OPOS Tamarind Paste

Another method to make Tamarind Paste at home, which can be substituted for pastes purchased at shops. This paste or the other Tamarind Paste which is made traditionally, eases the work while cooking. In this fast forward world one need to do things in a faster pace. These also help those who have doubts in their cooking or for those who are not so confident as to how things need to be done properly.

Take a kg of tamarind, cover it with water, add 50 gms kulambu/ sambar powder, 50 gms salt, 5-6 pinches asafetida, a spring curry leaves and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Strain out solids. Bottle the pulpy paste. Lasts for ever refrigerated. Use this in place of store bought paste for making the following

Ginger Paste

Ingredients:

Ginger - 100 gms

Method:

Grind chopped ginger in a blender, if it is not a fine paste then add 1 or 2 spoons of water and blend again. 

Coconut Paste

Ingredients:
Coconut - 1 no
Cumin (Jeera) - 4 tbsp
Green Chilly - 6 nos
Salt - 1 tsp

Method:
Grate coconut or make it into small pieces. Grind it along with other ingredients. Make it to a fine paste and store it in air tight container.

This paste can be used to make Kormas (Kurumas) or to Kootus. When stored in air tight container and when used with dry spoon it stays good for about a week.

Basic pastes for easy cooking

There are lots of pastes that can be prepared and kept handy which can be used in the morning urgency.

* Tamarind Paste

* Tomato Puree

* Tomato Puree - Method 2

* Green Chilly Paste

* Green Chilly Paste - 2

* Ginger Garlic Paste

* Ginger Garlic Paste - 2

* Chilly Garlic Paste

* Hot and Sour Paste

* Onion and Tomato Paste

* Mint Leaf Paste

* Coconut Paste

Mint Leaf Paste

Mint Paste - A paste made from fresh mint leaves without adding salt or any other spices. To get the required consistency a little amount of water could be added. For using in different dishes, coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic, Coconut or tamarind pulp can be added. Mint paste forms the base for chutneys, dips, and sandwich spreads.

Mint leaf paste can be used to make Mint Chappatis, Pudina Pulav, Pani for Pani Puri, Jal Jeera and a lot more dishes to give the tangy taste. Tikkas and Kebabs are marianaded using Mint paste. Mint leaf paste can be used in south Indian rice accompaniments of rasam and sambar in daily cooking too. Mint Chutney is a very healthy and famous side dish for Idly, Dosa or Chappati.

Health Benefits of Mint Paste:
Mint Leaf paste helps in digestion and also acts as an appetizer when added to drinks like Jal Jeera or Mint leaf rasam (which can be had as soup). Mint tea helps in reducing stomach pain, helps in digestion and also helps in breaking down fats.

How to choose Mint leaves for Mint Paste:
Fresh and firm leaves which are deep green in colour can be selected to make paste.

How to store Mint Paste:
Though the paste need to be used immediatly or in a couple of days, it can be frozen in ice cube tray to be used within a fortnight.

Recipes where mint paste can be used:
Nutritious Juice
Mint Leaf Rasam

Onion and Tomato Paste - A Basic paste recipe for all North Indian Dishes

All the north Indian side dishes use this Onion and Tomato paste in the cooking process. This paste can be made and stored for almost 15 days in freezer. If there is party or if you are planning to make North Indian Dishes quite regularly, then this is the best thing one can make use of.

Ingredients:
Onion - 12 nos
Tomatoes - 18 nos
Oil - 6 tbsp

Method:
Cut all the onions and tomatoes into pieces.  In a heavy bottomed flat pan add oil and when hot add the diced onions.When they turn golden brown in colour add the tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes and stir well. Keep cooking till the oil starts coming out. Once done, remove from flame and let it cool. Use a hand blender to mash the mixture thoroughly.

Store in dry air tight containers so that it can be used when ever needed.

When you are cooking vegetables or meat based dishes. Finish off all the other cooking process like adding the spices, boiling and blending and add this paste at the end and stir well.

