Aayi’s cooking tips
These are some of the very useful tips which aayi keeps telling me always. When I follow them properly, the result is always good.
- While cooking potatoes, Cut them into half and add a pinch of turmeric. This makes the potatoes cook faster.
- While cooking toor dal, add a pinch of turmeric and a drop of oil. Toor dal cookes faster.
- While cooking pulav, wash the rice in water and spread it on a cloth or paper for drying. Leave it for around 15-30 min. This makes the rice grains separate.
- While cooking pulav in kadai (i mean not using cooker), do not mix the ingredients frequently, if u mix it, the rice becomes paste. So after 10-15 min of cooking, just open the lid and have a look. If you feel it is cooked, gently mix the contents once or twice.
- Use water always in 1(rice) : 2 (water) for pulav. After 10-15min of cooking, if u feel water is less, just add little water.
- Always cook pulav on very low flame.
- While making chapathi, leave the dough for 30 min to make soft chapathis. Some more tips here
- Over roasting/burning/over frying any spice changes the taste of the dish. So be careful while handling the spices. (Mustard turns bitter when fried for a long time).
- Puri dough should be made little harder than chapathi dough. This prevents puri from retaining more oil when it is deep fried. Also once dough is prepared, make the puri immediately. Some more tips here
- While adding tadka(seasoning) to any curry or dal, add it once the curry/dal is completely cooked. Close the lid immediately & remove from flame. This will retain the seasoning aroma. Do not cook after adding seasoning.
- Put the brinjal(eggplants) pieces or peeled smoked brinjal in water for around 10 mins. Discard the water. This removes any bitter taste from them.
- Do not hold any spice powder packets directly on the dish while cooking, the hot vapors get into the packet and spoil the powder. Take out the required amount of powder on a spoon and then add it to the dish.
- Always use a flat bottomed pan for cooking (except for frying puris, they need depth), this helps in equal distribution of heat. Also, use broader vessel compared to thin tall vessel.
- If your kitchen stove has got black mess on it, spread some baking soda and rub lightly. Leave it for around 15mins and give it a good rub and wipe off. The hard mess usually comes off easily.
- For good fermentation of idlis and dosa batter, read this post and comments.
Hai shilpa,
April 26th, 2006 at 6:09 amThank you for your nice tips.
Hi Shilpa
April 26th, 2006 at 6:09 amYou are right about the puri dough because last time I had made the dough ghatti as I usually do, only I kept it aside for half an hour or so and the dough became soft; I was wondering about it.Thanks I got the answer now.
Regards
Haripriya
hi shilpa…
September 6th, 2006 at 10:24 amhad a look at your site..gr8 job…keep going
can some body tell me receipe for making papad from dal and potato.
October 11th, 2006 at 12:47 amhi here are some tips from my side…..
dunno whether ppl know this aleady or not…neways….for making chana / peas / beans recipes we need to soak t nuts 7/8 hour ahead of time…sometimes it happens so tat we wud need it urgently n wont have them ready to cook…to avoid such sitns, wat u can do is when u buy such peas / chana / chole etc soak them in water tat nigt itself and when they are completely ready, drain t water, pack them in small amounts and keep in freezer…whenever u want to use them, jus defreeze n use it…one of my neighbour cooks n freezes…in tat way i guess i may lose nutrients….
another one..
for instant tea…those who dont like tea bag yet annoyed by t time tat takes in traditional tea making….can try this……take a small jar…boil enough water to fill water, when water is at high temp, put enough tea leaves(tat means tea powder), and close it, shut t gas……let it cool down itself….once done transfer to t bottle n keep in fridge…u can use this for 1/2 weeks…i wud wait for a reply from shilpa on this…
k..tat’s all from wat i know. bye
November 30th, 2006 at 4:45 pmone more i remembered…..when cooking a lot of veggies at a time say like beet, carrot, potato,beans etc….t color of one veggie may spread to t other and destroy ur colorful meal, to prevent it…when u boil these veggies add one teaspoon of sugar in it…(this wont make t veggies to taste sweeter..)but wud help t veggies to retain t color themselves…this one is a tried n valid info from many sources…try out
November 30th, 2006 at 4:51 pmAnisha, thanks for those tips. I will try them. Usually I soak chana/peas/beans in hot water for around 1 hr and use them if I need them urgently. I haven’t tried freezing.
