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Queries On Cooking Answered
Chef Vernon Coelho (chief instructor of India's premier catering college, IHM-Dadar) answers.
Bhuvaneshwari wants to know what is alpakoda fruit (Tamil) called in Hindi and English. And wants to know whether it is healthy? And what are its Vitamin contents?
Alpakoda (or alpagoda) is a commonly available, especially in the Northern areas such as Delhi. In English it is known as the plum. It is a luscious fruit and is rich in Calcium and Phosphorous. It also contains traces of Vitamin C.
Karuna Mehra wants to know whether paneer is good for health. She also wants the recipe for tofu.
Karuna, paneer is a common ingredient in a vegetarian household. It is a concentrated form of milk and is very nutritious, especially for young and growing children. However, it is high in fat and carbohydrate, calories, and its intake should be limited for those on a weight-reducing diet. Tofu is the soya version of paneer and is obtained from soya milk. Making tofu at home, is a laborious process and as it is easily available it is better bought from the market. To make it at home, one would need to soak soya beans and then grind them and remove an extract (the milk). This would then have to be set into curds, then hung and pressed into paneer.
Farzana wants a recipe for khamman dhokla.
Recipe for dhokla: Ingredients: 1 cup besan, 1 ½ tbsp rawa, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp citric acid, 3 tsp sugar, 1 ½ tsp ENO fruit salt, a pinch turmeric powder, and salt to taste.
Method: Combine all the ingredients (except the ENO fruit salt) with sufficient water to make a thick batter. Add ENO fruit salt, pour into a greased tray, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes. Temper with mustard seeds, sesame (til) seeds, hing and garnish with grated coconut, freshly cut coriander leaves and serve hot.
Pragnya wants to know a recipe for shakkarpara.
Recipe for shakkarpara: Ingredients: refined flour (maida) 1 cup, sugar 1/2 cup, curd 1tbsp, cardamom powder 1 tsp. fat (ghee) 30 gm (2 tbsp), salt a pinch, water 30 ml, oil for frying, sugar powder 2 tbsp.
Method: Sieve the flour, cardamom powder and the salt and rub the fat into it. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Add curd and the sugar solution to the flour and knead into stiff dough. Add more water if required. Roll out the dough into 1/8' thick sheet and cut into small diamond shapes. Deep fry in hot oil on a slow fire till golden brown. Dust very lightly with powdered sugar and allow to cool.
(Rashmi Uday Singh is a food reporter,critic and author for 21 years. Food and health are her passions. Her path-breaking TV serials "Health Today",nationally best-selling " Good Food Guides " the "Good Food Gallerie" and the Good Food Academy are a part of her continuing and pioneering effort to make the world a more delicious and happy place. It is not her policy to accept free meals or anything that will compromise objective food reviews.)
Dial 8281010 or mail us at Good Food Line, Metro Plus, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings,859/860 Anna Salai, Chennai- 600002 or e-mail rashmiudaysingh@hotmail.com
RASHMI UDAY SINGH
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