I enjoy cooking (at times), so I am really keen on starting a recipes section on my blog. But, before I do so, I think it would be a good idea to share a few pointers, in terms of cooking for a South Asian diet – although most of these can be applied to cooking in general.

Some of these tips I have picked up from family, and others from Google searches and good old YouTube clips, but mostly they have come from personal experience, i.e. trial and error. I am by no means an expert, but I have improved immensely over the past few years, and this has all come from practice. I truly believe everyone can learn to cook, it’s just a matter of trying and giving it a few goes, experimenting and having some fun along the way.

Being a mum I also appreciate efficiency in the kitchen. Yes it would be nice to be able to make seven different kinds of curry, homemade naan and a side dipping sauce, all in one day but…ain’t nobody got time for that. I’m just happy with a well-balanced meal and a [sort-of] tidy kitchen. But even for that you need to know how to use time well.

So if you are looking to venture into the land of the kitchen but not spend all day in there, I recommend you take note of these pearls of wisdom…

Be opportunistic

Tidy as you go along, rather than piling it all up to do it at the end. Don’t be idle. Multitask wherever you can e.g. dry the dishes while you are waiting for the kettle to boil.

Safety first

Always maintain safety in cutting by placing foods flat side down on the board when possible. It’s just not worth slicing your fingers to save the seconds it takes to turn a vegetable around to sit flat. Keep your fingers as far away as possible from the knife blade when cutting. Wash, dry and put knives back in drawers as soon as they are no longer needed. Use the back hobs of the stove, when possible, especially when frying. Always be especially aware of sharp and hot objects and foods when children are around.

Onions: slice ’em or dice ’em?

If you are looking to brown them quickly then the aim is to cut them in a way that increases the surface area. So in theory, slicing and dicing both work for this purpose. Personally, I find that slicing onions finely works best. But see what works for you. It may take a bit of patience and practise to perfect the art of cutting them thinly. Whatever you do, do not blend them to a liquid consistency. You may think this is a great idea, like my husband and I once did, but all this will do is release water to your curry and dilute it, and it definitely won’t help the onions to brown.

Blue Ginger is really a thing

I am ashamed to say found this out after throwing out many pieces of ginger I thought had gone off due to the tinge of blue they had on them. After googling it I realised they were supposed to look like that. What do you know, the restaurant name makes sense now! (You’ll get it if you are a North Londoner)

The mini grater is one of the greatest inventions

It is a handheld kitchen tool and I use it to grate fresh ginger and garlic. It makes a big difference in taste to use fresh grated/minced ginger and garlic as opposed to fresh sliced or store brought jars. My rule of thumb is to use three cloves of garlic and one inch of ginger for every 1kg of red meat or chicken. It takes less than a minute to grate this amount. And this nifty gadget is easier to handle and clean than a standard grater. I also use it to grate lemons when the recipe calls for zest. Works perfectly!

Defrosting hack

I am a bit of an oddball when it comes to defrosting raw red meat/chicken/fish and try to make sure to stick to the guidance of defrosting the packet in a bowl of water and changing the water every two hours to avoid the frozen food sitting at room temperature and potentially going off, especially with the warm climate in mind. Did that all just sound like blah blah blah to you or are you like me? Sometimes it seems no one else seems to care about this defrosting business and I am a worry guts! And since having a child…ain’t nobody got time for all that water changing. Plus it’s a waste of water! What’s easier and keeps me worry-free, is to place the packet in a bowl of water and stick it in the refrigerator, leaving it to defrost during the day for a few hours. I turn the packet over halfway so that it is evenly defrosted. This way the water does not need to be changed and I can remain assured that the temperature will never come down to room temperature. If you plan ahead you could even defrost the packet in the fridge over 24 hours, without the need for adding any water.

S q u e e z e the water out

…from the raw chicken pieces before placing them in the pan. This will ensure that the spices coat and flavour the chicken well and through. You can always add water later if you would like a more saucy/thin curry, after the chicken has absorbed the flavours from the spices. If you do not squeeze the water out, some water may release at the beginning of the cooking process, thereby diluting your curry and diminishing the overall flavour.

The base of any chicken curry

This is also known as the “masala” part of the curry. Most South Asianers will agree it goes like so:
Fry dry garam masala ingredients (curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks seeds etc.) for a minute
Add sliced/chopped onions, garlic and ginger, and fry until onions begin browning
Add salt (adding early will speed up onion browning)
Add spices and fry for a minute
Add sliced/chopped tomato and fry until the tomato has softened
THEN add the chicken

The perfect meat curry

Heat oil in a pan
Add sliced onions (these do not even need to be thinly sliced, thick cuts work just as well), ginger, garlic, meat and dry garam masala ingredients
Cover with enough water to cover the meat and cook on medium flame, covered
In the last half an hour of cooking add the spices
That’s it!

Biryani life hack

I truly think I invented this method of cooking biryani:
Cook the biryani meat
Toward the end of the cooking process separate the meat from the stock and cook the rice in the stock using the same liquid to rice ratio you use when cooking rice normally with water – top up with water if necessary
Mix together the rice and meat when both are cooked
Voila! Flavoursome rice and no need to worry about cooking the rice and meat together.

Timing is everything

General cooking times:
Chicken: 50 minutes
Red meat: Minimum 1.5 hours
Fish: 30 minutes
Vegetable: Generally can range 15-30 minutes depending on type and cut
Rice: 18-22 minutes – the best way to check rice is done is by checking whether it has become fluffy on top, and the rice on the surface has begun curling, where the tips are visibly darker, almost like shadows

Don’t forget hot water

Using hot water when you are required to add water to cooking will ensure that the temperature remains constant and does not drop suddenly, and thus the meat/chicken/fish is cooking for the entire period.

My favourite ingredients that enhance flavour

Lemon juice and zest
Coconut milk
Chicken stock cubes (these are a good alternative to wine in recipes)

Keep yourself entertained

Immerse yourself in something fun when doing otherwise mundane tasks whilst cooking. You won’t be able to keep looking at a screen for very long so try listening to something instead of watching. You could listen to music or a podcast, but personally I prefer following an audio book. Sometimes my daughter just sits in her corner and we just chat and that’s the best!

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Sahtain!
(A common phrase in Arabic that roughly translates to Bon Appétit)