Whispers Food & Cooking

9 Tips for a Successful Barbeque
by Andrew Bicknell

There are thousands of tips to be found when it comes having a successful barbeque. There’s a wide variety of subjects that can be covered from how to cook different cuts of meat and what type of grill to use to how to achieve a particular taste for your barbequed foods. But there are some basic tips that can help anyone with the basics and will get them started successfully barbequing. By following the 9 tips listed below you can start you career as a backyard barbeque master the next time you fire up your grill.

1. The most important thing you need to do when barbequing is to control the heat. If your fire gets to hot or flares up out of control you can easily burn and dry out your meat. This is not something that is fun to have happen because it effectively kills the whole barbeque experience.

2. Rub you grill with oil before you fire it up to help prevent your meat sticking to the grates. If your grill is already hot you can use a regular spray bottle filled with cooking oil. Just spray the grates before you set your meat on it.

3. Use tongs or a spatula to turn your meat. Never use a fork because piercing the meat allows the juices to escape.

4. Bring your meat to room temperature before grilling. This will allow your meat to cook evenly throughout.

5. Always pre-heat your barbeque. For gas turn on high for 5-10 minutes then adjust temperature as needed. For charcoal light the coals 30 minutes before you intend to start cooking.

6. A clean barbeque grill is a happy grill. See step 2 above. By keeping your food from sticking to the grill it will stay cleaner.

7. When using a barbeque sauce be sure to wait until the outside of the meat is cooked before applying the sauce with your brush. If you add your barbeque sauce to early it can char and cause flares ups when it drips off the meat.

8. The larger the cut of meat the further away it should be from the heat source. This will allow the meat to cook evenly all the way through.

9. If you are doing shish-kabobs and using wooden skewers be sure to soak them in cold water for an hour or so to prevent them from burning. These tips are a great general guideline to follow for anyone wishing to become a backyard barbeque master. They will give you a good base to start from and any recipe or technique you attempt will have a much better chance of success.

About the author: Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque aficionado with a website about barbequing. For more tips for a successful barbeque visit his web site Backyard Barbeque. http://backyard-barbeque.home-choices-net.com/

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Indian Food Basic Ingredients
by Jitu Patel

India has been known as the land of spices. In fact had it not been for the famous “spice route”, India would not have been the preferred destination for the Portuguese, British, Persians and other people from all over the world.

Spices form an essential part of the Indian cuisine. However, the term “Indian Cuisine” is quite a misnomer since there are millions of cuisines in the country. Each region has its own cuisine and staple dishes. Hence, each region and state uses different spices to prepare their food. For example, the southern part of India is known for preparations made of rice flour like “dosa” and “idli” and the excessive use of tamarind. The northern part on the other hand uses more cumin seeds and other spices. Similarly while the eastern part is known for its preference to fish and rice, the western part is more partial to dishes made from chickpea flour.

However, there are certain spices that every Indian kitchen must have. These spices are used in different permutations and combinations for preparing a vast variety of Indian dishes: •Turmeric or Haldi powder: Haldi powder or turmeric is an essential part of all Indian curries. The yellowish reddish color of the Indian curries and other preparations is due a combination of turmeric and red chili powder. This powder is made from grinding turmeric root. Turmeric is well known as an antioxidant and as a natural cure for cough, cold and even cancer.

•Jeera or cumin seeds: Almost all Indian dishes (barring some south Indian dishes) start with a tempering of cumin seeds in heated oil. Cumin seeds are used for flavor and also help in enhancing digestion.

•Salt: No Indian food can be complete without a dash of salt. Salt (sodium chloride) is an essential part of the Indian cooking because it adds to the flavor and also helps in balancing the flavors imparted by the other spices.

•Red Chili Powder: This is another essential ingredient of all kinds of Indian recipes. Contrary to the popular belief, red chili powder is not “hot”. It depends on the kind of red chili used to make the powder. Some are not very hot but have a rich color and the others may be hot.

•Amchur or dry mango powder: Amchur powder is another very essential part of the Indian cooking since it adds a tangy flavor to the dish.

•Red Onion: Most Indian dishes like curries and other vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations usually start with a tempering of cumin seeds followed by onion in heated oil. Onions are also rich in anti oxidants and have cholesterol-lowering properties.

•Garlic and Ginger: A combined paste of ginger and garlic adds a zing to all kinds of Indian dishes. Garlic and ginger are known for their anti oxidant properties and also used in various herbal preparations. These are some of the basic ingredients used in Indian recipes that make the Indian food truly Indian.

About the author: Jitu Patel owns and operates Indian Restaurant in Las Vegas . Visit Indian Recipes and Articles for more spicy articles. http://www.indiaovenlasvegas.com/articles/

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Pineapple and Coconut Fritters; Perfect Tropical Party Food
by Sarah Gasu

When throwing a tropical themed party such as a Hawaiian Luau, a Samoan Fia Fia, or just a humble Beach Party or Watermelon Bust, nothing says tropical more than pineapples and coconuts, sweet and juicy fresh and raw, but even juicier when warm and crunchy.

The following recipe calls for shallow frying, but if you’re out in the open, you could also just throw them on the barbeque.

For this recipe you will need:

880g canned pineapple or a large fresh pineapple.
1/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups fresh white bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Canola oil, for shallow-frying

• If using fresh pineapple, cut into 5mm slices.
• Remove moisture from pineapple slices by placing on a paper towel, use a second sheet if necessary to make them as dry as possible.
• While the pineapple is being drained of its juices wiz the bread in a food processor until it has formed fine crumbs.
• Combine the bread crumbs with the coconut, cinnamon and sugar in bowl.
• Place the flour on a large plate.
• Beat two eggs in a bowl.
• Now take the pineapple slices and dip first in the flour, then eggs, then bread crumb mixture, pressing on with fingertips.
• Place oil in pan about 1cm deep and heat.
• Cook fritters a few at a time spooning hot oil over them for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden. Drain excess oil on paper towels.
• Serve on their own for a yummy finger food or make a dessert out of them by serving with vanilla ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce. Yum!

About the author: Perhaps you are an aspiring Party Mum and need a little help with some original party food ideas. We don't promise it is always healthy, but it is almost always fresh and fruity! The Party Mums website is loaded with great ideas and tips to help you with planning your childs perfect party. Enjoy them while they’re young! http://www.thepartymums.com/

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