Leave poetry to poets

I believe cooking is a basic life skill, like  language. Unlike language, basic cooking can be learnt by anyone, in under an hour. To gain confidence though, it takes time and there is no better way to gain it than to keep cooking. 

Each cuisine can be thought of as a language and I like to think of one page cookbooks as primers teaching the alphabet and the ways they can be  put together. A lucky few among you, dear reader, may later become poets, turning out food poetry. But for the others, just learning to communicate (cook edible food) would be a worthy goal.

This is the reason you won't find poetry in one page cookbooks. There is no place for it in a primer. You are unlikely to bump into lines like " this heavenly sauce with a tantalising undertone of garlic, a whiff of fennel subtly juxtaposed with just a breath of ginger and a kiss of vine ripened tomatoes". I'll leave poetry to poets.

1001 Bajjis ( Batter-fried chewy Indian fritters)

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Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of goodies can be dipped in and deep fried. This is the logic behind all the fritters,  North Indian pakoras, Japanese tempuras, American hush puppies, South Indian bajji, North Indian bhajias, South Indian bondas, Japanese kakiage, South Indian pakodas, French beignets., Italian frittas and all such recipes, which exist in virtually every cuisine. 

Understanding the principle behind deep frying is the only way to cook a light and crispy fritter every time. 

Bajjis are no different from Bondas, except for their shape and goodies used. Bondas are usually ball shaped, whereas Bajjis are flat. Edibles that can be shaped into a ball are dipped into a batter and fried into a bonda, whereas strips of vegetables are dipped in the same batter and fried into bajjis. 

The batter:
Though gram flour is commonly used for most bajjis, different flours can be used to make a variety of bajjis with a different flavour and texture. Column 1 lists some of them. Wheat flour gives a chewy bajji, rice flour gives a crispy bajji, rava gives a gritty bajji and so on. By changing the base, the following bajjis can be cooked up.

0.: Gram flour is used for the basic bajji.

1.: All purpose flour ( maida) and whole wheat flour give a chewy maida and godhi bajji.

3.: Nut flour (cashew / almond flour) gives a delicately flavoured bajji.

4.: Yellow Corn flour & Finger millet flour cook into differently coloured and flavoured chola bajji and ragi bajji.                                 

6.: Rice flour   gives a crispy bajji

7.: Cream of wheat is used for a gritty textured Rava bajji.

8.:  Almost all edible flours like water chestnut flour, soya flour, buckwheat flour etc. can be used for bajjis. It is easier to use them mixed with gram flour / wheat flour as some of them can't be made into a clingy batter. 

The flavouring                   
A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the batter to cook up scores of variations. There are no rules here. Choose your favourite flavouring combination.

The goodies:
Anything that can be sliced into a thin strip can be fried into a bajji. A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be dipped into the batter and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & batter combination. Experiment with your favourite goodies!

 0.: Carrot gives us the carrot bajji

1.: Potato gives the urulai kizhangu bajji. 

2.: Banana ( raw / ripe- especially Nendram pazham, the Kerala plantain) is fried into the vazakkai bajji / Pazha bajji).

3.: Eggplant is fried into the Kathirikkai bajji.

4.: Capsicum gives us the koda molaga bajji.

5.: Paneer is fried into the paneer bhajji.

6.: Bread  is used to make the Bread bajji.

7.: Onion is fried into the vengaya bajji.

8.: Slit, deseeded and stuffed green chilies  give the spicy molaga bajji.

 You can experiment with chicken breasts,  sausages, prawns, fish slices etc, to cook a variety of bhajjis. 

Fry safe! 

1001 Bondas ( Battered and fried Indian dumplings)

Click the image on the left to view the cookbook.
Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of goodies can be dipped in and deep fried. This is the logic behind all the fritters,  North Indian pakoras, Japanese tempuras, American hush puppies, South Indian bajji, North Indian bhajias, South Indian bondas, Japanese kakiage, South Indian pakodas, French beignets., Italian frittas and all such recipes, which exist in virtually every cuisine. 

Understanding the principle behind deep frying is the only way to cook a light and crispy deep fried snack every time. 

