As an extension to the Kitchen Curries, I thought that adding these 5 bulleted points might help people – all and sundry in need of it. I assume this category could include:
- Newly weds (both men and women)
- Our dear on site folks – primarily first timers
- And any other set to whom these tips are applicable
Please note that I have compiled this short list from my own experiences/disasters/whatever you might call them.
- Never cook curries on high flame, always maintain a sim/medium flame. Trust me, if you leave your dish on high then you are bound to eat coal. I have had to call up my friend in times of distress to get me a decent morsel of food, as I had turned my curry (one and only) in a pure form of char coal.
- Use microwave in your cooking. Always stuck with those veggies that could have turned out better if cooked for a little longer? In that case, cut the veggies, spread them in a microvawable dish and cover it up, before putting the veggies into the microwave. Based on the intensity of your microwave, cook accordingly. I have seen that in a matter of less than 10 minutes, any kind of vegetable is cooked. Do not add any water. This microwave cooking ensures the usage of less oil and faster cooking.
- Let your dishes simmer. Simmering on low flame brings out the aroma and taste. Try those yummy alu-gobi or chole or awesome pulusu and sambhars, they only taste good, when allowed to simmer for sometime.
- Take some interest in cutting the veggies evenly. You need not have Six Sigma idea of precision/error, but then some kind of commonality would also go a long way in making a dish a success
- When frying that yummy alu (or anything else), ensure not to let the alu stick to the pan. Use a thick bottomed pan and scrapper cum mixer to keep the alu from sticking to the bottom. Trust me, it is a useful trick and I learnt it from the God of fries – my hubs
Follow these simple tips and keep the interest alive – you’ll see that cooking is not such a bad thing, well provided you decide on what to cook. 
April 7, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Well, well, well….who would have thought 2 years ago that Manasa would be advising people on cooking…I have to admit she has become quite a pro and you can now listen to whatever she has to tell you
Way to go dear, but ofcourse there are miles to go before you sleep to quote one of your favorites
April 7, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Cooking is definitely not a bad thing – one of clients we worked with, used to love cooking – that was his way of relaxation – nothing fancy but really yummy stuff – I have enjoyed most of his dishes except for times when he would just pick some leaves from shrubs on the way back from work and cook them
One thing which frustrates me is to decide what to cook – I seem to exhaust the few things I know to cook in a matter of 3-4 days (3 meals a day) and then I would be blank for the rest of the week – usually end up picking up some food on the way back from work..Wish there was something I could do about this..
April 9, 2009 at 6:45 PM
@mitr: I do understand your predicament. Deciding what to cook is the toughest of all things. I draw my inspiration from cookery sites like bawarchi.com and try to make the same old vegetable in a different way.
Try that the next time, might help you
If it does, then let me know. Will spread the cheer