Essential Kitchen Powders


Kitchen Powders in Indian cooking

Indian cooking is partially dependend upon various sorts of spices mixed together to add up flavour and aroma to the dish prepared. These mix are either prepared homely or purchased from grocery shops. They may be finely or coarsely powdered. They are used in preparation of Sambar, Rasam, Curry, Kurma, Gravy and so on. Here I do present the essential powders and their preparation that are found in each and every Indian Kitchen.

Idli Cooker

Idli cooker
This vessel is used to cook the South Indian famous food named 'Idli'. It comprises of 2 or 3 plates with cup like wholes numbering 4, 5, 7 or more and a vessel to hold these plates and then a lid to cover the vessel. The bottom vessel will be half filled with water and over it the plates filled with idli batter will be laid and covered. It undergoes steaming when placed on stove. Just requires not more than 10 minutes to get cooked. It is mostly manufactured in Aluminium and now stainless steel made are available in wide range.

Murukku achchu

Murukku achchu
This is a device used to prepare murukku, the kurkure snack. It has 2 or three parts. Dispalyed here is an achu of 2 parts. The bottom vessel and the topper. The dough prepared for the snack has to be kept inside the bottom vessel which has tiny wholes that determine the width of the snack. Then using the topper and pressure has to be applied by holding the handles of the twoo so that the dough is delivered in the form of thread which when deep fried becomes the snack. This device is very traditional one and comes in bronze, stainless steel and thick plastic.

Pressure Cooker - Indian vessels

Pressure Cooker
This is Pressure Cooker. It plays a vital role in every Indians Kitchen. It is used to pressure cook rice, potato, dal, and steam vegetables and idli. Its parts comprises of a whistle, gasket, the bottom pan and lid. It is mainly made of thick Aluminium or Stainless steel. It may be copper plated also. It comes in varied sizes based on the quantity it can hold from 3 litres to 10 litresNowadays non-stick pressure cookers fill up the market. The leading pressure cooker manufacturing companies are Prestige, Hawkins, Preeti.

Raita

vazhathandu raita
Vazhathandu raita
Ingredients
Any of grated vegetables like onion, cabbage, mango, cucumber, carrot, vazhathandu(stem of banana) - 1 cup
curd - 1 cup
finely chopped chilli - 1
corriander leaves, tomato, sprouted green grams finely chopped to garnish
salt to taste

Method
Mix any of the given vegetable to curd or a mixture of the given vegetables to curd with chilli, salt and corriander leaves. Make it and serve fresh.

Poriyal

Vazakkai poriyal
Ingredients
any vegetable well chopped - 1 cup
onion chopped - 1
curry leaves - little
chilli - 1
mustard seeds, urad dal - 1 tea spoon
asafoetida - 1 pinch
turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
oil - 1 tea spoon

Method
Heat oil in tava. Spurt mustard seeds. Add urad dal. Stir till it turns golden brown. Add curry leaves, chilli, onion, salt and stir well and then add vegetables with turmeric powder. Mix well. Close the lid and cook in low flame. Then and then open the lid. Allow the water in inner lid to drain on vegetables and stir well.
  • Chilli can be replaced by chilli powder 
  • When you cook lady's finger, add 2 more spoons of oil to season and add a spoon of curd or tamarind pulp if you feel it to be sticky. 
  • When you cook bittergourd add 2-3 spoons of tamarind pulp or water from rinsing rice to lessen its bitterness.

Rasam

Sweet Lime Rasam

Ingredients
tomato - 1
tamarind pulp - 1 cup
dal water - 1 cup
rasam powder - 2 tea spoons
salt to taste
turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon

To season
Gingelly oil - 1 tea spoon
dry red chilli - 1
curry leaves - little
smashed garlic -2
mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
asafoetida - a pinch

Method
Add dal water, smashed tomato, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, salt together with rasam powder and bring to boil till foam appears. Now seaon it with its ingredients. The dal water can be taken out when dal is cooked for sambar. Otherwise instead of dal water one more smashed tomato can be taken to make out Tomato rasam.

Sambar

Onion Sambar

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal
1/2 cup channa dal(kadali paruppu) or moong dal
1 cup of any vegetables chopped
1 tomato
shallots - 5-6 or 1 onion chopped
green chilli - 1
tamarind pulp - 3 tea spoons
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
sambar powder - 3 tea spoon
corriander powder - 1 tea spoon
salt to taste
corriander leaves to garnish
To season
asafoetida - 1 pinch
mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
curry leaves - little
gingelly oil - 1 tea spoon
vadagam - little

Method:
Pressure cook dal as follows. Rinse both the dal 2 times with water, drain the water and add the proportional water to it ( for cup of dal, 1 1/2 water is enough). Place the gasket properly and close the cooker lid. Place it on the stove. When steam comes put whistle. Can allow 3 whistles and switch it off. When steam lowers remove whistle and open the lid to see your cooked dal. In another pan, boil the vegetables with little water.

Now heat oil in tava and saute shallots or onions, add tomatoand green chilli. Stir well till tomato smashes. Add Sambar, corriander, turmeric powders with salt and mix well with little water. When a thick paste is formed add the boiled vegetables and dal with water left over. Mix well and allow to cook for five minutes. Add tamarind pulp and allow to cook till form appears. Now season it with mustard seeds, asafoetida, vadagam, curry leaves. The sambar is ready.

Cooking Rice in pressure cooker

Ingredients

For 1 cup rice 2 cups of water

 
Method:
Rinse the rice 2 times with water, drain the water and add the proportional water to it. Place the gasket properly and close the cooker lid. Place it on the stove. When steam comes put whistle. Can allow 3 whistles and switch it off. When steam lowers remove whistle and open the lid to see your cooked rice.

 
If you are using basmati rice, then for 1 cup of basmati rice 1 cup of water is enough. 
  • To get the rice cooked well can soak the rice for half an hour before you place on your stove.
  • To get non sticky rice, add a tea spoon of ghee along with water to rice before you place on your stove.
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