Ultra simple, no cook dips cheatsheet

Instant Sorbet Cheatsheet ( Frozen dessert)

Instant Ice Cream Cheatsheet

Shrikhand ( India's sweet yogurt dessert)

Yogurt cheese also known as  hung yogurt/ chakka is just yogurt from which most of the water has been removed. It then resembles a thick, creamy paste. This paste is mixed with fruit paste, sugar and flavouring to prepare  Shrikhand, a sweet very popular in north India, especially Maharashtra and Gujarat. Though primarily a dessert, it  is also served as a ‘curry’ with pooris. Shrikhand forms a part of many North Indian wedding feasts. It is befittingly prepared to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, the divine cow herd.

Indian desserts can be split into four major classes.

1.       Desserts soaked / cooked in sugar syrup ( jalebis, katli, mysorepak, burfi, halwah,… )

2.       Desserts based on cooked down milk ( rabri, payasam, kheer, peda, kulfi,… )

3.       Desserts based on milk solids ( rasgulla, rasmalai, kalakhand, ..) and

4.       Yogurt Desserts (Shrikhand & Bengali Mishti doi).

Vary Yogurt : Though common yogurt made from cow / buffalo milk is used to make traditional shrikhand, a variety of yogurts made from goat/ other milk can be used. Flavoured yogurts or even soy yogurt can be used to make fusion shrikhand.

 

Making yogurt cheese (Chakka) : :: Line a colander/ sieve with a cloth. Pour in  2 cups( 400 ml) of yogurt. Keep colander raised so that water can drain away overnight ( or gather edges of cloth & hang the bag of yogurt to let water drain).

Making fruit puree : Skin and deseed ripe fruit. Mash them to a coarse / smooth paste as per your taste.

Making yogurt : Boil two cups of milk. Let cool till lukewarm. Stir in  a spoon of yogurt. Rest in a warm place for 3 -5 hours.

Making flavoured yogurt : Boil two cups of milk. Let cool till lukewarm. Stir in  a spoon of yogurt. Mix in a pinch of cardamom / cinnamon / nutmeg / mace / dry ginger powder or mix in a drop of your favourite essence. Rest in a warm place for 3 -5 hours.

Making Mishti Doi ( sweet yogurt) : Bring four cups of milk to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer on low flame  till milk is reduced by half. Mix in a cup ( or less, to taste) of powdered jaggery. Let cool till lukewarm. Mix in two spoons of yogurt. Rest covered for 3 - 5 hours in a warm place.

Using Yogurt cheese : In middle east yogurt cheese is popular as labneh and is served as small balls steeped in olive oil. Yogurt cheese is mixed with chopped garlic, cucumbers & olive oil to make the Greek dip Tzatziki. It can be used as a dip / spread / cake icing / in parfaits.  Yogurt cheese made from fat free / low fat milk is  a low fat substitute for cream cheese. It has a rich taste and a creamy mouth feel without being laden with calories. It is also a good source of calcium. 

For detailed recipes and great pictures, check out the model recipes from fellow bloggers below : 

Kesar Shrikhand

Berry Shrikhand

Mango Shrikhand

Kesar Pista Shrikhand

30 min South Indian Thali

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook lists 10 simple recipes that make a traditional South Indian Thali. These 10 recipes can be cooked in 30 minutes by anyone. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook

1.: Andhra Pappula Podi

2.:  Andhra Nuvvula Podi

3.:  Kerala Thenga Chammandi

4.:  Karnataka Shunti Tambli

5.:  Tamil Thayir Pachadi

6.:  Aviyal 

7.:  Kerala Mezhukuperatti

8.:. Papad / Vadam 

9.:  Peerkangai Kootu

10.:Chettinadu Kara Kulambu

South Indian Cuisine : Building Blocks

Lentils, Tamarind, Yogurt and Coconut – this is all you need to cook up a huge array of South Indian curries. Let us see how each building block translates into recipes.

Lentils :

Podi  (Dry lentil powders)  : Blend roasted lentils with chilies and salt.

