Preservation of food

Preservation of food has always concerned the women of the household in the old days.
Now as women and men both cook, it is shared equally by everybody.

Remember the days without a refrigerator?
The food that went bad in summer was quickly categorized: milk, potatoes, lentil dishes especially sambar.
There was a way to deal with everything:
Potatoes were cooked for one meal, the remainder kept near an open window where a lot of air came through. Lentils got the same treatment.
Milk was boiled 3-4 times a day and the vessel it was boiled in washed thoroughly, inspected carefully and then water boiled in it and discarded before the milkman arrived.

Then came the first Frigidaires and Kelvinators and life changed. The freezer compartment was so small though that other than making ice and ice cream, it had no space for anything else.
It wasn't till I came to America that I realized how much could be and was frozen.
As life got busier, I too cooked in large batches and stored food in the freezer.
I used it for storing food that we grew in summer: chopped tomatoes, fried eggplant, blanched green beans.
Besides freezing,bottling, canning, drying and salting food also help extend it's life.
In India my mother used the summer months to make pickle with limes and mangoes.
I remember my surprise when my mother told me people from Rajasthan and Sindh pickled every vegetable imaginable. I later realized it was because they didn't get these things all year round like we did in the South.
How intelligent they all were.

The main question about extending the shelf, refrigerator, or freezer life of any food is how long can we keep it after that.
Spices have been found beside the bodies of entombed Pharaohs that are still usable.
Pickles my cousins tell me are usable upto three years...these are the ones that are made the traditional way and stored in jars.
Once I got here, I had my own way of keeping things...I got all the spices, pickles and powders I could when I visited India and then kept them refrigerated till my next trip home. I still do that till someone brings me replacements or I buy them.
As far as I can remember nothing has spoiled.

How long should one keep things is the main question?
When the dals I bought started showing signs of insect infestation, I would throw them out. Then I got this tip: store the bags in the freezer for two weeks, then take out and all the eggs will be killed. I went two steps further: one I put every single item from the Indian grocery store into the freezer for two week, even flour and rice, two I store it all in my spare refrigerator. I have noticed that the two week freezer treatment prevents the spread of tiny insects which make all good cooks go UGH!
While veggies get moldy or change color or start smelling, dry ingredients don't have too many signs.
With dry ingredients, I'm careful to store properly and then check carefully before using. The slightest change in appearance or smell and the packet is off to the trash can.
With meat and fish in the freezer, the rule is now three months at the mo though I know people who buy and store their meat for a year or more.

Recently my niece sent me a link to a site which should help us all with this ongoing question.
Here's the link: http://stilltasty.com/




Here's to healthy eating!

KESARI

KESARI is a delicacy that can be enjoyed by one and all. Traditionally, Hindus make and serve it as prasad (food that is eaten after being offered to God). In our home it was made on every full moon day for a special prayer, and we kids loved it. Efforts to duplicate the way my mother made it, come in at second best. (Can anyone duplicate a mother's dishes exactly?)
The name kesari comes from 'made with kesar' (saffron), which gives this dish it's light creamy color.

Rawa or Sooji is the main ingredient. For those who don't have an Indian store near them, cream of wheat is an adequate substitute.
For those of you buying rawa/sooji, please make sure it is the medium coarse variety.
The very fine one and the large kind make for a different taste, so as Goldilocks would say the rawa for this dish has to be medium coarse to be 'just right'.

Originally this dish had to be made with equal quantities of rawa, sugar, ghee and water.
It would be drowned in ghee.
Over the years I have adapted this dish to our health needs, and here's the final recipe I use now.

1 cup rawa/sooji
3/4 cup sugar (if you have a very, very sweet tooth use 1 cup).
(I have used Splenda instead of sugar, with great results too).
1/2 to 3/4 cup ghee (melted and strained butter).
(Ghee can be made at home or bought in an Indian grocery store).
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk.
1/4 cup raisins, (wash and soak 5 mins).
1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
1/4 cup cashewnuts.
1 tsp cardamom powder.
One pinch (2-3 strands) saffron.

Mix milk and water. Put saffron in and boil two minutes.
In a small pan fry almonds, cashewnuts and raisins separately till light brown.
Raisins burn quickly so watch carefully, or omit this step.
This can be done in a bowl in the microwave as long as you watch and stir every thirty seconds till you get the right color.
Remove and keep aside.

Assemble all ingredients and keep by stove before you start this dish.
In a large pan, on medium heat, fry rawa with cardamom powder, stirring constantly for 5-7 mins.
It should not turn brown but just start smelling heavenly.
(Overfried rawa will have an overdone taste).
Add ghee and fry for 3 mins.
Add water, milk, and raisins, stirring constantly till done...there should be no lumps.
When all the liquid is absorbed, add sugar.
Mix and leave on medium low for 5-7 minutes.
Stir halfway through, as it will stick to the bottom of the pan otherwise...this crust is delicious too and some insist it belongs to those who offer to wash the pan!

Remove kesari from stove and transfer to a glass dish. Sprinkle with nuts or mix them in.
Heat before serving. Enjoy.

Note: This is a quick dessert to make.
Amount of ghee can be lessened further to suit your needs.
The raisins make the kesari sweet, so amount of sugar can be adjusted to taste.
Freezes and re-heats well.

TIPS: Roast rawa without ghee, cool and store the day before.
Fry nuts/raisins the day before too.
If you HAVE to use the fine rawa reduce milk and water so total liquid to rawa proportion is 1:1.
If you HAVE to use the coarse rawa/cream of wheat, liquid to rawa proportion should be 2:1 (liquid being 2)