How to Clarify Butter

Ghee or clarified butter is used in countless Indian dishes. It is in fact, a great alternative to cooking oil. Homemade ghee is fragrant and adds an incomparable richness to any dish. Ghee becomes solidified at lower temperatures but can easily be melted when required

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg unsalted white butter
• A pinch of cooking salt
• A bunch of drumstick leaves

Method:

• Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed vessel on a medium flame and put the butter 
• Simmer and allow to melt and then cook.
• When the froth is steady add the salt and drumstick leaves
• Allow to cool, strain the clarified butter to remove drumstick leaves and salt
• You will get a clear golden colored liquid
• Cool this mixture and store in a stainless steel or glass jar
• This can be stored for about a month's time
• Please note : If you need to melt the ghee, do so in small portions and not the whole quantity. This is said to be unhealthy and the quality of the ghee will also go down

500 gm of ready made ghee : Rs 200/- ( with preservatives )

500 gm of home made ghee : Rs 120/- ( in its pure form )

Home Made Spice Powders

Any cuisine will have certain spices that have an important role to play in enhancing the flavor for the dishes. For Indian Cuisine, the basic spice powders are Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Turmeric Powder. Take any cuisine in India, Punjabi, Andhra, Bengali , Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Gujarati every cuisine will make use of these powders. You get many varieties of these powders under various brands. I somehow feel that the home made ones have the perfect flavor and color for our dishes. My post for Day 2 of Blogging Marathon #18 is about these powders.

Turmeric Powder:

Ingredients:

Turmeric - 1 kg

Method:

• Dry the turmeric in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the Turmeric powder
• This powder can be used for both cooking and cosmetic purposes

Price of Ready made Turmeric Powder: 100 gm - Rs 18/-

Price of Home Made Turmeric Powder: 1 kg - raw turmeric- Rs 80/ to Rs 100/- , grinding - Rs 10/-

Red Chili Powder:

Ingredients:

Red Chili - 1 kg

Method:

• Dry the red chili in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the red chili powder

Price of Ready made Red Chili Powder: 100 gm -  Rs 25/-

Price of Home Made Red Chili  Powder: 1kg of red chili - Rs 60/ to Rs 90/- ; Grinding charges - Rs 15/-

Coriander Powder:

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds - 1/2 kg

Method:

• Dry the coriander seeds in the sun for a day s time. 
• Grind them in flour mill
• Do not store them when it is hot
• Spread the powder on a paper and wait till it cools down 
• When the powder is cooled down, store it in an airtight container
• If you store it in a air tight container, when the powder is hot, there are chances that the powder will get burnt
• Remove the required quantity for a week s time in a smaller container and use
• This will help you retain the flavor of the coriander powder
• 1/2 kg of coriander seeds will yield a lot of quantity of coriander powder, that will last for a long time

Price of Ready made Coriander Powder: 100 gm -  Rs 25/-

Price of Home Made Coriander Powder: 1kg of coriander- Rs 60/ to Rs 90/- ; Grinding charges - Rs 15/-

  

Home Made Curd

I have always been thinking to do posts on Cooking Basics. This theme just jolted me out of my slumber to start doing them. I receive many requests from my colleagues and friends to tell them how to make certain basic items in the kitchen. Like clarifying ghee, making thick curd. Thanks to Valli for coming up with this theme for Blogging Marathon #18.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 1/2 cup

Curd - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Boil milk and let it thicken a little
• Ensure that you use milk that is not mixed with water
• Allow it to cool ( though not completely)
• When the milk is still warm add the curd and mix well using a stirrer or a spoon
• Let this mixture stand for an hour or two 
• Check if the curd is done and then store it in the refrigerator
• When curd is being made in a mud pot , the taste and texture is definitely good.
• During summer care should be taken to store the curd in the refrigerator earlier, as curd has a tendency to turn sour due to the heat
• In winter, it is advisable to keep the milk with curd in a casserole or wrapped in a woolen cloth to enhance the process of making curd

Ready Made Curd : Rs 12/-  to Rs 18/-
Home Made Curd : less than Rs 10/-