The base:
Though gram flour is commonly used for most bondas, different flours can be used to make a variety of bondas with a different flavours and textures. Column 1 lists some of them. By changing the base, the following bondas can be cooked up.

0.: Gram flour is used for the basic bonda.

1.: All purpose flour ( maida) and whole wheat flour give a chewy maida and godhi bonda.

3.: Nut flour (cashew / almond flour) give a delicately flavoured bonda.

4.: Yellow Corn flour & Finger millet flour cook into differently coloured and flavoured chola bonda and ragi bonda.                                

6.: Rice flour   gives a crispy Arisi bonda

7.: Cream of wheat is used for a gritty textured Rava bonda.

8.:  Almost all edible flours like water chestnut flour, soya flour, buckwheat flour etc. can be used for bondas. It is easier to use them mixed with gram flour / wheat flour as some of them can't be made into a clingy batter.

 The flavouring :
A range of flavouring agents listed in column 2 can be mixed in with the batter to cook up scores of variations. There are no rules here. Choose your favourite flavouring combination.

The goodies:
Anything that can be shaped into a ball can be used to make a bonda. A variety of goodies listed in column 3 can be dipped into the batter and deep fried. There are no fixed rules about the goodies & batter combination. Experiment with your favourite goodies! 

1.: Bread  is used to make the Bread Bonda.

2.: Hard boiled egg gives the Muttai Bonda.

3.: Paneer is fried into the Paneer Bonda.

4.: Kheema  ( minced mutton / chicken) gives the Kheema Bonda)

5.: Potato , the most commonly used additive gives the Batata Vada / Potato Bonda.

6.: Mixed veggies  give the Masala Bonda.

7.: Mushroom is cooked into the Kaalan Bonda.

You can experiment with grated tofu,  mozzarella, olives, sausages or use your favourite goodies shaped into tight, lemon sized balls to cook up an array of novel bondas. 

Fry safe! 

10 No cook pasta Soups

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This cookbook lists 10 simple pasta soups. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them.A variety of ingredients are blended together into a cold soup, boiled pasta is mixed in & the soup is garnished with grated / powdered parmesan and served. That's it !

The following recipes are listed in this cookbook. 

1.:  Macaroni Gazpacho

2.:  Green Gazpacho with Cappelletti

3.:  White Gazpacho with Rotini

4.:  Oriental Spaghetti Gazpacho

5.:  Farfalline Pineapple Gazpacho

6.:  Ditalini Tarator

7.:  Rotelle Salmorejo

8.:  Anellini Ajoblanco 

9.:. Water melon Conchiclie Soup

10.: Coconut milk Tripolini Soup 

And off this goes to Holler's No Croutons required event.

1001 Simple Pappu ( Andhra's Lentil stew )

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This cookbook lists 1000 simplified lentil stews, the Pappu, cooked in Andhra. Ten bases are combined with ten different additives and ten different flavouring to create a thousand different pappu varieties.  The building blocks are listed below: 

The bases:

The following dals as listed in column 1 are used in most pappu.

0.: Kandi pappu : Tuvar dal is used to cook most pappus

1.: Pesara pappu or mung dal  is the next most commonly used dal.

2.: Misore Pappu : Called Mysore pappu / Masoor dal, this pink lentil is not very commonly used.

3.: Senaga pappu : Bengal gram / chana dal takes longer to cook and is usually presoaked before cooking. This is generally paired with sour spinach ( gongura) to cook the gongura pappu.

4.: Mukkula pappu : A combination of dals can also be used for pappu.

5.: Ulava pappu : Though more famous for Ulava Charu, this earthy dal can also be cooked into a great pappu.

6.: Roast pappu : Roasting dals before cooking imparts a nutty flavour.

7.: Stir fried lentils : Stir frying dals before cooking imparts a nuttier flavour.

8.: Global Pappu A variety of quick cooking lentils are found around the world and all these can be turned into delicious pappu

9.: Combo : Any combination of the above lentils can be used for pappu.

The additives:
A variety of additives are simmered in a sour base to cook up various pappu. Column 2 lists the most commonly used additives in Andhra.

