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Spinach
Choose leaves that are crisp and have dark green with a nice fresh fragrance. Avoid those that are limp, damaged, or spotted. |
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Tomatoes
Before purchasing tomatoes see that they should have a shiny skin, should be firm and light red color. As they become overripe, the color darkens and the skin loses its shine.
Fragrance is a better indicator of a good tomato than color. Use your nose and smell the stem end. The stem should retain the garden aroma of the plant itself - if it doesn't, your tomato will lack flavor. |
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Green Beans
Choose slender beans that are crisp, bright-colored, and free of blemishes. |
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Cilantro
When purchasing, look for leaves that are tender, aromatic, and very green. If it has no aroma, it will have no flavor. Avoid wilted bunches with yellowing leaves. |
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Onion
They Should look dry and bright and be firm. Damp, soft onions are usually rotten at the center. |
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Capsicum
Remember fresh ones have a taut shiny skin. Stale ones have wrinkles and may show soft patches of discoloration. |
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Cucumbers
These should be firm, with the skins taut and shiny. Stale ones are flabby when touched. |
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Brinjal
Before purchasing see this should be firm but not hard. It should have a full, shiny and unwrinkled skin. |
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Potatoes
Potatoes should be smooth, well shaped, and unbruised. When selecting potatoes, choose new potatoes for boiling as they have thinner skins and are firmer. |
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Beetroot
These should be firm and free from blemishes. |
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Turnips
Young ones are the best. Discard very large ones. |
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Radishes
Buy firm, bright, well-shaped ones. The smaller the radishes are, the better they will taste. |
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Carrots
Always remember they should be firm and free from blemishes. There could not be any soft patches. Buy young carrots. |
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Cauliflower
Always remember a fresh flower has a firm, compact head surrounded by fresh green leaves. The outer leaves are yellow on a stale one. If they have been removed, look at the flower. Do not buy it, if it appears to be loose and soft. |
Leafy Vegetables
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When cleaning green vegetables, add a handful of salt to the second water. The sand from the vegetables will sink to the bottom of the pan so another rinsing will make vegetables thoroughly clean. |
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Washing Spinach - Like all greens, spinach should be washed as soon as you buy it. Loose spinach can be very gritty, so it must be thoroughly rinsed (it can't be washed enough). The easiest way to wash spinach is to put it into a sink or large container of cold water. Remove stems by twisting or cutting spinach leaves off just above stem line and immerse in water. Swish leaves around, then let them stand for a few minutes while dirt sinks to the bottom. Thoroughly dry by using a salad spinner or by blotting with paper towels. Wrap in dry paper towels and seal in a plastic bag for storage. |
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If Leafy Vegetables lost its crunch, Don't panic just cut the stem off and separate the stalks. Place vegetables in a deep vessel filled with cold water and stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Keep them soaked for 4 to 5 hours. Drain well and then refrigerate. |
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Add a pinch of common salt and sugar to the cooking vegetable so as to avoid discoloration of spinach and green leafy vegetables. |
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Slice root vegetables and shred green ones. Break cauliflower into sprigs. They cook more quickly this way. |
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Do not overcook the Green Leafy Vegetables as they lose their color. |
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Spinach based gravies can be garnished OR decorated with cream. |
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Clean Vegetables & make them germ free by adding some salt or vinegar drops while washing them. |
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Add a large piece of stale bread to the vessel in which green leafy vegetables are cooking so as they don't take on unpleasant flavors or unpleasant odors during cooking. |
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Broccoli stalks of varying sizes can be cooked in the same length of time by making an X incision from top to bottom through stems. |
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Curry leaves used in any dish are usually discarded. To prevent this, here is a simple idea. In about one to two teaspoons of oil, fry washed curry leaves till crisp. Now, crush with hands or coarsely powder in a mixie. Store this curry powder in an air-tight bottle and use it to flavour gravies, chutneys, idli batter, etc. |
Other Vegetables
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Wash your vegetables in a large bowl of cool water to which you've added 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda. This helps remove pesticides as well as any dirt and wax. |
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To restore fresh flavour to frozen vegetables, pour boiling water over them to rinse away all traces of the frozen water. |
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A little vinegar added to the water in which you are soaking slightly-wilted vegetables will make them crisp and fresh. |
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Peeling vegetables - Place a plastic bag near the counter and keep the mouth of the bag open so that you peel the veggies directly into them and then throw the peels away without creating a mess. |
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Do not use wooden utensils when making any dish mixing saffron as Wooden utensils tend to absorb saffron easily. |
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Sprinkle a little gramflour over the vegetables. Gramflour absorbs the excess oil and makes the vegetable tastier. |
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Carrot burfi - While making Burfi add a cupful of grated carrot to the coconut & it will give you "natural" coloring and is very nutritious. |
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Red bell peppers, which are fully ripe bell peppers, not only add a splash of vivid color, but a greater source of vitamin A than green or yellow peppers. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C. |
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Keep crispness and nutrients in your vegetables by cooking them in a vegetable steamer. |
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Coat peppers with olive oil before stuffing and baking them. They will keep their original colour.
