A few daily tips

Here are a few tips you can use in the kitchen:

1.  Beef is tougher than lamb.  When cooking in the pressure cooker 1 lb. of beef, it takes about 5-6 whistles for the meat to become tender whereas when cooking 1 lb. lamb, it takes about 3 whistles for the meat to become tender.  That’ll save you about 10-15 mins!

2.  Here is a list of ingredients you should always have in your kitchen.  With these basics, you can cook up any indopak meal at anytime!

• Pyaz (Onions)
• Namak (Salt)
• Laal Mirch (Cayenne Pepper)
• Haldi (Turmeric Powder)
• Adrak Laysan (Ginger and Garlic Paste)
• Hara Dhania (Cilantro)
• Hari Mirch (Jalapeno Peppers)
• Garam Masala (mostly found in Indian Stores)
• Tomatoes
• Lemon Juice
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Dried Red Chilies
• Zeera Seeds (Cumin Seeds)
• Kari Patta (Curry Tea Leaves)
• Dhania Seeds (Coriander Seeds)
• Elaichi (Cardamom)
• Laung (Cloves)

All these ingredients can be used to make various Indo-pak meat and vegetable dishes!  There are many more spices that are used to make complex dishes, however, these are pretty basic for everyday dishes.

I hope this is useful, especially for those of you who just started getting your kitchen supplies together :o)

Welcome to Nisa’s Home Cooking!

Hey Everyone,

This blog is primarily for those girls (or guys) who want to cook for their family, or even for themselves, but don’t know where to start. I will try to provide easy step-by-step instructions on how to cook Indo-Pak, Mexican, Italian, and Arab dishes, including appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Feel free to comment with questions or suggestions.

My first bit of advice:

INVEST IN A PRESSURE COOKER!  Depending on the size of the pressure cooker, you can buy one from an Indian Store starting at $20.  A pressure cooker works by building up pressure from steam in the pot, which cooks food at a very high temperature. This method can cut cooking time by up to two-thirds!