December 1st, 2006 at 2:24 pmThe third tip, (retaining color of veggies) looks very very useful. I will try it. Thanks a lot.
Hi Shilpa
December 13th, 2006 at 11:33 amWanted to ask u few tips..firstly when i make chicken curry here somehow the chicken pieces
do not soak the curry in .. dont know y ..
Secondly wanted to ask u something diff if u use aluminium kayl how do u maintain and clean them
bcos after ive used them a lot of times for making talasan and frying things they are turning black now
Pls adv if possible ..Thanks Medha
Medha, If you marinate the chicken well before cooking and serve it after 4-5 hrs, it might solve the problem. I think it is because of the frozen chicken. The pieces become very hard after freezing. In case you get fresh chicken somewhere(say in chinese store), use that and I feel this problem will be solved. I used fresh chicken from a Pakistani store here recently and the curry came out very well.
After cooking, put a small piece of lemon skin (instead of discarding the skin after taking out lemon juice) and 1 cup water in the kayl(vessel). Heat it for 2-3 mins till the water boils. Now wash it. The kayl becomes like new. Same thing you can do with cooker, while cooking(if you are using cooker vessels in it), add a small piece of lemon along with water at the bottom and then keep the vessels. While it is still warm, wash it and all the black marks goes off.
December 13th, 2006 at 11:51 amThanks a lot Shilpa for ur prompt reply
December 14th, 2006 at 10:00 amWill surely follow ur advice ..Yes i did use frozen chicken
so maybe that was the problem ..
Abt the tip for kadai and cooker will definitely
try it out next time when i have lemon at home
Thanks very much once again
Brgds
Medha
hi shilpa.. great site.. this is the first time i happened to see this while i was searching for the recipe of missal.. and am sure will be hooked on to it..thanks for all ur cooking tips..
December 19th, 2006 at 10:10 amdear shilpa, hi
i m very thankfull to u for ur delicious resipes and very helpfull cooking tips. it is my first time that i find a very beautiful site. congratulations for a very good site.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:20 amShilpa
There are so many websites offering recipes but yours is different
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am…accidentally i happened to come here for chutney powder recipe and really liked the way the website is designed, very appealing and the best part is to know that they are all tried and tested recipes
Keep up the good work!
Hi Shilpa,
March 28th, 2007 at 12:26 pmI have benefited a lot from some of your tips and from your reader friends tips too. Thanks. I have a question, not sure if this is the right place to ask. Related to frying bajos in advance for party. How do i heat them again and make them crisy just before serving. Any ideas?
Nayak mayi, Usually deep fried food should not be fried before and used. But if you want to do it, you have to refry it before serving. But still the texture/taste would not be same. So my advise would be, keep ready everything before and just before serving, deep fry them. You can add a bit of rice flour or maida to batter to make them crispy.
March 28th, 2007 at 5:38 pmI MUST APRECIATE THIS SITE…. BEAUTIFUL KEEP GOING GREAT……!!!!!!1
April 4th, 2007 at 4:41 amHi Shilpa,
Your tips are very thoughtful and very helpful! Keep them coming.Great work!
April 4th, 2007 at 9:06 amHi
When ever I’m cooking the raw ground onion paste, the result ll be a great failure. can u give any tips for that?
April 10th, 2007 at 6:07 pmHi,
I am in Sydney. Please tell me can we blend the row rice in the food processor.
Here I am not getting the Indian grander. So I wanted buy a food processor. Please suggest some tips for me.
Thanks in Advance
Sachin
April 13th, 2007 at 10:26 pmManju, if you are using the raw onion paste directly, it will smell. You can cook the onions in water before and then grind them to get rid of the smell.
Sachin, you can grind the rice in food processor. I use a blender(having glass vessel instead of plastic) to grind everything. I too don’t have an Indian mixer here. The blenders work very well. So I think you should buy a blender, but make sure you buy a blender with glass vessel. The plastic one might break very soon.