Benefits of using this paste:
Saves time and saves cutting of onions and tomatoes daily.
Uses less oil.
Vegetables or meat get cooked well in concentrated spices as the onion is added at the end in the form of paste.
The gravy is thick.

How to make Pulikaichal to make Tamrind Rice

Preparing and storing Pulikaichal will help in making Puliyodharai easily whenever needed.

Ingredients:
Tamrind - 1 tennis ball sized
Salt - (Better Rock salt) 1/4th handful or to taste
Vendhayam(Fenu greek) - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 10 to 12 nos
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 inch piece
Mustard seeds - 2 tspn
Gingely oil - 1/4th cup
Bengal Gram - 1/2 cup
Groundnut (Raw) - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup

Method: 
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract tamarind juice. The juice should be thick. This size of tamarind will give 2 to 3 cups of thick extact. (Alternatively around 12 to 14 tbspns of Tamarind Paste can also be used)

Dry roast methi seeds. Fry 1/4 cup of Bengal gram in 1 tsp of gingely oil along with 6 Red chillies. Grind bengal gram and red chillies together with methi seeds and asafodeita to a fine powder.

Heat pan and add gingely oil to it. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the groundnuts to it and fry it till it turns crispy. Add bengal gram and fry till it turns golden brown. Add the remaining red  chillies and curry leaves and saute it for a few mins.

Add turmeric powder and salt to Tamarind extract (add 2 cups of water to the Tamarind paste) and add it slowly to the pan. Simmer the stove and let the extract boil. When it becomes a saucy consistency add the methi seeds powder and boil it again. When the oil comes out remove from flame. Let it cool and store it in a dry container. If stored outside, it had to be used within 3 or 4 days. It can be used for almost a week to 10 days if stored in fridge.

How to make Tomato Gravy - Basic Gravy Recipe

Almost all North Indian gravies use Tomato gravy as the base gravy. Once this is done adding other ingredients to it and making different kind of gravies or subjis is very easy.

Ingredients :

Tomatoes - 6 nos ripe

Onion - 2 nos

Garlic pods - 6 nos

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Green Chillies - 4 nos

Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Cloves - 4 nos (optional)

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Method :

In a flat bottom pan add oil and when it is hot add cloves, cardomom and cinnamon. Add finely chopped onions and chopped garlic and fry till it becomes golden brown. Chop the tomatoes and add to the oil. Slit the green chillies into half and add it to the tomatoes along with chilli powder and turmeric.

Heat oil and add cloves, cardomom and cinnamon. Keep the stove sim and let the gravy thicken. Add salt to it. When the gravy becomes deep red in colour and oil starts floating remove from flame.

Alternatively tomatoes can be pureed and added to the onions to make a thicker and even gravy.

How to make Tomato Puree

When it is tomato season and when they are available in large, one can make tomato puree at home and store it to be used in different gravies, especially North Indian Gravies and also can be used while making Rasams (South Indian Soups which is eaten with rice)

Ingredients:
Ripe Tomatoes - 1/2 kg or 6 nos

Method:
Boil 2 cups of water. When the water boils add the tomatoes. Remove from flame and cover it.
When cool add it to juicer blender (which have the option of straining the waste). Do not add water while grinding. Get a thick paste.

This can be made in large quantities and stored in freezer too for future use.

Ginger Garlic Paste - Method 2

Ingredients:
Garlic pods - 100gms (peeled)

Ginger - 100gms (peeled and finely chopped)

Salt - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
In a flat bottom pan heat oil and add garlic and ginger fry for 2 to 3 mins. Cover and remove from flame. Let it cool. In a grinder add all the ingredients along with salt and grind it to a fine paste. Store in airtight container in fridge. This can be used for almost a month as it is fried.

If it is not fried, it have to be used within a week. 

Note:

Fried or not fried, never use water to grind it.

