If you have forgotten to soak pulses like chana overnight, just put the chana in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready for cooking.
Always bring dosa batter to room temperature before making dosa.
Use separate tawa for dosa and chapati.
When cooking with wine, leave the pan uncovered so that the alcohol will burn off. The resulting liquid will have a fruitier flavour.
Adding a spoonful of curd to ladyfingers while cooking will ensure that they do not stick to the vessel or turn black.
Sprinkle a bit of salt in the frying pan before adding chicken. It will cut down on the amount of grease splattering.
To make dosas more crisp, add a little fenugreek seeds to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking.
Put two to three cloves in the container or jar of sugar to keep the ants at bay.
Set lemon juice with sugar and a little salt in ice trays to make cubes which can be used to make instant lemonade.
Dry fifty grams of mint leaves, powder them and add to ten kilograms of rice. Not only will the mint leaves keep insects at bay, they will also impart a delicious flavour to the rice when cooked.
Put chips and biscuits in a polythene bag and store them in a refrigerator to keep them fresh for a long time.
To increase the shelf life of dry masalas store them in airtight containers with a cube of asafoetida.
Add a teaspoon of hot oil to homemade pastes of garlic, ginger or green chilli, along with salt to make them last longer and taste fresher.
Keep roasted chapattis wrapped in a cloth in a closed container. This will help keep them from sweating or getting soggy or getting dry. They will remain soft for a long time.
Always add salt to the water while boiling vegetables. This enhances their natural flavour and diminishes the need to add salt at the table.
Add a pinch of salt to the oil while frying “pakodas” or “koftas” and you will use up less oil.
Add a little rice flour to the wheat flour while kneading to get crispy pooris.
To ripen fruits faster, wrap them in a newspaper and keep them in a warm place for 2-3 days.
Soak almonds in hot water for 15 minutes to remove its skin easily.
Add a pinch of sugar while boiling green peas to retain their green colour.