Frquently Asked Questions

Indian Food Questions Tips Tricks Vidhi Vidhaan
Q. How to make sure that masala for curry is ready?
Ans.  When you prepare masala, you add onion, ginger-garlic paste along with spices  in the oil. This mixture soaks all the oil. When masala starts turning brown and leaves oil, that means it is ready, now you can add vegetables, chicken etc..
Q. When I cook Daal in pressure cooker or utensil, it overflows?
 

Ans.  When ever you boil daal in either pressure cooker or utensil, always add little oil. It will prevent the overflowing.
Q. My Chapati dough always gets hard / dry after refrigerating?
Ans.  Always store your dough in an airtight container or covered with wet muslin / cheese cloth to avoid the hard layer and keep it fresh for a longer period.
Q. How to set curd in winter season?
Ans.  Curd in winter - Set in a ceramic container and place it on the voltage stabilizer of your refrigerator
Q. How to squeeze tamarind (Imli) ?
Ans.  Break off 2 tbsp. tamarind from the block, and soak it in twice its volume of very hot water for a couple of hours. Now, squeeze the pulp well or press it through a sieve with a wooden spoon to get out the juice.
Q. What do you mean by ' Dropping consistency ' ?
Ans. It is a term used to describe the desired texture of ground daal purees or thickish flour batters used in deep-frying. To test dropping consistency, fill a spoon with the batter, turn on its side above the bow, and , in one or two seconds, the mixture should drop from the spoon.
Q. When  an essence should be added to a dish, if required ?
Ans. Essences are added either towards the end of cooking or after the cooking is completed, once it has been removed from the heat.
Q. How to avoid mess while cooking Pakoras (fitters) ?
Ans. Always keep a bowl of water and a tea towel near frying area. After batter-dipping the items to be fried, rinse and dry your hands before continuing your frying.
Q. What is Roux?
Ans. Roux is a mixture of butter and flour. It is used to thicken sauce or gravy instead of  using cream. In fact it adds flavor to the recipe and has low calorie.
Q. What is the difference between All-purpose : Bleached and  Unbleached flour ?
Ans. A blend of both hard and soft wheat flour. Most of the white flour is bleached to increase the whiteness and enriched to replace a few of the nutrients removed during milling process. Preferable use Unbleached flour which closely resembles India's Maida though you can use Bleached or  Unbleached All-purpose flour interchangeably.
Q. What is the difference between Baking soda and Sodium bi-carbonate?
Ans. Technically speaking there is no difference between the two. Usually baking soda is a food grade product that is much more refined than raw sodium bicarbonate. Preferably, try to use Baking soda.