April 14th, 2007 at 7:51 amThanks for the Suggestions I am very greatful to u…
April 14th, 2007 at 10:18 pmThank u shilpa….very nice of u!
April 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pmHi Shilpa,
I am travelling to India with my 4 year old son next week. Please let me know receipes of foods which I can prepare & carry with me for myself & my son.
Thanks & regards
April 26th, 2007 at 10:04 amveena
Veena, I don’t know much about what children eat :(. May be you can take some cookies(Nankatayi-homemade), cakes. I will try to find out more.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:51 pmThanks you for nice tips
April 30th, 2007 at 12:34 amHi Shilpa,
April 30th, 2007 at 3:09 amI feel your tips are very useful.I want you to give some more tips for sout indian brahmin recipes.
I liked the way you have put up these rceipes. Also, I have fwded
May 10th, 2007 at 2:01 pmthe url to my friends in different parts of the world who surely find it helpful. Thanks Shilpa.
great work
Hi.. Shilpa..
This site is too good.. For the first time i’m able to get all kind of recipes an tips in one site..Its really helpful for the beginers like me..
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe site..!!
May 21st, 2007 at 2:22 pmhi shilpa,
First of all gr8 job..its a wonderful site.My hobby is cooking its such a stress buster.Since im a bachelor many time i have nothing else to do.
all size and color no taste)
I live in China many things are not available easily here so would you suggest options to the following essential ingridients:
1. Tamarind
2. Vinegar
3. Mint Leaves
4. Green Chillies(here only the organic variety is available
How does one preserve coconut after breaking them up?
Awaiting your reply.
Thanks .. Neeraj.
Shilpa: Neeraj, if you tell me which exact recipe you are trying, I might be able to guess the replacement, there is no general replacement for all these, but we can guess depending on the dish. In the Chinese store here, I have seen a small variety of green chili which I used before I found out Indian store. They also had mint leaves and vinegar.
May 26th, 2007 at 8:26 amjust wanna know how can i make boneless chicken softer in curries
Shilpa: Bee, you should use the chicken when it is very fresh. Once it is frozen, you cannot make it soft.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:22 amHi Shilpa,
Great site. I’m visiting ur site for the first time..
May 28th, 2007 at 8:45 amhi Shilpa,
June 4th, 2007 at 1:20 amYour site is too good.First time i’m able to get all kind of recipes an tips in one site.Its really helpful for the beginers like me.Every month i will check your new recipies.
KEEP GOING GREAT JOB……!!!!!!
hi Shilpa,
June 4th, 2007 at 1:21 amYour site is good one.First time i’m able to get all kind of recipes an tips in one site.Its really helpful for the beginers like me.Every month i will check your new recipies.
KEEP GOING GREAT JOB……!!!!!!
Hi all,
i’m in complete agreement with all, that this site no doubt is gr8!!!
June 28th, 2007 at 10:33 pmso i seek help in finding the recipe for “malvani masala” since i stay in gujarat (INDIA) where we don’t get these typical maharashtrian masalas, so pls let me know
thanx n rgds
Hi shilpa
i am from mangalore bsaed in sydney. i tried all your recipe they realy helped me to learn cooking, great site keep up the hard and good work. a big thankyou from me
i hav a question how can i preserv curry leaves without loosing that original colour.
Shilpa: Spread the curry leaves on a paper till all water dries out, water makes the leaves go bad soon, so make sure it is completely dry. Then separate out individual leaf and put in an airtight plastic bag(like ziploc) and keep refrigerated. This way the leaves remain fresh for more than a month.
July 4th, 2007 at 7:59 pmHi,
I m very thankful that i got this site. This site is good one. Its very helpful.
I just wanted to know how to make Dal Bhati(Gujrati/Rajasthani dish)
Regards & Thanks
July 5th, 2007 at 1:39 pmHi Shilpa,
do you have any tips for fermenting dosa or any other batter in winter? I prepared urad dosa other day and kept it in warm oven but next it was bit hard and it did’nt taste well.
Shilpa: Ramya, I had the same problem until I bought Sumeet mixer. The urad daal needs to be very very soft. You can keep the batter in hot water for sometime and close with a thick towel.
