ALL ABOUT AARTHI (RT)

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Penang
mum of three angels
Showing posts with label the joys of cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the joys of cooking. Show all posts

Thursday, May 10, 2012

going eggless

recently, i had been experimenting a lot with eggless and vegan cooking/baking. i'm always on the lookout for eggless or vegan recipes, trying them as soon as i could to get the best recipe for each category of our favorite baked delicacies 

ever since dh had turned meatless (he's on the way to become a vegetarian), have been more motivated to bake & cook without eggs 

currently, i have about 7 recipes that i had collected for eggless chocolate cake, of which i had already tried about 5. most of the ingredients are the same except the binding factor, which varies from yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice or condensed milk 

today i discovered another useful site on ingredients to replace eggs, very informative, the link is:-

http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking
 
excerpted from the link: 

"Work out what you want your egg replacement to do. Do you want to replace a whole egg, or just the yolk or just the white? This will help determine what to use in place of the egg product. Eggs have different uses - sometimes they are used for binding, sometimes for leavening (making lighter/fluffier) or sometimes just for the taste. You should also try to be aware of which of these elements you are trying to replace. 

Fruit makes an excellent replacement for eggs - try bananas, apple puree or any high pectin content fruit. Usually 1/4 cup of banana will replace 1 egg. i had used this method successfully numerous times

Tofu is fabulous as a replacement, as it will take on the flavour of whatever you are cooking it with. As a general rule, 1/4 cup of tofu will replace 1 egg. Whip or beat it before adding it to the recipe. Make sure to use silken tofu - firmer types will not blend well. You can also use 1/4 cup of soy yogurt per egg. tried once, also successful

Grind 1 tbsp whole flax seeds (or use 2 1/2 tbsp pre-ground flaxseed) and combine with 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Make sure that the mixture has gelled before using it. Some people recommend simmering the two items together to thicken this mix. on my waiting list

For a replacement for just the egg white, mix 1 tbsp plain agar powder (available from health food stores/Chinese stores etc) with 1 tbsp water. Whip together, chill it and then whip it again. on my waiting list

Another egg replacement is 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of baking powder. Mix together well before adding. have not tried yet

In savory recipes, such as a vegetarian loaf, try binding agents like mashed potato, tomato paste or rolled oats. These agents help to thicken and gel with the other ingredients. Also bread crumbs, cornmeal/flour, arrowroot and whole-wheat flour are good substitutions. one of my favorites

Apple sauce, canned pumpkin, mashed canned fruit of choice - all of these can be used as an egg replacement in baked goods. These will leave their own flavour of course, so be sure of the taste you want. Fruit can make the baked item heavier, so add a little baking powder if this concerns you. Try the blends of peach/apple; strawberry/apple etc for delicious muffins. have not tried yet

Yogurt? It may sound a little weird, but yogurt indeed can be used as a substitute for eggs. If you use plain, then you will not be able to taste the yogurt, which makes it great for several recipes. Other flavors can still make baking items delicious and fruity." have tried with very good results


Wednesday, July 21, 2010

sunday special

after many months of no real cooking, managed to cook a near proper meal (as in complete meal) last sunday.
shakthi's favorite tomato rice with a new chicken recipe - chicken briyani (thanks to love2cook!) & of course the usual cucumber salad (gave the pineapple a miss as couldnt find any at the market!)

so, here are the pictures.........





well what can i say, it was second helpings for all including doduku!

Friday, July 17, 2009

how to use an oven

been searching for some info on how to use / read oven symbols and its functions. these are some good guides :

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=241
http://www.franke.co.uk/page.aspx?sp=380

some tips:

line at top - top element only
line at bottom - bottom element only
line at top and bottom - conventional oven ie top and bottom elements on
wavy line - grill element
pic of fan - fan only with no heat
pic of fan with a line as well - fan oven

when to use each element is a topic for another post....

till then,
aarthi