Culinary Inspiration by Otao Kitchen

As you might already know, we can waste a lot of food if we don't plan well. Groceries are one of our biggest expenses and you want to make sure you never short on food. Also, cooking your own food is much less expensive than eating out however you don't want to lose time and energy for unnecessary steps. 

Getting organised is the first step towards making cooking an enjoyable experience. Just like in a professional kitchen, all the elements of a home kitchen must work in an orchestrated flow to make staying organised and cleaning easier, which will give you more time to focus on the fun stuff. 

What Is Blanching?

Blanching is a cooking process in which food is immersed in boiling water (or sometimes oil) and removed after a brief time. It is then plunged into an iced water bath or positioned under cold running water. This term is known as ‘shocking’ or ‘refreshing’, which immediately stops the cooking process. Reasons to blanch vegetables might be to soften them, loosen the skin to make peeling easier, or simply to brighten the colour. 

The term ‘noodles’ was manufactured in the west, describing foods that are long and stringy. However, in China, a noodle is not called a ‘noodle’, it is called ‘miàn’ or ‘mein’. Miàn is not related to the shape of the food, but the fact it is made from flour in a liquid. Funnily enough in this sense, dumplings and tortellini are both are miàn! The Malaysian word ‘mee’ is derived from the Chinese name.

To know how to best store your herbs, fist you have to determine if they are classed as tender or hard. Tender (or soft) herbs have soft stems and leaves found in herbs like coriander, parsley, basil, mint and tarragon. Hard (aka firm, hardy or woody) herbs have a woody stem such as rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano.

Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food at high pressure, by using a liquid (usually water, stock, wine or a combination) in a specialty cooking pot called a pressure cooker. Just about any ingredient that can be steamed or has the ability to be cooked with liquids, can be pressure cooked.

One popular spice mix is garam masala, a powdered blend that typically has five or more dried spices. These can include cardamom, black pepper, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Each culinary region (even household) has a distinctive garam masala blend and individual chefs will also have their own. This spice blend has so many uses.

Chaat Masala is used in cooking and sprinkled on top of Indian snacks for a real flavour kick!

Flatbreads are one of the simplest forms of bread to make at home. They make an all-purpose accompaniment to any meal, which is why most cultures around the world have their own version. Their uses range from sandwiches and wraps, to mopping up stews, soups, curries and sauces. Here are our 4 favourite varieties of flatbread from the Indian subcontinent!

Generally, legumes and pulses refer to the same group of foods, but there are a few minor differences. The word ‘pulse’ describes crops harvested for their dry grains, such as lentils or chickpeas. Pulses are part of the legume family, but the name ‘pulse’ refers only to the dried inner seed. The term ‘legume’ includes those dry grains, as well as fresh peas, beans and crops such as soya beans and peanuts. Think of legumes as the plants whose fruit is enclosed in a pod.