I grew up watching my mother make paneer. We never bought it from a shop, that was simply unacceptable. And then you grow up, get a job, get busy… and just toss the colorful packet of paneer into the trolley every time you visit the supermarket. Until that fateful day when you make your own paneer.

Then, you’re back to your roots, because, there is simply no comparison.

And it’s not even like it’s hard to make! When you’re having guests over and want to impress, it is even more of an incentive to make your own paneer. Here it is, step by step.

To make 150gm of paneer, bring a litre of milk to a boil. I like to use full fat milk for this, because the paneer is a lot creamier. Low fat milk will result in slightly more rubbery paneer.

And once it boils, turn off the heat and add lemon juice.

Give it a stir.

And let it sit for a few minutes.

Once it starts looking like above, i.e. once the cheese separates out from the water, and the water looks translucent, pour into a muslin cloth, and drain out the water.

Squeeze, and place under a weight, allowing space to let any excess water drain out. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.

And that’s it. Remove from cloth, cut into pieces and use, or eat just like that, because it’s that awesome!

Time Taken: 30 min
Makes 300 gm paneer

Ingredients

2 liters milk (preferably full fat)
¼ cup lemon juice

Method

1. Bring the milk to a boil.
2. Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat and pour the lemon juice. Stir.
3. Let it sit for 5 minutes, until the paneer separates out.
4. Line a colander with muslin cloth, and pour the split milk into it.
5. Drain out the water and twist the cloth to hold the paneer in.
   Place a heavy object on it, leaving space for any extra water to drain out.
6. Let it sit 15-30 min, peel off the cloth and use as required.
7. If you want your paneer melt-in-your-mouth soft, drop the pieces into boiling water for a few minutes before adding to curries.

Note: The water that you drain out can be poured to plants if you have any.

In the age of ready-to-eat foods and ever expanding super markets, cooking has become more of a hobby than a necessity. TV programs like Masterchef make it seem even more like an exotic way to pass time, and so many people I know enjoy cooking, but find it terribly boring to do the daily, mundane cooking. Special weekend dishes anytime!

Bring in the Love

As an energy healer, I know the importance of ‘clean’ food. Ever wondered why temple meals are so tasty, even when they are so simple? Or why, even if you frequently indulge in fine dining, your mother’s rustic dish still satisfies more? It is is the love. And that, really, makes all the difference.

It doesn’t matter how fancy it is. It doesn’t matter how you plate it up. It’s not good enough if it wasn’t made with love. And no matter how cool the 5 star chef is, to him you are just another customer. He cannot love your kids like you do. The food will therefore, never really compare, although your children will probably realize that only decades later.

Of course, health is another factor, but we’ll talk about that another day.

Watch your Feelings

For most mothers, it is not possible to avoid cooking when you are feeling low. Food cooked in anger or depression has very low energies and can even create illness in the family. If you are feeling low while cooking, be deeply aware of your feelings and surrender to them – do not resist. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it is the only way the vibration doesn’t affect the food.

Chant

One of the most wonderful things to do while cooking, is chanting. It could be anything that means something to you. If you aren’t religious, simply sing a soothing song that you like. The Gayatri mantra is a very powerful chant, if you are up for it.

Keep it Fresh

Foods are best eaten fresh, warm. Refrigerating it brings down the energy. Freezing even more. Not like many of us have much of an option there, but just saying, in case you do. The fresher, the better. Even better if it is eaten raw!

Be Judicious

My friends tell me I sound like their mother when I say this – please, please, PLEASE don’t waste your food. Give it away to a maid, to a beggar, do anything. So many are dying because they have nothing to eat. Wasting cannot be an option.

Those who aren’t into cooking find it appalling when they find a couple of cooks discussing the basics – like boiling an egg. But cooking is like that. One can be pretty good, and yet be struggling with some basic methods.

Boiling an egg can be tricky.

Are the Eggs Fresh?

Aged eggs usually peel better. To check whether the eggs are fresh, put them in a glass of water. If the egg sinks and lays on its side, it is fresh. If it floats on the surface, it is too old to consume. If it stands on one end, then it is a few weeks old and perfect for boiling.

The Foolproof Method

The best boiled eggs take a bit of effort. With this method, you can even use fresh eggs, it should be fine. If the eggs are cracked too, this technique is a saving grace.

The eggs turn out beautiful with this method, almost translucent, soft and yet cooked through.

