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Howto make Pizza Sauce at home??

First recipe:

Tomatoes - 750 gms, peeled & chopped

Onion - 1, finely chopped

Garlic - 4 pcs, minced

Oil - 3 tbsp

Coriander leaves or parsley - 2 tbsp

Basil or tulsi or omavalli leaves - 1 tbsp

Ajwain - ½ tsp

Salt, sugar & pepper powder

Heat oil in a pressure pan; add onion & garlic & sauté.

Add tomatoes & other ingredients.

Add 1 cup of water & pressure cook for 30 mtes on a low flame after the first whistle.

Cool & blend in a mixer.

Pour in a bottle & refrigerate. Use as a base for pizzas.

Second recipe;

Tomatoes - 4, blanched & pureed

Minced onion - 1 tbsp

Minced garlic - 1 tsp

Minced capsicum - 2 tbsp

Bay leaf - 1

Peppercorn - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp

Salt & sugar

Heat oil & add bay leaf & pepper; then sauté onions, galic & capsicum.

When well sauted, add tomato puree, salt & sugar.

Cook till sauce consistency & then add tomato ketchup.

Simmer to blend & remove.

Both these can be refrigerated & used for samosas etc as well.

 

How to make Milkshakes & Smoothies successfully??

The following tips are useful.
Milkshakes:
You can use low fat milk or skimmed milk powder. If using low fat milk, freeze in ice trays & use as cubes. This gives a very good froth.
With skimmed milk powder, use crushed ice cubes.
All ingredients are best liquidised, cold. Small fruit pieces are interesting to bite and hence do not strain milk shakes.

Smoothies:
The above points hold good here also.
They are made pulpy & thick.
Ripe bananas can be sliced, frozen in small packs in freezer. These can be used in ANY SMOOTHY to give a creamy texture.
I use protein powder, flaxseed powder, complan, flaxseed oil etc for nutritive value.
Oats, wheat germ, oat bran, wjeat bran caan all be added, BUT IN SMALL AMOUNTS ONLY.
Brown sugar gives a good colour & taste.
Do not sieve.
Cream biscuit, cream crackers, if added just one in number give a good, rich, creamy taste.
Sky is the limit for imagination!!
But the ingredients must bland well to give a homegenous mixture. A big glass of smoothy is a mini-meal.

 

How to make White Sauce Mix??

Skimmed milk powder - 1 cup

Maida- ½ cup

Butter - ½ cup

Salt - 1 tsp

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or in a bowl using a pastry blender orfinger tips till bread-crumb consistency.

Store airtight in the refrigerator.Keeps for 2 months.

To make white sauce, combine ½ cup mix with 1 cup water with a handblender to prevent lumps.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly.

For thicker or thinner sauce, suitably alter the proportion.

 

Dishes made with white sauce mix.

pasta+pineapple bake




Broccoli-Corn Bake




Mushroom-macaroni Bake





corn bake with toast for breakfast.

 

How to make cakes in the microwave oven?

Cakes can be baked in the MW oven, but
ARE NOT COMPARABLE TO OVEN-BAKED CAKES.
Oven-baked cakes are moist & dense, MW cakes are hollow & spongy in texure.
BUT THERE IS NO COMPROMISE IN TASTE!
You can use a pyrex or any baking glass vessel. A thick plastic bowl like Tupperware or Rubbermaidcan also be used. But do not usethe thin reheating variety of plastic. A round shape is preferable to square or rectangle. Do not use a deep bowl, but one with a large diameter is preferable. Depending on the amount of batter, timing varies - Hi 4 mtes for small, Hi 6 mtes for medium & Hi 8 mtes for big cakes. A resting time (called sleeping time) for 10-15 mtes is a must, beore opening the oven door.
My MW is 900 watts.
Small cup cakes can also be made - time isbest judged by trial& error!
These cakes are ideal to make puddings.

 

How to make trifle pudding??

Trifle pudding is a very delicious pudding, but very easy to make. It is just assembling!!
It makes a grand finale to any lunch or dinner, undoubtedly.
Make any sponge cake, vanilla or chocolate. Shop bought butterless sponge takes less time.
But avoid fruit cakes, carrot+nut cakes etc. Plain is ideally suited.
Divide into 2 layers, by cutting across. Many prefer butterless for the trifle will need cream or custard. But if you want to make it eggless, this is not possible.
Soak each layer in fruit juice or plain sugar syrup.
Spread jam on to the top of each layer. ( can use sweetened fresh cream also).
Keep one layer on top of the other very carefully.
Now spread sweetened fresh cream or sweetened chilled custard. Decorate the top & if preferred sides also,using your imagination. Serve chilled.
Fresh or canned fruits are very ideally suited for trifles.
Please go to
Mango Trifle
Custard-fresh fruit-jam trifle
Strawberry Trifle Pudding
MW Chocolate Cake & Trifle Pudding (2)
Orange Chantilly

 

How to ‘fry-roast’ papad in MW??

