Working Mum Special: 20 smart hacks for easy Indian cooking

As working mums, we often juggle between managing our jobs, our kids, the household and even our marriages. But because of all this running around, getting the perfect dinner menu on the table becomes a difficult task. And if cooking was your favourite hobby, it has now become an arduous task.

In fact, when we get back home from office, our endeavour is to rustle up a quick meal as opposed to an elaborate one that many home chefs may prefer. I personally like a quick and light meal before I hit the bed.

So if you are anything like me, you will love these easy and smart hacks that will make Indian cooking much easier. Let's begin.

Smart hacks for easy Indian cooking

• Moisten the base of a vessel with water before boiling milk. This will reduce the chanced of the milk sticking to it bottom.

• Just add half of teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate to milk while boiling. This will prevent milk from spoiling even if you do not put in the fridge.
  
• If you want to prevent milk from spilling, just keep a wooden spoon on top of the vessel. This will prevent the milk from spilling over and also indicates when it reaches the boiling point.

• Preparing soft rotis usually does not take that much time. However, if you are not expert at kneading a soft dough, here's a trick. Knead the dough with some milk to make it soft and to keep it fresh for long.

• Keep puris in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before frying. This will ensure the puris flare up without absorbing too much oil.

• If you are preparing sooji ka halwa, just add half a teaspoon of besan (gram flour). This will enhance its flavour and even the colour of the dish.

• If you are watching your weight but cannot resist those potato wedges, don't worry. Simply boil the potatoes before you fry them. This will ensure they cook faster and consume less oil.

• Peeling potatoes can be a task, especially if you took them cold out of the refrigerator. But if you boil them first, you can solve this problem. Boiling potatoes can moisten their skin, making them easy to peel.

• Grind some common salt in your mixer or grinder. This will ensure their blades are sharp and work for a longer period of time.

• If you added too much salt in your food, fret not. Just add a few spoons of milk to the preparation; this will neutralise the dish. And, if you feel that the dish has too much water, like in a dal or even rice, just add some potato. It will absorb all the excess water.

Continue reading to see more interesting hacks you can use at home!

• If you like cooking mutton, but struggle with softening it, just add some mashed raw papaya into the marinade to soften mutton.
• If you are preparing bindi, and if you notice it sticking together then just add a few drops of lemon to the preparation. The same hold true for rice.

• We have all struggled with caramelising onions. The trick to getting them perfectly caramelised is to add a pinch of baking soda. This fastens the process, making them perfectly brown in no time.

• Do not store potatoes and onions together. Potatoes will rot very soon if the two are kept together. Make sure you have separate storage jars or bags for each.

• While preparing noodles, boil them well and immediately add them to cold water. This will prevent further cooking and making them soggy and also keep them separate.

• To keep paneer fresh for days, place it in a blotting paper before you refrigerate them. Also, instead of frying paneer, boil it to keep it spongy and soft.

• In order to prevent fungus from accumulating in the pickle jar, burn a small amount of hing (asafetida) over burning coal or gas. Now invert the empty jar on this burnt hing for sometime and follow this up by filling it with pickle.

• While preventing insects in rice storage, keep a small paper packet of boric powder or mint leaves in the container. This will keep insects and moths at bay.

• While storing sugar, make sure to add two to three cloves to the container. This will prevent ants from sticking to the jar or even getting attracted to the sugary smell.

• Place overripe tomatoes in cold water and add some salt to the vessel. This will make them fresh and firm the next morning. You can then peel the tomatoes by placing them in warm water for five to 10 minutes.

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(Image courtesy: Pinterest, Carriedmidealindia, Weddingsonline, Foodviva, Colourstoday)