• Place the eggs in a steamer. If you don’t have a steamer, place them in a colander and place the colander inside a pot. Don’t use a plastic colander or it will melt. Make sure the colander isn’t touching the water, and that there is enough water so it doesn’t dry up.
• Steam the eggs for 20 minutes.
• If the eggs were farm fresh, dunk the eggs in cold water for a few minutes after steaming, and they should be easy to peel.

The Lazy Method

This has worked for me almost all the time, but if the eggs are very fresh, that could be a bit problematic.

• Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp vinegar to a pot of water.
• Place the eggs gently into the water.
• NOW place the pot on the heat and bring to a boil. Do not heat the water before adding the eggs, as the eggs will crack.
• Boil for 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• They are now ready to peel.

My grandfather was very, VERY particular about picking vegetables. As a result all his children, including my dad, received very strict training. And my mother made sure that dad passed on as much knowledge as he could, to us.

Learning to pick fresh veggies is the first thing you’ll need to learn if you are starting to cook, because without fresh ingredients that are thriving, vibrating with life, your food is going to be pretty lifeless. The easiest way to learn is to touch, gently press and smell as many of them as you can while you pick. With just a little practice, you’ll know with a glance which ones are good.

Tomatoes, squash, eggplants, cucumber, bell peppers, etc.
These can be picked easily – check for three things – color/ evenness, firmness and smell.

Check their colour to make sure they are ripe (the colour should be bright and deep), and inspect the surface to see that they have no cuts, holes or bruises.

Press them a little and see if they are firm. Many vegetables today are picked raw and transported, and often sprayed with chemicals to ripen them prematurely. If this is the case, the color will be bright, but the vegetable will be hard. There should be a little give under pressure.  The over-ripe ones are soft.

Lastly, smell them near the stem. Fresh vegetables smell wonderful!

Avocados
The first two rules about even surface and hardness apply to avocados as well.

Another thing you can do, is remove the stem and check the surface underneath. It should be a nice green color. Black indicates an over ripe avocado.

Cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbage
Look around it to check if you see any holes anywhere – that indicates it has worms, so you better avoid it. If they are firm to touch, they are fresh. Old ones will be soft. In case of cauliflower and broccoli, the florets should be of even color and not brown.

Potatoes, onions, carrots or other root vegetables
Check to see that they don’t have holes either.

Tubers will be firm under pressure if they are fresh. Old ones get soft. Fresh carrots are usually bright in colour, and older ones start looking dry and pale.

For onions, see that the entire onion is pretty much the same colour. Old onions start drying up from bottom up, so the larger the dry area, the older your onion is – and the less edible.

Beans, Okra (ladies finger), etc.
Vegetables like beans and okra are crisp when they are fresh, and break easily. To check for freshness, just bend the tip, and if it breaks, then it is fresh. With age, the beans or okra become fiberous and bend with pressure, becoming hard to break.

Leafy Vegetables
Check the bunch to ensure there are no rotting or dry leaves. When you touch the leaves, they should be firm and crisp. Soft and tender leaves indicate that the bunch is old.

Peas
With peas, much of the previous knowledge doesn’t apply. If you pick the brightest pods, you will end up with baby peas – a lot of work and very little to cook with! One has to be a little careful here, because pea pods are prone to having worms. So make sure there are no holes in the pods, and pick the dry looking ones that seem filled up and are firm to touch.

1 cup of dal will usually suffice 2 people. If you like your dal a little thin, then ½ cup of dal might be enough for 2 people.

Identifying the Dals

My post on Lentils and Legumes, gives detailed information, with pictures and description of several varieties to help you understand and identify the various dals.

The Pressure-Cooker Method

Ingredients:
1 cup tuvar dal, dhuli mung or dhuli masoor dal
2½ cups water
1 Tomato (optional)
A pinch of hing/ asafetida
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
Salt
Method:

• Wash the dal once.
• Put the dal into the pressure cooker and add the water. Add turmeric powder, chili powder and asafetida.
• Cook on high flame until the first whistle.
• TIME: Reduce the flame to minimum and cook for 5 minutes.

OR

• WHISTLE: Cook on high flame till second whistle, and then reduce flame and cook till third whistle.
• Open the pressure cooker, add chopped tomato and some more water if necessary, and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Optionally, you may heat some ghee or butter, add a few cumin or mustard seeds until they splutter, and then pour it into the dal. This adds a delicious flavour.