July 16th, 2007 at 7:10 pmHi Shilpa,
July 16th, 2007 at 7:10 pmdo you have any tips for fermenting dosa or any other batter in winter? I prepared urad dosa other day and kept it in warm oven but next day it was a bit hard and it did’nt come out well.
Thanks a lot Shilpa. I’ll do the same next time. I had actually stopped preparing such dosas and used to prepare other dosas which does not need any fermentation.
Shilpa: Ramya one more thing is to mix salt very well in the night. This helps in fermentation
July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pmNice tips Shilpa.
Very helpful.
Regards
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:26 pmAlso, please let me know as to how can i post a recipe of mine on your site.
Thanks
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:27 pmdear shilpa,
July 25th, 2007 at 8:56 amNice site for people like me who search for recipes on the net. Good job!!! Keep it up.
This site is so so helpful and very well created. Can i post some of my own recipes?
Thanks
Shilpa: Neha, please mail the recipes to me, I will try them out and then post them here with due credits to you. Thanks
August 7th, 2007 at 3:25 pmHi Shilpa
Can you tell me what to do if I want to make a good amount of ginger garlic paste at home, what are the proportions to use and how much (hot)oil will I need to put in it to preserve it?
And how long will it last?
Do i grind it all in a mixer?
Shilpa: Rutu, I think Anupama is the right person to ask this question. I haven’t tried it myself. But I have heard that ginger and garlic pieces(1:1) are fried in a little oil and then ground into paste and saved.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:42 pmHi, good tips ,
September 1st, 2007 at 7:31 pmone more tip if u r cooking green veg in a pressure cooker, to retain the color u release the preesure immediately and open the lid
Hi,
I have not tried cooking non-veg as my hubby is a veggie.I would like to try some chicken/fish recipes from your blog but I have to eat it alone.So I thought I ll ask for some tips from you before cooking.
I live in US too.So could you let me know what kind of chicken/fish you buy here?
like do I buy fresh/frozen,chicken with bones/boneless, thighs/breasts/drumsticks etc?
For fish,which fish can I buy here as all of them are new to me.
And any tips which you remember while defrosting(how long to defrost in microwave) and cooking chicken/fish..I like it to be completely cooked without any raw smell(like we prepare in India),so how do I check if its completely cooked.
Thanks in advance,will apreciate your reply.
Sk
Shilpa: SK, I usually buy fresh chicken (the one in meat isle of grocery stores). I don’t buy the frozen chicken. I use the fresh one that is usually available in poultry section. It has to be finished in 2-3 days, but it is actually fresh and when cooked, gives good taste. You should buy the chicken depending on which dish you are going to cook. Since we like boneless, I buy boneless chicken breasts all the time. I don’t buy fish from American grocers. I just buy frozen shrimp there. I buy other fishes either from Indian or Chinese stores. If they look familiar then only I buy them.
September 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pmI will look for these next time I go to buy groceries.Thank you so much
September 6th, 2007 at 4:30 pmhi shilpa,
September 9th, 2007 at 8:39 amThanks for the tips u have given.they r very useful for me.here is a tip from my side.I stay in denmarkt .When we came initially we dont have any stores where we get chillies.we use to bring chillies from india and freeze it.they stay from 9months to 1year.
hey shilpa - i did try adding turmeric to the toor dal last nite while cooking - n yes it did cook faster n better than normal. Thank you
one problem I have is rajma or kaala toor dal(used for dal makhani) never cooks enough , no matter how many whistles i keep for in cooker and notwithstanding the fact that I soak it over night. I even tried adding some baking soda before pressure cooking even that dint help.any tips?
September 18th, 2007 at 10:39 pmShilpa: Priya, sometimes if the pulses are old, they take a very long time to cook. I am yet to find a way of making cooking of rajma fast :(. I too have same problem. May be next time you can try soaking it in warm water. While cooking add turmeric (a pinch won’t change the taste, so you can safely add). I will let you know if there are any more tips.
Hi Shilpa
Impressed with your website especially the traditional Konkani stuff! Patholi, Bhakri and what not! Just curious to get to know you a bit more about yourself.
