Whether you are a newbie in the kitchen, looking to expand your repertoire of cooking techniques, or just desirous of more recipe options, a good cookbook that spells out the steps involved in preparing the dishes is a must have. You will find this book doing exactly as described above. There are some cooks my mother is one of them who don t need a cookbook to come up with a delicious recipe because they have the talent and skill to create their own. And then there are cooks like me; easily able to follow a recipe in a cookbook and turnout tasty preparations, but not so good at thinking up new recipe ideas on my own. I don t want to spend too much time figuring out complicated techniques, hunting down exotic ingredients, or dancing around the stove. If you share this kitchen philosophy, you will enjoy following this book; it will make it easy for you to turn out delicious recipes even if you don t possess the skill-set of a TOP CHEF. CONTENTS: UNIT – I : GETTING ACQUAINTED 1. Know Your Way Around 1.1 Utensils 1.2 Appliances 2. Basic Ingredients 2.1 Cereals 2.2 Pulses 2.3 Spices 2.4 Vegetables 2.5Fruits 2.6 Nuts 2.7 Meat, Fish and Eggs 2. Dairy Products 2.9 Beverages 2.10 Decaffeinated Coffee 3. Buying and Storing 4. Checking Food Adulteration 5. Cleanliness 6. Art of Cooking 7. Need for Nutrients 8. Indian Hospitality 9. Hosting a Party 10. An Ideal Kitchen 11. Terms You Should Know UNIT – II : GETTING READY 1. Precooking Process 1.1 Washing 1.2 Peeling 1.3 Cutting 1.4 Slicing 1.5 Shredding 1.6 Dicing 1.7 Mincing 1. 8 Crushing 1.9 Tenderizing 1.10Grating 1.11 Kne ading 1.12 Greasing 2. Cooking Process 2.1 Heating 2.2 Boiling 2.3 Steaming 2.4 Frying 2.5 Baking 2.6 Roasting 2.7 Grilling 2.8 Smoking 2.9 Chilling 3. Post-Cooking Process 3.1 Seasoning 3.2 Garnishing 4 Food Presentation 5 Setting the Table 6. Culinary Terms 7. Cooking Tips 8. Serve Well 9. Eating Etiquette 10. Cooking Queries UNIT – III : START UP 1 Bachelor Cooking. 2 Basic Preparations 2.1 Boiling Rice 2.2 Boiling Eggs 2.3 Boiling Potatoes 2.4 Making Khoya 2.5 Making Ghee 2.6 Making Sugar Syrup (Chashani) 2.7 Making Paneer 2.8 Making curd 2.9 Making Tomato Puree 2.10 Kneading the Dough 3. Simple Beverages 3.1 Tea 3.2 Coffee 3.3 Nimboo Pani 3.4 Sweet Lassi 3.5 Salty Lassi 3.6 Jal Jeera 3.7 Milk Shake 3.8 Pineapple Shikanji 3.9 Fruit Punch 3.10 Aam Panna 3.11 Orange Squash 3.12 Mango Margarita 3.13 Anar Slush 4. Bread Bonanza 4.1 Butter Toast 4.2 Stuffed Toasts 4.3 Garlic Butter Toasts with Tomatoes 4.4 Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich 4.5 Grilled Vegetable Sandwich 4.6 Paneer Sandwich 4.7 