A Penny for Food

Paneer is the most common cheese used in India. It is fresh, un-aged, non-melting and completely vegetarian. Unlike most cheeses, paneer is not coagulated used rennet. Instead, only fruit acids are used to curdle hot milk. The process of making paneer is simple. You heat up the milk and add in a curdling acid (lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid. effectively, anything acidic and edible) and separate the curds. Now what you do after this if your wish. There exist variations across the country from this point on. What you do depends on what you want out of the end product. You can press dry it for a harder cheese or just hang it dry to get a softer, more moist version. You can ripen it or consume it un-aged. You can beat it smooth and make rasagullas or koftas or cut out slabs and make one of innumerable number of spicy dishes. Here is the recipe I use to make paneer: Ingredients: 1 Lt. Full Cream Cow's Milk 1 No. Juice of Whole Lemon Procedure: 1. Bring milk to a b

The recipe for Soubise requires minimal interference from the cook, and as such, one can divert their attention to other pursuits while it slowly cooks away. Preparation required is minimal. This dish can be puréed and used as a sauce/gravy for meat dishes, especially chicken and fish. The key trick to this dish is finishing off the cooking of the rice in the water released from the onions. Use yellow onions for a pleasant golden colour because red onions result in the dish looking a bit muddy. Other vegetables with high water content can also be used for this purpose. Just remember the thumb rule, 1 cup Rice + 2 cups Water. Go ahead and try it out. This was the other recipe I submitted for the campus magazine,  The Fourth Estate . The magazine is still not out, but I just could not deprive my online readers anymore.

The recipe which I am sharing today is a personal favorite of mine. A cheap, vegetarian version of Spaghetti alla carbonara , using Ramen noodles instead of the pasta and substituting the bacon with bell peppers. The major time in the creation of this dish is spent in the preparation with the actual cooking coming together within ten minutes. This recipe should only be used as a guideline and let your judgment and taste buds make the final call. I have tried to make sure that the ingredients used are readily available but the dish is pretty versatile to allow for the omission, replacement or addition of vegetables, meats and/or cheeses. This was one part of a recipe I submitted for the campus magazine, The Fourth Estate . The magazine is still not out, but I just could not deprive my online readers anymore.

I realized that I have been neglecting this blog for a long time. Forgive me for that, but I return not empty-handed. A bit of a news first. I wrote two recipes for the college magazine . I will post them here once the magazine gets published. Until then, I present to you "The Humble Rice". Comprised primarily of starch and fiber, rice is a source of vitamins B1 and B2 and minerals like potassium and phosphorous also, while being low in sodium content. The carbohydrates in rice are digested slowly, which allows for the body to utilize the energy over a longer time. Rice contains only traces of fat and absolutely no cholesterol, making it an extremely healthy food. Rice is a staple food in India and most of the eastern nations, with each nation having its typical dishes made from rice. The variety of dishes that can be made with rice is astounding. These grains can be used in any course of the meal, be it appetizer or soup or entrée or a side or dessert. It can be had for br

I have been eyeing a couple of handy gadgets for the Dorm Culinaire kitchen. They are not essential but are just something that I would really like to have on hand, for they would make life so much easier without occupying too much space in the room or digging deep into your pockets: two constraints that every college student has. I do not in any way advocate filling up your room with every little gadget that you can possibly lay your hands on, but some well thought out purchases can go a great way to filling up those ever hungry student stomachs or whipping up something to quieten that midnight growling while studying for that all-important test you have next morning. The first one, a handheld blender. It is so useful in any kitchen. And it increases the scope of what you can prepare to include drinks (smoothies, juices, shakes). Tired of those chumky soups, I can puree it up now. This is top of my wishlist at the moment. The other gadget is a Sandwich Press or Panini Press, whateve

Now who doesn't like omelets. Light, fluffy, well-made sheet of eggy goodness. As I have mentioned earlier , the modest egg is the most versatile ingredient that one can work with. The Omelet is yet another display of its power to hold the sway of humans from the time it is served till the last bite vanishes down the throat and a moment more. Making this doesn't even take that much time. The key to to making a fluffy omelet: Beat the eggs, don't stir them . Stirring just mixes up the materials. Beating incorporates air into the mixture and if the material is capable, like eggs are, the air gets trapped. Stirring at this point will only aid in removing the trapped air. You can beat the eggs using a fork or an egg-beater, in case you have one. The beater just gets the job done quicker for it allows for more air to come in contact. The white and the yolk have different capacity for trapping air. For really fluffy omelets, beat the yolk and the white separately. Beat the whites