Starting to cook for a newly married girl is always a challenge, especially, if she is not know much cooking.
Though . almost all the , food stuffs and the powders, ready made paste , are available in all the stores,they can never ever equal the home made powders and home cooking.
Generally, while starting a new home the parents , do provide , the necessary Utensils etc Later on , some are are added as per the family's requirements.
Gas connection has to be applied for. Gas cylinder and a stove with 3/4 burners
A Preasure Cooker, A Mixi and Grinder. Two sets of vessels. various sizes , ie to hold at least 1.5 litres of liquid to the small one, for cookibg the sambar /Rasam etc . Vessels for milk, and curds.These have to be used only for this purpose only.At least 10 stainless steel Containers to hold all the dals, rice, etc. One Panchpala . This is a box (dabba) with seven katoris inside, to store the everyday use, of mustard, jeera, pepper etc for the Podni. Two porciline jars for Salt and Tamarind. A set of Kadais Big to small, A small kadai with handle for seasoning.
Ladles, Spoons. (Do avoid plastics). Glass bottles jars to hold pickles.
For the bath rooms Buckets, mugs, Soap dishes. for cleaning the floor a bucket, Broom, Broom to clean the Bathrooms and brushes.
A fridge if possible to buy at the the starting of the new home.
For two persons the approx provisions will be :-
Rice---- 8 to 10 KGs depending on the consumption, Tur dal ---- 2 kgs , Udad dal ----1 kg , (as this dal will be used for dosa and idli too.) chana dal---- 1/2 kag, Sugar ----2 kgs, coffee powder ----1/2 kg. Tea leaves ---250 grams. Jaggery ---- 1/2 kg. mustard ----100grams, Pepper, Jeera, Methi all three 50 grams each, dry red chilli --- 200 grams, Coriander seed--- 1/2 kg, Dry coconut --- one, Wheat flour ---- 2 kgs , depending on how often Roti are made. Rice flour --- 1/2 kg, basen (chanacha peet)---- 1.4 kg ( For bajji and kadi etc.) Idli rava or boiled rice for idli and dosa. Pohe/ Beaten rice --- 1 kg.
Ghee -- 1/2 kg . cooking oil --2packets, Til oil for Lighting lamps for god --1/2 litre.
All the provisions must be stored in air tight containers. It good to store all every day use of masala etc in small bottles or in the Panchpala, instead of opening the stock every day Every month, before purchasing the provisions, better check what is there and what is to be bought . With experience one will learn to the tricks
TIPS
If used carefully a Gas cylinder should last 40 to 60 days according to ones use.
Dont cook Rice and Dal on high heat in the cooker, cook it on medium heat so you will get perfect well done rice. these need time to cook.
Cook Vegetables on med or slow heat and dont over boil the vegetables.Add salt after the vegetables are cooked. as some Vegetables get reduced on cooking.
Avoid reheating of the dishes too many times. Even if kept in fridge, take just enough and reheat. If heated too often the nutrition value will be effected.
WASH the vegetables well before cutting , preferably with a pinch of salt.
All greens like Palak etc should be washed 3/4 times with a little salt, then cut.
Cook the greens with a pinch of salt and cook it without a lid to retain its green colour , if closed it will discolour.
If, one wants to freeze any food, its to be as soon as it cools, dont keep it out the whole day and freeze in the night.Avoid keeping cooked food in the fridge, even if done consume it the very next day. Even in the fridge it is likely to spoil.It is also not healthy to eat food stored for long.
The kitchen is the place where, cleanliness should be top priority. It is here that the health of the family depends. Keep all food stuffs closed. wash and wipe the gas stove and keep it spic and span. Wipe any spilt food at once, as it will attract insects, ants etc. The counter too is to be cleaned with mild soap tp remove grease and dirt.
Make it a point to have bath and cook food, not the other way around.While cooking tie the hair so , any loose hair will not fall in the food and contaminate it.
While cooking be calm and cool. Food cooked with anger or irritation will be charged with negative energy.
Before start to cook , decide what is to be done, gather , the essentials commoditys and utensils and start.
Soak the tamarind, Cut the vegetables, green chillies etc, so one does not go in search of these after heating the oil in the kadai.
If one is well organised, a meal can be cooked in 40 to 50 minutes.
While cooking for guests :- One kg of Rice can be served to about eight people , if served with Sambar, rasam , and dahi with one Bhaji and Pickle. If one is making extra dishes like mixed Rice or rotis, Rice should be calculated accordingly. Approximately 2/3 cup for a adult and 1/2 cup for a child, should be ok.A little extra for safety.
For cooking Rice, One cup of rice ---- Two cups of water for pulau and mixed Rice. for eating with sambar/ Rasam make softer Rice add 1/2 a cup more of water. Cook Rice on Medium heat, Never on high .
Use seperate ladles for Dishes with dahi base -- like Raitha , Kadi etc never use this to serve Sambar or rasam .
While cutting Vegetables, raw Banana, Potatoes and Brinjol have to be imersed in water imediatly after cutting even if they have been washed earlier. As these, these vegetable are high in Iron content will discolour fast.
Greens should washed before cutting , with a little salt.
Rice and all dals have to be washed well before cooking , as the rice from the storage point or Rice mandis, might have have got contaminated , with Rodents,/ Rats urine , Shit etc.
Cook for your family with love and affection. and with interest your family will love your food.
home cooked is the best, as you know you are feeding your family the best
and healthy food.
Always have the Sambar Powder, Rasam Powder, Bhaji powder, thicket meet/chutney pody ready.
Pohe/Avalakki/beaten rice is a ready food. Can be eaten with Chutny pody/thicket meet mixed with oil or if prefered with onnoin and thicket meet. Can be eaten with dahi too.