Take 2 papads & smear ½ tsp oil on each of them.

Keep them on a tissue inside MW oven.

MW hi for 1 mte.

It tastes very similar to fried papad.

 

How to make SI & NI masala powders at home?

I have already given:
Tea Masala or Chai Masala Powder

Chat Masala

Garam masala powder

Punjabi Garam Masala Powder

Sambar & Rasam Powders

Paruppu Podi(Dhal Powder)

Jiffy Paruppu Podi

Ellu Podi

Pulikachal

Chammandhi (coconut) Podi

Kollu Podi

Curry Leaves Podi

Milagai Podi

3-in-1 Powder

South Indian Multi-purpose powder

Curryma Podi

Saman Podi

Bright Red Chilli Powder


Instant Sambar Powder
Instant Rasam Powder
Instant Poricha Kootu/Kuzambu
Instant Morkuzambu
Mysore Rasam Powder

Flax seed Spicy Podi

Home made Dhaniya Powder



Gujarathi Pulao/Biryani Masala - easily made at home!!

I saw this on a Gujarati TV programme & hence this name!!
This recipe makes 100 gms.

In a kadai,heat 1 tsp oil & fry:

Cloves - 4

Star anise - 1 star

Black pepper - 1 tbsp

Shajeera - ½ tbso

Cinnamon - 3, 1” pieces

Bay leaf - 1 pice, broken

Cardamom - 5

Dhaniya - ½ cup

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 5-6

Switch off the stove & add:

Dry ginger powder - 1 tbsp

Amchur powder - 1 tbsp

Nutmeg small pieces - 4-5or nutmeg powder - 1 tsp

Javitri – 3,4 pieces

Cool & grind.

Add ½ tsp whole pepper, tiny pieces of 3-4 bay leaves, 3-4 each of cardamom & cloves.

Cool & sore airtight.


Chole Masala - making at home is very easy!!

This can be used for Kabuli channa, black channa & rajma.

Saute on a low flame in a pan, till aroma comes:

Dhaniya & jeera - each, 3 tsp

Red chillies - 8-10

Methi seeds & pepper - each, 1 tsp

Shahjeera - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 3”

Cardamom & cloves, each - 5-6

Jaiphal - ¼ of a small one

javitri - 3 pieces

Star anise - 1 piece

Crushed kasuri methi - 1 tsp

Bay leaves crushed - 3-4

Cool, add

Amchur & dry ginger powder - each, 1 tsp

Grind & store airtight.

Pav Bhaji Masala - nothing but aroma!!

Roast in a kadai on a low flame till aroma comes:

Dhaniya - ½ cup

White til seeds - 1 tbsp

Shahjeera - tsp

Khus khuss - ½ tbsp

Red chillies - 5-6

Bay leaves - 4

Elaihi & cardamom - 4,5 each

Cinnamon - 3-4 1” pieces

Pepper - 1 tbsp

Nutmeg - 3-4 small pieces

Jaiphal - 3-4 small pieces

Star anise - 3-4 piecees

Hing - ½ tsp

Cool & add:

Jeera - ` tbsp

Black salt - ¼ tsp

Grind in a mixie & store airtight.

Gujarathi Garam Masala - needs only chilli powder besides this for vegetables.

Lightly dry roast in a kadai:

Dhaniya - 250 gms

Jeera - 100 gms

Bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, each - 10 gms

Black pepper, shahjeera, star anise - eah, 5 gms

Powder in a mixi & sieve in a rava sieve .

 

How to freeze plain/stuffed parathas (1)???

I cook the parathas three-fourths, applying water with a brush on both sides, cool, line on both sides with butter paper, wrap in an aluminium foil & freeze. When I need, I thaw for an hour, cut into 2 & lightly shallow fry in a SLIGTLY CURVED (IN THE CENTRE) TAVA SO THAT WHAT LITTLE OIL WE ADD ‘RUNS’ TO THE CENTRE & ROASTS THE PARATHAS.
Thus, there is less oil used as well.


Make just 4 balls with 1 cup of dough.

Make filling almost the same size, if not a wee bit smaller parathas.

Stuff & roll carefully.

Fry them on a hot tava, SMEARING WATER ON THEM WITH A BRUSH ON BOTH SIDES, without applying oil.

Cool completely.

Place each between sheets of butter/oil paper cut into squares.

Pack in aluminum foil or freezer covers & freeze.

When you need them, take out the necessary no: & thaw for an hour.

Cut each into 2 or 4, depending on how thick you have made them.

Shallow fry on hot tava (curved in the middle) using oil, on both sides.

Te parathas are very crisp & nice.

 

How to freeze plain/stuffed parathas (2)???

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