Archive for no cook recipe

Simple Thayir Pachadis ( Tamil Raw yogurt curries)

April 27, 2009 at 6:38 am · Filed under no cook recipe, Raita, Tamil curries, Thayir Pachadi

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following Thayir Pachadis :

0.: Easy Thayir Pachadi 

1.: Dangar Pachadi 

2.: Malli Thayir pachadi

3.: Thenga Thayir Pachadi

4.: Milagu Thayir Pachadi

5.: Manga Thayir Pachadi

6.: Nelli Thayir Pachadi 

7.: Arachu Kalakki

8.: Thick Thayir Pachadi

Anything edible mixed with yogurt would taste good seems to be the logic behind the Tamil Thayir Pachadis. They can be prepared in a snap and can used as curry, sauce or dip.

Salad veggies like onion, carrot, cucumber, onion etc are chopped fine and mixed with yogurt to make basic thayir pachadis. Vegetables that can’t be eaten raw are boiled / grilled/ fried and mixed with yogurt.  In fact, almost anything edible can be and usually is mixed with yogurt to make an endless number of recipes. Omit ‘south Indian stuff’ from above recipes (coconut, vadumanga, urad flour etc) and they become north Indian Raitas. Omit ‘Indian stuff’ ( Mustard, asafetida, gooseberry, yam etc) these recipes become international. They can be safely served to anyone across the world. The raita / Thayir pachadi thus transforms into  a yogurt dip, popular across the world.

Though most raitas / pachadis use plain yogurt, our access to world cuisine and advances in food processing have now expanded our choice of the type of yogurt used. You can use all yogurt varieties to make these recipes.

Making Yogurt:  Heat a cup of milk and bring it to a boil. Let cool till it is lukewarm. Mix in a spoon of yogurt. Let rest for 3-6 hours in a warm place.

 
International ‘Thayir pachadis / Raitas’

#  Mix in grated garlic , chopped mint, olive oil and lemon juice with yogurt and chopped cucumber and you have the Greek Tzatziki.

# Mix in grated garlic, black pepper and chopped mint with yogurt and you have the Mint- yogurt dip popular in Middle east and Central Asia.

# Mix in grated garlic, lemon juice and chopped mint with yogurt and you have the Lebanese Yogurt dip.

# Mix in grated garlic, olive oil, crumbled feta cheese and chopped onions with yogurt and you have Turkey’s Feta Yogurt dip.

# Mix in grated garlic, lemon juice, tahini ( sesame – olive oil paste) and salt to yogurt and you have the famous African dip Zanaadi Bil – Tahin.

Comments (1)

Simple Paruppu Thogayal Varieties

April 21, 2009 at 2:44 am · Filed under no cook recipe, Tamil curries, Thogayal

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following Paruppu Thogayals

0.: Ver Kadalai Thogayal

1.: Pattani Kadalai Thogayal

2.: Uppu Kadalai Thogayal

3.: Paasi paruppu Thogayal

4.: Kadalai paruppu Thogayal

5.: Tuvaram paruppu Thogayal

6.: Kollu Thogayal

7.: Ulutham paruppu Thogayal

8.: Mysore Paruppu Thogayal

 Paruppu Thogayal :
When lentils are ground into a powder, we get a podi. When they are ground to a paste with water, we get paruppu thogayal. Mung dal, Tuvar dal and Chana Dal are most commonly used for traditional paruppu thogayals. But a variety of other paruppu can be used to cook up delicious thogayals. Unlike a podi, a paruppu thogayal cannot be stored for long. Refrigerated, they last for a week. They can be eaten mixed with rice and ghee / sesame oil. They also serve as an excellent side dish for Milagu rasam / Milagu kulambu / Vatral Kulambu / Kaara Kulambu  & kootu. Rasam, Parupu Thogayal and sutta appalam is a very popular combination. 

·   After roasting lentils, soak in water for 10 minutes for a softer thogayal.  

·   Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and 3 curry leaves. Mix in with thogayal for an extra burst of flavour.

·   Ver Kadalai / Uppu Kadalai / Pattani are available in shops  selling puffed rice. These are already roasted and so can be      used to create thogayals very fast.

·   If you make paruppu thogayal without coconut / tamarind / garlic / other strong flavourings, it becomes a pathiya thogayal, and can be served  to  invalids.

·   Instead of roasting lentils, you can also stir fry them with a bit   of oil to create thogayals with a different taste. Fried mung dal / Chana dal / Peanuts are available as snacks and you can use them to make instant thogayals.


Check out detailed recipes and great pictures from fellow bloggers…..