Happy Cooking .
Though . almost all the , food stuffs and the powders, ready made paste , are available in all the stores,they can never ever equal the home made powders and home cooking.
Generally, while starting a new home the parents , do provide , the necessary Utensils etc Later on , some are are added as per the family's requirements.
Gas connection has to be applied for. Gas cylinder and a stove with 3/4 burners
A Preasure Cooker, A Mixi and Grinder. Two sets of vessels. various sizes , ie to hold at least 1.5 litres of liquid to the small one, for cookibg the sambar /Rasam etc . Vessels for milk, and curds.These have to be used only for this purpose only.At least 10 stainless steel Containers to hold all the dals, rice, etc. One Panchpala . This is a box (dabba) with seven katoris inside, to store the everyday use, of mustard, jeera, pepper etc for the Podni. Two porciline jars for Salt and Tamarind. A set of Kadais Big to small, A small kadai with handle for seasoning.
Ladles, Spoons. (Do avoid plastics). Glass bottles jars to hold pickles.
For the bath rooms Buckets, mugs, Soap dishes. for cleaning the floor a bucket, Broom, Broom to clean the Bathrooms and brushes.
A fridge if possible to buy at the the starting of the new home.
For two persons the approx provisions will be :-
Rice---- 8 to 10 KGs depending on the consumption, Tur dal ---- 2 kgs , Udad dal ----1 kg , (as this dal will be used for dosa and idli too.) chana dal---- 1/2 kag, Sugar ----2 kgs, coffee powder ----1/2 kg. Tea leaves ---250 grams. Jaggery ---- 1/2 kg. mustard ----100grams, Pepper, Jeera, Methi all three 50 grams each, dry red chilli --- 200 grams, Coriander seed--- 1/2 kg, Dry coconut --- one, Wheat flour ---- 2 kgs , depending on how often Roti are made. Rice flour --- 1/2 kg, basen (chanacha peet)---- 1.4 kg ( For bajji and kadi etc.) Idli rava or boiled rice for idli and dosa. Pohe/ Beaten rice --- 1 kg.
Ghee -- 1/2 kg . cooking oil --2packets, Til oil for Lighting lamps for god --1/2 litre.
All the provisions must be stored in air tight containers. It good to store all every day use of masala etc in small bottles or in the Panchpala, instead of opening the stock every day Every month, before purchasing the provisions, better check what is there and what is to be bought . With experience one will learn to the tricks
TIPS
If used carefully a Gas cylinder should last 40 to 60 days according to ones use.
Dont cook Rice and Dal on high heat in the cooker, cook it on medium heat so you will get perfect well done rice. these need time to cook.
Cook Vegetables on med or slow heat and dont over boil the vegetables.Add salt after the vegetables are cooked. as some Vegetables get reduced on cooking.
Avoid reheating of the dishes too many times. Even if kept in fridge, take just enough and reheat. If heated too often the nutrition value will be effected.
WASH the vegetables well before cutting , preferably with a pinch of salt.
All greens like Palak etc should be washed 3/4 times with a little salt, then cut.
Cook the greens with a pinch of salt and cook it without a lid to retain its green colour , if closed it will discolour.
If, one wants to freeze any food, its to be as soon as it cools, dont keep it out the whole day and freeze in the night.Avoid keeping cooked food in the fridge, even if done consume it the very next day. Even in the fridge it is likely to spoil.It is also not healthy to eat food stored for long.
The kitchen is the place where, cleanliness should be top priority. It is here that the health of the family depends. Keep all food stuffs closed. wash and wipe the gas stove and keep it spic and span. Wipe any spilt food at once, as it will attract insects, ants etc. The counter too is to be cleaned with mild soap tp remove grease and dirt.
Make it a point to have bath and cook food, not the other way around.While cooking tie the hair so , any loose hair will not fall in the food and contaminate it.
While cooking be calm and cool. Food cooked with anger or irritation will be charged with negative energy.
Before start to cook , decide what is to be done, gather , the essentials commoditys and utensils and start.
Soak the tamarind, Cut the vegetables, green chillies etc, so one does not go in search of these after heating the oil in the kadai.
If one is well organised, a meal can be cooked in 40 to 50 minutes.
While cooking for guests :- One kg of Rice can be served to about eight people , if served with Sambar, rasam , and dahi with one Bhaji and Pickle. If one is making extra dishes like mixed Rice or rotis, Rice should be calculated accordingly. Approximately 2/3 cup for a adult and 1/2 cup for a child, should be ok.A little extra for safety.
For cooking Rice, One cup of rice ---- Two cups of water for pulau and mixed Rice. for eating with sambar/ Rasam make softer Rice add 1/2 a cup more of water. Cook Rice on Medium heat, Never on high .
Use seperate ladles for Dishes with dahi base -- like Raitha , Kadi etc never use this to serve Sambar or rasam .
While cutting Vegetables, raw Banana, Potatoes and Brinjol have to be imersed in water imediatly after cutting even if they have been washed earlier. As these, these vegetable are high in Iron content will discolour fast.
Greens should washed before cutting , with a little salt.
Rice and all dals have to be washed well before cooking , as the rice from the storage point or Rice mandis, might have have got contaminated , with Rodents,/ Rats urine , Shit etc.
Cook for your family with love and affection. and with interest your family will love your food.
home cooked is the best, as you know you are feeding your family the best
and healthy food.
Always have the Sambar Powder, Rasam Powder, Bhaji powder, thicket meet/chutney pody ready.
Pohe/Avalakki/beaten rice is a ready food. Can be eaten with Chutny pody/thicket meet mixed with oil or if prefered with onnoin and thicket meet. Can be eaten with dahi too.
Happy Cooking .
