Aayi’s cooking tips

hi shilpa…
had a look at your site..gr8 job…keep going

hi 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

Anisha, 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.
The third tip, (retaining color of veggies) looks very very useful. I will try it. Thanks a lot.

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.

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..

Shilpa

There are so many websites offering recipes but yours is different
…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!

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.

Hi Shilpa,

Your tips are very thoughtful and very helpful! Keep them coming.Great work!

Hi,

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

Thanks for the Suggestions I am very greatful to u…

Hi 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
veena

Thanks you for nice tips

I liked the way you have put up these rceipes. Also, I have fwded
the url to my friends in different parts of the world who surely find it helpful. Thanks Shilpa.
great work

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

Also, please let me know as to how can i post a recipe of mine on your site.

Thanks

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

Hi, good tips ,
one 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

I will look for these next time I go to buy groceries.Thank you so much 🙂

Hi Shilpa,
Your tips are so helpful.
Thanks

How to make Gulab Jamun using milk powder.
Thanks again.

Swati

Nila,

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

Does anyone have any tips to get good fermentation for Dosa batter during winters(especially in US)?

Hi 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.

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,
Chitra

Ohh 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 🙂

Hi 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…….

How 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.

HI 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.

hi 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

hi 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
sadhana

nice tips. will be really helpfull.

hi
u have great job.i love cooking.can i send my some recipies to ur site …..for this what should i have to do.

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

Btw,
I 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

hi 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,
hemanth
0433923940

pls 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.
also let me know how to prepare your eggless cake using convection mode in samsung microwave oven

very useful tips.

i want to know the recipies of lal maas(rajasthani) hyderabadi biryani and nahari

Very good receipe

Thanks,
Sridevi

Dear Friend,
Today i got the oppotunity to see ur website. I am thankful for the valued receips and its tips. its really informative and helps to those who are intrested in cooking. Thankning you Madam.

Brown deposits in your cooker-
Put lemon slices in to the cooker whenever it is being used.The lemon not only removes the brown stains but also gives a fresh aroma.
Alternately, tamarind can also be used the same way if you do not have lemons.

Hi Shilpa
all ur tips are very useful .
To roast cashew nuts to a golden brown color soak the nuts in water for about 5-8 minutes squeeze out the water and roast it with little butter so that the nuts will get roasted evenly. This could be applied to raisins as this will give a nice appearence.

We are looking for a maharashtrain snacks caterer who can manage and operate a busy outlet in a very busy railway terminus.

Pravin Gupta
Mobile: 98206 26981

Thanks a lot for very useful tips…

Hai shilpa, Really good and useful tips these are, thank u for giving nice tips.

chilly powder 5 tablespoon tomatoes 4 cut into 4 quaarter 1 onion chopped 1 cup water grind in the blender.
lit the stove pour in the chillly mixture boil for 15 mins
oil 1 tablespoon.put in the tahu in the chilly mixture for 10 mins

I always go through your site when I want to do some special .
I like this very much… I tried some of these recipies.
So I want some suggestions from you…. I am celebrating My Son’s birthay in next sunday… & I want to call my 16-20 friends at my home for lunch…will you please suggest me
some menu to prepare on that Day…. please remember I am alone to cook….
Please reply me as soon as possible….

Hi, I am in US and we have Heaters for cooking (Coiled heaters). So when making Phulka’s i am not able to put them on coil directly. It turns black. also as there is no flame, My phulka’s dont turn into balls due to filled steam in it. anyother way so that Phulka’s can swell? Does any one know the process of swelling the roti on tava itself. Some ppl in India can do it and dont put roti on flames directly but instead do it on tava itself. Pls share the procedure with me

Dear Madam,

The receipes which you have put on the website are really very good and easy to learn for new commers like me.I really appreaciate the food you make and the pictures you have put on the website. The more insteresting thing is the description you have given on the Masala and the translated names in other languages.

Hi Shilpa,
your simple egg cake recipe was really marvellous. its so good an dyummy i can’t express. really mouthwatering. this is was the first cake i ever made that turned out perfect in one go! .. hats off to u !

Hello Shilpa,

Your website is great. Good job!
I have read many people asking you about the chicken. I would like to give the tip for cooking frozen chicken.. I do buy frozen chicken n cook tasty curries. Many people dont get fresh chicken…when cooking chicken curries, you ‘ve to cook chicken on very very low flame for longer time so that meet is tender and it absorbs all the juices from the curry…if you dont have much time, reduce the flame when chicken is 90% cooked and cook it on very very low flame for few mins atleast and see the difference. The longer you cook the tastier is your curry.
Though the breast meet(white meet) is healthier( I donno how far it is true) than thigh meet(dark meet), breast meet becomes harder when cooked and is less tasty compared to thigh meet. That is the reason thigh meet is prefered for deep frying recipes like pakoda, manchuria, chilli chic etc. hope this will be helpfull.

ur website is d best 4 cookin experience!!! plz gimme d recipe 4 coorgi dishes.
and if u cud add more recipes it wud be gr8!! 🙂
regards
sindhu

hi dear..first time i visisted your site..i find it interesting…i took recipe of sabudana kitchri from your site n it come comes out great…

i love ur recipes..thx for takin time and for ur gr8 lil tips n ideas !! very useful for a foodie like me 🙂

Thanks for this website

hi shipa
very useful tips and keep up your good job.