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While cooking vegetables which give off an unpleasant odour, simmer a small pan of vinegar on top of the stove. |
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Cucumber skin is a good source of nutrition and helps in the digestion of the cucumber. Wash the cucumber with vinegar to remove its wax. |
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Punch numerous holes in amla and soak it in honey for about a month. Eat two amlas everyday as a general health tonic. |
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Karela
- To remove bitterness from karela, Slit it from the middle and rub a mixture of salt, wheat flour and curd over it. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour, before cooking.
- Add a few pieces of raw mango while cooking bitter gourd. It will not only remove the bitterness but also add to the flavour of the curry. |
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Corn
- When boiling corn, do not add salt to the water, add a little sugar, salt toughens the corn.
- For the best tasting corn on the cob, when removing outer leaves save the tender leaves next to the cob. Place these leaves on the bottom of the pot, add cobs, water to cover cobs and one tbsp. salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. |
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Lady Finger
- For a change, slice the bhindis lengthwise and dip in a thin besan batter. Deep fry and love eating it.
- Crispy lady finger - While cooking add a few drops of lemon juice OR a spoonful of curd for a crispy taste as they will not stick to the vessel & will not turn black. |
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Mushrooms
- Slicing fresh mushrooms - Use a metal egg slicer.
- You should not cook mushrooms in aluminum pans because the mushrooms will darken.
- When using mushrooms in any recipe, add a little lemon juice to bring out their flavour. |
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Cabbage
- Place a heel of bread on top of cabbage then cover and cook. There will be no odour or drop a whole walnut into the boiling water or add a pinch of soda, It eliminates the odour and also keeps the cabbage green.
- When baking cabbage rolls, instead of steaming cabbage before pulling the leaves apart, place whole head of cabbage in the freezer until frozen solid. Then allow cabbage to thaw and you will find the leaves are easy to pull apart and they are soft and easy to work with. |
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Cauliflower
- While boiling potatoes and cauliflower add a few drops of vinegar to the water to keep their original white.
- To keep cauliflower white, add two to three tbsp. of milk to the cooking water.
- Never cook Cauliflower in an aluminum or iron pot, the sulfur compounds will react with the aluminum to turn the cauliflower yellow. If cooking in an iron pot, the cauliflower will turn brown or bluish-green.
- To wash away insects, soak the head in ice water with the florets facing down.
- Cauliflower will be snowy white if soaked in cold, salted water for ½ hour prior to cooking.
- Cauliflower odor is almost eliminated if you drop a few unshelled walnuts into the pot. |
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Celery
Make your own celery salt by drying celery leaves thoroughly. Crush them to a powder or rub them through a sieve and mix with salt. |
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Lettuce
- Lettuce will not go rusty if you remove its core. Bang the lettuce head on the kitchen counter and the core should twist out.
- If lettuce has wilted, take out the core, soak in hot water, then quickly drain, and put in plastic bag and refrigerate. After it's cold, you'll have fresh lettuce.
- Always tear lettuce -- cutting causes the edges to turn brown. |
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