Six tastes of Food | Arusuvai Unnavu

Yesterday I was reading about six tastes of food in a library book. Learnt some interesting facts and thought of sharing it with you. Six tastes of food are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. It is called as arusuvai in Tamil. A full course South Indian meal accomodates all the six tastes. On the day of Telugu New Year, we prepare Ugadi Pachadi in home. It is a mixture of six tastes and consists of Jaggery, Neem flower, Pepper or chilli, Salt, Tamarind Juice and Raw Mango. It is in-taken first on the New year to represent the acceptance of different emotions(Happiness, Sorrow, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Surprise) in a equal manner.

Dosa Corner - Indian Crepe Varieties

Scroll down for extensive list of mouthwatering Dosa Recipe. Each and every recipe is explained with step wise instructions and pictures. Click on the picture or dosa name to get the full detailed recipe. will update this page constantly, whenever I add new dosa recipe.

Instant Onion Rava Dosa
Quick and easy Crispy South Indian instant crepe prepared with Semolina. 

Instant Oats Dosa
Quick and easy Indian instant crepe prepared with oats. 








Instant Maida Dosa
Instant Indian crepe prepared with All purpose flour







Ragi Dosa - Millets Dosa

Instant Indian crepe prepared with Finger Millet.

Masala Dosa
Indian Crepe filled with spicy potato masala.

Cauliflower Dosa   
Indian Crepe filled with spicy cauliflower masala.









Mixed Vegetable Uthappam
Soft Indian crepe with mixed vegetable toppings. 
Shallots, carrot,onions, tomato, lentil powder and coriander.









Mysore Masala Dosa   
Indian Crepe filled with spicy potato masala and spicy red lentil chutney.







Thalicha Dosai - Seasoned Crepe   
Indian Crepe with seasoned onions, lentils, lentil powder and coriander leaves
     







Vegetable Dosa
Indian Crepe with leftover poriyal / dry vegetable curry










Tomato Dosa - Thakkali Dosa
Indian Crepe with spicy tomatoes.








Kollu Dosa - Horsegram Dosa
Indian Crepe with horsegram.








Murungai keerai Adai
Mixed Lentils and Drumstick Leaves Crepe







Open Butter Masala Dosa
Indian Crepe filled with spicy potato masala and spicy red lentil chutney.Garnished with coriander leaves, shredded carrot and shredded coconut








Instant Jowar Dosa - Chola Dosa
Instant Indian crepe prepared with Jowar / Cholam / Jonna.








Spring Dosa
Indian Crepe filled with spicy vegetables

Adai 
Iron and protein rich mixed Lentils Crepe






7 Steps for making Crispy Dosa

Steps to prepare Idli and Dosa batter

Idli and Dosa Side dish

Dosa Varieties / Dosa Varieties South Indian / dosa varieties recipes / dosa varieties blog

My Balanced Diet

Disclaimer: The balanced diet mentioned below is purely my knowledge gathered from my mom. 

My mom being a science teacher always make sure my family eats a proper balanced diet. She prepares recipes which accommodates at least a fruit, a vegetable, a pulse variety and a cereal  variety daily. 
According to me, south Indian meals are a very good example for a balanced diet. Below is the balanced diet I am trying to follow for my family.

Adults Intake per day:

Nutrients	Quantity	Example	Rich in
Cereals	450 - 500 gms	Rice, wheat	Carbohydrates
Pulses	40 -50 gms	Channa, Toor	Proteins
Green leafy vegetables	40 gms	Spinach	Iron, calcium and Vit A, B12,C
Other vegetables	60-80 gms	Brinjal, Tomato	Minerals and Vitamins
Roots and tubers	50-80 gms	Potato	Carbohydrates
Milk and milk products	150-250 ml	Yogurt	Proteins, calcium and Minerals
Oil and vegetable fat	50 gms	Olive Oil	Fat soluble Vitamins
Sugar and Jaggery	40 gms		Vitamin A
Asafoetida, ginger, garlic,               chillies, tamarind and turmeric	Little		Helps in Digestion. Excessive intake causes Ulcer

Baking Tips

• Always use fresh ingredients. Check the expiry date of the ingredients before using it.
• Don't over mix the batter. Follow the directions given in the recipe.
• Once the batter is prepared, immediately put in the Oven.
• For even cooking, always use center rack of the oven. 
• Always use accurate measurements in baking. If the measurements are not accurate then recipes won't work. Invest in a set of plastic or metal measuring cups. Fill the measuring cups with ingredient and level the top.
• Use parchment paper or grease properly the bake ware with nonstick spray or butter. If you are using wax paper, brush it lightly with cooking oil. No need to brush parchment paper as it is already specially treated.
• To Check whether cake is baked, insert a tooth pick in the center of the cake Th e tooth pick should come out clean and dry.
• Although all ovens are supposed to run at a certain temperature, some might run slightly colder or hotter. 

Below are some of the problems freshers might encounter during baking. Analyse the reason or solution to solve the problem. 

Problem	Reason / Solution
Cookies spread	Oven not preheated properly
	Too much sugar added
Cookies run into each other	Dough is placed too close together in baking sheet
Cookies bottom is burnt	Over baked.
Cookies are dry	Too much flour used.
Cookies got stuck to baking sheet	Use good quality pan
	Use parchment paper.

Problem	Reason / Solution
Cake is too dry	The Liquid and flour measurement are wrong
Cake got big holes	Cake is Over baked
Cake bottom is burnt	Always use middle rack in Oven
Cake sinks in middle	Cake is under baked or too much of baking powder
Cake got stuck to pan	Use good quality pan, use parchment paper
Cake is too tough	Apply generous coating of butter to bottom and sides of pan

Happy Baking !

Kitchen Tables

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup

8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup

12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup

16 tablespoons = 1 cup (8 ounces)

2 cups = 1 pint (16 ounces)

4 cups (2 pints) = 1 quart (32 ounces)

8 cups (4 pints) = 1/2 gallon (64 ounces)

4 quarts = 1 gallon (128 ounces)

Imperial	Metric
1/2 oz.	14 g
1 oz.	28 g
2 oz.	57 g
3 oz.	85 g
4 oz. (1/4 lbs.)	113 g
5 oz.	142 g
6 oz.	170 g
8 oz. = (1/2 lbs.)	226.8 g = 0.226 Kg
12 oz. = (3/4 lbs.)	340 g = 0.34 Kg
16 oz. = (1 lbs.)	453.5 g = 0.453 Kg
1 oz. = 30 g	1 lbs. = 16 oz. (453.5 g)
1 g = 0.35 oz.	1 kg = 2.2 lbs. = 1000 g