The Open Cooking Method

I strongly recommend soaking the dals overnight if you plan to open-cook it, since otherwise, the dals take a long time to cook, over half an hour.

• Wash the dal
• Put the dal into the vessel and add about 4-5 times the water.
• Cook on high flame until it begins boiling and then reduce the flame.
• Let it simmer until the dal and water seem to blend with each other, about 30-40 min.
• Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder, and season with mustard or cumin seeds as described above.

The Microwave Method

Proportions:
1 cup rice
2½ cups water
Method:

• Wash the dal.
• Put the dal and water in a microwavable dish.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for about 20 minutes.
• Check in the middle and add more water if needed

Dals can be very confusing for a beginner. I remember my mother trying to teach me as a child, and I would forget the names again and again. It was only when I started cooking that I just learned the names naturally.

Tuvar/ Toor/ Sambar dal or Pigeon Peas

This is probably the most commonly used dal all over India. It is very versatile, and can be served plain, with a tadka (tempering), with vegetables as a sambar, or even mixed with rice, as bisi bele bhaat.  It is very easy to cook, taking about half an hour when boiled and just 5 minutes when pressure cooked.

Mung dal

Mung dal is probably the healthiest of all dals, being very easy to digest. This dal is tri-doshic according to Ayurveda, which means that it is good for all body types when cooked correctly.

It contains plenty of potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, and vitamin B6, which translates to better muscle repair especially when working out, better health during pregnancy and less PMS problems.

This is the dal you eat when you enjoy those yummy dal fries at hotels. It is also the dal we use when we make the traditional khichdi. It is also soaked and served raw in some salads.

When the mung dal is simply split and sold, it retains it’s green cover and obviously has more fiber than the previous version. This dal can be served plain, is used in panchmel dal and can be paired with dal baati. When soaked and ground, this dal can be used to make cheela, a dosa-like item.

Whole mung is very versatile. It is best used sprouted as that multiplies it’s nutritive value and also makes it easier to cook. The sprouts can be raw in salads or can be cooked and served as a dry side dish. It can also be used to make pulao.

Urad dal/ Ivory White Lentils

This is the dal used in making idlies. The wild yeast in this dal helps to ferment the batter, increasing the air content, making the idlies soft and airy. It is also used in making vadas of various types, medu vada  and dahi bada for instance.

Urad dal is sold as split white, split with skin, as well as whole urad dal, completely black.

The split with skin urad dal is either cooked plain or served as a very yummy khichdi. Whole urad dal is used in a variety of North Indian dishes like Maa ki dal and the very rich, very popular Dal Makhani.

Masoor dal/ Red Lentils

Split (dhuli) masoor dal is orange in color but turns to a dull yellow when cooked. One unique thing about this dal is that if you soak even the dhuli masoor, ie the dal without the skin, it sprouts after a day. Apparently even after removing the peel, the seed remains intact.

Kali masoor takes longer to cook when compared to other dals, because of the skin. It is best to soak it overnight and then pressure cook it for ten minutes. It is a very rich and full bodied dal, but is not consumed too frequently by most people. As a result, when tempered simply with cumin, onions, tomatoes and spices, it impresses most people, even though it is actually so easy to cook.

Chana dal/ Split Bengal gram

The biggest confusion is usually between the tuvar dal and chana dal, as they can look similar at a glance. If you look closely however, there are quite different, tuvar dal being smaller and flatter.

Chana dal takes much longer to cook and it is usually a good idea to soak it for a few hours before cooking it. It is heavier on the stomach and is therefore used less frequently. Typical dishes using this dal would be panchmel dal, puran poli and parippu vada.

Chana/ Kadala/ Chickpea/ Garbanzo Beans

This is slightly different from chana dal. Chana is older, bigger, less sweet and has a higher glycemic index. Punjabi chole or chana masala is a very popular dish all over India. Pakistanis use this in a lovely, delicate dish, chana pulao. Chana chat is another wonderful summer snack.

Kala Chana/ Whole Bengal Gram

This is completely different in taste as well as texture, from the normal white chickpeas. It is commonly cooked during festivals, and is considered to be a very sattvik food, associated with the Goddess.

It is also easier to digest than the chickpeas. The most common way of eating it is to soak it overnight, pressure cook, add a few spices and temper it before serving. It is also served as a curry in some parts of the country.