Green Chilly Paste recipe - 2

Ingredients:
Green Chillies - 250 gms
Asafodeita - a pinch
Salt - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and wipe dry the green chillies. Add all the ingredients in a dry grinder and grind it to a fine paste. Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Use it when needed.

How to make Chilly Garlic Paste at home?

Ingredients
Garlic Peeled - 100gms

Chillies - 100gms (red or green)

Salt - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Method
Heat oil in a hard bottom Kadai. Add garlic and chillies to the oil when the oil is hot. Fry all of them for 2 mins. Switch off the flame and cover it. Let it cool. Use a small grinder and grind it to a fine paste. Let it cool and store it in an air tight container. This can be kept in fridge and can be used whenever required.

How to make Tamarind Paste at home

Though now a days, we get ready made Tamrind pastes from brands like Homemade or Mallika Home Products, still it is better to prepare our own Tamrind Paste at home. This tamrind paste is helpful for south Indian dishes like Sambar, Rasam, Puli kootu etc.

Ingredients
Tamarind - 1/4 kg
Hot water - 1/2 ltr

Gingely oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Method
Soak the tamarind in hot water for half an hour. And when the water is warm enough, use the mixer and grinder to extract the tamarind juice. Don't add more water to grind but grind the tamarind so that you get thick water. Heat a hard bottom pan, add the oil add add turmeric and salt to it and bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame and leave till the water is evaporated and till the tamarind becomes thick and is in a paste form. Remove from flame, let it cool. Store it in an air tight container. The extract can be stored in fridge for about half a month. 

Recipe to make Tomato Puree Method 2

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - Red and Ripe - 1 kg
Water - 2 ltrs
Vinegar - 1/2 cup

Method:
Boil water, add the washed tomatoes to it and close the lid(ensure that the fire is put off). Leave it for about 5 minutes. Remove from the hot water and put it in cold water. Peel the skin and in a juicer blender(better to use that blender, which separates the seeds and juice). If not use a juicer sieve to separate the juice and waste.
    
In a hard bottom shallow pan boil the puree with vinegar till it reaches the desired consitency.

Store the puree in different containers and some of them can also be stored in freezer for later use. Use it immediatly after defreezing.

Recipe for Hot and Sour Paste

Ingredients:
Tamrind Paste - 5 to 6 spoons (better thick paste)
Red chilly - 20 (more if you want it more spicy)
Salt - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Grind salt, cumin seeds dry and keep aside. Grind the tamrind and chillies together and to it add the powder and grind again to make everything blend finely.

Use this paste to make sambar or rasam in a hurry

Ginger Garlic Paste

This is one paste, which is very useful, while making Pulavs, fried rice, Khurmas etc. Most of the time, we grind it when we do these items or use the ready made pastes that is available in the market. While preparing such dishes only a little of the paste required. For bachelors, office goers and students, this paste is of great help, not only while making the above said items, but this can be used also in Lemon Rasam, or to make Poondu Rasam.

Ingredients
Garlic - 100 gms
Ginger - 100 gms
Salt - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method
Peel garlic, peel and wash ginger. Grind both of them together to a fine paste along with salt. In a pan add oil and add this paste, when the oil separates, remove from flame, let it cool and store in a dry jar and refrigerate.

You can also fry ginger and garlic in oil before grinding. Do not add water while grinding.

You can use the same method to make ginger paste or garlic paste separately.

Recipe for Green Chilly Paste

Ingredients
Green chillies (prefferrably the thin long ones) - 250 gms
Gingely Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafdeita - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash the chillies. Grind them together along with asafodeita and salt. In a pan add oil and when hot add the paste and keep stirring for a few mins. (Till the oil separates). This can be stored in a clean jar and refrigerated and can be used whenever and wherever required.

Instead of frying it in oil, this paste can be stored just after grinding and one spoon of it can be used while grinding chutneys. This uncooked paste can also be used while making vathals and vadams.