Pizza Sandwich 4.8 Grilled Chicken Sandwich 4.9 Ham and Cheese Sandwich 4.10 French Toast 4.11Milk Toasts with Honey 5. E ggs on Plate 5.1 Boiled Egg Chat 5.2 Omlette 5.3 Egg Bhurji 5.4 Egg Roll 5.5 Poached Eggs 5.6 Stuffed Eggs 6. Easy Snacks 6.1 Upma 6.2 Muesli 6.3 Sprouted Beans 6.4 Porridge 6.5 Idli 6.6 Vada 6.7 Dhokla 6.8 Poha 6.9 Mixed Vegetable Pakora 6.10 Potato Bread Roll 6.11 Vegetarian Omlette 6.12 Vegetable Cutlets 6.13 Chicken Roll 7. Hot Tawa 7.1 Chapatti 7.2 Plain Parantha 7.3 Stuffed Aloo/Mooli/Gobhi Parantha 7.4 Pudina Parantha 7.5 Spinach Gobhi Parantha 7.6 Peas Parantha 7.7 Egg Parantha 7.8 Keema Parantha 7.9 Fresh Fruit Parantha 7.10 Milk Parantha 7.11Barfi Parantha 7.12 Stuf fed Moong Dal Pancakes 7.13 Plain Puri 7.14 Tirangi Puri 7.15 Sweet Puri 8. Regular Curries 8.1 Aloo Tamatar Curry 8.2 Dahi Wale Aloo 8.3 Rich Pea Curry 8.4 Dry Jeera Aloo 8.9 Paneer Bhurji 8.10 Yellow Dal 8.11 Dal Fry 8.12 Tad ka Dal 8.13 Simple Rajma Curry 8.14 Maa ki Dal 8.15 Chicken Curry 8.16 Mutton Curry 9. Easy to Cook Rice 9.1 Dal Khichdi 9.2 Vegetable Jeera Pulao 9.3 Chicken Pulao 9.4 Egg Tomato Rice 9.5 Egg Fried Rice 9.6 Curd Rice 10. Sugary Sweets 10.1 Semolina Halwa 10.2 Jaggery Rice 10.3 Rice Kheer 10.4 Sewaiyan 10.5 Fruit Cream. 10.6 Royal Toast 11. Add-ons 11.1 Boondi Raita 11.2 Fruit Raita 11.3 Green Chutney 11.4 Fresh Coconut Chutney 11.5 Green Salad 11.6 Mooli/Adrakh Lachha 11.7 Stuffed Papad Roll UNIT – IV : HANDS ON COOKING OR CHEF’S SPECIAL 1. Beverages/Drinks 1.1 Tea 1.2 Coffee 1.3 Filter Coffee 1.4 Mocktails 1.5 Thandai 1.6 Orange Smoothie 1.7 Ginger Ale 1.8 Hot Chocolate 1.9 Mexican Hot Chocolate 1.10 Kahw 2. Soups 2.1 Vegetarian Soup 2.1 Tomato Soup 2.3 Mixed Vegetable Soup 2.4 Corn and Cream Soup 2.5 Exotic Soup 2.6 ellied Gazpacho Cold Soup 2.7 Non Vegetarian Soups 2.8 Japanese Mizutaki Soup 2.9 Meat Ball Soup 2.10 French Onion Soup 2.11 Chicken Sweet Corn Soup 2.12 Vich yssoise Cold Soup 3. Special Snacks 3.1 Hotdog 3.2 Aloo Tikki Burger 3.3 Hamburger 3.4 Baked Cheese Tartlets 3.5 Stuffed Bread Pakoda 3.6 Bhajia 3.7 Spinach Bhajia 3.8 Moong Dal Pakodi 3.9 Aloo Bonda with Cheese 3.10 Mathri 3.11 Kalami Cakes 3.12 Alo o Kuliyan 3.13 Samosa 3.14 Banana Sago Cakes 3.15 Khasta Kachori 3.16 Stuffed Moong Dal Cheela 4. Dals and Curries 4.1 Cooking a Dal 4.2 Triple Beans Curry 4.3 Dal and Methi Curry 4.4 Dal Diamonds Curry 4.5 Chhol 4.6 Kadhi Pakoda 4.7 Palak Kadhi 4.8 Sindhi Kadhi 4.9 Sambhar 5. Vegetables (Dry) 5.1 Aloo Gobhi 5.2 Aloo Methi. 