Khana- Indian Recipes, Ingredients and Indian Food Guide - Pongal Recipes

Few tips to remember while using egg in your cookery

Break eggs one by one in separate bowl, before pouring or using in a recipe. If any one egg is spoilt. Complete cooking will be spoiled. If you are boiling eggs, do not use very fresh ones. One day old will be ideal. Because the outer skin will not peel easily in case of fresh eggs. If eggs are boiled for long time other than mentioned, white part of the egg will become harder.

Tip 1: Always preheat the oven before keeping food inside.
Tip 2: Use a clean bowl free from moisture in which eggs are beaten. If here is moisture, eggs will not become frothy.
Tip 3: It is necessary that all the vessels used for mixing, blending and baking should be free from moisture.
Tip 4: If you get good smell from the oven in which cakes are baked, that indicated the cake will be ready in few minutes.
Tip 5: Greast the baking dish with butter, dust with maids, then pour the cake mixture before baking (or) cut a butter paper to the size of the baking dish keep underneath, pour mixture on top and bake.
Tip 6: While mixing the cake dough use a wooden spoon for better results.
Tip 7: Always mix the cake dough in one direction (ex- clockwise) so that air goes inside and cake will fluff up. If is mixed on the other way the air which went inside will come out and the texture of the cake will be spoiled.
Tip 8: Read the recipe carefully.
Tip 9: If you are baking the cake in box oven, keep it in the middle plate to get best results.
Tip 10: Keep the temperature correctly according to the cake.
Tip 11: Always half fill the baking dish with the dough (Space should be left for the dough to raise). Make a dent in the centre, so that raised cake looks flat on top.
Tip 12: If the baked cake is broken in the centre that shows baking powder used in that recipe is more.
Tip 13: While mixing maida with beaten egg mixture, add little by little and mix.
Tip 14: After removing the cake from the oven, cool it for ten minutes and then take it out from the baking dish, by turning upside down, keeping a plate underneath.
Tip 15: Keep the baked caked in airtight containers.

How to separate egg yolk from white

Using a spoon break egg in the centre into two. Keep a cup underneath, carefully pour the white alone in the cup. Slip the yellow carefully into the other shell. Pour rest of the white in the cup. Keep yellow separately in another cup.

How to find fresh eggs

Take water in a bowl. Slip eggs in it one by one slowly. If the egg stays underneath it is fresh. If the egg floats on top- it is not good. If it floats crosswise. It is few days old egg.

How to Caramelise Sugar

Talk sugar in a dry pan with few drops of lemon juice, heat in a high flame till it browns and melts completely. Do not disturb in between. When it is golden brown in colour. Pour equal amount of water, stir gently in reduced flame till the sugar is completely dissolved. When the liquid becomes thick, like honey consistency, remove from fire and use as in the recipe. This can be preserved in refrigerator from more than a year. Important Note: When sugar is browned to dark brown or black colour, the taste and flavour completely changes. Some times it even becomes bitter. Golden brown colour is ideal.

Paneer (or) Cottage Cheese

This is prepared from milk by allowing it to curdle. Take one litre of milk in a broad vessel, and heat. When it starts boiling add one cup of fresh curd or juice of two lemons, gently stir and reduce the flame completely. After few minutes the curdled milk will be separated from the lightly yellowish fluid which is called ‘whey’. Strain this through a muslin cloth and hang for half an hour or till the water completely strains by itself. Don not squeeze, keep this on a flat plate with that cloth and keep another plate on top keep a weight on top. After half an hour remove the plate and cut the paneer into required size or use it as required in the recipe.