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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y
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Potato: Potatoes are tuberous vegetable and are available in various varieties - following are the most common and best ones :-
-- Red potatoes have thin red skin and are good for using in curries and boiling.
-- Idaho or Russet potatoes also known as baking potatoes and are good for baking, frying and mashing. They have a thick skin and a dry hard flesh.
Potatoes should be purchased as hard, without sprouts and greenish patch. Store in dry and dark place unto a week. |
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Peppercorns: Black pepper corn is best used as freshly ground or crushed but in some dishes is used as whole. There are many varieties but most common are white, black and green.
Pepper corn is also called the 'king of spices' and mostly grows in southern part of India. They are the fruit of a perennial vine plant which bears white flowers and these flowers give way to berries which are first green and then lightly red in color. These red berries are sun dried to yield the black pepper corns. Green peppers are those which are freshly plucked. White ones are obtained by removing the outer husk of the seeds. White pepper is better than black ones because only the best quality seeds can only be used. Pepper corns are dried whole ones.
30 corns = 1 tea spoon powder |
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Paprika: Paprika (Hungarian name) is a spicy seasoning made from a variety of sweet red Hungarian peppers. Used as a seasoning agent in soups, salads and pizzas. |
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Plum: Plums are juicy citrus fruit available in red, purple, green and yellow color. Available as fresh and also dried (Aloo Bukhara). Dried ones are used in sweets, jams and chutneys. |
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Prawn: Prawns are big size shrimp and are available as fresh and also frozen and cooked. How to use :- Prawns have a dark intestinal vein along the back that should always be removed. -- Wash the Prawns. Peel off the shells with the tips of your finger and discard the shells. -- Using a sharp small knife make a shallow cut along the back of each shrimp. -- Gently pull out the intestinal vein along the back of the Prawn and discard it. |
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Parsley: A very popular herb used for seasoning and garnishing. It is available only as fresh stalks and are of two varieties - curly-leaf type and flat-leaf type. Select only bright green and fresh looking branches. For storing, wash and then allow to dry. Keep the dried branches in a Ziploc freezer bag in the refrigerator.
How to use :-
Hold the leaves together in a tight and compact manner and chop finely with a knife discarding the stems. |
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Paneer (Cottage Cheese): Paneer / Cottage cheese ( also known as ricotta in Italy) although available ready made but there is nothing
tastier than home made paneer. It is made out of milk - whole or skimmed.
To make about 1 lb of paneer take 1 Gallon (US) / 3.78 liter of milk and 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice. In a large thick bottom pan boil milk with stirring. When milk starts to boil reduce heat and add lemon juice slowly with stirring till all the milk separates into water and paneer. Pour over one 15 in x 15 in white clean cloth spread over a sauce pan. Hang the paneer holding on the four corners of the cloth for about half an hour. Gently squeeze out any remaining water and place it on a wooden board. Put another wooden board over and place a weight of about 5 lb and keep like this for about two hour. Remove the paneer from the cloth, now it is ready for use. It is a very versatile ingredient and can be cut into cubes, grated or made into a paste. It can be cooked into delicious curry, stuffed into paratha or Nan. The famous Rosogollas of Bengal is made from paneer paste shaped into rounds and boiling in hot sugar syrup. |
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Pine Apple: Pine apple is very juicy sweet fruit having a very nice flavor. It is a tropical fruit and one plant gives only one fruit in one year. It has a rough skin which is to be removed along with the eyes. Pineapples are available fresh and also are sold in canned as pineapple slices. Pineapple juice is also available as a very refreshing drink. It is also used in sweets, cakes and desserts. |
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Poppy seeds: Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus / Posto) are the seeds of the Poppy plant. The seeds are used in a variety of Indian dishes, sweets and in breads and desserts. These are tiny light seeds. For cooking soak poppy seeds in warm water for about 2 to 3 hour and then grind in an electric grinder with water, salt and green chili or with other spices as required. |
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Pomegranate seed: Pomegranate is a sweet juicy fruit. Shaped like an orange with a thick red skin concealing hundreds of ruby red seeds. The juicy sweet seeds are eaten or squeezed to extract juice. |
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Panch Phoron: Panch-phoron is a mixture of equal quantities of five spices e.g. fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, Nigella seeds (kalo jeera) and aniseeds. This is available in Indian grocery stores. Panch Phoron is traditionally used most often to used to flavor pulses and vegetables, and is often added to hot oil or ghee (clarified butter) to add perfume and flavor. Use sparingly to finish dishes, or mix with warm water to create a paste to brush over meats and flatbreads.
Note:- This is different than Chinese five spices. |
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Pomfret Fish: Pomfret fish is a fresh water fish. Tasty fish and easily available in any Grocery stores (Chinese, or American). |
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Parwal: Small Indian gourd soaked in brine. This Indian vegetable resembles a small cucumber and can be cooked stuffed with a combination of besan or chick pea flour and spices. |
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Puff Pastry Sheet: Ready-to-bake pastry sheets. In US use the one from Pepperidge Farm. |
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Papadi: These are light, thin, crispy pieces made of gram flour. They are light yellow in color and salty but not spicy. They are ideal as a light, crunchy snack with tea or coffee. |
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Pumpkin Flower: Bright yellow color flowers of Pumpkin shrub. |
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Pui shaag: Available in Indian/Bangladeshi grocery stores. |
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Peanut Powder: 1. Rub very little amount of oil on peanuts and roast them in a pan on medium heat or in the oven (quantity as per your requirement) till light brown.
2. Remove their shells when they are warm by rubbing them in hands.
3. After all the shells are removed, grind them in a grinder. The powder is fine or coarse as desired.
This powder can be used to thicken the curries or in raita and chutneys. It lasts more than six months if stored dry at room temperature. |
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Pistachio: A type of nuts |
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Pabda Fish: Fresh water fish, usually not big size. Available frozen in Bangladeshi grocery stores. |
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Powdered Sugar Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-2 tablespoons water. Frost rolls while still warm, it will cook to nice thin glaze. Part of water may be flavoring, if desired. |
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y
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