5.3 Alu Gobhi Methi 5.4 Gobhi Capsicum 5.5 Aloo Capsicum/Aloo Baigan 5.6 Aloo Parwal/ Aloo Beans/Gajar Aloo 5.7 Gajar /Gobhi /Alu Matar 5.8 Mixed Vegetables 5.9 Stuffed Capsicum 5.10 Baigan ka Bhurta 5.11 Pyaz wali Bhindi 5.12 Cheese Stuffed Bhindi 5.13 Arbi Naveli 5.14 Cabbage Matar 5.15 Tinda Masala 5.16 Tinda with Bean Sprouts Stuffing 5.17 Stir Fried Gawarfali 5.18 Ker Sangri 5.19 Mushroom Masala 5.20 Cauliflower Musallam 5.21 tuffed Tomatoes 5.22 Parval Boats 5.23 Capsicum Cooked In Curd 5.24 Vegetable Mince 5.25 Stuffed Karela 5.26 Sweet Kaddu 6. Vegetables (Gravy) 6.1 Simple Alu Curry 6.2 Aloo Matar Curry 6.3 Katahal Cashew Curry 6.4 Bharwan Lauki 6.5 Onion Turai 6.6 Lauki ke Kofte 6.7 Malai Kofta 6.8 Jimikand Pea Kofta 6.9 Matar Mangodi 6.10 Kashmiri Dum Aloo 7. Paneer 7.1 Paneer Mushroom Capsicum 7.2 Palak Paneer 7.3 Matar Paneer 7.4 Kadhai Paneer 7.5 Shahi Paneer 7.6 Paneer Tikka 7.7 Hariyali Butter Paneer 7.8 Green Chilli Paneer 8. Eggs 8.1 Cheesy Scotch Eggs 8.2 French Omelette 8.3 Scrambled Egg Cups 8.4 Egg Curry 8.5 Egg Penguin 8.6 Boiled Egg Jester 9. Meat/Seafood 9.1 Shami Kababs 9.2 Seekh Kababs 9.3 Mutton Chops 9.4 Tandoori Chicke 9.5 Chicken Tikka 9.6 Chicken Curry 9.7 Butter Chicken 9. 8 Fish Fingers 9.9 Fish Chops 9.10 Baked Fish Fillets 9.11 Keema Kaleji 9.12 Rogan Josh 9.13 Keema Kofta Curry 9.14 Fish Curry 9.15 Prawn Curry 10. Rice 10.1 Vegetable Pulao 10.2 Matar Mangodi Pulao 10.3 Vegetable Fried rice 10.4 Mushroom Pulao 10.5 Hyderabadi Biryani 10.6 Spanish Rice 11. Basic Breads 11.1 Lachha Parantha 11.2 Missi Roti 11.3 Roomali Roti 11.4 Kachori (Dal) 11.5 Pea Kachori 11.6 Naan 12. Salads 12.1 Salad Boat 12.2 Bouquet of Salad 12.3 Fruit Salad 12.4 Mixed Salad Bowl 12.5 Russian Salad 12.6 Sprouted Moong Salad 12.7 Chicken Salad 13. Raita 13.1 Cucumber Raita 13.2 Mixed Fruit Raita 13.3 Aloo Raita 13.4 Bathua Raita 13.5 Dahi Vada 14. Desserts 14.1 Carrot Halwa 14.2 Kulfi 14.3 Fruit Custard 14.4 Moong Burfi 14.5 Coconut Burfi 14.6 Badam Halwa 14.7 Special Besan Laddoo 14.8 Phirni UNIT–V SPECIAL CUISINES 1. Mughlai Cuisine 2. Chinese Cuisine 3 Italian Cuisine 4 Mexican Cuisine 5. Thai Cuisine 6. South India Special 7. North India Special 8. East India Special 9. West India Special 10. Street Food 11. Vrat ka khana 12. Baby Foods 13. Low Calorie Foods 14. Cakes and Cookies 15. Breads 16. Desserts and Puddings 1. Jams, Sauces And Pickles UNIT–VI GREAT COMBOS 1. Planning a Meal 2. Breakfast 3. Lunch/Dinner 4. Tiffin 4.1 Annexures–1 Conversion of Measurement. 4.2 Annexure–2 Calorific Values . 4.3 Annexure–3 Cholesterol Content of Animal Foods 4.4 Annexure–4 Fat contents of Commonly used Vegetable Oils and Ghee 4.5 Annexure–5 Nutritive Value of Foods 4.6 Annexure–6 Glossary of Food Items