Coconut:

Thenga Chammandi (Blended coconut curry): Blend coconut tamarind and green chilies to a thick paste. Eat mixed with rice. Called Thenga Thpogayal in Tamilnadu, this is a idiot proof recipe. 

Kootu : Blend coconut, green chili, cumin  & salt  to a paste. Mix in boiled vegetables.  Simmer for a few minutes.

Yogurt :

Thayir pachadi : Raw yogurt curry.

Mix in grated veggies, chopped green chlies and salt with yogurt.

Yogurt + Coconut:

Aviyal : Blend yogurt, coconut, green chili, cumin & salt  to a paste. Mix in boiled vegetables.  Flavour with coconut oil and crushed curry leaves.

Tambli: Blend yogurt, coconut, green chili, salt and a variety of additives  to a paste.

Tamarind :                                         

Kulambu: Mix tamarind paste with water. Add sambar/ kulambu powder and salt. Mix in boiled vegetables.

Cooking Rice:

Add one cup pf rice and two cups of water to a pressure cooker. Close and pressure cook on medium heat for three whistles. Let cool and open.

Universal Garnish for all southie curries:

Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard seeds, a few curry leaves and a pinch of asafetida.

1001 Muesli Recipes

This cookbook lists 1000 Budget friendly Muesli recipes . Click the image to view and print the cookbook.

This One pager for Anu, whose idea resulted in this cookbook. 

Muesli is a breakfast cereal usually made from rolled oats, fruit and nuts, eaten mixed with yogurt or milk. Introduced by a Swiss physician in 1900, it soon became a popular breakfast cereal in the west. Filled with fruit, whole grains and nuts, muesli is a healthy way to start the day.

The original Bircher - Benner Muesli recipe: A spoon of rolled oats, a spoon of lemon juice, a spoon of sweet cream, a spoon of crushed nuts (hazelnuts / almonds) and a grated sour apple - all mixed together.

Cereal flakes are made by steaming and flattening cereals. This process partially cooks the cereal. Though corn flakes are the most popular, all cereals can be flaked/ rolled. All of these can be mixed in with muesli.

Toasting cereals : Heat a pan. Add a handful of rolled/ flaked cereals. Stir and toast 5 minutes on medium heat.

                               

Probably because most consumers do not realize how simple it is to make Muesli, manufacturers make a killing on it. A kg of packaged Muesli  nearly 10 times the cost of the ingredients.

With dry fruits / nuts, rice flakes, corn flakes and oat flakes being available at dirt cheap rates, all you need to do is to mix them up to have your own muesli. Muesli lasts for months and needs no refrigeration. So you can easily mix up a big batch on a lazy Sunday and live off it for months. If you mix in some powdered milk while mixing muesli, all you need to do is to add water while eating. This then becomes an ideal travel / camping food and an emergency meal. Have a small pack in your office / car / briefcase and you have food security! Just three handfuls of muesli can power your body for a full day!

Fresh fruits can really liven up muesli. Use loads of fresh, seasonal fruits with muesli and you’ll never go back to oily / heavy breakfasts again!

10 No cook Mango Recipes

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook goes to cooking for all season's Mango Mela &  Srivalli’s Mango Mela and  lists 10 simple no cook Mango recipes listed below  :

 1.:  Mango fruit salad 

2.:  Mango Raita

3.: Thick Mango Juice

4.:  Mango Muesli

5.:  Green Mango Chutney

6.:  Mango Smoothie  

7.:   Mango Lassi

8.:.  Mango Milkshake   

9.:   Green mango pickle 

10.: Mango Shrikhand

Off this goes to Cooking 4 all season's Mango Mela &  Srivalli’s Mango Mela

Karnataka Kitchen Virgin's Survival Manual - Veg

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook focuses on basic Karnataka recipes anyone can cook up on the very first try. Absolutely no knowledge / skill is assumed on the part of the reader. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook. 

