target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_01360b09-981a-501f-b902-87e531e2729e.jpg" alt=""/> I use plain iodized table salt in all of my recipes. Salt to taste. You may also use kosher salt or sea salt if you prefer. Both are coarser than table salt, so you will need to add a pinch or so more that what is indicated in the recipes for equal seasoning.
Basic Techniques
If you run across a recipe and wonder how to cut a carrot into matchsticks, deal with a whole garlic bulb, roast spices, or even the difference between cubing, dicing, chopping and mincing, this section is the place to find the answers!
Roasting, Grinding, and Peeling Whole Spices
Cardamom Pods
To open a cardamom pod, place it on a cutting board. Place a small knife on its side flat on top of the cardamom and press on the knife to crack the pod open. Pry it apart with your fingers and remove the black seeds.
If you need to crush the seeds for a recipe, use a mortar and pestle to coarsely crush the seeds. Alternatively, put the seeds in a plastic bag. Put the bag on a cutting board and hit with a rolling pin until the seeds are coarsely crushed.
Roasting Whole Spices
Roasting spices is a common Indian technique used to deepen and bring out the flavors of the spices. The intense aroma given off by the spices while roasting and grinding them is amazing! It is best to roast and grind spices just when you plan to use them, since they lose their potency over time.
1 Place a small skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is heated, add the whole spices. Roast the spices until they are fragrant, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. (Roast cumin seeds until they are dark brown, but not burnt.) Transfer the spices to a bowl and let cool before grinding.
2 Place the spices in a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Alternatively, put the spices on a small piece of foil, fold the foil over the seeds, and roll a rolling pin over them to crush the spices into a fine powder. You can also use an electric coffee or spice grinder. (In some recipes, spices are ground without roasting, such as mustard seeds.)
3 Use now or place in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
Freezing Raw Vegetables
Fresh vegetables may be frozen if you will not be able to use them soon. My mother always has more tomatoes than she can cook in her garden, so she simply washes them and puts them in freezer-safe plastic bags and places it in her freezer for up to a month. When she is ready to cook with them, she thaws them by bringing them out at room temperature, and then she cooks with them. Similarly, most vegetables may be frozen such as okra, eggplant, and opo squash. You may freeze these vegetables whole, without cutting them up. Blanching is used to set the color and flavor of vegetables before freezing, but I do not find it necessary.
Preparing Dried Beans
Kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, and black-eyed peas.
1 Place the dried beans on a plate. Sift through them and remove any grit or blemished beans.
2 Transfer the beans to a large bowl. Rinse the beans three times by repeatedly filling the bowl with cold water and carefully draining off the water. Add cold water to cover the beans. Discard any beans that float to the top of the water. Cover the bowl and let soak overnight at room temperature to allow the beans to expand and become tender.
3 The next morning, place a colander in the sink. Pour the soaked beans into the colander and rinse thoroughly.
4 Place the drained beans, 4 cups (1 liter) water and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. It is okay if the water gets frothy. (For kidney beans use 5 cups (1.25 liters) of water.)
5 Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the saucepan. Simmer until the beans are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
6 Keep 2 cups (500 ml) of the cooking liquid (broth) and discard the rest. If for some reason you do not have at least 2 cups (500 ml) of the cooking liquid, add some water to make up the balance. (For black-eyed peas keep 1½ cups (375 ml) of the cooking liquid.)
Blanching and Slivering Almonds
Though referred to as nuts," almonds are actually the dry fruit from the almond tree. In this book, I use almonds that have been blanched and slivered, which means the brown skin has been removed (blanched) and the almond is sliced into thin longitudinal strips (slivered). Blanched and slivered almonds are usually found in small clear packets in the baking section of grocery stores. If you do not find them, it's easy to blanch whole almonds at home as described here. My mother tells me eating almonds improves your memory, and that it is good to eat a few daily. She soaks them overnight in water, peels and eats them along with her breakfast.
To blanch almonds, immerse them in a small bowl of water and microwave them on normal level for 1 minute. Let them cool and then remove the skin with your fingers (the skin should easily slip off). You can also immerse the almonds in water in a small saucepan and boil them on the stovetop for two minutes. Let them cool and then slip the skin off with your fingers. Alternatively, let the almonds sit overnight at room temperature in a small bowl with water. In the morning the almonds will be puffed up and tender, and the skin can be easily slipped off with your fingers.
To sliver the blanched almonds, place an almond on a cutting board and use a knife to cut the almond lengthwise into thin strips. Repeat with the other almonds.
Grating, Chopping, and Peeling
Ginger
Using the sharp edge of a small knife or the side edge of a small spoon, scrape off the thin tan skin from just the amount of ginger you want to grate. Grate it using a microplane or on the small holes of a box grater.
Grating
Grating means to shred, and produce, like onions, carrots and ginger can be grated. It can be done using a box grater or mini food processor. Before grating, peel the onion, ginger or carrot (peeling carrots is optional). Use the largest holes on a box grater for onions,