To Keep ur coffee powder fresh for long time add 1/4 tea spoon of sugar to it.

To keep away ants from sugar ( eternal problem in India ) add 3-4 cloves into ur sugar containner.

While removing idlis from the idli plate, use a spoon which is dipped in hot water and remove the idlis so that lot of idlis portion are not stuck to the plate itself.

Whenever u cook tomatoes sprinkle a pinch of salt on it so that it cooks faster.

For Rajma/Chana that do not get cooked easily, here’s one tip. Soak the Rajma/Chana overnight. Pressure cook with enough water, 1tspn salt, 1tbspn oil for 4 whistles on high flame, then lower the flame and pressure cook it for 20 – 25 mins. Then again switch to high flame and let it cook for 1 whistle. Turn off the gas allow it to cool for some time. The Rajma/Chana gets cooked nicely. Salt gets absorbed by the Rajma/Chana. Drain the excess water. You can use if required. While seasoning adjust the salt as the salt is added earlier.
One more tip is while pressue cooking the rajma or chana u can add 1 bay leaf, green and black cardamoms this enhances the flavor.

Bhakti.

i love your site – very helpful

can you tell me how to avoid a big mess on the gas range when i pressure cook dal? It always seems to come out of the whistle, i’ve tried puting it in a vessal first, but the consistency is not smooth. Toovar dal and urad dal are the worst…

Shilpa: I use cooker vessel & close the vessel with a steel plate. It cooks well and also does not create a mess.

Hi Shilpa, thanks for the cooking tips. They are great. I knew about just a few of them. This will surely help me a lot.
The recipes in your blog are awesome. Plan to try them out. Thanks 🙂

hi shilpa
this tips very useful thanks for sharing

very very useful tips

nice tips. i dnt knw cooking wid d help of dis site i learn more recipies. i really love dis site

This site is the best, I have visited many recipe sites but none as simple and tasty as this.

my hubby will be feel happy.. thanks for tips

very helpful tips and a wonderful recipes .. thanks for sharing 🙂

Hi Ishmeen
I noticed ants in my kitchen couple days ago, I had heard turmeric (haldi) powder helps keep them away. So I put some turmeric in this opening on the floor I knew they were coming from. That worked miracles! I would recommend that.
Also, I would get an ant spray and spray it around the perimeter of the house, and at the base of the doors, to prevent ants from getting in.

Hi Shilpa,

To get rid of cockroaches from your house u can try this.

Mix 1tsp of maida with 1tsp of boric powder and 1 tsp of sugar with water and get the consistency of chapatti dough. Now make small balls and place them in corners of the house, cupboards.

It is going to do miracles !!!!!

if u want ants outside from ur kitchen n house, turmeric is not sufficient.u have to use lakshman rekha a white stick like chalk, which you can easily find in the stores. this is the best best way to keep ants outside ur house,, u have to just draw the line from that chalk piece where u can find ants, and within 20 seconds u can see the results. the cost of lakshman rekha is Rs. 15/-

to get away ants & mostle cockroes, i would suggest of No Entry paste which is availble in medical shop. Its 100% effective.

Shilpa,

Your recipes are very systematic. Very useful cooking tips.

Regds,
Lalitha S.K.

hey shipla,

This is really nice to c’ these recipes that to in our konkani go, I m very happy to here these konkani words.
‘Ghar ki Yaad diladi yaar’

Regards
Madan

mam, please tell me the remedy to cure sweet tomato karai

Dear Shilpa,
Cooking tips : Please eat any mint sweet or mint chewing gum just before you start cleaning and chopping onions and your eyes do not cry.
Use a stainless steel soap after cleaning fish or meat and your hands will not retain the fishy or meat smell
When peeling garlic pods first press the pod with the side of the knife to crack it and the skin peels of a lot easier
Before cooking put together all spices in a small bowl/katorie with some water to make it into a paste and its a lot easier when the cooking process is on.
Try frying fish in water on slow fire with frying pan covered with a lid. The oil from the fish is enough to cook the fish and its a lot healthier meal.Takes 20 mins.

Thanks a lot for sharing these wonderful tips.