1. Rajeswari’s Tuvaram Paruppu Thogayal

2. Vibass’ Tuvaram paruppu Milagu Thogayal

3. Kribha’s Poondu Paruppu Thogayal

4. Vidhya’s Kadalai paruppu Thogayal

5. Ulutham paruppu Thogayal

6. Komala’s Pasi paruppu thogayal


Leave a Comment

Simple Salad Dressings

March 10, 2009 at 1:56 am · Filed under no cook recipe, Salad dresing, Salads

This cookbook lists 1000 no-cook salad dressings by combining 10 bases with 10 flavouring techniques and 10 additives. 

Salad Dressing – A Primer : Salad dressings are Salad Sauces, which make a salad taste extra delicious. Oil / lemon juice / vinegar / Soya sauce & Salt were some of the earliest salad dressings.  Later, a variety of spices were mixed into these basic dressings. Sesame seed paste ( tahini) is used as a dressing and dip across the Middle east,  Soy sauce is used across the far east and soy sauce mixed with mayonnaise is popular in Japan. Lemon Juice is India’s favourite salad dressing.    Emulsions (like Mayo, vinaigrette) were perfected in France and have become the most popular dressings in the western world. Buttermilk based Ranch dressings, Vinaigrette based Italian and French dressings, & Mayonnaise based Thousand Island dressing, are some of the most popular salad dressings. Salad dressings need not be limited to vegetables, but can also be used as dips or spreads.   

Emulsion is a mixture of liquids, which normally do not mix – like oil and vinegar. They can be temporarily mixed by whisking them together – but they soon separate. If whisked together using a ‘glue’ like egg yolk, mustard powder, agar gum etc, they remain ‘stuck’ as a creamy emulsion. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.   

Mayonnaise Variations :
Local oils / vinegars / additives are used across the world to produce variations of mayonnaise. Rice vinegar & soy sauce is added to mayo in Japan, safflower oil in Russia, sugar in Australia, ketchup in Argentina, garlic and olive oil in Europe etc., See 1001 Mayo cookbook for more.

Tips :
1. Mix in dressing just before serving as most dressings make salads wilt .
2. If you plan to store the salad, do so without dressing.

Leave a Comment

Simple Non-Veg Salads 1001

February 23, 2009 at 2:58 pm · Filed under no cook recipe, non veg, quick meals, Salads

Non Veg Salads – A Primer:  A mix of ready to eat meats / sea food  with fresh veggies make easy, protein packed, filling salads. Almost any cured, ready to eat meat/ sea food can go into a salad. With a few simple rules, you can easily create delicious salads.

1. Check packaging to ensure that the base is ready to eat. 

2. Shake off excess water after washing fruits / veggies to avoid watering down your salad. Use a tissue to soak excess water.

3. Mix in the dressing just before serving as dressing makes salads soggy after a while.

4. If you plan to store the salad, do so without dressing.

5. Cut  veggies/ meats into uniform, bite sized pieces.

6. Always tear leaves, as cutting them would cause them to wilt.

7.  Avoid over stirring the salad, which makes it soggy. Instead add everything to a closed container and toss well to mix.
8.  Hollowed out fruit / vegetable halves / bowl shaped cabbage leaves  make great salad serving bowls .Palm sized cabbage leaves / grape    leaves make cute spoons.

Salad dressings with oil, however can have almost   100 calories per spoon. For low cal salads, choose dressings like lemon juice / yogurt / vinegar and replace the nuts with croutons as a garnish.

Classic Dressing: Soy sauce, oils, vinegar have been used as dressings for thousands of years. Creamy emulsions like vinaigrette & Mayonnaise are some of the more popular dressings.

 Full meal Salads:
When you add the following to any of the salads above, the salad becomes a full meal.

1. Half a handful of cheese (paneer, feta etc) : Cheese Salad.
2. Half a handful of cooked rice or half a handful of cracked wheat (Bulgur wheat) soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes. : Grain Salad.
3. A handful of cooked couscous / pasta   : Pasta/ Couscous Salad.
4. Half a handful of chopped and boiled potato: Potato Salad.
5. Half a handful of chopped bread: Bread Salad.

Always check packing to ensure the base is ready to eat.

 

Sausage : Ground meat mixed with fat, flavouring, usually shaped into cylinders. Pork is most common, but beef, lamb, veal (calf meat), goat, turkey, chicken or game meats are also used. Corn starch, whey, Oatmeal or rice flour are also mixed in as fillers. Many sausages are cured / precooked and are ready to eat. Hundreds of sausage varieties exist. Sausages were invented as a way to preserve meat without refrigeration.

Corned beef : Beef cured with salt and is ready to eat. (Corn refers to the grainy salt crystals used for curing. Corned beef is mixed with pepper and smoked to produce Pastrami.

Prosciutto : Salted, air dried ham (dried for up to two years). It is ready to eat and is usually sliced into wafer thin pieces.

Salami – Fermented and air dried sausage.
Kippered Herring – Gutted, salted and smoked herring.

