[Aroy]

If you want really soft fish/meat, cook it to the point when the colour changes from raw pink to white (it is just about done). Take it out of the pan so that it does not cook further.

Soaking fish/chicken in lime juice and salt for a couple of hours does "cold cooking". For some fish you can eat it as it is. My Filipino friends mix King fish cubes, lime juice, salt and radish leaves, leave it for an hour and then eat it as it is.

[carboy]

I am looking for a good quality V-Slicer. I saw one in a store, but it looked like a cheap quality thing. Anyone knows any good quality slicer & how much I should expect to pay for it.

[rohanjf]

Has anyone tried water spinach?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_spinach

I had been to our village market on Monday, at about 8.45 PM. And old lady vegetable vendor was in a hurry to go home, so she brainwashed me into buy water spinach. She wasn't selling water spinach as whole plants, but only the tips. I was so happy to see that because I thought I won't need to chop it later.

But when I checked after going home, I was disappointed to see that there were too many other plants mixed in it: grass, chilli plants, coriander plants and many that I couldn't identify.

It took me over an hour to clean it.

Then I cooked it with chickpeas (which I had soaked in water the previous day with the intention of preparing Hummus).

I cooked the chickpeas in pressure cooker (3 whistles).
Blended onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger.
While I fried this masala in oil, I prepared tomato puree by blending chopped tomatoes (I didn't have the patience to remove seeds and skin).

I added tomato puree to the masala. Then added garam masala powder and salt. Then added water spinach cooked chickpeas. I let it simmer for 5 minutes.

The taste was very good. However, water spinach by itself is quite bland. It doesn't even have that extra soft flavour of spinach!

But it did work very well, better than spinach, as laxative ;-)

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

Has anyone tried water spinach?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_spinach

I had been to our village market on Monday, at about 8.45 PM. And old lady vegetable vendor was in a hurry to go home, so she brainwashed me into buy water spinach. She wasn't selling water spinach as whole plants, but only the tips. I was so happy to see that because I thought I won't need to chop it later.

But when I checked after going home, I was disappointed to see that there were too many other plants mixed in it: grass, chilli plants, coriander plants and many that I couldn't identify.

It took me over an hour to clean it.

Then I cooked it with chickpeas (which I had soaked in water the previous day with the intention of preparing Hummus).

I cooked the chickpeas in pressure cooker (3 whistles).
Blended onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger.
While I fried this masala in oil, I prepared tomato puree by blending chopped tomatoes (I didn't have the patience to remove seeds and skin).

I added tomato puree to the masala. Then added garam masala powder and salt. Then added water spinach cooked chickpeas. I let it simmer for 5 minutes.

The taste was very good. However, water spinach by itself is quite bland. It doesn't even have that extra soft flavour of spinach!

But it did work very well, better than spinach, as laxative ;-)

What is the Indian name of this plant?


Also just nitpicking here, but cooking by whistles is not the right way with pressure cookers.

If you keep the flame high, your cooker will whistle very often, whereas at low flame the whistling would be less frequent. Also if your cooker is large size (say greater than 6 L) - the whistling is less frequent, whereas if your cooker is small size (say less than 3 L) - the whistling is pretty frequent.

Since the temperature inside the cooker remains same 121 °C (250 °F) - whether you keep the flame high or low (because the pressure is constant at about 2 atmosphere or 2 bars absolute) - the actual time required to cook will remain the same in all these four cases.

Counting the whistles will thus lead to inconsistent results. Even the pressure cooker manufacturers (check out their instruction manual) will ask you to use time after the first/initial whistle as a guide.

The usual rule of thumb is that time required in pressure cooking is about 1/3 of what is required in regular cooking.

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by alpha1

What is the Indian name of this plant?

I don't know, really. I had never heard of it. The vendor lady said it is called Anney Soppu in Kannada.
I get from Google that it is called Kalmisaag or Patuasag in Hindi, vallai keerai in Tamil and Tutikura in Telugu.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Also just nitpicking here, but cooking by whistles is not the right way with pressure cookers.

I think I was wrong in giving instructions to others to cook by how many whistles. When I cook, I rely on whistles because I have been using the same cooker (5L one) since last 8 years, so I understand how many whistles it takes to cook what food (like I understand what's fastest speed I can go on a random speedbreaker/pothole in my car ).

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

I don't know, really. I had never heard of it. The vendor lady said it is called Anney Soppu in Kannada.
I get from Google that it is called Kalmisaag or Patuasag in Hindi, vallai keerai in Tamil and Tutikura in Telugu.


I think I was wrong in giving instructions to others to cook by how many whistles. When I cook, I rely on whistles because I have been using the same cooker (5L one) since last 8 years, so I understand how many whistles it takes to cook what food (like I understand what's fastest speed I can go on a random speedbreaker/pothole in my car ).

Bathua बथुआ ?
Thought the wiki pages of bathua and water spinach are different.

[bblost]

Pancakes

Beat 1 egg.
Add 1 cup of milk. Mix.
Add 1 cup of self raising flour. Do this slowly to avoid lumps.
Add 2 tbsp of Demera Sugar.
A pinch of salt.
Ground Cinnamon powder.

Mix till its a fine paste. i.e. no lumps.

If and only if needed add a little water.

