The 'Y' of Indian cooking

[lovecooking]

Hi everyone,
I started cooking just a few years ago ie. after marriage. I have learned a lot when compared to what I knew earlier. I have found information from this hub very helpful. Even though I am better at cooking now, there are still a lot of things that I would like to know.

"Why do we do certain things in our cooking?"

like for eg.
why do we add mustard seeds to oil? Is it to check if oil is hot or does it add a taste to the dish?

We say certain vegetables leave out water, so if we boil such vegetables what happens? Don't they cook well or is that water retained? Are the vegetables healthier that way?

I have a lot of queries. I have started out with a 2 of my nagging doubts. Some may find it silly. But this forum has a lot of great cooks. I am sure that I will get an answer and that will enlighten a lot of people.

I hope that more people will post their 'Y' questions here. I will too. I have many more.

Regards.

[RedPepper]

The mustard seeds do add taste to the dish. You can try to make something without seasoning with mustard seeds next time.
Then see the difference.

I didn't quite understand your second question. Spinach, mushrooms etc. leave out a lot of water when cooked. So we don't have to add extra water while we cook such vegetables. If you boil them in water, you will get it cooked. But why do you want to add more water if the vegetables that already contain water? Do you like to eat it watery?



Hi everyone,
I started cooking just a few years ago ie. after marriage. I have learned a lot when compared to what I knew earlier. I have found information from this hub very helpful. Even though I am better at cooking now, there are still a lot of things that I would like to know.

"Why do we do certain things in our cooking?"

like for eg.
why do we add mustard seeds to oil? Is it to check if oil is hot or does it add a taste to the dish?

We say certain vegetables leave out water, so if we boil such vegetables what happens? Don't they cook well or is that water retained? Are the vegetables healthier that way?

I have a lot of queries. I have started out with a 2 of my nagging doubts. Some may find it silly. But this forum has a lot of great cooks. I am sure that I will get an answer and that will enlighten a lot of people.

I hope that more people will post their 'Y' questions here. I will too. I have many more.

Regards.