I have been living in New Zealand with my husband and two children for the past 19 years. A response from you would be very much appreciated
Gayathri
Shilpa: Thanks Gayathri. You can know all about me in the “About” page.
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:23 pmHi Shilpa,
Your tips are so helpful.
Thanks
How to make Gulab Jamun using milk powder.
Thanks again.
Swati
September 28th, 2007 at 5:02 pmHi Shilpa,
Really nice recipes. I am newly married and we came to US after 15 days of our marriage. I have tried many of your receipes it is really nice.
I ma looking for Samosa Recipe, Can you please help me in that.
Thanks
September 30th, 2007 at 12:12 amHi Shilpa,
Came across ur site recently and i must say its a really nice site for everyone.I have a question…i wanted to know the best method to make dosa batter..bcoz everytime i try its a failure..i mix 3 cups ponni boiled rice with 3/4th cup of urad dal soak it overnite n grind it in the morning n ferment it in the oven(not switched om) but still its not the perfect batter..pls advise..
Thanks,
Suhasi
Shilpa: Suhasi, try using 2:1 (rice:dal)proportion. Mainly it all depends on how much smoothly you have ground dal. Grind it as smooth as possible. Then grind rice. Mix both, add salt and keep the batter in steel vessel(I donno if it makes difference. But last time when I used steel vessel, the fermentation was perfect). The oven thing for fermentation almost never worked for me. So I usually keep the vessel on the stove (after it is switched off but when it is still warm).
October 2nd, 2007 at 11:59 amThanks a lot for ur suggestion..will surely try it out..
Thanks,
October 2nd, 2007 at 8:26 pmSuhasi
Hello Shilpa
I was referred to your website from my in-laws , it’s great so i can go back to some amchi recipes i have forgotten
keep up the good work and hope you will publish a book and realize your dreams of opening a restuarnt
Regards
October 9th, 2007 at 9:17 amVarsha
Hi Shilpa,
I just discovered your website yesterday and it looks really interesting. I haven’t tried out anything as yet but plan to do so next week.
I have a problem which I’m hoping you can help me with. We have not yet been able to make sabudana khichdi properly. The taste is generally good but the dish turns out to be a sticky mess. I guess my problem is with the soaking of the sabudana. Yesterday I soaked the sabudana in plenty of water for 1/2 an hour, then drained it and left it like that for about 2 hours before cooking it. The end result was soft and tasty but was one big lump. What am I doing wrong.
Shilpa: Please read sabudana khichdi for a the tips.
October 10th, 2007 at 2:42 amThanks Shilpa. I think my problem was that I put too much water during the first half hour and I may not have drained it out very thoroughly. Also we get the small sabudana here not the big ones you get in India. Maybe that also makes a difference.
Regards,
October 11th, 2007 at 3:11 amGillian
Hi Shilpa,
Query is, can we have yoghurt at night? is it good for digestion if we have it at night? I have always heard it is not good, whats your thought on this?
This is a health query, i did not know where to write, so i am doing it here, hope its not inconvenient for u
Thank You
October 16th, 2007 at 6:18 pmShilpa: PW, I heard that if we eat a tea spn of yogurt after every meal, it is very good for digestion. This was the suggestion by a doctor who is also a follower of Ayurveda. So I think it does not matter if you eat it at night. But then, I am saying only what I heard, I might be totally wrong.
Ah Thanks Shilpa, yes i do believe that having yoghurt after a meal is good for health… But i was saying on a regular basis (everyday) that too a cup full
anyway i think ill try it and see if things are working, only then ill continue consumption.
October 17th, 2007 at 7:20 pmTake care!
Wow ! What a find…. This site is great and the name is a real eyecatcher. Wherever in the world you are, who would not want to have a taste of Aayi’s cooking. In this age of fast food, it is so imperative to document, preserve and pass on the rich treasure of simple home made recipes.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:04 amHi..a few tips from my side..When you have a fresh coconut grate it the way you like and freeze it. Also while cooking Rajma you can add a pinch of baking soda to the water while cooking if you feel that it hasn’t been soaked enough. It gets Rajma soft and completely done.