Leave a Comment

1001 Simple Veggie Salads

February 22, 2009 at 9:42 am · Filed under no cook recipe, quick meals, Salads


Salads – A Primer : Salad (from Latin salata : Salt) is usually a mix of various vegetables / fruits with seasonings. Almost anything can go into a salad. With a few simple rules, you can easily create delicious salads.
1. Choose fresh fruits/leaves/ veggies / sprouts.
2. Shake off excess water after washing fruits / veggies to avoid watering down your salad. Use a tissue to mop off excess water.
3. Mix in the dressing just before serving as dressing makes salads soggy after a while.
4. If you plan to store the salad, do so without dressing.
5. Cut fruit / veggies into uniform, bite sized pieces.
6. Always tear leaves, as cutting them would cause them to wilt.
7. Dipping chopped apples / banana / avocado in lemon juice prevents discoloration.
8. Avoid over stirring the salad, which makes it soggy. Instead add everything to a closed container and toss well to mix.
9. Hollowed out Fruit / vegetable halves, bowl shaped cabbage leaves, etc make great salad serving bowls .Palm sized cabbage leaves / grape leaves make spoons.
A handful of chopped fruits / veggies have only about 25 calories. Salad dressings with oil, however can have almost 100 calories per spoon. If you are weight watching, go in for low cal dressings like lemon juice / yogurt / vinegar and replace the nuts with croutons (toasted bread pieces) as a garnish.

Salad varieties :
Garden salad (# 010) has fresh seasonal vegetables as the base.
Green Salad (# 211) uses fresh leaves as the base.
Lentil Salads (#611) use soaked lentils as a base.
Bean Salads (#704) used cooked beans as the base.
Sprout Salads (#856) are built on sprouted beans.

Full meal Salads :
When you add the following to any of the salads above, the salad becomes a full meal.
1. Half a handful of cheese ( paneer, feta etc) >> Cheese Salad
2. Half a handful of cooked rice or half a handful of cracked wheat soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes. : Grain Salad
3. A handful of cooked couscous / pasta / : Pasta/ Couscous Salad.
4. Half a handful of chopped and boiled potato: Potato Salad
5. Half a handful of chopped bread: Bread Salad

Classic Salads :
Caesar Salad – Greens (romaine lettuce) with garlic and vinaigrette dressing. (recipe # 208)
Coleslaw – Shredded cabbage mixed with mayonnaise. (recipe # 186)
Panzanella – Italian salad in which chopped up stale bread is mixed with tomatoes, onions and vinegar.
Salad Nicoise – Italian salad with potatoes, olives, beans with vinaigrette dressing.
Waldorf Salad – American salad with apples, lemon juice, celery, walnuts, and mayonnaise.
Indians are not big fresh salad eaters. However, two unique Indian salads stand out – the Karnataka Kosambari ( soaked mung dal mixed with cucumbers, pepper and lemon juice) and the North Indian Kachumber ( A finely chopped mix of onions, tomatoes, chilies and lemon juice)

Classic Dressings : Soy sauce, oils, vinegar have been used as dressings for thousands of years. Creamy emulsions like vinaigrette & Mayonnaise are some of the more popular dressings.

Comments (1)

10 No cook pasta Soups

November 17, 2008 at 8:43 am · Filed under no cook recipe, pasta, Soup

Click the image on the left to view the cookbook.

This cookbook lists 10 simple pasta soups. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them.A variety of ingredients are blended together into a cold soup, boiled pasta is mixed in & the soup is garnished with grated / powdered parmesan and served. That’s it !

The following recipes are listed in this cookbook. 

1.:  Macaroni Gazpacho

2.:  Green Gazpacho with Cappelletti

3.:  White Gazpacho with Rotini

4.:  Oriental Spaghetti Gazpacho

5.:  Farfalline Pineapple Gazpacho

6.:  Ditalini Tarator

7.:  Rotelle Salmorejo

8.:  Anellini Ajoblanco 

9.:. Water melon Conchiclie Soup

10.: Coconut milk Tripolini Soup 

And off this goes to Holler’s No Croutons required event.

Comments (5)

10 No-cook soups

October 17, 2008 at 12:10 pm · Filed under no cook recipe, Soup

Click the image on the left to view the cookbook.

This cookbook lists 10 simple soups. The recipes are greatly simplified so that a first time cook can easily cook them. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook.

 1.:  Simple  Gazpacho ( Spanish)

2.:  Green Gazpacho  ( Spanish)

3.:  White Gazpacho   ( Spanish)

4.:  Oriental Gazpacho (Fusion)  

5.: Pineapple Gazpacho (Fusion)

6.:  Tarator  ( Bulgarian)

7.:  Salmorejo ( Spanish)

8.:  Ajoblanco  (Spanish)

9.:. Water melon Soup  ( Fusion)

10.: Coconut milk Soup ( Thai)

And this goes to Lisa’s Kitchen

Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.