Make pancakes and enjoy your tasty breakfast.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by alpha1

... Also just nitpicking here, but cooking by whistles is not the right way with pressure cookers. ...
The usual rule of thumb is that time required in pressure cooking is about 1/3 of what is required in regular cooking.

This became a double indirection! Most people in urban areas - whoever has grown up with pressure cookers - don't know how long it takes to cook in 'regular cooking'. So how would they calculate 1/3rd of that time? You would want us to go into the thermodynamics of pressure cookers? Saar, please have mercy!

I am sure @rohanjf also does it that way (or something similar): N whistles assumes the flame is at full high for the duration, and then switched off. For example, for cooking rice for 8 persons in a vessel in a 7.5l pressure cooker, we put it for 4 whistles at full high, then switch the flame off and wait for the cooker to cool down before opening the lid. The same works for rice for 2 persons in a vessel in a pressure pan - 4 whistles. Perfect (as they say in Kannada - "uduru uduru") rice in about 12 minutes. Been doing it for more than 40 years now - don't even need to think while doing it.

@aroy would perhaps describe the method in more detail for cooking mutton, as 'slow cooking' mutton in a pressure cooker would need the flame to be at Sim (after the initial burst of 4) for a longer duration before switching it off.

Originally Posted by rohanjf

... Anney Soppu in Kannada.
I get from Google that it is called Kalmisaag or Patuasag in Hindi, vallai keerai in Tamil and Tutikura in Telugu. ...

Originally Posted by alpha1

Bathua बथुआ ? ...

It is Kalmi or Patua Saag in Hindi and other north Indian languages. It is also called "Neeru Hambu" in Kannada.

Bathua is called "Chakkavatta", "Huchcha Chakkota", "Sakothina soppu" or "Kadu-oma" in Kannada.

Originally Posted by bblost

Pancakes
...
Add 1 cup of self raising flour. ...

Do we get it in India? Never seen it labelled so on the shelves. What is the substitute? Plain maida with baking powder?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Do we get it in India? Never seen it labelled so on the shelves. What is the substitute? Plain maida with baking powder?

http://www.bluebirdindia.com/flours/...sing-flour.htm
Available in most supermarkets in Hyderabad.
Bought this particular packet from Ratnadeep.
Lemme know if you don't find it in. Will courier a packet.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by bblost

Attachment 1147514... Available in most supermarkets in Hyderabad. ...

Thanks, buddy. I guess it should be available in Bangalore too - I just need to look harder. Just as I had guessed, it is just Maida with Baking Powder (baking soda + tartaric acid) added.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

....
@aroy would perhaps describe the method in more detail for cooking mutton, as 'slow cooking' mutton in a pressure cooker would need the flame to be at Sim (after the initial burst of 4) for a longer duration before switching it off.

Do we get it in India? Never seen it labelled so on the shelves. What is the substitute? Plain maida with baking powder?

The reason for slow cooking mutton are :

1.The gelatinous portion of mutton (cartilage, ligaments etc) take time and not high heat, hence a really low heat is all that is required. The well cooked gelatine adds to the flavour of the curries.

2. Pressure cooking raises the temperature, hence some ingredients cook faster, but others just become mush. Mutton is one such ingredient. In pressure cooked meat the meat pieces become mushy and at times just dis integrate (this is similar to adding "meat tenderizer", whether commercial or raw papaya). In slow cooked method the shape and firmness is maintained, while the meat its cooked to to extreme tenderness.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by Aroy

The reason for slow cooking mutton are : ...

Sir, how would you replicate slow cooking with a pressure cooker? Variables: time, N whistles then sim, etc. etc.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Sir, how would you replicate slow cooking with a pressure cooker? Variables: time, N whistles then sim, etc. etc.

He didn't say that slow cooking is done in a pressure cooker!
A pressure cooker is designed for rapid cooking.
Slow cooking is always done in a regular pot and over a low flame. There will be no whistles, ha ha!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Sir, how would you replicate slow cooking with a pressure cooker? Variables: time, N whistles then sim, etc. etc.

I would use it without the pressure weight. That is as a normal thick bottom pan. The trick is to let the steam escape and then progressively reduce the heat till steam stops escaping (a delicate maneuver as heat should not be too low). At that point you can put the weight on so that no more steam escapes. Normal time for tough meat like goat is 3 hours or more.

Another variation is to use an earthenware Handi - those used for storing water. Fry the meat in it and then put the lid on. Seal the lid with atta, leaving a small opening for steam to escape. After you have adjusted the heat to stop the steam escaping, seal the hole. This method works for both goat meat and Hyderabadi Biryani.

This is how I seal my pots.

[khoj]

Rising flour reminds me of "Khameer wala atta".

Refined flour + Maida + bit of wheat flour + baking soda kneaded in a bit of dahi/curd. Resulting dough makes delicious Bhatura

Maida + yeast also gives Khameer wala atta and this was traditionally used to make naan. The dough needs to rest for sometime before being rolled, however now almost all eateries from roadside to 5* make do with plain maida, guess the Khameer takes too much time and effort.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Thanks, buddy. I guess it should be available in Bangalore too - I just need to look harder. Just as I had guessed, it is just Maida with Baking Powder (baking soda + tartaric acid) added.