Random Glossary

I am writing glossary terms which may occur in my blog. They are random, as I update this page as and when they occur in my recipes.

1. Quinoa: was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.        - Source - wikipedia

2. Kashk:  is a yogurt based ingredient, used in Persian cooking. You will find it at middle eastern stores or where a lot of middle eastern people shop for groceries. Only substitute it if you absolutely cannot find kashk. It is the main ingredient which gives this soup an unforgettable taste. It is salty, so when you add salt to the dish, add less so it gets adjusted when you add kashk.  It is generally found as white dry balls or now in liquid form. Next best substitute to Kashk is sour cream. 

3. Zest : is the skin part of a lime/lemon/orange. Wash the fruit well and grate the skin part, that becomes the zest. Be very careful not to grate the white part of the fruit, it will make the whole dish bitter. Use light pressure when you grate, so that you get only the upper layer of skin grated. Adding zest to your cooking adds exceptional aroma and flavour... you will notice it when you cook with it.


4. Grease: In order to make a baking pan or sheet non sticky, Take a little oil or butter on your finger tips and rub it thoroughly all over the insides of the pan. Make sure nothing is left uncovered. Even nonstick pans need some greasing.


5. Dusting: Take a little all purpose flour in your finger and sprinkle all over the inside of the baking pan after greasing it. Just a little flour goes a long way. After you sprinkle it, just beat sround the pan lightly to spread the flour all over the pan.


6 Preheat: Heat before baking. It is always a good practice to preheat the oven before baking anything as it will ensure 2 things, 1. make the oven temperature even on all the side and 2. kill any germs or drive out any insects inside the oven if it has not been used for a long time. 

7. Stiff : Stiffing flour is passing it through a sieve. This will ensure to take out lumps and some impurities and make the flour light and airy. Very important to bake a fluffy cake. 


8. Fold: To fold is to gently incorporate ingredients in delicate airy substances in baking. Like whipped cream, mousse and etc. To fold, add some of what you intend to mix in the airy substance. With a spatula, start from the center and mix gently in a circular motion, cutting back at the center again. Repeat this procedure till everything gets well incorporated.

9. Rub or Rubbing:  It is a process of mixing butter and flour together without making a dough.  This process makes the product very flaky. To rub the flour and fat (butter/oil) add the fat to the flour and gently rub the flour and fat together between your palms. It is like churning only with out the stick and as much less pressure. Keep rubbing the flour till all the fat is incorporated and forms granules like semolina/rava.