[Aroy]

I make a strong brew of coffee - full share of coffee and sugar in 1/4 cup water. Then pour it over cold milk with ice cubes in it. If you want it colder, freeze the milk in ice tray and use the milk cubes instead of ice.

[carboy]

People who can cook both South Indian "aval upma" and "Maharashtrian kanda/batata poha", what do you think is the main diff in the recipes or cooking method?

[bblost]

Many years back.
I was home alone and asked a friend to join me to play video games.

Since my family was gone for a couple of days, the refrigerator was stocked with a lot of milk.

I made close to 2 liters of cold coffee.
Milk and ice with coffee powder in the blender.

Friend did not come home. I ended up playing video games with coffee power for like 20 plus hours. Be careful with coffee. lol

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by carboy

People who can cook both South Indian "aval upma" and "Maharashtrian kanda/batata poha", what do you think is the main diff in the recipes or cooking method?

In aval upma / avalakki uppittu it is
- curry leaves, mustard, chopped green chillies (or dry red chillies) and udad dal as tadka (chopped onions is optional)
- tamarind water as souring agent
- grated coconut as garnish

In Kanda / Batata Poha,
- Hing (asafoetida), chopped onions, sometimes Jeera (cumin), apart from mustard and chopped green chillies as tadka (curry leaves are optional)
- lemon juice is the souring agent
- chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

In aval upma / avalakki uppittu it is
- curry leaves, mustard, chopped green chillies (or dry red chillies) and udad dal as tadka (chopped onions is optional)
- tamarind water as souring agent
- grated coconut as garnish

In Kanda / Batata Poha,
- Hing (asafoetida), chopped onions, sometimes Jeera (cumin), apart from mustard and chopped green chillies as tadka (curry leaves are optional)
- lemon juice is the souring agent
- chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

Thanks, Der Alte. Is everything else (soaking, cooking method etc the same)? Asking because I see the texture of the cooked poha also different between the 2. I have seen the Aval Upma's poha get to a more swollen state as compared to the Maharashtrian Poha.

Another question is about the difference between the thin and thick Poha (raw material) you get at the grocers. Which is the preferred one for either of these dishes?

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by carboy

... Is everything else (soaking, cooking method etc the same)? ... difference between the thin and thick Poha (raw material) ... Which is the preferred one for either of these dishes?

Yes, the process is the same. The difference could be for how long is the beaten rice soaked, and hence the fluffiness of the final dish.

The thick one is preferred - the thin one goes mushy too fast on soaking. Soak for a short while (1 min), and let stand for 10 mins to allow the moisture to penetrate. Then fluff up the soaked poha by hand before putting it into the tadka and mixing. Tamarind juice goes in while on the heat, whereas lemon juice is added after taking it off. Garnish after taking off the heat.

Poha is the fastest-to-prepare savoury snack dish I know of. Alas, it is also the fastest to get digested. I usually have breakfast around 7:30AM, and if I eat this I am hungry again by 9AM!!!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Yes, the process is the same. The difference could be for how long is the beaten rice soaked, and hence the fluffiness of the final dish.

The thick one is preferred - the thin one goes mushy too fast on soaking. Soak for a short while (1 min), and let stand for 10 mins to allow the moisture to penetrate.

I got what the shopkeeper told me was thick poha - here is a link - http://i.imgur.com/k6XCB8u.jpg

But my poha ended up mushy and swollen and soft. I washed for a minute and let it stand for 10 minutes. So is the poha in the photo correct or have I been given the wrong poha? Anything else I could be doing wrong?

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Then fluff up the soaked poha by hand before putting it into the tadka and mixing.

What do you mean by fluff up?

[DCEite]

Any Chilli Mushroom fry recipies out here ? :-)

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by carboy

... So is the poha in the photo correct or have I been given the wrong poha? Anything else I could be doing wrong? ...

The poha seems to be correct. Washed? No, just dunk into a bowl of water, wait a minute, take out and put in seive or something that drains the excess water.

Originally Posted by carboy

... What do you mean by fluff up?

Run your hand / fingers in and out of the poha in a circular motion (just like beating eggs, but very slowly), so that you are kind of incorporating air into the mass, and breaking up wet clumps.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

In aval upma / avalakki uppittu it is
- curry leaves, mustard, chopped green chillies (or dry red chillies) and udad dal as tadka (chopped onions is optional)
- tamarind water as souring agent
- grated coconut as garnish

In Kanda / Batata Poha,
- Hing (asafoetida), chopped onions, sometimes Jeera (cumin), apart from mustard and chopped green chillies as tadka (curry leaves are optional)
- lemon juice is the souring agent
- chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

To the avalakki, you can fry peanuts while doing thadka, it will make it tasty (plus protein in a carb meal). Coriander is also added as garnish plus lime. Onion is must. Usually tamarind is not used since too much of these liquids will make it mushy. My mother also adds grated carrots sometimes.

[fine69]

Why is it that when I cook chicken with bone the result is a soft tasty chicken but when I cook chicken breasts (boneless) they get hard like rubber. I know I need to stop cooking at the right time else it starts getting rubbery but this doesn't happen with the chicken w/ bones.

Also, the chicken with bone continues to be soft on the 2nd or 3rd day but the chicken breasts get rubbery the very next day only.

Can anyone relate to this?

[DCEite]

Guys,

Could anyone tell me the difference between Cornflour and Cornstarch, and the role they play in cooking - specially indo-chinese preparations like chilli potato/chilli paneer/baby corn etc. ?

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Guys,

Could anyone tell me the difference between Cornflour and Cornstarch, and the role they play in cooking - specially indo-chinese preparations like chilli potato/chilli paneer/baby corn etc. ?

Corn flour generally leaves an aftertaste in the dishes made. So have to be careful in the quantity to be used. So corn starch is preferred more as a thickener of broth or juice.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Corn flour generally leaves an aftertaste in the dishes made. So have to be careful in the quantity to be used. So corn starch is preferred more as a thickener of broth or juice.

Its a bit confusing actually. The wikipedia page says that its called Cornstarch in US and cornflour in UK. So both actually refer to the same thing as per Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_starch

But still, even if there is a difference, and if corn starch is the recommended thickening agent for Indo-Chinese recipies - my question is - is it easily available in stores? In my knowledge cornflour (makki ka atta) is the most widely sold in groceries.

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by DCEite

But still, even if there is a difference, and if corn starch is the recommended thickening agent for Indo-Chinese recipies - my question is - is it easily available in stores? In my knowledge cornflour (makki ka atta) is the most widely sold in groceries.

Yeah I agree that most of the shops sell corn flour but I remember in foodworld or reliance store in bangalore we used to get corn starch as well. In US atleast in the place I stay we get both corn flour and corn starch. Flour comes in a pack(like all the other spices from MDH) and starch comes in a transparent cover in a seperate aisle.