November 12th, 2007 at 2:01 pmHi Shilpa, 2day for the first time I came across ur recipe site.Thanks It will help a lot of people with tips n all that. thanks a lot.
November 21st, 2007 at 3:06 amRe:#46 SK comment and reply by Shilpa
Shilpa, try fresh fillet fish called, Tilapia, in Costco . Two weeks ago my wife S…. treated me with this pan-fried Konkani style fish and it is close to Noguli available in our native place. She marinates just with Hing, salt, Haldi, mirchi powder just for ten minutes and then roll it in cream of rice(idli rava or tandla rulanvu not flour) and slowy pan fry it with little oil on flat chapati or dosa tava. It is very tender still and deliciously tasty, and healthy. I ate with plain rice and alasande upkari(long beans stir-fry Konkani style). Also she refrigerates after all cooked once otherwise fish will get spoiled. She was kind enough to pack me 7-8 pieces to bring here in northen calfornia apartment so that I can get good source of protein daily with Konkani way eating. You will change your mind about buying fish in American market after this.
VastevuAnna
KonkaniBoy@gmail.com
Shilpa: To add to this info..I tried cat fish recently. I made both fry and gravy with it. It was very good. Something like our surmai/king fish. Btw…please don’t leave your mail id in actual comment, spammers will catch it and your mail account will be full of spams.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:48 amhi shilpa i was searching exactly these type of recipes.great job keep it up.
November 23rd, 2007 at 6:35 amhi,
December 5th, 2007 at 1:06 pmwith regards to having yoghurt at night. it is not advisable as it increases Kapha in the system and over a period of time one will feel more congested in the mornings. yoghurt is best eaten in the earlier part of the day as it is Pitta time of the day and therefore easier for it to be assimilated by the body. A very good book for people who are interested in Ayurveda is Dr Vasant Lad’s AYURVEDIC HOME REMEDIES.
hi,
when i make chapati in roti maker, it turns out to be hard 5 minutes after it is made. is there any way that it can be soft?
how can a chapati be heated in microwave(if i take that for lunch to office). tawa made chapati’s too turns out hard, when it is heated in microwave oven
December 7th, 2007 at 10:04 amNila,
After making chapati,wrap it in the paper towel and put it in the zip lock. You can refrigerator the ziplock
Microwave the chapatis without taking it out from zip lock for 15 to 20 seconds. The chapatis will be very soft.
Make the paper towel little wet before microwaving to make chapatis even softer.
Hope this helps.
Rashmi
December 15th, 2007 at 12:44 pmHI Shilpa,
Your website is truly helpful. I am from Karwar. Not a good cook, but am sure your recipes & handy tips will make me one.
Thanks & keep up the good work
All the best.
Will keep in touch
Regards
December 20th, 2007 at 12:47 amShilpa
Does anyone have any tips to get good fermentation for Dosa batter during winters(especially in US)?
December 21st, 2007 at 3:29 pmHi,
please advise me as to how can I remove the taste of Soya from soya chunks completely thereby not giving a soy flavour while chewing on it. I don’t like the soy flavour coming through and prefer the same to absorb the curry flavour and taste like meat !!!!!!!
December 31st, 2007 at 11:51 pmHi Shilpa,
You are simply awesome..!!yesterday i tried ur Butter chicken recipe and it was the best butter chicken i’ve ever tasted in my life..!!:-)
You have a fantastic website and doing a wonderful work.
And i know alreday many people had requested it, but i am requesting again for ’samosa’ recipe.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 amHi Shilpa,
Nice job, regarding rajma try using a pinch of eno fruit salt instead of soda bicarb, eno makes the rajma or for that matter any kathor beans like choley, kala channa very soft.
With regards
January 18th, 2008 at 11:46 amUma
Hi Shilpa,
I came across your site while searching for Tandoori Aloo recipe. I like the one posted by you as it is very simple.
You have some good recipes here, keep up the good work.
I have a tip to share. To cook Rajma well, opt for the Kashmiri Rajma beans (the smaller kidney beans). Soak them overnight, and add a tea bag while cooking them in a pressure cooker (3-4 whistles). Discard the tea bag once the beans are cooked. This trick also works while cooking Chole/channa (chickpeas).
