[JMaruru]

Could we get plain buttermilk sachets of 500ML or above in B'lore? If so, what are the brands/shops where we can source them.

I was in Mumbai for 2 weeks, and pretty much every milkwala over there has this non-spiced 1/2 liter buttermilk sachets of Amul.

[ecenandu]

Any vegans here on team-bhp?

I quite like the idea of being a Vegan, ethically.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Could we get plain buttermilk sachets of 500ML or above in B'lore? If so, what are the brands/shops where we can source them ...

Yes, we get plain and masala varieties of buttermilk in 200 and 500ml sachets from KMF. The brand is Nandini and is available at Nandini kiosks around Bangalore. They sell a broad range of KMF products - milk, milk powder, ghee etc.Ask around for a Nandini booth in your area. Even your milk vendor should be able to get you the buttermilk if you consume regularly.

For me the masala buttermilk is a life saver in summer - it is a far superior thirst quencher. I have a Nandini booth just a couple of 100m from my house - the guy knows I buy large quantities in summer, so gets me adequate supply.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Yes, we get plain and masala varieties of buttermilk in 200 and 500ml sachets from KMF. The brand is Nandini and is available at Nandini kiosks around Bangalore.

The other option is to just buy curd - from any supermarket - add a bit of water and maybe some crushed ice, whisk it with a churning stick (or even an egg whisk). Add these if you want more flavor -

1. Standard tamil - some asafoetida powder, salt - or add lightly fried green chillies + curry leaves + mustard seeds (tempered in a kadai or an iron ladle in a bit of oil). Even more of a kick - chop some onions, add them in and whisk all this stuff in a mixie for a nice frothy glass. (or fry some kalonji / nigella / black onion seeds along with the mustard).

2. For those with a sweeter tooth - Sprinkle some chaat masala + black salt.

[bblost]

Chukke ki Bhaji (sorrel leaves) with meat is a popular dish. But why not play with it.
Use fish instead of meat and bake it instead of using the gas stove.

Turns out this becomes an amazing dish that leaves you licking your fingers.

Just cook the Chukke ki Bhaji with tomatoes. Blend into a paste with green chilies and garlic. Cover fish with this sauce and bake for 30 mins at 170.

[hserus]

Without the tomato / chilli / garlic gravy - sorrel is a french staple for sauces. Try this variant below, for any kind of meat but especially if you're cooking fish rather than meat.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3...h-lamb-or-veal

What you essentially do is just lightly grill the fish (or if it is firm and white fleshed, poach it in spices + salt water) and then pour this sauce over it.

Of course, if the fish you have is basa, please feel free to use as strong a sauce / gravy as you want, as basa tastes somewhat like a cross between paneer and a bathroom sponge

[bblost]

Thanks hserus. This looks like a very interesting way to use these leaves. I tried this recipe on a sudden chain of thoughts and am so glad it turned out really well.

That is a very good description of the Basa.
I never buy that fish and only consume it when someone puts it in my plate.
I don't leave leftovers.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by bblost

Thanks hserus. This looks like a very interesting way to use these leaves. I tried this recipe on a sudden chain of thoughts and am so glad it turned out really well.

That is a very good description of the Basa.
I never buy that fish and only consume it when someone puts it in my plate.
I don't leave leftovers.

I have been known to leave the vegetables sometimes

For the vegetarians here - this recipe will work fine for paneer, or even better, for boiled / oven roasted potatoes (brush with olive oil and some coarse salt like kosher salt - or even roughly powdered crystal salt, roast them in the oven, pour the sauce on, no more than that - all the flavoring is in the sauce)

Edit - do note the article says "warm" not "hot" and there's a pretty good reason for that, especially with delicate meat like a good fish.
Edit #2 - for our andhra friends, sorrel leaves is our good old gongura.

[Fillmore]

Any recommendation on brands and sizes of Crocpots / Slow cookers ?
Wondering if I should give it a try.

[fine69]

Is it ok to use cold pressed coconut oil for high temperature cooking?

I very recently tried to make tandoori chicken at home.

I marinated the chicken legs, then put some ghee on non-stick pan, let the chicken outer part get blackish on high heat and then covered it for a while on simmer so that the inside of the chicken gets cooked as well.

The chicken turned out okay, next time I need to use less yogurt and more spices but I wanted to know if ghee is okay when dealing with high heat.

Then I read on the net and saw that coconut oil is recommended for high heat cooking and most of north indian recipes actually use high heat. I mean we eat paranthas every weekend and I see ghee turning to smoke and as it turns out, its not advisable at all to let oils convert into smoke as the rancidification process may have some really dangerous effects on human body.

[hserus]

Smoke point is the term you are looking for.

For high temperature cooking canola (rather expensive / imported) has one of the highest - 204--232 degrees C.

Coconut Oil ranges from 177-204 C - and cold pressed is rather expensive for what you want

Refined corn oil / rice bran oil like Saffola has extremely high smoke points too, for deep frying. But that's more for things you actually drop into hot oil, in commercial fryers etc. The taste is horrible. Or mustard oil (much stronger taste, high smoke point) would work fine - but it is a very acquired taste unless you're a bengali or some other states.

For your use - even refined peanut oil (232 C) will work just fine. You aren't looking at extremely high levels of heat to just cook what is effectively roast chicken.

[Aroy]

Ghee and mustard oil have high smoke point and are used for most of North Indian cooking - at least till other vegetable oils and Dalad came up,

[fine69]

So what temperature does a typical Parantha cook at? We've been using desi ghee for ages now but with the smoke it generates, does it mean that we're cooking it beyond the smoke point?

I've ordered cold pressed coconut oil for now just to see how it tastes like. I've rotated oils till about 1-2 years back but we went to using ghee for almost everything lately, we rarely deep fry anything as such.

By the way, is Parachute 100% Pure Coconut oil edible?

[hserus]

Ghee's smoke point is about 250 degrees C. Parathas cook very well at 200 or so.

You need to brush the ghee on the paratha. And don't worry too much about the smoke point. Parathas are not exactly what qualifies as health food

Coconut oil used while cooking is an acquired taste. Try eating in a Kerala restaurant and see if it suits your tastes. And yes parachute or any other brand of pure coconut hair oil can certainly be used for cooking but don't use their hibiscus enriched oil, light version that blends it with mineral oils etc, use the ones clearly marked pure coconut oil.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by fine69

By the way, is Parachute 100% Pure Coconut oil edible?

I am not sure Parachute can be used for cooking. I think its mentioned in the pack its not for edible use ( though they claim they are 100% pure coconut oil ).

Check for edible coconut oil brands like KLF. You should find them along with the other edible oils in the supermarkets.