- How to bake apples
Baked Apples with Star Anise - How to buy Broad Beans
Broad Beans - Has Beens? - How to buy chickpeas
Chickpeas - How to char eggplant over a gas ring
Smoky Eggplant - How to cook Broad Beans
Broad Beans - Has Beens? - How to buy, store and use Ginger
Very special hints on using and storing ginger is provided by Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen. and by Lunch in a Box. There are some great descriptions of how to store, freeze and use ginger for different purposes. Ginger is my favourite spice, and I use it in teas and cooking all the time. - How to cook chickpeas
Chickpeas - How to Cook Rice
Play Nice with Rice - How to cook Risotto
Risotto Schmizotto - How to dry Peppers and Capsicums
Dried Peppers / Capsicums - How to eat simply
Elizabeth David - Simplicity is an Advanced Course - How to get rid of left over spices
Got a cupboard full of spices that you never use? Small remains in the bottom of a container? Nearly at their used by date? I love to mix all of these together in a small pot by the stove and I occassionally sprinkle a little into whatever non-Indian dish I am cooking. It gives the food an elusive flavour, hard to identify and difficult to replicate. People love the difference. And it uses up the spices. - How to make Chat Masala
Chat Masala - How to make Dukkah
Dukkah and Zahtar - How to make Garam Masala
Hot Masala - How to make Ginger-Garlic Paste
Curry in Kadhai - How to make Ghee
Ghee Whizz - How to make a Great Vegetable Stock
Take Stock - How to make Herbal Tea
The Making of Herbal Teas
Four Spices Saffron Tea - How to make Hummus
Cheat’s Hummus - How to make a lentil-based Masala
Check this out - a post by My Diverse Kitchen on making a Masala Powder from lentils. Very common in Tamil households, it is called milagaipodi. - How to make Eggless Pasta
Semolina Pasta - How to make Zahtar
Dukkah and Zahtar - How to organise your kitchen and pantry
Check this out - a blog by Angela Turner that gives you restaurant-style good practice hints and techniques for the kitchen. She also has a web site. This link is a list of what to keep stocked in your kitchen. Place it on the fridge or on the inside of a pantry door. - How to Oven Roast Tomatoes
Plump Ruby Bites - How to Peel Broad Beans
Broad Beans - Has Beens? - How to Roast/Caramelise Butternut Pumpkin
Not another Pumpkin - How to Skin Tomatoes
There are three methods that can be used. My usual one is to chop the tomatoes into small chunks about 0.5 cm and use in the dish. Then, after they have cooked, use your blender or hand held blender to zap the tomatoes, and magic - no skins.
The second method is to grate the tomatoes. This is a little known secret. Take your grater and place it in a large bowl. Using the larger grating holes, hold the tomato by the stem and grate. What happens is that the skin splits and does not grate, and the pulp of the tomato is released into the dish. You end up with just the tomato skin and stem in your hand, and you can discard these. The seeds remain but often this is not a problem.
Lastly, slit the skin of the tomato in one or two places, and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 30 secs and remove. The skin will now come off easily. If not coming off easily, put back into the boiling water for another 30 seconds. - How to Store Salad Greens
a post by Pinch my Salt describes how to soak, wash and store greens to keep them really crisp and salad-ready for ages. Thank you so much, Pinch my Salt.
Indian Tips and Techniques
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Kashmiri Spices
I love this post - an introduction to Kashmiri Spices and Ingredients complete with photos by In Love with Food. It is often puzzling when starting to cook Indian, if you have never done it before. Some ingredients and the way that they are used are quite different. This post is a great intro to Kashmiri food. -
How to buy chickpeas
Chickpeas - How to char eggplant over a gas ring
Smoky Eggplant -
How to cook chickpeas
Chickpeas - How to Cook Rice
Play Nice with Rice - How to get rid of left over spices
Got a cupboard full of spices that you never use? Small remains in the bottom of a container? Nearly at their used by date? I love to mix all of these together in a small pot by the stove and I occassionally sprinkle a little into whatever non-Indian dish I am cooking. It gives the food an elusive flavour, hard to identify and difficult to replicate. People love the difference. And it uses up the spices. - How to make Chat Masala
Chat Masala - How to make Garam Masala
Hot Masala - Ginger - How to make Ginger-Garlic Paste
Curry in Kadhai - Ginger - How to buy, store and use Ginger
Very special hints on using and storing ginger is provided by Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen. and by Lunch in a Box. There are some great descriptions of how to store, freeze and use ginger for different purposes. Ginger is my favourite spice, and I use it in teas and cooking all the time. - How to make Ghee
Ghee Whizz - How to make Milagaipodi - a lentil-based Masala
Check this out - a post by My Diverse Kitchen on making a Masala Powder from lentils. Very common in Tamil households, it is called milagaipodi.
Other
- Ever had food cravings? What do they mean? Have a look here to decipher what cravings for chocolate means, for coffee, for sweets, for salt, for anything.
- A post on water as a cure for anything. How interesting.