Regards,
January 20th, 2008 at 1:38 amChitra
thankssssssss for sharing such a nice tips wid us
January 20th, 2008 at 11:34 pmOhh man!..u made me cry..this is the 1st time i accidentally visited ur website..& itz amazing how u hv put up all the mommy’s recepies- i have been living in the US..( Chicago) for like as long as i rember now!.& itz been soo many years since i ate a simple-”aayi chya hatachi chappati”! & u with ur wonderful recepies bring my mom closer to me..thankyou soo much ..hopefully i will squeeze some time to try one of ur dishes over the weekend..thankyou soo much..God bless ya!
.. Love- Aishwarya .(.P.S. after reading all this i realize how much i miss my parents who r back home in India..bt it feels real good to even see all this mommy food) ..thanks a ton 
January 24th, 2008 at 8:54 amHi shipa…
Your tips are very useful..
I like palak paneer very much
Pls help me how to prepare palak paner..
Thax…
January 28th, 2008 at 8:26 amHi Shilpa,
Just happend to come to your website searching for gravy to go with biryani………..i cook biryani well but wanted to cook something else for the mrs. so would add this gravy as a side dish for the weekend’s briyani…….
February 6th, 2008 at 9:28 amThanks a lot and your website really is worth a lot of appreciation. one of the best sites i have visited
February 6th, 2008 at 9:34 amHow do you make salt adhere to chicken well? My chicken tastes saltless and also a bit dry. Some recipes looks and sounds like the meat is going to fall off the bones so nicesly with the bone tasting salty and chewy..
Can you help?
Shilpa: Lalitha, can you tell me any particular recipe where you found this? Marinating chicken with salt for sometime might help a bit. I have noticed that, whenever I used the frozen chicken, it always becomes dry, hard and tasteless. So try using the fresh ones.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:58 pmShilpa.
Thank you for your immediate response. I have been enjoying your website and some mouth watering recipes you have posted. Cant wait to try them all.. The chicken recipe I was looking for some spicy chicken curry..Later on I saw several notes that mentioned to use fresh chicken than frozen ones. I will give it a try. Thank you again and keep posting those wonderful recipes..
February 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pmHI AAYI, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE EXACT PROPORTION OF WHEAT FLOUR AND WATER REQUIRED FOR KNEEDING OF WHEAT FLOOR TO MAKE SOFT CHAPATIES.PLS LET ME KNOW.THANK YOU.
Shilpa: Please check out chapathis and phulkas post.
February 11th, 2008 at 5:40 amHi Shilpa,
On some tips on making chapatis, I dont know why the dough that i make for phulkas always becomes very dry.
I add oil also in the start…something always goes wrong.
Please suggest something.
Thanks so much
Shash
Shilpa: Please read the post about chapathis and phulkas (I have given the link above)
February 11th, 2008 at 2:08 pmhi shilpa,
nice reciepes. Nice answers u r giving. I want to give u some tip for making toor dal or rajma fast. Soak them overnight in water add some baking soda to them. When u boil them, boil with the same water. Don’t change it. then u will get good result. Try it.
from MONIKA
February 19th, 2008 at 4:28 ama friend sent me this link n i jus went thru some of ur recipes. Even ur list of top 10 sounds yumm! I read a few to my mother-in-law n she too found it exciting to see a site like this. Wht is ur complete name n who is aayi? Ur mom or grand mom? My m-i-l’s askin. I thk u spendin ur precious time in sharin these recipes is an amazing thg. A Big round of applaus n i bow to u with respect. U know our generation n the gen aft ours need to know them. some of these recipes are kinda there somewh in our minds but lost in our busy lives. Anyway, thnx n continue ur great work. Eagerly waitin for some more. tc n God bless!
Shilpa: Capri, Thanks for the kind words. Please read about me in “About” page. I call my mother “Aayi”
February 20th, 2008 at 12:52 amhi ma’m,
Your site is really interesting and everyday i keep checking the updates..Appreciate your dedication to this site..wonderful website.Gr8 work.Keep it up.
regards
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 amsadhana
excellent tips shilpa ! especially about the pulao Thanks
February 28th, 2008 at 7:06 amnice tips. will be really helpfull.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:14 pmHello Shilpa,
Do U know any recipe that has overcooked rice in it ..?
