Kitchen tips

  

Dry-frying coconut in the microwave.

I am from Kerala, the land of coconut, where every dish is redolent of coconut. For some curries, it is used in dry-fried form. Earlier, we used to dry-fry it in an iron pan, so that it would be thoroughly dry-roasted and ground into a paste to be added to curries. But this method is cumbersome as it is physically taxing and time-consuming.

So I have switched over to the microwave method.

• First, take five spoonfuls of coconut in a glass vessel as shown below.

                                                 

• Keep it in the microwave for three minutes, occasionally stirring with a spoon after each minute.

                                                               

                                                                

• Raw coconut turned brown after heating in the microwave, as shown below.

                                                     

                                                     

• Then I added a little shallot, ginger, and garlic cut into small pieces, along with curry leaves. I am adding this later on, as otherwise it will get charred.

  
                                                    

• Keep it in the microwave for one minute, take it out, stir it, and add five dry Kashmiri chillies to it.

                                          

• Then heat in the microwave for a maximum of 30 seconds, as otherwise it will get charred. 
• Then take out the glass vessel from the microwave and first transfer the Kashmiri chillies into a dry mixer grinder and grind them.

                                                      

• Then add the rest of the cooked coconut into the mixer grinder and grind it into a powder.

                          

 

• The vegetables or non-vegetables have to be cooked; add tamarind water if required, boil the water, and then add coriander powder and this coconut powder to it to make the gravy thick. The coconut powder has to be added only to boiled water or gravy. Only then will the taste and colour be retained.                                                                                                                                          
• This coconut powder can be transferred to a dry glass or steel container and can be kept in the fridge for some time for further use.                                                                                                                                                   
• I cooked one bottle gourd, added tamarind water, brought it to a boil, added coriander powder and the above coconut mixture, seasoned, and made curry. The same recipe can be tried for bitter gourd, shallot curry, etc. In case of non-veg curries, tamarind water should be avoided.    

                                                                                                                                                  

 (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page also contains other affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.)

I have been using this grinder and microwave for five years without any issues. You can check out the latest models of the microwave and mixer grinder here. 

Easy way to cook vegetables in a pressure cooker

Place chopped vegetables in a pressure cooker, add the required amount of salt and turmeric, and a little bit of water. Close the lid of the cooker, keep it on the gas burner, and let it whistle. For soft vegetables, one whistle is enough; for hard vegetables, after one whistle, reduce the gas and keep cooking for some more time.A little amount of water is required, as it gets cooked with the water oozing out of the vegetables. After taking it off the burner, give a firm shake to the cooker, so that the food particles won't get stuck to each other.

                  

The link to a popular Prestige stainless steel cooker with best reviews.

An easy way to clean dosa rice and dal

Just put the dosa rice or dal in a sieve and keep it under running water till the water coming out after scrubbing becomes clear.

Even though the sieve which I used is a plastic one, it will be better to use a stainless steel sieve, which is better for heavier items like rice and dal. So I am putting the link to a stainless steel sieve on Amazon

Cutting board

I used to chop vegetables on plastic cutting boards. Recently, I saw a research article citing the dangers of using plastic cutting boards. The microplastics formed while chopping vegetables go into the human body and create health issues. So I switched over to stainless steel cutting boards, which are safe for cutting vegetables and non-vegetable food items. It is also dishwasher safe. The one which I am using is shown below. The latest version of this cutting board is available here.

                         

 Wall-mounted Magnetic Knife Bar

It is easier to keep knives on a magnetic bar for easy and safe handling. I am attaching the link to the magnetic knife bar with the best reviews here.