0.:  Plain boiled dal tastes delicious without any additives. Eaten as Mudda Pappu , it is mixed with cooked rice, drizzled with ghee and is accompanied by a pickle.

1.: Raw Mango gives us the famous Mamdikkaya pappu

2.: Tomato is cooked into the Tomato pappu

3.: Spinach : A variety of spinach varieties are cooked into delicious pappu like  Aakukoora  Pappu/ Thota koora pappu  / Gongura pappu  .

4.: Dosakka. The much loved vegetable in Andhra gives us the  Dosakka Pappu.

5.: Tamarind leaves . It is in Andhra we see the use of tender tamarind leaves being cooked into the  Chinta chiguru pappu   

6.:  Red Pumpkin is boiled with dal into the Gummadikaya Pappu

7.:  Ridge gourd  with mung dal gives us Beerakkaya pesaru pappu 

8.: Bottle gourd is cooked into the Sorakkaya Pappu

9.: Fusion. A variety of fresh vegetables / spinach / herbs can all be cooked into delicious pappu. A combination of the above additives can also be used. 

The flavouring:
Pappu is a simple stew and does not need elaborate flavouring. Usually a simple garnish of fried mustard, red chili and curry leaves is sufficient. But a variety of different flavouring techniques are used as listed in Column 2 .

And this is reposted for Suganya's Vegan Ventures and My legume love affair, an event started by Susan.

Separate logic from content

One insight that has greatly helped me to cook a variety of dishes is this - The logic is separate from the content. This principle is widely used in many fields, including software programming, where it is a cornerstone of good design.

What this means in culinary terms is this - all recipes are built on a core logic.  For example, all Indian rotis are built around the logic that flour becomes edible when kneaded into a dough, shaped and heated on a skillet / tandoor. This core logic never changes - however the content does. That is, the types of flour used, the kind of shapes they assume, the kind of additives/ flavouring/ stuffing - all can be changed.

I believe it is a cook's job to isolate this core logic, which then can be converted into innumerable recipes. One page cookbooks are built on this concept. Each book is built on a piece of core logic and showcases how different 'content' can be hung on this frame, creating innumerable recipes.

Understanding this principle has changed the way I cook.

1001 Samosas ( Stuffed & Fried Indian pastries)

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This cookbook lists 1000 simplified samosas (deep fried Indian stuffed pastries).Ten different bases are paired with ten different additives and ten stuffings to create a thousand different samosas. These recipes are graded from easy to tough, with 000 being the easiest and 999 being the toughest. 

The base:
Though refined wheat flour (maida) account for most samosas cooked across India, we can make samosas from a variety of flours. As many of these flours cannot be kneaded easily into a dough, they are mixed with wheat flour to make kneading easier. Each flour will change the flavour and texture of the samosa. Rice flour would make it crispy, gram flour would make it chewy, semolina would make it gritty and so on. Try experimenting with various flours.

The additives:
A variety of spices or herbs as listed in column 2 can be kneaded into the dough.

The stuffing:
Anything without too much moisture can be used to stuff a samosa. Potatoes, paneer and dal make easy stuffing whereas cauliflower or radishes take time to master, because they have more moisture. Though non-veg stuffings are not as common, they can be cooked into delicious samosas.

Combining a variety of stuffing with a variety of bases and additives would give you an endless list of samosas. Experiment and fave fun !

10 simple Variety rice

This cookbook lists 10 simple variety rice cooked across South India. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them. For more variations, check out 1001 variety rice. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook.

1.: Curd Rice (Thayir Sadham) )

2.: Lemon rice (Elumichai Sadham)

3.: Mango rice (Manga Sadham)

4.: Mint rice ( Pudhina Sadham)

5.: Tomato Rice (Thakkali Sadham)

6.: Coconut Rice(Thenga Sadham)

7.: Sesame Rice ( Ellu Sadham)

8.: Pepper- cumin rice (Milagu Sadham)

9.:. Tamarind Rice (Puliodharai)

10.: Eggplant rice ( Vangi Bhat)

Off this goes to Srivalli's Rice Mela