March 10th, 2008 at 9:42 amPlease let me know..Thanx!!!
hi
March 14th, 2008 at 7:46 amu have great job.i love cooking.can i send my some recipies to ur site …..for this what should i have to do.
Hi!!
Thansk for your helpful tips!
Regs,
March 27th, 2008 at 1:13 amPradnya
HI SHILPA
I WANT MAKING GHEE FROM MILK PL.GIVE ME PROPER RECEIPE & ALSO I SAVE MALAI FOR 10 OR 15 DAYS & THEN AFTER
I MAKE GHEE BUT ACCHE SE NAHI HOTA HAI . SO PL.GIVE ME PROPER RECEPIE & GHEE KO KIS TARAH SE JAYEDA
DIN RAKHA JA SAKTA HAI? GHEE KI SMELL ACCHI AAYI IS KE LIYE MUJE KYA KARNA PEDGA?
PL SEND ME PROPER RECEIPE.WAITING FOR YR REPLY AT MY EMAIL ADD.
DIMPLE SOHONI
March 29th, 2008 at 4:23 amhi Shilpa,
I came across your website quite “accidentally” while searching for gas tandoor recipes.
I usually make “baked dish” in my gas tandoor. But I wanted to know whether I can experiment with an eggless (or with egg) cake with it? Any ideas..? Appreciate any help.
I will probably try your eggless date cake in it first
April 1st, 2008 at 4:15 amthanks,
hasi
Btw,
April 1st, 2008 at 4:19 amI forgot to add that I read the few tips that were posted here and found them extremely useful.
thanks for these..
hope to go through many of your mouth-watering dishes as well, now that i have discovered your site.
best,
hasi
Btw Shilpa,
April 1st, 2008 at 4:20 amI forgot to add that I read the few tips that were posted here and found them extremely useful.
thanks for these..
hope to go through many of your mouth-watering dishes as well, now that i have discovered your site.
best,
hasi
sorry to bother you but i just wana confirm that are Dal Makhani, Kali Dal and Ma ki Dal all the same things or different
April 4th, 2008 at 5:21 amjust wana confirm Ma Ki Dal, Kali Dal, Makhani Dal and Dal Makhani are all different preprations or are all the same names for the same product.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:23 amhi shilpa,
thank a lot for designing this web site,
i am presently studying at Sydney, australia,
i am from kumta native.
I came to know about this “aayisrecipes” from my relatives who are of goa, “Shri Ashok & Smt mangala shanbhag baleri,”(kodkani)
i am very comfortable in cooking now, earlier i used to find it difficult to eat homely food, i was just missing it so much as i had to eat only bread , burgers, pizza, pasta, etc etc. and some times indian food at indian restaurants, but now i cook it on my own at my home.I prepare daily new things with the help of your recipes.
I live with some friends who are from other parts of india . they all like the food cooked by me very much, there is no doubt that i will learn to cook all our homely dishes within few months,
thank you so much
its really much , more, most appreciated.
please do update more dishes as many as possible,
cheers,
April 5th, 2008 at 11:31 pmhemanth
0433923940
TOO, TOO GOOD FOR WORDS, I just love your lovely cusine, Its my kind. Thank you for all the effort taken
April 8th, 2008 at 2:54 ampls let me know, when we preheat an oven using micowave plus grill option as in samsung ,do we need to keep a bowl of water inside so that the oven does not get damaged.
April 13th, 2008 at 2:34 amalso let me know how to prepare your eggless cake using convection mode in samsung microwave oven
Hi Dear,
I really enjoy reading through your different varieties of Receipes. I would really appreciate if you could guide me step by step the preparation of cakes. Cakes i mean simple cakes.
Regards and lots of thanks
Monica
Shilpa: Please refer cakes and cookies section.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:52 amvery useful tips.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:38 pmHai Shilpa!
May 15th, 2008 at 12:12 amthank you for yuor nice tips.
i want to know the recipies of lal maas(rajasthani) hyderabadi biryani and nahari
May 15th, 2008 at 9:06 am