No Cook recipes :
Shunti Tambli
Mosaru Baji
Kosambari 

Simple Curries
Yellu Chutney (Sesame Chutney)
Majjige huli (Yogurt curry)
Paalya
Saagu 

Lentil curries
Dali Tovve (Spiced lentil curry)
Saaru

 Light Dishes :
Avalalkki Vaggarane (Stir fried rice flakes) : 
Nimbekaayi Chitranna.( Lemon rice)
Mavinkaayi Chitranna( Mango rice)
Mosaranna (Curd rice)
Akki Roti / Ragi Roti  (Rice/ Red millet flatbread)

Tamil Kitchen Virgin's Survival Manual - Vegetarian

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook focuses on basic Tamil recipes anyone can cook up on the very first try. Absolutely no knowledge / skill is assumed on the part of the reader. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook. 

No Cook recipes :
Podi (Spiced powder)
Paruppu Thogayal ( Spiced paste)
Thayir pachadi ( Raw yogurt curry)
Thenga Thogayal ( Blended coconut curry) 

Simple Curries :
Kulambu ( Tamarind stew) 
Sambar( Tamarind – lentil stew)
Poriyal ( Dry vegetable curry)

Lentil curries
Paruppu( Plain boiled lentils)
Paruppu Kadayal (Mashed, Spiced lentils)

 Coconut Curries :
Kootu ( coconut – cumin curry)
Paruppu kootu : ( coconut – cumin lentil curry)
Aviyal( Mixed vegetables in coconut – yogurt curry)    
More Kulambu ( Coconut – yogurt stew)   

Light Dishes :
Aval Upma (Stir fried rice flakes) : 
Bread Upma (Stir fried bread)
Making Idli (fermented & steamed  rice cakes) 
Lemon rice
Coconut rice
Mint rice
Curd rice

Kitchen Virgin Survival Manual - South Indian

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook focuses on basic recipes you can cook up on the very first try., even is you have never entered a kitchen in your life. 3 Steps hold the key to South Indian cuisine.

Step 1 : Cooking rice and dal is the most important basic skill you need to master. With a pressure cooker / electric cooker, cooking rice and dal is a no brainer.  Just dump them in the cooker, add twice the water and pressure cook for 2 whistles – that’s it ! 

Step 2 : Understanding basic building blocks of south Indian curries is the second step. Once you have these building blocks ready ( Tamarind paste, coconut, yogurt and cooked dal), mixing and matching curries is real easy. 

Step 3 : Learning to cook tiffins is the third step. 

In less than an hour, you can easily start cooking basic dishes ! The following skills/ recipes are detailed in this cookbook. 

Rice:

Boiling rice

Cooking variety rice like mint rice, curd rice, lemon rice, coconut rice. 

Curries.
Paruppu Masiyal,Sambar, More Sambar, Paruppu Kootu, Masala Dal Fry, Dal butter fry, Podi, Paruppu Thogayal, Kulambu, Kootu, Aviyal, More kulambu, Thayir pachadi, Tambli,

 Tiffins: Avil Upma, Bread upma, Oatmeal porridge, Idli, Coconut chutney, Fried rice. 

Making coffee and tea

Making yogurt

Cooking vegetables & boiling milk.

Quick and Simple Tamil Cooking

To dispel the myth that traditional Tamil cooking is elaborate, time consuming and takes years to learn, Ananda Vikatan  , the leading Tamil weekly had asked me to come up with a series of recipes which can be learnt and cooked very fast. I decided to go a step further and got a friend of mine, Nathalie Van Der Berg, a Dutch girl on her first visit to India, to cook up these recipes. She has not cooked before and has never seen / heard of  these dishes. So, with just a 10 minute instruction and armed with this One page cookbook, she started cooking. The reporters loved it. And all of us later ate what got cooked - it is indeed very hard to go wrong with Tamil cuisine, if you understand the basics straight.

This one page cookbook showcases the recipes which were cooked. Check out the next issue of Ananda Vikatan for the full story.

In fact, Hussein, the photograher, who has never cooked before vowed to start rightaway ! The flipside was that they found the idea of a foreign girl cooking traditional Tamil dishes so fascinating, that I guess I'll be completely sidelined in this article as they shot thrice as many pictures of her as they did of me :)