Add sauce to a dish

WHEN you use these commonly known sauces in your dishes often, they make you a cookery expert instantly. The sauces are delicious, rich and convenient to use. When used liberally over a salad, main dishes and desserts, they enhance the look, texture and taste of the dish. Learn the trick and be sauce friendly.

Eggless Mayonnaise sauce

Ingredients:

Fresh cream 200 g Mustard powder 2 tsps Salt 1/2 tsp Powdered sugar 3 tbsps Salad oil 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz.). White vinegar 3 tsps A few drops yellow colour

Method:

Take fresh cream in a vessel and add mustard powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Put this vessel over crushed ice and beat with an eggbeater till it is a little thick. Gradually add salad oil and beat further till it is completely absorbed in the cream to make a sauce-like consistency. Add and mix properly the vinegar and yellow colour. Pour in an airtight jar and store in the fridge.

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Mexican red salsa (sauce) (Makes 1-1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

Oil 2 tbsps Onions, chopped 1/2 cup. Garlic, flaked 2-3 cloves. Hot green chillies minced 3-4 Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Tomato puree (canned) 1/2 cup Water 3/4 cup Flour 1 tbsp Salt to taste Sugar 1 tbsp Oregano 1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat oil, add onion, garlic, chillies and cumin seeds. Fry till soft. Add tomato puree. Mix water with flour and stir in. Add salt to taste, sugar and oregano. Stir till a sauce-like consistency is reached. Remove from heat and cool.

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Italian pizza sauce (Makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

Butter 2 tbsps Chopped onion 1/2 cup Chopped garlic 1 tbsp Fresh tomato juice 2 cups Corn flour 2 tbsps Salt to taste Sugar 1 tsp Black pepper powder 1/3 tsp Red chilli powder 2 tsps Oregano flakes 1 tbsp

Method:

Melt butter and add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add tomato juice and the rest of the ingredients except the corn flour. Melt the corn flour in a little water and add to the boiling sauce. Cook for a few minutes till the sauce is fairly thick. Remove, cool and store.

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Pineapple sauce (Makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

Pineapple slices (450 g) 1 small can Sugar 1/2 cup Corn flour 1 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp A few drops yellow colour and pineapple essence

Method:

Take out pineapple slices from the syrup. Drain and cut into small pieces. Combine all the syrup from the can, sugar, corn flour, butter and lemon juice in a vessel. Heat on gas till sugar dissolves and the sauce is thick. Cool sauce and mix in pineapple essence and yellow colour. Cool to room temperature. Use to serve on pineapple or vanilla ice cream. Garnish with cherry.

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Chocolate sauce (Makes 1 cup)

Ingredients:

Drinking chocolate 2 tbsps Cocoa powder 1 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Sugar 1/4 cup Corn flour 1 tbsp Milk 1 cup

Method:

Add all the ingredients in a vessel. Heat on gas, stirring continuously till the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Use over vanilla ice cream.

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Home tips

- Rub your diamonds with toothpaste and wash in clean water. Sparkle is guaranteed.

- If your shower curtain has mould on it, soak in a bucket of water with half a cup of bleach dissolved in 10 litres of water. Leave overnight and wash in the morning.

- To clean blender and mixer bowls after use, add a cup of water and run for a few seconds.

- Soyabean granules are highly nutritious, use to thicken gravies and soups. Here is a handy tip to use them easily. Before use, soak in water and crush to make a smooth paste. Add as required.

- Do not throw away an old shaving brush. Use it to clean the hard to reach corners in ovens.

- Storing flour in dry ziplock bags in the refrigerator makes it insect-proof. It also stays fresh longer.

- Place a kitchen towel under the rolling board while making chapatis. The board will not move around.

- Roasted wheat flour can be used in small quantities to thicken gravies. You can do the same thing if you have added extra salt to a dish.

- If curds are too sour, strain the whey in a fine mesh colander. Transfer to a container, add enough milk and beat well. Add the whey to dough for softer chapatis.

- A difficult stain? Moisten it, rub with tomato juice and see it vanish.

- Use potato skin to clean a mirror. After rubbing, finish with a soft, moist cloth.

- Before cooking dal, rice or pasta, rub the insides of the vessel or pressure cooker with a little oil. This will prevent it from boiling over.

- Want your brass artefacts to shine? Apply a paste of tamarind and scrub well with powdered mango leaves. Wash in cold water and dry with soft and thin cotton.

- Does your cutting board smell? Rub with half a lime.

- While washing greasy vessels, sprinkle salt on the scrubber.

- Hard pressed for time? You need not have to soak almonds overnight. Soak them in warm water for just five hours. (Caution: Very hot water discolours the almonds.)

- Remove stains on wood polished furniture by applying shoe polish of the same shade. Shine with a soft shoe brush. If the stain is too old or obvious, first use sandpaper.

- Invert cakes and jellies from moulds the following way. Loosen from the the sides using a knife if it is a cake; if a jelly dip the mould in hot water for a few seconds. Place serving dish inverted over mouth of mould. Invert quickly keeping mould and plate together. Tap gently if still stuck.

- White vinegar removes perspiration stains. Wash the garment later.

- Dip butter wrapping in hot water and dry. Use as butter paper.

Courtesy: www.bawarchi.com

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