10 Indian Kitchen Life Hacks- Pri.

Yummy recipes Aish! They are so tempting, I must try them soon…Thanks for sharing these wonderful traditional recipes.

Sometimes, cooking can be lots of multitasking that may consume a whole lot of your energy. It is quite natural to seek ideas to shorten the process, to make life easier and to save some time. These knowledgeable tips come from our esteemed-elders, some tips we get from our fellow friends, some expert advice we get from reading online, or you just come up with a few tips from your own experience and learning. Whatever the source may be, Kitchen Life Hacks are the most sought-out invaluable information for most of us!

I am sharing my favorite 10 Indian Kitchen Hacks that I use in my everyday-cooking, which are most effective!

1. Boiling/ Steaming Vegetables beforehand:

Vegetables like Beetroot and Plantain could be messy and could stain your hands when cutting raw. I learned this genius tip from my Mom; Cook these vegetables in cooker for a few whistles or steam them. Once they cool-off, you can easily peel the skin and cut/ grate them in minutes. As they are already cooked the knife would just slip through the veggies! And your hands won’t get stained. Bonus: You could steam well ahead, just cut and temper before serving.

2. Rubber does the Magic:

When you can’t seem to open a jar-lid, use a rubber band on the lid for added grip or just wear a rubber glove. This hack always works like a charm!

3. Substitute Wheat flour/ Multigrain Atta for Baking/ Pizza Crust and more:

These days, we all know the facts about the White Flour or Maida. Why use the harmful, processed and un-natural Maida (All-Purpose flour)? I have been successfully using wheat/ multigrain flour for all my baking recipes. Be it Raagi (Finger Millet) Flour for Banana Walnut Muffin/ Bread or Multigrain Atta for a healthy Chocolate Brownie/ Cookie, every time the substitute turns out to be a hit! Remember, the olden-days’ Paniyaram recipes that were made using Wheat and Jaggery? It is as simple as that, do not over-think and don’t get too much into the measurements. Simply substitute the white flour with any of the whole grain flours. That’s it!

4. Cashews to the Rescue:

If you do not have coconut for recipes like Kuruma that call for fresh coconut, substitute it with raw cashew nuts. They will turn even tastier!

5. Wondering what to do with the left-over rice?

When there is not enough for fried rice or lemon rice, we often tend to throw the left-over rice. Try transforming rice into steamy instant Rice Pakoras; Add a couple of spoons of Chickpea flour (Besan), green chilies, cut onions, curry leaves, red chili powder, pinch of turmeric powder and Hing (Asafoetida) and salt to the left-over rice and mix well in a kneading motion. Take small portions and deep fry them.

6. Wood saves the day!

Keep a wooden spoon on the vessel to prevent the liquid from boiling-over. For some weird reason this hack really works!

7. How about Green and Red Chapatis/ Rotis/ Pooris?

It is challenging to keep preparing variety dishes to make your kids enjoy every meal. Sometimes, it is just too tough to get them the essential-full-servings of vegetables daily. This is when Moms wear a Super-Mom hat to make any dish tasty, appealing and healthy all at the same time! Kids can be easily attracted to colorful food; try making colorful chapatis and Pooris for a change; Grind a cup of Greens (Spinach or any other Green leaves) along with some cumin seeds (Ajwain is even better) and a few spoons of water. Use this paste to knead the chapatti/ Poori dough. Similarly, peel, cut and grind a beetroot the same way and make a red dough. Voila!

8. Do you fear oil and greasy foods?

Next time, steam/ bake your Pakoras, they will taste as tasty as ever!

9. Coriander Cubes:

As healthy the Coriander leaves are, they are too time consuming to wash, cut and even store. It is a great idea to wash bunches of Coriander leaves and store on a weekend or when you are free. If you want to make it further easier; Grind bunches of coriander leaves in a mixer (Food Processor) with very little water and pour in ice cube trays. Freeze the trays for at least 12 hours, put the cubes in Ziploc bags and toss them in the freezer. Whenever you make any recipe, just throw two cubes in when boiling. Trust me, you will never go out of coriander when you have these back-up cubes!

10. Measure Honey like a Pro:

Before you pour Honey, coat the measuring spoon or the container with some cooking oil. It will be much easier and mess-free!

Happy Cooking!