with brown rice for daily consumption helped significantly reduce glucose levels and lower serum insulin. This single change in food habit led to a 20% reduction in glucose levels and 60% reduction in the fasting insulin concentration.

Other Health Benefits

  • Protective against breast cancer
  • Reduces risk of metabolic syndrome
  • Reduces the severity of asthma
  • Reduces frequency of migraine headaches
  • Reduces risk of heart attack and stroke

Further Reading:

WHFoods Brown rice
The Health Benefits of Whole Grains

Cooking Rice

Most of the world cooks rice by dropping it in boiling water. Things are a bit different in India, where we use pressure cookers, which change things up. I will talk about both methods of cooking here. Obviously, different varieties of rice need to be cooked differently. Basmati takes a lot less water, sona masuri, depending on it’s age, can take even more water than mentioned here, and brown rice takes double the time to cook.

Usually, 1 cup of rice is enough for 2 people.

The Pressure-Cooker Method

When using pressure cooker, people use two methods of checking. Most women count the ‘whistles’, which means the number of whistles after the first whistle. I know that some women cook on the max setting throughout, but I prefer to reduce the flame to minimum after the first whistle.

Proportions:
Basmati Rice: 1 cup rice, 1 cup water
Sona Masoori Rice: 1 cup rice, 2 cups water
Brown Rice: 1 cup rice, 3 cups water

Method:

    • Wash the rice twice.
    • Put the rice into the pressure cooker and add the water.
    • Cook on high flame until the first whistle.
    • TIME: Reduce the flame to minimum and cook for 5 minutes. (10 min for brown rice)

OR

  • WHISTLE: Reduce the flame and cook until the next whistle.

Note: If you have an induction cook top, you will need to place the rice inside of another vessel within the pressure cooker, otherwise the rice at the bottom will burn.

The Open Cooking Method

  • Wash the rice twice.
  • For cooking 1 cup rice, bring about 4-5 cups of water to a boil.
  • Pour the rice in, let it come to a boil again and then reduce the flame and let it simmer.
  • Do NOT cover the vessel unless you are standing right next to it, or the foam will push the lid over and spill.
  •  Boil for exactly 10 min (brown rice might take a bit more than 20).
  • Inspect the grain of rice – if there is a ridge along the length of the grain, then it is cooked well. Taste about 1/4 teaspoonful, to make sure that it is cooked properly.
  • Cover the vessel with a lid, leaving a narrow gap on one edge. Tilt it in the sink until all the water is drained. This water can also be poured to the plants, it is very nourishing.
  • For best results, let it sit for another 5-10 min. It will continue to cook in it’s own heat and become softer.
  • Note: To get the rice to look perfect, every grain separate from the other, add 2 pinches of cooking soda, 1 tsp of oil and salt to the water before you pour the rice in. Cooking soda is not a good thing to eat regularly, so I do this only if it is a special occasion.

The Microwave Method

Proportions:
1 cup rice
2 cups water, heated

Method:

  • Wash the rice twice.
  • Put the rice and add hot water.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for about 6 minutes.
  • Let stand covered for 10 minutes
  • Optionally, you could soak the rice for 10 minutes and then microwave it covered for 15 min

Homemade Peanut Butter

peanut butter

Peanut butter is such a nutritious spread. Just 2 tablespoons would fulfill 15% of an average adult’s daily protein requirement and 10% of phosphorus and manganese requirements. It is, of course, high in saturated fat in calories too, so it isn’t wise to overdose.

Given it’s popularity, the peanut butters in the market are priced quite insanely. And for what? You’ll find that when you make it at home, it’s going to cost you a small fraction of what you pay in the market. And what’s more, you can avoid the refined sugars and all the free chemicals they dump into it as well. All in 5 minutes of work!

Time taken: 5-10 min (45 min incl roasting peanuts)
Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients

500 grams roasted peanuts (instructions below)
1 tsp salt
1½ tsp honey
1½ tsp groundnut oil

Method

To roast the peanuts, preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F and place raw peanuts on a sheet pan, spreading them out evenly. Bake 30-35 min and allow them to cool.

Now, most recipes suggest removing the peels before you grind. I don’t see why I would want to throw off all the fiber, so I grind them whole, with skin. Peel if you want to.

Warm up the peanuts a bit. This helps them release the oil more effectively while grinding.

Grind to a powder, and then add the salt, honey, and groundnut oil and continue grinding to the consistency you desire.

If you like it chunky, separate a couple of tablespoons of the partially ground peanuts before you add the rest of the ingredients and then stir them in after the grinding is over.

Transfer to an airtight jar. Keeps for up to 2 months.

Cooking for Beginners

I remember when I had to cook rice for the first time. I started cooking at a fairly young age, but that was mostly things like bhel puri, sweets, cookies and cakes. No lunch-dinner items.

And suddenly one day I was alone at home with a meal to cook. Ow! Years later when my friends started going abroad, they found themselves in the same predicament. Ok, so I can find a recipe for biryani online, but how to I cool rice? What does ‘pressure cook’ really mean? It was then that I decided to write about the basics to help them out. And I hope this helps you today.

When you start with cooking, of course, you need to educate yourself a little bit about rice and dal. The following links will give you a crash course in understanding, identifying and cooking dals.

Understanding Rice
Lentils & Legumes
Cooking Rice
Cooking Dals (Lentils)

 Apart from that, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Leaves: Leaves cook very fast, and reduce in quantity drastically. Whenever you buy leaves, always buy close to double the quantity you think you need, because once you cook them, you’ll be left with much lesser than what you started out with.

High-Iron Vegetables:
Fruits and vegetables that contain a high level of iron can be prevented from changing color by rubbing them with lime. (For eg., apple, avocado, potato, etc)

Substitutions: Working with a limited number of items can be quite daunting, and you need to learn to substitute. For example, you could use wheat flour or oat flour instead of corn flour in soups, substitute vegetables instead of meat, oil instead of butter or vice versa, etc. A good google search will suggest various options, so don’t be disheartened if you’re missing an ingredient for a dish you want to make.

Dry Dishes: When you’re cooking vegetables for dry side dishes, a good technique to use is to cook it on high flame for the first few minutes, followed by a cooking on a low flame, and high flame cooking again just before taking it off the heat. This makes the vegetables more crispy and traps the moisture inside.

Cooking Oils: The best oils to cook with, are the oils available in your region. If you seek to eat healthy, then avoid refined oils, and stick to filtered or cold pressed oils.

In North India, mustard oil is a good idea in the winter, and (unrefined) sunflower oil in the summer. In South India, coconut oil and groundnut oils are better. Olive oil is healthy, but is best consumed around the land where olives grow. Most olive oils are adulterated and not pure anyway.

Stir-Frying: If you’re making a dish that involves stir-frying, make sure you cut your vegetables thin and small, so that cooking is fast. Large pieces will remain uncooked and will spoil the dish.

Clarified Butter (Ghee): According to Ayurveda, ghee is extremely good for health. It is best used for topping up warm dishes with a spoon of ghee. If you are using it as a substitute for oil, however, there aren’t many health benefits. If ghee is reheated to its boiling temperature, then it loses its positive qualities and behaves like oil.

Pasta : Make sure that the water is boiling vigorously and add 1 tbsp of oil or butter to the water before adding the pasta. This will help prevent it from sticking. Always cook pasta uncovered in a fast and continuous boil.

Care for your Non-stick (Teflon coated) vessels:
To ensure your non-stick pans last long, keep a few things in mind:
1. Never use it for deep-frying.
2. While washing, allow the pan to cool down and then gently wash it with a sponge and mild detergent .
3. Never pour cold water over a hot pan as this is likely to result in the coating pealing off or even the pan or griddle losing its shape.

Fixing Cooking Mistakes

It doesn’t matter how experienced at cooking you are – you will definitely make mistakes. What is important is to know if you can reduce the impact of those mistakes. Here are a few tips:

Things do go wrong. And anyone who has cooked, has dealt with the problem of too much salt, burnt dishes and the like. So how did they deal with them? Here are the tips.

Too Much Salt? Too much of salt can be dealt with, by adding a piece of raw potato or a piece of dough to the dish. If it is a curry, simmer a while after adding this. Dough or potato absorb excess salt, but remember to remove it before serving the dish. If it is still salty, add a bit of lemon juice and sugar.

Too much Chili? If a dish is too spicy, adding cream, yogurt or lemon juice depending on your dish, should be your first remedy. If it is still spicy, add a bit of sugar or jaggery, or throw in some raw onions.

Too much Sugar? Again, some lemon juice and salt should be able to take care of this. Spicing it up a bit with cinnamon, clove and cardamom powders would also help.

Burnt Rice? If you want to take the burnt flavour off the rice, place a piece of fresh bread on top of the rice and cover the pan. The burnt taste will be gone in some time.

Washing a vessel with burnt food? Half fill the vessel with water, and add detergent, vinegar or cooking soda. Bring the water to boil. The vessel will now be easier to wash.

Spoiled Milk? Do not throw away spoiled milk. Add some lemon juice to it and bring it to boil. After boiling it for a few minutes, strain the mixture using a muslin cloth. Press it a little by keeping a heavy vessel over it for some time, and you have cottage cheese (paneer) ready for use.